About

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James Freeman provides leadership development, training, and consultation for organizations working in complex, high-pressure human-service environments. His work helps organizations strengthen teams, build leadership capacity, and create conditions that support stability, trust, and long-term effectiveness.

James holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and brings more than 30 years of experience in the Child and Youth Care field, spanning direct care, supervision, training, and senior leadership. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including Holding the Center: Leading with Heart in a World of Hurt (forthcoming), and a recipient of the National Staff Development and Training Association’s Career Achievement Award.

His experience includes training and consultation across North America and internationally, as well as service on national and international boards, including the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice and the Association of Children’s Residential and Community Services.

James also serves on staff with the California Alliance for Child and Family Services Catalyst Center as a Senior Open Doors Facilitator for the state-funded Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, supporting statewide efforts to improve access to mental health and substance use services for young people.

Training Grounds supports leaders at every level through a trauma-informed, relational approach to leadership development. The work is grounded in the realities of complex human-service settings such as behavioral health, therapeutic care, education, housing, and juvenile justice, where care, urgency, and accountability intersect every day.

The approach centers on six elements of embodied leadership that guide how leaders show up, make decisions, and sustain their teams over time.

Presence - Staying grounded enough to see clearly and respond effectively when pace and pressure increase.

Empathy - Understanding the experiences and perspectives that influence behavior and performance.

Trust - Building psychological safety through consistency, transparency, and follow-through.

Adaptability - Responding to challenges with steadiness and flexibility rather than control.

Long-Term Thinking - Making decisions that protect people, culture, and mission beyond the immediate moment.

Self-Awareness - Recognizing how one’s own patterns and responses shape leadership impact.