I believe we’re getting resilience wrong.

When I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time at age 26, people told me “Courtney, you’re so strong!” But I didn’t feel strong: I was scared, mad, confused, AND isolated, because it seemed like no one understood. People weren’t bothering to ask how I really felt before they tried to make me feel better. I heard a lot of platitudes meant to be uplifting, but they only made me feel more frustrated.

Going through that experience taught me that when we jump straight to positivity, we miss the opportunity to tackle our problems head-on. While a positive attitude is important, growth and innovation are usually borne out of struggle. 

I’m on a mission to correct what I believe is a fundamental misunderstanding of resilience. Instead of thinking of resilience as unrelenting optimism, my research shows that true resilience comes from adapting to change and challenge. 

Now I work with organizations and individuals to develop greater adaptability, which provides a more realistic, longer-lasting form of resilience. It’s evidence-based and immediately applicable, not based on cliches or toxic positivity. 

If you feel like you’re hearing about resilience over and over again but it never sticks, you might need a new type of resilience. Let’s talk.