Radical Sabbatical CEO Jean Hartnett to Deliver Keynote on Trauma Informed Care at The Eden Alternative International Conference 2026
- Jean Hartnett
- Mar 2
- 3 min read
Hartnett, a nationally recognized leader in trauma-informed care, to focus on transforming senior living through psychological safety, healing-centered care
Omaha, NE, March 2, 2026 — Radical Sabbatical, LLC announced today that its Founder and CEO, Jean Hartnett, MHSA, NHA, will serve as a Keynote Speaker at The Eden Alternative International Conference 2026 (March 9–12, 2026) in Atlanta, GA.
Hartnett’s keynote, “From the Research to the Me‑search: Understanding Trauma to Transform Care,” (March 10, 8:30am ET) will address the urgent need for trauma‑informed leadership in senior living at a time when the field faces unprecedented workforce burnout, staffing shortages, financial strain, and evolving expectations for care.
“Senior living is at an inflection point,” said Hartnett. “Across the country, organizations are carrying the weight of interconnected, deeply human challenges. Trauma is present among residents, families, staff, and leaders — and when it goes unrecognized, it shapes everything. Trauma‑informed care offers a different path forward.”
Designed for senior living leaders, clinicians, and care partners, Hartnett’s 80‑minute keynote presentation will integrate trauma science, lived experience, and practical leadership frameworks. The session is intentionally designed to create psychological safety for leaders while helping them reframe behavior, burnout, and turnover through a nervous‑system lens rather than a deficit‑based one.
"We searched for a while to find the right keynotes for our conference and had multiple interviews,” says Michelle Daniel, President and CEO of The Eden Alternative. “Jean has the perfect mix of eldercare experience and research on trauma that is needed for all in this field. I think Jean will start the conference with incredible perspective!"
Hartnett’s perspective is shaped not only by research, but by lived experience. As a teenager in the late 1980s, she became a birth mother and relinquished her daughter through a closed adoption — a loss that went unnamed and unacknowledged for decades. She built a successful executive career in senior living, leading teams and organizations while carrying profound, unspoken grief beneath the surface.
Years later, a letter from her adult daughter reopened that story and became a catalyst for Hartnett’s deep exploration of trauma, healing, and leadership. That journey now informs both her forthcoming book and her work helping leaders understand how untold stories shape behavior, culture, and care.
Hartnett’s work emphasizes that trauma‑informed care is not another program or initiative, but a way of understanding people, making decisions, and designing environments that support healing — for residents, staff, and leadership alike. Her message challenges organizations to recognize workforce wellness as foundational to quality care and long‑term sustainability.
At the conference on March 10, Hartnett will galvanize participants to recognize senior living communities as more than care settings — as employers, neighbors, cultural anchors, and places where collective healing can occur when the conditions are right.
About The Eden Alternative:
The Eden Alternative® is an international, non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating quality of life for Elders and their care partners, wherever they live. Through education, consultation, and outreach, we offer person-directed principles and practices that support the unique needs of different living environments, ranging from the nursing home to the neighborhood street. Learn more: www.edenalt.org
About Radical Sabbatical:
Radical Sabbatical is an education and consulting firm, based in Omaha, NE, dedicated to helping individuals and organizations turn adversity into advocacy by inspiring personal growth and self‑discovery through meaningful dialogue around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma‑informed care. We design leadership experiences that integrate healing, resilience, and growth—transforming how professionals in care‑based industries lead and live. Learn more: www.radicalsabbaticalcare.com
Media Contact:
Ken Berlack
Radical Sabbatical