Years ago, I interviewed Marci Shimoff upon the release of her book Happy for No Reason. Her story about interviewing a woman named CJ for her book has stayed with me ever since. CJ had been very depressed for 15 years. She’d had lupus, an autoimmune disorder. She was in a great deal of pain
A few months ago, I received an email from Christa Nelson, owner of Epiphany, a local public relations and marketing firm. In honor of her upcoming 50th birthday, she decided to dedicate 50 weeks to giving back and acts of kindness. She was looking to highlight the work of some of her favorite nonprofit organizations
Given that last year was focused on cancer recovery, I didn’t write my annual highlights blog. Early Thanksgiving morning, I woke up inspired to look through photos from this past year with gratitude. Again and again, my eyes were drawn to moments that embodied one of my favorite quotes: “Work is love made visible.” ~Kahlil
What does an organization or community look like that creates multiple layers of safety nets so that no life falls through… and all can thrive? If you are familiar with my work, you are likely aware of the THRIVE Resilience Model™ I developed to answer this question and help resilience builders put the research into
Of all of the rich discussions at the National Summit on School Safety where I recently presented, it became apparent that there is a strong need for a broader discussion about how despite best intentions, we are undermining resilience with reactive crisis preparedness efforts. Building resilience is a process of increasing protective factors and decreasing
This is an important day for me. My first thought upon waking up: one year as a cancer survivor. One year ago, I underwent surgery as part of treatment to remove three malignant tumors. My second thought: more accurately, one year cancer free. My cancer survivor journey actually started on the same day in February
As part of the Resilience First Aid project, a 6-month pilot I developed for the National Resilience Institute to build community resiliency and better prepare for mass disruptions, we recently held a trauma and resilience training with my UK colleague, Lisa Cherry. At a Q&A session with Lisa, me and another resiliency specialist, one participant
My doctor said that I could not go for a walk for 30 days after surgery. I was annoyed. My body said it needed even longer.I listened… On an invitingly warm May evening, it finally was time for my first walk. A slow going stroll, but I could do it. As I walked down the
Earlier this year, I took down my website after being diagnosed with breast cancer, an unfortunate family tradition. I lost my mom to the disease when I was 22-years-old. My grandma, aunts, sister and niece also have braved this path before me. Who am I on the other side of recovering from treatment, finding a
Note: This perennial favorite is republished with working video links (original date: April 16, 2014). What Breaks Your Heart? As I was preparing to travel to a community in western Iowa that lost a fourth person to suicide this past year, I heard about the shooting and loss of lives at the Jewish Community Center