The 5 Practices of Highly Resilient People: Why Some Flourish When Others Fold

by Taryn Marie Stejskal (Narrator)

#1 international resilience expert Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal provides practical tools to effectively address challenges, complexity, and change. Resilience is categorically misunderstood. It's not merely about bouncing back, and it's so much more than returning to where you began. True resilient "doing" allows us to capitalize on the inescapable challenges of life and become better than we were before. Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal began working with brain injury patients and found that most popular beliefs about human resilience are incorrect. Since then, for the last 20 years, she has conducted qualitative research on the power of resilience, studying the science behind why some people succeed while others fail. Here, Dr. Taryn Marie outlines the five critical behaviors that define successful resilience: Vulnerability, Productive Perseverance, Connection, Gratiosity (Gratitude and Generosity), and Possibility. Resilient People bounce forward, take an active approach to facing challenges, and most importantly, they are made, not born. Dr. Taryn Marie's empirically proven framework shows us how to develop resilience practices in our own lives--as adults, as parents, and across organizations--in a manner that allows us to be enhanced by our experiences, not diminished.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Business, Personal Development, Leadership, Psychology, Mental Health

Audio CD

Published April 18, 2023

About the author

Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal (pronounced Stay-skull) is the Founder and Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) of Resilience Leadership Institute (RLI), she is recognized #1 international expert on resilience, mental health, and wellbeing in both leadership and life. Her mission is to positively impact the lives of 1 billion people, by enhancing hope, healing, and health as well as increased consciousness and enhanced leadership through the practices of resilience. She also serves as the Chief Wellness Officer for Lifewrite, a platform leveraging the latest in AI technology dedicated to enhancing mental health and wellbeing through by harnessing the power of our human expression through writing. Global Gurus has recognized her as a Top 30 Thinker in Leadership, she is a Marshall Goldsmith Top 100 Coach Globally (MG100), and she was a finalist
for the Tony Hsieh Award focused on people who are leading progressive and innovative change in the area of human capital. Her work has been featured by Fox and NBC News, Bloomberg Business, Thrive Global, and Forbes. Her TEDx talk entitled “How Resilience Breaks Us Out of Our Vulnerability Cage” has been viewed over 1 million times! LA Progressive magazine calls her “the go-to person” and “a secret weapon” for CEOs and executive leadership teams who want to find their edge as well as rise above the competition. Her bestselling book entitled The Five Practices of Highly Resilient People: Why some flourish when others fold debuted at #3 in the world on Barnes & Noble and topped the book charts at #1 for Personal Growth and Self-Help & Relationships.

By conducting two decades of original research on resilience, Dr. Taryn Marie developed the empirically based framework, The Five Practices of Highly Resilient People and believes that resilience is the key to individual, teams, and organizational growth and acceleration across the globe. Prior to founding RLI, she served as the Head of Executive Leadership Development & Talent Strategy at Nike, as well as Head of Global Leadership Development at Cigna.

Dr. Taryn Marie earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, along with master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park, and completed pre- and postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. She is the host of the top 5% acclaimed podcast Flourish or Fold: Stories of Resilience, where well-known people tell their lesser well-known story of facing challenge to remind us that adversity is a necessary ingredient in life.

She is honored to serve as a sought-after trusted advisor and board member to amplify resilience, engagement, and talent strategy. Her two sons, Samson and Sawyer are always teaching her about resilience! You can find more of Dr. Taryn's work at https://www.resilience-leadership.com

Reviews

[Liberty Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Remember that you are both a masterpiece and a work in progress.”

Thank you to Hachette for an advanced reader copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book and the applicable strategies and practices to become more resilient. I have learned a handful of practices that I believe will help me toward my journey to be a better leader and stronger, kinder and more empathetic person.

The book is filled with real world examples as well as easy to digest practical tips for resilience. I definitely got my highlighter out to annotate this one and “bookmark” some great quotes and advice.

I did feel like a significant portion of the book was related to motherhood/parenting, even a whole chapter dedicated to it, so I imagine those that are parents will feel an even stronger connection to these stories where I did not relate as a Childfree woman. I wanted to call this out in case anyone may be going through infertility or similar and want to skip these topics.

[Turquoise Brennan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The 6th thing practice that's not in the book that resilient people do apparently is use tons of cliches'. The anecdotes were good and disconnected- there's nothing of substance in this book at all. I would not give my friends or colleagues any of this hack advice that they could find in a fortune cookie.

[Yvonne Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a good reminder about how to foster resilience and gave some practical tips for that. I did think there were quite a few cliches, and part IIII came off as a bit preachy, especially chapters 10, 11, and 12. Those chapters felt redundant since they just reflected everything that was discussed in the first two parts of the book. The emphasis on corporate America was a bit hard for me to connect since I don't work in that realm, but I get it because I know that's where her focus is.

[Handpicked Books by Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the way this book was structured, and how the key points were individually expressed in each chapter. The comparisons and scientific researched backed up each important claim, making it easier to understand.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a home run. I don’t have a lot to say about this book because you just need to read it. Dr. Taryn Marie provides a fresh perspective and opens an important dialogue in these pages. Her candor and writing style made me feel like we were having coffee together, and she was conversationally sharing about the life she has built and what got her there.

Of course, that’s the point—sharing her own resilience story is how she models her own method. And the impact is not lost on me. She’s an expert, and her brilliance shines in these pages. But she doesn’t stop there. She clearly provides a path for her readers to soak up all the light so they can shine, too.

I wish this book had existed four years ago, but I’m just so grateful to have read it now. We all can grow in the area of resilience, and I just feel so encouraged to have seen it laid out so practically.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Books, and Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great self help book. Reconfirms what it means to be resilient. I appreciated the connection of the text to life. Sometimes books with research can be too “textbooky” but this one has the right mix of research and applicability.

[Jessica Zuber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I very rarely will tab a book and I NEVER write in them, but I broke that with this book. I enjoyed learning from Taryn's experiences and I found this book to be quite applicable to most aspects of my life, personal and professional.

The 5 Practices are:
1. Being vulnerable
2. Productive perseverance
3. Connection
4. Practicing Grati-osity
5. Practicing Possibility

I started this book right after finalizing my divorce and that was the hardest time in my life. But I tried to apply what I know now to give myself closure and to move forward and I thought it worked great! Now I don't focus on what I "should have done" but now what I can do in the future. I can't change the past but I can learn from it. While this is just my experience it helped me to heal and move on. I didn't want to let this one thing continue to drag me down but rather teach me a lesson and help me to be a better partner in the future. You can use this book in almost all facets of your life but this book came to me during this season and I couldn't be more grateful. It took me over 3 months to read this book but that's because I wanted to incorporate the teachings into my life rather than just finish the book. I will be referring to the quotes I highlighted in the future to remind myself of my resilience and how I've already overcome my hardest days.

Thank you to Hachette for the ARC!

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This self-help guide teaches readers how to hone their resiliency skills. We are all born resilient - but with practice we can really face adversity so much better. Dr. Stejskal breaks it down into five main practices - with steps, guidance, personal stories, and anecdotes for each. Besides just the five main practices there are sections on how to live out resilient practices and apply them in your life; parenting, leadership, and womanhood are touched on (I really got the most out of the parenting and women sections!). I really appreciated that when the author discussed vulnerability - she didn't just give platitudes about it, she was vulnerable herself. It lent the book an air of realness, that is many times missing in self books. This is definitely a book that I will refer back to. It's good, it's simple, it seems achievable!

[Maddie Boarman · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this one was 50/50 for me! Some parts were so good and informative but overflowed into other sections of the book to the point where it felt redundant and watered down her message.

HOWEVER, she talks a lot about how resilience comes from living authentically & listening to your true desires & that hit home. I’ve set out on an adventure to be a recovering people-pleaser and since I’ve started honing in on what my values are and what I will and won’t tolerate, my mental and physical bandwidth have both increased significantly. Reading The 5 Practices helped me make that connection & know that I’m doing what’s best for me!

[Anna Yusim · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "The 5 Practices of Highly Resilient People: Why Some Flourish When Others Fold," Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal challenges the traditional view of resilience by arguing that we can "bounce forward" and grow from adversity. She presents The 5 Practices to help individuals create positive outcomes during challenging times and debunks long-held myths about resilience. Dr. Stejskal's engaging writing style and relatable examples make this book a practical guide for anyone seeking to develop their resilience.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some practical tips and I enjoyed a lot of the real world stories that she connected to resilience. It did tend to ramble on and at times felt repetitive, frankly some portions were a slog to get through. Overall, gained some good tips and information but honestly the 5 practices don’t stand out as something I’ll remember to do. Self help books end up too preachy for me and I don’t think there’s anything earth-shatteringly new here (although the trust the process parts made me think of the Sixers haha). Also some sections seemed like a constant plug for her podcast.

[Donovan Mattole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Dr. Taryn Marie's style of writing is extremely easy to follow and the book was a combination of true life memoir type of writing, packed with business and life self-help advice that was both practical and transformative.

The book packs a punch and is full of excellent examples and practical advice. I felt as though I could have written down one of her quotes on almost every page and she wrote it in an easy to follow voice. I loved it so much and I think the timing is so relevant that I purchased two dozen copies for my entire team to read!

I highly recommend!

[Ximena Alyssa Herriges-Dalsing II · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like hearing others ideas recycled with the authors twist on it type book, you’ll love this. It might be because I got bored after I realized by the 3rd habit she wasn’t coming up with her own ideas, but I wasn’t really thrilled with this book. It felt more like a review of books I’ve already read, but I have no idea who the author is, so it isn’t something I would have chosen to read if it was marketed more appropriately.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels like one long, very disorganized, random tangent full of repetition and annoying buzzwords. This is supposed to be about resilience, yet there are big chunks about hiring, parenting, supporting teenagers, changing the world to be friendlier to women, Human Resources practices, and a bunch of other unnecessary stuff I have already forgotten. There’s so much unrelated extraneous topics in here that I finished the book not knowing what the five practices are even supposed to be.

[Mike Alden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that came at the right time for me. I felt like I’ve been in a rut for many years. Dr. Taryn showed me how to not only get out of the rut but how to understand and accept some of the things that have happened. Control the controlables and bounce forward.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has very solid advice and reframing ideas for those who tend to ask 'why me', or tend to want to get lost in down times. It just had a lot of things I had considered common sense for how to perceive adversity, yet I recognize that it may not be such common sense for many people.

[Derek Griffon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall basic principles for a life of resilience. Thoroughly researched and great definitions to bring clarity to what resilience really is. Awesome work.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Practices to help humankind deal with the 3 C's-Challenge, Change and Complexity.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the meat in the first half. It is a great partner to what I am teaching in Build it Beautiful

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good not great. Like most self help books, could have been shorter.

[Jessica]

Listened to the audio, it’s one that I’d like to pick up a physical copy and read it again.

[Kristina Civille]

DNF

[Kami]

I didn't finish this so I won't rate it but I didn't like it. (Listened)

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that is so much more than a list of steps or actions that others take to be resilient. I found myself stopping the audiobook (Dr. Stejskal's voice is delightful and comforting at the same time) and taking notes. Nuggets of wisdom that I want to read as reminders before I start my day or when times get tough.
Don't get me wrong, there is a whole list of things to do to be more resilient; but that is only part of the book. I absolutely love this book and I recommend it to anyone who want to do better and be better.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Speaker and leadership coach Taryn Marie Stejskal, PhD, summarizes what she has learned in her original research on and professional experience with resilience. Her five practices provide a framework for living more resiliently, but her rambling writing style didn’t resonate with me. She favors long, compound-complex sentences that I found exhausting to read. I’m also not a fan of the new terms she coins, such as gratiosity (a portmanteau of gratitude and generosity that makes me cringe). Her editors should have helped her improve her readability.

I wish the author had included more discussion of her research on lower-income mothers in rural areas and people who experienced neurological injuries. She mentions that in both studies, access to reliable transportation was the most important factor allowing them to adapt to their adversity. Wow! I wanted to know more about those study results and how that finding fits in with her five practices. It’s not readily apparent to me how practicing vulnerability, productive perseverance, connection, gratiosity, and possibility lead to reliable transportation. I needed help connecting the dots.

The author includes chapters on resilient parenting and resilient leadership that weren’t very relevant to me. If those are topics of interest to you, you might gain more value from this book than I did.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Partner @hachettebooks @HachetteGo for my advance copy

This book provides a structure and practical tools to  address challenges, complexity, and change. She starts from the perspective that resilience is cultivated. And it isn't about "bouncing back," but building into better. Challenges and pitfalls are an unavoidable part of life, and many of us have experienced (or will experience) trauma. The book is divided between an explanation of The Five Practices (vulnerability, productive perseverance, connection, gratitude/generosity, and possibility), and subsequently how to apply them practically in one's life.

I honestly went into the book thinking it would be "just another self-help book." I knew it was based on research, but I'd been sadly disappointed by this kind of approach before. Imagine my surprise when my reading got my mental "juices" flowing, and I found myself pausing frequently to digest bits that resonated with me. It was inspiring AND practical.