What Does the Word ‘Resilience’ Mean to You?

Women Worldwide with Deirdre Breakenridge

Emily Rapp Black is an author and creative writing professor who is making waves helping women to grapple with grief and find their own words. Her latest book Sanctuary, is her own memoir diving into her journey of loss and finding her resilience. So what does resilience mean to you?

When she was initially going through the loss of her son, people kept commenting on how resilient and strong she was, but that felt off. Resilience is not the same thing as strength. You don’t have to find it, you already have it.

Instead of thinking of resilience as something that you have to cultivate and nurture, think of it as something that you need to find within yourself. Also, know that ours is not a culture built to understand and strengthen resilience. Especially for women.

Listen as we chat about her book, her thoughts on resilience, and why she’s so passionate about teaching others. That passion comes through every single time she mentions her students and the women in her grief group.

We had an amazing conversation and if you’ve ever had a loss in your life, you’ll want to hear it!

Show Notes:

• [02:28] Welcome Emily Rapp Black to the show and hear a bit about her journey toward authorship.
• [04:25] Learn more about Emily’s story and why she wrote her most recent book.
• [05:38] How do you tap into your resilience?
• [07:37] Does society and culture help us to adapt, shift and change?
• [09:49] Is her story with grief and loss a part of the book in how she found her resilience?
• [11:29] How has our perspective of death changed as a culture?
• [14:40] Has she had any big learning moments that have stuck with her?
• [16:28] Does she have mentors that have guided her through her writing journey?
• [19:14] How does she stay focused and keep writing through the distraction?
• [21:33] Emily shares her parting advice.
• [23:07] Connect with Emily.

Links and Resources:

• Emily’s Website
• Circe Consulting
• Emily on Instagram
• Emily on Facebook
• Contact Emily
• Sanctuary by Emily Rapp Black