Resilience Unravelled

Jeff Martinovich has had many dark days but, when he looks back on the things that happened, he feels the key to getting through was perseverance and resilience. He thinks you have to dig deep to find strength you maybe don't know you have so you can find a way to keep fighting and grow so you can deal with even bigger challenges. 

Kathy Hagler partners with organsations through good times, crises, challenges, and obstacles, and helps to move their culture, climate, and character forward with clear vision, strategic intent, and success in an everchanging world. She says that organisations are similar to human beings - both have wounds and, like people, organisations can break and can heal. We all carry wounds in our bodies, minds, and spirits that can hinder our lives at work and at home. Using her own journey, the philosophy of wabi-sabi and the Japanese art of kintsugi, Kathy helps pinpoint the root of pain, suffering and distress in an organisation and its people and then transforms it by by building character, trustworthiness, and resilience.

David’s Richman's career working for a Wall Street firm was incredibly stressful. He suffered from both external and self-inflicted stress, was overweight and a smoker, did no exercise and had four-year old twins, as well being in a relationship with an abusive alcoholic. He needed to make a change but it wasn’t until his only sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer that he started to change his life around.He says it was like a light switch going on. His whole life he had been trying to be an overachiever for other people. Whatever it was doing he was looking for external gratification. Eventually he understood the concept of having to do things for yourself and when he realised this, he took control of his life.

Eating disorders cross gender, race, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic groups and are among the deadliest of mental illnesses. Anyone caught in the downward spiral of continually obsessing about food, weight, and body image, needs support to free themselves. People not suffering from an eating disorder often believe that saying “No!” to self-destructive behaviors should be easy but it’s not. It can be a daily struggle with no single solution. Instead it’s a journey of stops and starts but, through learning various strategies, it is possible to break its hold. 

The word 'sensitive' can be seen to have some negative correlations for men by being thought of a ‘weak’ characteristic. Frailty or vulnerability are things men cannot allow themselves to be and this may have led to the increase in suicide in men because they can’t recognise themselves as being vulnerable in any way. Cultural icons in films and books supersede all the emotions people have so there is a cultural expectation for men to behave in a certain way. If sensitivity is seen as something negative, there may be a need to reframe the term to reach men who may feel unable to embrace their highly sensitive natures within their existing environment.

Studies have shown that love after 50 can be more satisfying than at any other stage in life. People are more emotionally stable, more focused on the present and know not only what they have to have, but also what they can live without. Partnering is no longer about building a family, career and fortune. It’s about sharing intimacy as grounded individuals.

There are many people trying deal with substance abuse and addiction who don't talk about it because of the stigma they feel surrounds it. Encouraging difficult conversations and honest education around these issues, can help break down the stigma and ensure that those who struggle receive the help they deserve.  

Sometimes it takes a catastrophic event to wake us up, something that upends life as we know it. These turning points can be terrifying but we all encounter them in our lives. The real question is, 'how will we face them'? Although we want to hang on to what’s 'normal', disruptive moments are exactly what’s needed to transform ourselves and the world around us.Radha Ruparell is a global cross-sector leader with expertise in leadership development and personal transformation. She has worked with CEOs, Fortune 500 senior executives, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots leaders around the world. At the height of the pandemic she fell ill with Covid and found she needed all her leadership skills and experience to navigate through the uncertainity and change it brought.

Claudia Tinnirello is originally from Sicily but has lived in England since 2005. Not being an English native speaker, Claudia understands the struggles of overcoming judgement and the fear of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language. She has however discovered ways of becoming a better and confident public speaker by sharing her voice in many different ways - an international bestselling author and the CEO and founder of web design business Sophisticated Cloud Limited being just two. After being made redundant four times, Claudia had started to lack confidence and become unsure of what to do next. It was suggested to her that she join Toastmasters International to try to and restore her confidence and control her nerves and fear of public speaking. So much so she is now President of the Toastmasters International Basingstoke Speakers Club.

Prior to her professional life as a coach and consultant, Jennifer or Jen Crowley thought she had life she was meant to have. Married with a son, she also had a high profile job as Vice President of a large wine distribution company. She then went through what she refers to as a six year character building period before deciding she needed to follow a completely different path and left her successful 20-year career as an executive to share her path to change and fulfillment.

Pat Moffett married his wife Carmen in 1976 and they raised five children together.  Then, in 1998 Carmen was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's. After years of struggling with the disease, she was finally admitted to a nursing home and Pat then wrote his book ‘Ice Cream in the Cupboard’ about their story post diagnosis.After Carmen's death in 2010, Pat continued to work with the Alzheimer's Association, raising awareness and providing support for the caregivers and loved ones of Early Onset Alzhimer's victims.  He also brought his book to the big screen and the feature film ‘Ice Cream in the Cupboard’ was released in 2019.

Wendy Tamis Robbins anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and panic disorders started when she was a young child growing up in a volatile household. Anxiety controlled her life well into adulthood, to the point of agoraphobia. Despite this, she worked her way through Dartmouth College and law school before, in her 30s, she set her mind to overcoming the anxiety and panic attacks that increasingly limited her life.It took many years and an unsuccessful marriage before she finally took hold of her mental health and escaped from her self-inflicted prison. By realising that no physical sensation comes without a thought preceeding it and cultivating awareness and recognition of where your anxiety is being stimulated, you can find the thoughts behind the anxiety. Understanding that these thoughts are optional means you can choose new ones that serve you better.  

We all work towards a code, a pattern or belief system that we follow in life. This can be very difficult to change and to do so we need to deliberately step outside the code to find what is meaningful to us or to build the life we want to make for ourselves. If we create a picture beyond our current code, it becomes the motivation and the key to break it.

"There is no evidence to link the severity of pain with the amount of tissue damage. If the body heals and the pain persists it may be more about whether we are anxious, depressed or have negative beliefs about pain rather than the extent of the injury. Our attitude to pain can also affect the level of pain we feel as does our personality and behaviour."

Through counselling, Gam anon and researching addiction, Erica managed to separate the person from the addiction. The person she married was not the person who did those reckless things, but there was much anger and hurt. She couldn't throw the towel though because she knew it was his addiction that was causing his behaviour. When she first found out about the gambling she felt duped and angry but looking back she realised there were some missed red flags. Patrick would always have a reason for why her debit card didn't work and she believed him but now she thinks should she have demanded proof or better answers?

Camp Jabberwocky was one of the first sleep over camps for people with serious disabilities. In 1953, UK actress Helen Lamb was working in Massachusetts as a speech therapist. She worked with some children who were in wheelchairs and it made her angry that they were unable to enjoy the summer experiences other children had. In the summer of 1953 she took three kids and one helper away for the first time. 68 years later the camp is part of the fabric of the area.Dr Steven Gardner was introduced to Camp Jabberwocky through his son Graham who was born with Cerebral Palsy. During his abbreviated 22-year life, Graham Gardner was unable to speak or to walk on his own. Yet he forged meaningful relationships wherever he went. His Cerebral Palsy forced him to rely on other people but he accepted his reality, lived in the present moment, reveled in relationships, and exuded radiance around him. He personified joy and he lived love. 

When we lose someone we love, especially if we are involved in an accident and have survivor’s guilt, we need to see that there is a reason we are still here and tap into it. We need to look for a path forward and see the good that can still come from our life. The loss will still be there but if we can work through the pain then we can look forward and see that although life is different, it can still be great.We will all experience loss and grief at some point and most of us are uninformed about what is normal and what is not. Support is essential and we need to find meaningful support systems that will encourage us to build certainty of hope so we understand that rebuilding our life is possible.  

Steven R Campbell, MSIS, worked in hospital administration for twenty years before acquiring his Masters at the University of San Francisco and going on to pursue his greatest love, teaching. As a University Professor and Educational Dean in Northern California for the last 20 years, he now presents an eye-opening look at how our brains conform and how optimise the messages we give them, so they literally rewire themselves to create new, positive self-images of how we see ourselves, and who we want to be. In this podcast:Steven talks about discovering how your brain learns from your thoughts and the information you feed it.Understanding how your brain believes and accepts everything you tell it.Learning to think in new ways that will help you make positive life changes.

Resilience can be seen as a deep well of resources that resides in each of us. It's more than just bouncing back, it’s about reaching our personal or professional goals with the minimum unnecessary difficulty, whether it’s physical, emotional, spiritual or physiological. There are many things that can deplete resilience. Our life circumstances, not learning how to deal with problems and being inflexible in how we deal with them, not learning how to work with our own thought processes and not investing in the relationships that support us during hard times.

This week on the podcast, Dr Russell Thackeray talks to Laura Khoudari who is a trauma practitioner, certified personal trainer, and corrective exercise specialist whose work grew out of her own experience healing from trauma.  Laura designed an holistic program to support her own treatment for PTSD that combined talk therapy, mindfulness, bodywork, and strength training. Realising there weren’t more people in the fitness space equipped to help clients living with trauma, she decided to become the trauma informed personal trainer and coach she wished she had had.

If we are too preoccupied with the past and the future, going back over memories and worrying about what might happen, with no real solution or plan fear can take over. We need to become more aware of our own thoughts so we can pull our attention back to the present and reconnect with our ourselves in the now where fear cannot exist.

Mindset prepares us for some of the most important conversations in our lives. Whether it’s going into a competition or a boardroom meeting, we need to ask ourselves and others the right questions. What mindset do you want to go in with? Are you ready? What part of your experience do you want to share today? With the right mindset you get the best outcome.

Maladaptive perfectionism can lead to anxiety, depression, burnout and even suicide. Nothing is ever good enough and perfectionists constantly battle between 'good' and 'bad' perfectionism. The key to dealing with maladaptive perfectionism is to create equilibrium to regulate experiences, develop self-management techniques and learn self worth.

We all need fortitude or inner strength. Our day might not be perfect but we can take control of our life despite of what’s coming our way – we can deal with what we’re going through because we’re strong and have fortitude. It’s about having a mental narrative and giving ourselves positive messages. Gratitude is the umbrella. It’s a state of being thankful, a place of joy or love which over time starts to grow and change your mindset.

Changing purpose or narrative is a key part of getting unstuck. The conversation we have with ourselves determines how we see the world. Changing this can produce different results but we need to shift more than our linguistical world, we also need to shift our emotional and physical worlds to bring lasting change.  

Barbie Wharton's resilience was really tested in 2015 when she woke up with Bells Palsy, a condition that causes a temporary weakness or paralysis of the muscles in the face. It can occur when the nerve that controls the facial muscles becomes inflamed, swollen, or compressed and it causes one side of your face to droop or become stiff.  In Barbie’s case, it was very sudden. She woke up on a Monday morning and when she was getting the kids ready for school realised one side of her face looked different. Her doctor prescribed steroids and anti-virals but Barbie tried a lot of other things such as acupuncture, acupressure, essential oils, prolo therapy, fascial stretch therapy as well as seeing a naturopath. She also did a lot of research and came to the conclusion that in her case, developing Bells Palsy was about not using her voice to speak up and letting other people’s idea of what was picture perfect affect her. She was trying to be everything to everyone, the perfect mum, perfect partner with the perfect house and the perfect life which was exhausting. She needed to lose her illusion of what her life should look like.

As well as being something physical, threats can also be intrusive or repressed thoughts and emotions. These are processed in the brain in the same way as a physical threat and are a bigger problem because we can’t escape their consciousness. The body’s response to stress chemicals and inflammation is the same whether the source of the threat is mental or physical. If the threat is sustained, ongoing exposure to this inflammatory reaction destroys tissues and causes chronic disease.

If you take a group of people playing slot machines or cards, backing a horse or a football team, some won't be affected at all, a couple may develop a mild gambling habit whilst one may end up with a with a severe problem. It’s hard to say what the trigger is as its different for each person but there is a point when things change and it goes from being fun to being the solution to the problem - the only way to recover the money that's been lost and pay back the debts is to gamble more. Patrick Chester ended up in jail because of his gambling addiction but now, six years later he is living a life of recovery and trying to help other people recognise what it is, what the dangers and trying to help people already suffering from it.  

As a survivor of invasive breast cancer whose marriage dissolved as treatment ended, Susan De Lorenzo draws on her personal journey as well as her training as a life coach to give clients, readers and listeners the mindsets and tools to rebuild their lives and create something even greater through a higher platform of awareness that gives inspiration to dream bigger and go for more.She says that when we come out of life altering adversities, the first thing we need to understand is that it’s not just other people who can overcome adversity. We can too. We need to be open to the idea that 'this is for me too' so how can we design our lives so we get to a place where we love our life.  How can we build and learn so we overcome beliefs, conditioning and the 'not good enough' syndrome.

Using meditation to help with the mental, physical and emotional problems created by stress.Taking the ‘woo woo’ away from meditation and making it simple and easy to practice whatever environment you're in . There’s no need for incense, flowers or special clothes, you just need to sit down and get started.  

The therapeutic processes of art and the way that creative expression can develop healing and mental wellbeing and transform challenges into wisdom, information and potential. Art therapy tools integrated with neuroscience techniques helps build creative intelligence so people don’t get derailed from life challenges such as stress, pain and heavy emotions.  

James Boardman is a former Royal Marine Commando who now helps men to rebuild their lives and have a better state of mind through the way they live their lives emotionally, physically and mentally. James originally started working with his clients on their fitness and nutrition but many seemed to fall off the programme so he started considering why this was happening. He realised that the chaos of life – responsibility, conflicting identity, direction – was what was stopping them.  James decided to change his tactics and concentrate on the level of control, consistency and clarity of where men were going. He calls this an Elite Operating Mindset, an alter ego by which we set our standards to build the character, values and principles needed to perform in life for the four pillars of health, relationships, personal development and business.

Mike feels the attraction of mountaineering is the connection with the natural world that allows him to plug back into what he feels it is to be human. The interaction with nature in its rawest sense pushes him out of his comfort zone by heightening sensitivities and takes him into a new world with a freedom of view where he is a small aspect of the whole picture.

Our dynamics, our sexual and non-sexual relationships and the roles assigned to us socially are often based around our gender perceptions of one another. In understanding how gender and sexuality vary, we can understand miscommunications between communities and cultures based on a mistranslation or misalignment of norms and practices.  If we understand them, that exclusivity is a means to create productivity, symbiosis and communication within communities.Understanding sexuality is about communication, something that benefits all of us.

In this episode, Dr. Russell Thackeray talks to Nancy J. McKay who is based in Colorado. Nancy is the Founder of Amazing Outlook Coaching and believes that you can't be courageous without first being vulnerable. Nancy has been through some challenging and life changing events and became acutely aware that life is short, and there was no time to lose to follow her dreams. She completely changed course at the age of 60 and became a Certified Mind-Body-Eating Coach in 2018, a Certified Wayfinder Life Coach in 2019 and a Certified Equus Coach in 2020. She now uses her experience, training, and passion to help women explore and eliminate what is holding them back, challenge old beliefs and patterns and replace them with tools and strategies that empower them change their lives.

Daniel Jenkins qualified as a solicitor in October 2015, first working for a high street firm in South Wales before moving to London to set up a business as a consultant solicitor where he now specialises in civil and construction litigation. Additionally, he has set up and runs The Freelance Entrepreneur, a podcast designed to help entrepreneurs with starting up, running and growing a business. Daniel set up his podcast to specifically help younger people with the practical and mental health elements found in starting up a business. He feels many can suffer from stress and anxiety when they set up their businesses and his podcast aims to provide them with tools he would have found useful. Daniel feels every generation faces its own set of challenges but at the moment a major issue is the advancement of technology and the pressures that come with it and this is one of the topics covered in this podcast.  

In this episode, Dr. Russell Thackeray talks to Dr Sara Geber, a nationally recognised authority and expert in the area of life planning and retirement transition. Around ten years ago, Sara realised a lot of her executive coaching clients were starting to think about their retirement plans rather than their strategic plans! Over the last few years the idea of retirement has changed. Baby Boomers want to do things their way by staying active and productive. There is a different trajectory of ageing now with the percentage of people staying healthy into their 70s and 80s growing every year and exercise and is important to this, both physical and mental! In this podcast:Sara talks about the way the Baby Boomer generation look at retirementThe things we should all be thinking about when planning for retirementThe additional things solo agers should be considering.

John Marx is the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Survival Institute and author of the book, Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement. He is also editor of the law enforcement wellness website www.CopsAlive.com and sits on the board of a number of national organisations that support first responders and their families.John served for twenty-three years in both a municipal police department and a county sheriff’s office working patrol, investigations and community service. He also served as a hostage negotiator for 19 years. He now provides training in the leadership development programs of several Fortune 100 corporations. In this episode:John talks about the stress emergency service personnel feel Why resilience is important to first respondersThe importance of intentionality

During Bob Krulish’s tenure at a major insurance he saw a doctor for stress related symptoms and was incorrectly diagnosed with depression. He was placed on a medication that would ultimately cause him to ruin his own life. Once Bob received the proper diagnosis of Bipolar 1 Disorder, he was able to slowly put his life back together and soon found the strength to share his struggles with others. Hear his story and understand how Bi-Polar manifests and its impact on lives. Bob’s book unpacks how to live and cope with Bi-polar and how to spot the signs and symptoms.

Nate Regier, Ph.D., is the CEO and founding owner of Next Element Consulting, a global leadership firm dedicated to bringing compassion into the workplace. Nate is a former practicing psychologist and expert in social-emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication, and leadership. Nate views leadership as the practice of managing diversity towards shared goals. Two of the most essential competences to achieve this are communication and conflict management skills. Not everyone can clearly see a path so leaders need to translate the plan so everyone can understand – leaders need to have vision and strategy butalso need the human capital to go forwards.

Dr Jonathan Westover describes himself as a scholar/practitioner. He has been an Associate Professor at Utah Valley University for 11 years and leads the Organisational Leadership Department which focuses on organisational development and change, human resource management, organisational behaviour and leadership. He also undertakes research on global comparisons in worker engagement and satisfaction, and the drivers of worker motivation across the world. Through his consultancy, Human Capital Innovations, Dr Westover helps organisational leaders better manage their people, improve leadership their skills and ultimately have high functioning organisations and teams that maximise the potential of their people.

Kimberly Spencer is an award-winning high performance coach and trainer, who is currently based on the Gold Coast of Australia. Originally from Los Angeles, Kimberly is also and Amazon best-selling co-author, international motivational speaker, and founder of CrownYourself.com where she helps visionary leaders build their empire and stand out in their full potential in their bodies, businesses, and relationships. Kimberly’s uses her personal experience to inspire, motivate, and coach her clients using what she has learned from her personal development to help others to find their truth.

Steve Prentice is a published author, keynote speaker, university lecturer, and full-time consultant to Fortune 500 companies. His specialty is explaining the practical and emotional impacts and benefits of technological change in regard to productivity, collaboration and life balance, and in providing practical steps to make these changes work.In this podcast:Steve talks about the work scenario over the next five to ten years.Digital literacyThe importance of ‘time on’ and ‘time off’

Amanda Webster hid her depression with drugs, alcohol and self-harm. She reached rock bottom, but then realised she had to make a choice to change her life The post Resilience Unravelled – Make a choice and change your life appeared first on QEDOD.com.

Bill McPhee spent five years in a deep depression before the right medication and support from family and friends helped him in his schizophrenia recovery and in getting his life back. The post Resilience Unravelled – Schizophrenia recovery. Getting back to reality. appeared first on QEDOD.com.

When he broke his neck Geoff faced enormous adversity but he built the resilience he needed to start living his life again and get back to sailing. The post Resilience Unravelled – You need resilience to be a seafaring adventurer. appeared first on QEDOD.com.

A strong background in the business world and in spiritual health means Donnalynn understands how use spiritual tools to solve business problems. The post Resilience Unravelled – Spiritual and business health. appeared first on QEDOD.com.

Following the murder of his girlfriend, Mike developed his Emotional Reconnection Practice to help men tap into their emotions in a real and authentic way. The post Resilience Unravelled – Emotional reconnection. Learn to SOAR. appeared first on QEDOD.com.

Business owners need to invest in themselves through coaching and personal development to improve and develop themselves as well as their businesses. The post Resilience Unravelled – Coaching and personal development. Make the leap and invest in yourself. appeared first on QEDOD.com.

Shona Elliott is a Canadian currently based in Edmond, Oklahoma. She was in the process of setting up her own business to help CEO s with employee engagement and goal alignment when Covid-19 hit. She had also just written her first book Create Value as a Senior Leader. An experienced senior executive, Shona is passionate about […] The post Resilience Unravelled – Employee engagement. Reconnecting, building trust and creating value. appeared first on QEDOD.com.