For 17 days the world was captivated by the plight and eventual rescue of the 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach trapped deep in a flooded cave. An adventure celebrating a player’s birthday quickly turned into a nightmare of darkness, isolation, and hunger. The unlikely story of survival and rescue is being hailed as […]

Mrs. Smith (pseudonym) came to school with a box of Kleenex and red eyes. No, our class wasn’t the cause of her pain and sorrow this time. The previous night she had said good-bye to her Air Force husband as he was deployed to Viet Nam.

I am talking with a friend about my career transition of a few years ago. “What are you doing now?” she asks. “I am a resilience trainer.” And then the inevitable question: “What is resilience?” So I explain. Resilience is the indomitable human resource that carries us through a difficulty or crisis.

“I am so blessed!” Rosemary exclaims. We are seated around her table for our monthly ritual. With her sons and daughters and their spouses all present, she relishes the moment more than the meal. It doesn’t take much to make her happy. Family, food, and faith sustain her at 87 years of age. And gratitude is never far from her lips. A closer look at the life of my mother-in-law reveals the sobering reasons for the deep lines etched into her pleasant face.

I really didn’t like the way the conversation was going. Dave, my supervisor, recommended that I begin thinking about resigning from my leadership role with our organization. Are you serious? After many years in my position, I still had clear vision and specific goals, plus all the energy and passion I needed to pursue them. […]

Emilie is a young mom with a personal and family history of worrying. As she told me after a Resilience seminar, “Worry has always been a massive part of my life. My mom is a worrier and my grandma is a worrier, so it’s something I assumed I would always have to deal with. It […]

I had only started my day, and already the stress was mounting to a seemingly unmanageable level. Pressing deadlines, relationship concerns, and a poor night’s sleep were conspiring to take me down for the day. I just couldn’t set aside the ringing in my ears, the difficulty sorting out my thoughts, and the tension I […]