“When I first changed careers in midlife to become a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, I thought the job of the therapist was to come up with the right answers: To make the brilliant and magical insight that unlocks the client’s big a-ha moment. Many years into this work, it’s become clear to me…”

Last month, we talked about resilience: the ability to adjust/adapt in the face of adversity or significant stress, “bouncing back” from challenges faced, and growing as a person.  When we think of resilience, we often think of courage...

“Having coached lacrosse for over 25 years, I’ve been inspired by the resilience of so many young people - those courageously fighting through mental illness, experiencing brutal academic or social setbacks, grieving the loss of friends and teammates…”

“Early in my career, I ended my corporate legal compliance training sessions with, “Remember, I can’t fix what I don’t know about.” I had heard rumblings of trust issues between the sales force and leadership, but…”

“Did I fail the test because I am incapable of learning? Why are others achieving so many things while I feel trapped without any progress? Why are those people looking at me that way…”

“I have been surrounded by extroverts for most of my professional life. The nature of the work that I have done (business development, consulting, sales) tends to attract more extroverts than introverts, but…”

“One of the most memorable moments in my journey of embracing healthy expectations occurred in 10th grade. I was honored to be elected as the Head Girl of my school's student council…”

“Not building relationships with professors outside of class, not moving from the agency to the client side when I worked in communications, not voicing a contrarian opinion in certain group settings— these are a few of my regrets. I agree with the research that says…”

““When I’m in the room, I’m trying to solve everyone’s problems, not just my client’s. When the other side takes a position that doesn’t work for us, the first word out of my mouth is, “Why?” If I know their motivation, I can suggest other ways to get there…”

“My partner tells me he’s able to assess my level of interest in a work project or meeting task based on my volume level on a Zoom call…”

“I count myself as fortunate to have grown up with parents who, in many ways, were progressive thinkers. In the 70s, people were experimenting with all sorts of new ideas…”

“Today, I’m truly grateful to be working for a company with a mission I’m passionate about that also provides good work-life balance. However, it hasn’t always been this way…”

“As a kid, I was always scared of speaking up in class. My participation grades sometimes suffered at the hands of this anxiety; I remember getting a C on an English unit–which I had to scramble to recover from–because I didn’t speak often enough…”

“If you ask me the question, “Where are you from?,” I can never answer in one word. I usually pause for a moment and mentally calculate what you’re actually asking me— is it what citizenship I carry? Where I grew up? Or even what race I am? As a biracial Eurasian who has lived in three countries spanning…”

“The holiday season is a time we tend to associate with warmth, love and joy. The songs we sing, the movies we watch curled up with chunky blankets and hot chocolate, and the traditions we practice all contribute to the cheer of this time of year. We wish happy holidays to those we care about…”

“My first day of work at my current job was March 5, 2020. 11 days later, the therapeutic day school I had just begun working at closed due to Covid, shifting its programming. Twenty-four days later, I was furloughed. The great pause of the pandemic brought with it a lot of personal self-discovery and development…”

“When people ask me if I liked growing up as a twin, I always answer with an unequivocal yes. But, it wasn’t always easy. As kids, we were very close, but we argued constantly, we were too often compared to each other, and the many crushes we shared on the same boy frequently left us in tears. But with these difficulties came important lessons…”

“At the beginning of the pandemic, my classmates and I were sent home to complete our spring term in quarantine, like most other college students at the time. This announcement came suddenly, and I wasn’t able to say goodbye to most of my friends before leaving campus. Isolation was lonely, and the uncertainty of the Covid situation was stressful to say the least. During this time, I learned to be incredibly intentional with my relationships…”

“Prickly. That’s the word I would use to describe my relationship with feedback. Or, at least, it used to be. I didn’t always take feedback easily — sometimes I thought I knew better and it irritated me when somebody suggested changes, from comments in a google document to critiques on my approach to delivering a pitch or presentation…”

“For 2022, my New Year's resolutions center around living sustainably, which I describe as a way of working and living that maintains my wellbeing, engagement with life, and happiness. As a participant in the C101 workshop, I resolved that living sustainably needed to be my number one priority and I realized that I am so committed to this goal because of some painful episodes of burnout which I experienced over the last four years….”