The Healing Power of Resilience: A New Prescription for Health and Well-Being

by Tara Narula

In this paradigm-shifting book, Dr. Tara Narula bridges the gap between clinical medicine and psychology to illustrate the healing power of resilience. Using inspiring case studies, interviews with leading resilience experts, and her own personal experience, she provides a set of strategies and tools that are designed to help you cultivate a resilient mindset.

Despite advances in modern medicine, cardiovascular disease continues to be the number one cause of death in the United States. We can identify many of the traditional factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease, and now we’re adding new factors such as sleep, stress, depression, and other mental health issues. But the concept of psychological resilience is just beginning to be understood as a contributing factor to a person’s ability to prevent the onset of disease, recover from illness or trauma, and successfully move forward in life.

Dr. Tara Narula has long been fascinated by how our mindset affects our health. She, along with other leading experts in the cutting edge field of psychological resilience, believe that resilience is much like the heart—a “muscle” that can be trained and strengthened through exercise and use. In both her personal life and professional practice, she’s witnessed firsthand the transformative power of resilience in patient outcomes and in meeting all of life’s challenges. A resilient spirit, she believes, is a key factor in staying healthy—and happy—for the long run. In The Heart of Resilience , she offers you a new prescription for strengthening your own resilience as a way to tend to matters of the heart.

Genres: Health, Self Help, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Medicine

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 20, 2026

About the author

Dr. Tara Narula is a board-certified cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, an Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine, Hofstra/Northwell, the Associate Director of the Women’s Heart Program at Lenox Hill Hospital and Director of Communications for the Katz Institute of Women’s Health. She is also a nationally recognized medical journalist. She is the current Chief Medical Correspondent for ABC News and a former NBC News Medical Contributor, CNN Medical Correspondent and CBS News Senior Medical Correspondent. She has been a past contributor as well to O, Oprah Magazine. She joined Lenox Hill Heart & Vascular Institute of New York in 2010 and provides outpatient consultative care. After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in Economics and Biology, she was founder and CEO of her own small business, Sun Juice Inc. Subsequently, she obtained her medical degree at USC Keck School of Medicine where she graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha Society Honors. Dr. Narula completed her residency in internal medicine at Harvard University/Brigham and Women's Hospital and her fellowship training in cardiology at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Narula is currently a fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). She serves as a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association and the AHA’s Go Red for Women Initiative. She is co-director of a mentoring program for women in medicine called FaceofCardiology which serves to help guide women pursuing possible careers in cardiology. She is a recipient of a 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Live News Program CBS Mornings, the 2019 WomenHeart Nanette Wenger Award for Media and the Super Doctors Award for NYC 2014-2025. Her interests include women's health, prevention, mental health, and resilience. Her new book ‘The Healing Power of Resilience’ was published by Simon & Schuster in January 2026 and highlights the importance of resilience as a powerful force in keeping us healthy, happy and helping us recover from the challenges of life.

Reviews

[Lisa Schilling Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great review with plenty of antidotes and data from studies and research on the many aspects that are important resilience in dealing with health challenges and life challenges. Aligns closely with the “blue zone” thoughts of approaching things holistically. Sleep, reduced stress, exercise and good nutrition along with purpose, love and community. Something we can all strive for in our lives.

[Stephanie Peterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very timely topic worth exploring. Extra stars for mentioning Ms. Proenza from Ransom Everglades! She was also my favorite teacher and inspired my life-long love of reading and writing.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but kind of the book equivalent of "this meeting could have been an email".

[Melanie M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Healing Power of Resilience offers a timely and compassionate reframe of what it truly means to heal. Dr. Tara Narula makes a persuasive and deeply human case that medicine cannot succeed on prescriptions and procedures alone that resilience is not a soft concept, but a critical clinical factor in health outcomes.

What sets this book apart is how seamlessly it bridges cardiology and psychology without oversimplifying either. Dr. Narula draws from decades of experience as a practicing cardiologist and medical journalist, grounding her insights in credible research while never losing sight of the lived experience of patients. The result is a narrative that feels both authoritative and accessible.

The concept of the “Resilience Response” is especially powerful. Rather than presenting resilience as toxic positivity or stoicism, Dr. Narula frames it as a skill set one that includes acceptance, flexibility, connection, purpose, and self-compassion. These tools feel practical, humane, and realistic, particularly for readers navigating illness, recovery, or long-term health challenges.

Equally compelling is the book’s insistence that mental and physical health are not parallel tracks but deeply intertwined systems. By acknowledging fear, grief, and uncertainty as biological stressors not personal failures this book validates experiences many patients feel but rarely hear acknowledged in clinical settings.

This is not just a book for those facing heart disease or major diagnoses; it’s a thoughtful guide for anyone seeking a more integrated, sustainable approach to well-being. Dr. Narula’s work reminds us that resilience is not about avoiding hardship, but about meeting it with the internal resources to endure, adapt, and heal.

Melanie M. Ham
melaniemhamliteracy@gmail.com.

[Christine Auber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio after it was recommended based on TV interview with author, Dr. Tara Narula. I found the audio to be kind of annoying in that the voice did not match the content, in my opinion. I listened on double speed, which helped. The author made some good points.... Resiliency can be strengthened like a muscle with practice. We must practice acceptance of our circumstances, maintain a flexibility in our thinking (so we can adapt and make changes when needed) and have a sense of purpose in our lives. Dr. Narula talks about the need to treat the whole patient, not just the physically ill part. Medical persons need to take into account mental health and life circumstances when giving medical advice. People need social connection, the ability to face their fears and keep a hopeful outlook to improve/maintain self-love. One point that got me thinking.... It appears the body doesn't know the difference between kinds of stress to the heart. It is a person's perception of how the stress affects them that has a greater impact. If this is true, does it follow that if I believe (to the point of knowing at my core) any type of stress that increases my heartrate (fear, excitement, anxiety, treadmill) is a healthy cardio workout, will I have a healthier heart??

[Romzanul Islam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reader from Chittagong, Bangladesh, diving into this on January 21, 2026, felt perfectly timed amid ongoing global health talks. Dr. Tara Narula, the cardiologist and ABC News correspondent, masterfully blends heart science with resilience psychology.

She starts with jaw-dropping heart facts—like it beats 100,000 times a day and can survive major damage—and argues resilience is the "new prescription" for well-being, not just bouncing back but embracing change like "carving the angel from marble."

Her 8-step Resilience Response (acceptance, flexible thinking, fitness, facing fears, connections, love, hope, purpose) is practical, backed by stats (e.g., optimism lowers heart risk by 35%) and moving patient stories.

It's empowering without being preachy—ideal for anyone battling stress or health issues. Highly recommend for its hopeful, holistic vibe!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the Healing Power of Resilience, written by cardiologist Tara Narula, MD. She has always been interested in this topic. She did a tremendous amount of research and also discussed examples of patients she saw for heart problems, and what helped them being able to recover with strength. She discusses the importance of support from family and friends, to face fears, to find role models, and to recognize your strengths. Learning how to accept a medical diagnosis. It would be a great book for everyone, including doctors, to read, and I am going to give it to my primary doctor the next time that I see him.