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Physical touch is one of the most misunderstood and often avoided aspects of volunteer engagement. In professional settings, it raises important questions about boundaries, safety, and risk. So many organisations respond by removing it altogether but what gets lost when we do that?

Tracey O’Neill has 25 years experience working alongside volunteers, leaders, and organisations. Her Making a Ruckus: Rethinking Volunteer Engagement podcast series, now in its third season, aims to shake up how we think about volunteering, leadership, and community and create positive change.

In this older episode, Tracey explores the love language of physical touch not as something to apply, but as a way of understanding how some volunteers express care, offer reassurance, and create a sense of safety for others. The conversation moves beyond touch itself and into deeper themes of presence, human connection, and how care is experienced.

In this podcast Tracey explores:

• Why physical touch can feel uncomfortable in volunteer settings
• What science tells us about touch, connection, and the nervous system
• The difference between physical touch and embodied presence
• How trauma-informed practice and consent shape safe interactions
• How to recognise volunteers who bring warmth and emotional awareness
• The hidden emotional labour of presence-based roles
• How to create environments that balance connection with clear boundaries

Listen to the podcast on Spotify here. (27 min)