Designed Resilience

When lived experience builds a platform for empowerment, the resulting conversations are breathtaking, inspiring, and incredibly valuable. I had the honor of speaking with author and speaker Lawrence C. Harris, a youth empowerment speaker committed to sharing what he has learned on his own journey of healing, growth, and the pursuit of self actualization. If you want to learn more from Lawrence, you can connect with him in the following ways: Power to the People: https://a.co/d/cN4QAwL Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kawrencec.empowers Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawrencecempowers Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@lawrencecempowers ...

One statement in an interview today (which comes out next week - you won't want to miss it!) blew my mind. My guest said that when we ask if we are good enough, we are likely comparing ourselves to a perfect standard. What?!? Are you kidding me? But he's right. Being good enough is not a full statement and exploring the rest of the sentence will show you so much about yourself.

I haven't posted in 3 weeks for a variety of reasons including a bout of depression and work travel. I've been thinking whether or not I could consider myself resilient even though I was low and sad for nearly a week and a half. I decided that yes, I am still resilient, because resilience is not masking.

We know that resilience serves us in the extremes of life - providing stamina when things are great and moving fast as well as strength and tenacity when things are hard. But what about the between times? I believe resilience is just as valuable, but sometimes harder to come by while you wait. Here are some tips I've used to help me stay centered in the meantime.

Carol Dweck's iconic book Mindset taught me a lot about the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, as well as the implications of each. I believe that your mindset - whether fixed or growth - deeply affects your resilience.

Everyone of us, no matter how successful or talented or capable, has some story or belief that we use to self-sabotage or mess us up. Regardless of empirical proof, humans are wired to doubt ourselves. So first, I want you to know that's normal. And then I provide 3 true things you can cling to when you're starting to slide into self doubt.

As someone who has worked remotely for years, it's easy to just not go outside. Three specific experiences have shown me that there is great value in making an effort to get outside for my physical and emotional health. From reducing stress, to helping me be present, to recharging my energy, the outdoors is truly a gift to be enjoyed.

One of my favorite ways to grow and develop myself is through reading and I just finished a great book, Rich AF by the Rich BFF Vivian Tu, that I couldn't wait to tell you about. The book is packed with amazing information - I took pages of notes. In this video, I specifically talk about her recommendations for budgeting because budgeting is such a huge part of my Financial Stability.

More than a decade ago, I started using mirror work - talking to yourself in the mirror - to prepare for professional public speaking opportunities. Since then, I have been inspired to translate the confidence-building aspects of mirror work from my professional life into my personal life. It's helped me address limiting beliefs and build confidence in myself.

Not all situations that require resilience are negative. Sometimes, resilience can provide the foundation for some of the best changes of your life. That's what we'll talk about in this video - how establishing a positive self concept, financial stability, physical well being, community, and personal growth and development can make even the most exciting things a little easier. I'm so grateful for this move and how it will change my life. I got to enjoy it more because I'd already designed my resilience.

I think I've had an apostrophe...I mean an epiphany! I think consumerism and people pleasing are linked! I think they both aim to achieve the same goals and they reinforce each other in people who have an external locus of validation. Take a listen and tell me what you think.

I read a lot of personal development books. I was lucky enough to have been turned on to Villain Era Goddess by my husband, who is part of The Fiction Lab, an incubator and think tank for authors. I am so honored to spotlight the authentic, revelation-heavy, and expletive-laced book's author, Ashley Kim, in this episode of Designed Resilience. Where most self-help books are like The Real Housewives "Glam Squads", sent to make whatever you're working with look and feel better, this book - which I will spend more time with - is more like that scene in Temple of...

Two of my favorite phrases related to personal growth and development are "You can learn ANYTHING" and "You can't beat someone who doesn't quit." I have found these ideals to be true through personal experience, which is why I believe they are fundamental to designing resilience.

Taina Rodrigues-Wells is a personal and professional powerhouse who followed her then-fiance, now-husband to the United States. She has flourished in her new country thanks to her planning, conviction, and resilience. If you'd like to connect with Taina, find her on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tainardrgs/.

As a recovering codependent people pleaser, understanding and setting boundaries for my emotional wellbeing within my community has been something I had to learn and continue to practice. In this episode, I share my understanding of boundaries and how I ease myself into setting them with important people in my life.

Though I didn't know it at the time, these 5 itty bitty habits helped me take care of myself through one of the hardest experiences of my life - the loss of my Mom. You can start implementing any or all of these today and have the confidence that they'll ground you in times of challenge.

Many of us begin new years with the resolution to stabilize our finances. But, if you're like me, no one taught you how to do this. After much reading, listening, and research, these are the 4 steps that helped me move out of the paycheck-to-paycheck life.

A positive self concept is the belief that you can navigate life successfully. It's different than self esteem or self confidence. The 3 steps to begin building a positive self concept will help you build a daily habit that will sustain you in times of difficulty.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025! To kick off the year, I wanted to revisit the 5 pillars of Designed Resilience: Positive Self Concept, Financial Stability, Physical Well Being, Community, and Personal Growth & Development. Building habits and practices daily in these 5 areas can sustain you through times of difficulty.

Rest is an important, if not often overlooked, part of physical well being. In this season of cold weather and an abundance of social obligations, I encourage you to listen to your body and find rest before rest finds you.

No matter where you are in your life - pre-job, currently working, between jobs, or retired - there is value is joining clubs, organizations, and groups who are focused in the same direction you are. Today, we discuss the value of joining professional organizations for development.

You can successfully navigate any and all situations life presents you with. I know this to be true because you have lived life - some good and some bad and some terrible - and yet you persist. Focus on the things you've overcome to build the belief in your own abilities.

Financial advice often assumes that you know what's happening with your money and that you have enough money to cover all your expenses. But what do you do when you have no idea where your money is going, or how much is coming in? How do you decide what to pay for when you know you can't pay for everything? Check out this episode to explore an approach to getting to zero, financially.

A hectic schedule has thrown me out of my routine of daily gym time for strength training and cardio. To ease myself back into moving my body, I am focusing on yoga in the morning and walks after work. Yoga and walking enable me to be present with my body without pushing my current limits.

Twice in the past few weeks, friends in my community have reached out because they were struggling - on the spectrum from "in a funk" to "having trouble justifying life". It had me reflecting on my ability to ask for help and the true value of community for resilience.

My role in the play Noises Off! has me dominating my daily activity goals. I have rediscovered the ability of being in flow with physical activity and I don't want it to stop!

You can deepen the relationships with members of your Community by setting the right expectations and actively listening during conversations. In this video, learn about 3 different types of supportive conversations and how to prepare your body and mind for actively listening.

This episode features Tom Shaw of www.emergencespeaking.com, a real-life barrier breaker who has overcome paralysis and addiction to become a published author, successful business man, and motivational speaker. Enjoy this conversation with Tom.

Building a habit of learning something new every day sets a foundation for resilience. Even when times are hard, you know you can learn something new to help you. In this episode I discuss my favorite 7 ways to learn - reading & book clubs, YouTube, podcasts, documentaries, travel, the MasterClass platform, and libraries.

Each day we face anxiety about the uncertainty in our lives. After a recent conversation with a friend, I realized some of the specific daily habits and beliefs I have developed over time and through therapy that help me stay centered in my positive self concept.

Changes in your financial life are inevitable, but building daily habits and practices can offer stability to help you weather them. In this episode, I share my recent experience and learnings.

I've auditioned for a role in a hilarious play with lots of physical comedy. I don't know if I got a role yet, but just in case I do, I've been focusing on preparing myself by taking daily walks, eating whole foods, and going to bed at the same time each night. Wish me luck!

The first 6 months of 2024 have just concluded. Are you where you want to be on your resilience journey? If not, that's okay - I'm not either. So I have decided to refocus on my goals in building daily habits aligned with the 5 facets of designed resilience. First, I am focusing on my physical well being. What will you focus on?

Where Designed Resilience is concerned, Community is defined as a few select relationships where you know the other person and you are confident that you can be authentic and vulnerable. There is hardly a better place to get to know a person or to see if they fit in your Community than to travel with them. Here's my experience with 2 friends on my first Virgin Voyage.

Showering can be a great way to connect with your body, whether you are rinsing off or doing all the things.

An unexpected reduction in force at work is a difficult surprise to swallow, but sometimes music you've tuned out suddenly becomes the path to moving forward. Learn how from my conversation with Beth Bush, a dear friend and inspiration to me.

In this episode, I tell you about my personal debt journey and how working to remove debt from my life has strengthened my financial stability so that I can design my resilience.

One of the five facets of Designed Resilience is Self Concept, defined as the belief in your ability to successfully navigate the situations in your life. If you're still breathing, you have a 100% success rate and should have a strong, positive self concept.

The last 6 months of my life have been a major upheaval, but daily practices in the areas of self-concept, finances, community, physical well-being, and personal growth and development have kept me from falling off the edge. Today's episode is an introduction to the overall concepts that help me design my resilience.