Bravely Connected

Overwhelm has become so normalized that many of us don’t even notice we’re living in it — until something cracks. The holidays, in particular, tend to amplify it. More events, more expectations, more comparison, more pressure. It’s a lot. But here’s a hard truth I’ve had to tell myself again…

In the last few years in my resilience work, people have been coming up to me and whispering something they feel ashamed to admit. “Connie, I’ve been feeling angry. Really angry.” They say it quietly, as if it’s something dark or forbidden. But I don’t see anger as a bad…

We hear the word resilient a lot these days. In schools. In workplaces. On social media. It’s a word that sounds strong and admirable — but what does it really mean to be resilient? After 25 years of working in the field of mental health and resilience, I’ve watched how…

Understanding Our Collective Exhaustion Over the past several years, one consistent theme has emerged from my work with audiences: exhaustion. During a post-it note activity I’ve led since COVID, I ask participants to write down their resting emotional state, what that sounds like as a sentence, and what behaviors show…