S1:E30 Why Today is the Best Time to Build Resilience

Building Resilience Before Life Gets Messy

In this episode of the Flourishing After Adversity podcast, host Laura Mangum Broome discusses the importance of building resilience before life throws unexpected challenges your way. Laura explains the concept of preventive resilience and debunks the myths that keep people from preparing for adversity. She shares three powerful truths about why it's crucial to build resilience now, rather than waiting for a crisis to strike. 

Listeners will gain insights from Laura's own experiences and those of her clients, learning how to develop a mindset and habits that can withstand life's inevitable shifts. The episode also offers practical strategies and steps that can be immediately implemented to start building stronger resilience today.

00:00 Introduction: Embrace Life's Shifts
00:17 Why Resilience Matters Now
00:27 Meet Your Host: Laura Mangum Broome
00:46 The Importance of Preventive Resilience
01:23 A Personal Story: The Hidden Tree Root
02:18 Top Reasons People Ignore Resilience
02:44 Reason 1: The Illusion of Calm
03:52 Reason 2: Postponing Resilience
05:00 Reason 3: Misplaced Strength
05:48 The Power of Preventive Resilience
06:12 Three Reasons to Act Now
08:45 Final Thoughts and Next Steps
09:28 Recap and Closing

Free Resource: Reframe the Spiral: 5 Quick Coping Strategies to Shift Negative Thoughts and Reclaim Your Day https://www.icope2hope.com/reframe

iCope2Hope 3-Step Everyday Resilience Framework: https://bit.ly/FrameworkRoadmap

Website: iCope2Hope: From Hardship to Hope https://www.icope2hope.com

Move Beyond Adversity Blog:  https://www.icope2hope.com/blog

Free Newsletter: Wednesday’s Resilient Recharge https://www.icope2hope.com/newsletter

Schedule a free 15-minute Clarity Call with Laura: https://bit.ly/15mincallLMB

Transcript

Introduction: Embrace Life's Shifts

You can't stop life from shifting, but you can be ready for whatever comes next. Today's episode is for you. If you're someone who wants to stop being blindsided by life's curve balls, and start building a steady foundation before the next chapter begins.

Why Resilience Matters Now

We're talking about why today, not someday is the best time to build resilience. 

Welcome to the Flourishing After Adversity podcast.

Meet Your Host: Laura Mangum Broome

I'm your host, Laura Mangum Broome. If you've been knocked down by life, grief, illness loss, or unexpected change, you're in the right place Here. We talk about how to turn your setbacks into stepping stones because healing, growth, and joy are just the beginning.

The Importance of Preventive Resilience

By the end of this episode, you'll walk away knowing why we underestimate the need for resilience, why preventive resilience changes everything, and three powerful truths that will steady you long before life gets messy again.   

But before we jump in.  If you're overwhelmed with negative thoughts after a setback, my free guide, Reframe the Spiral is exactly what you need.

It gives you five quick coping strategies to shift negative thoughts and reclaim your day. The same ones I personally use.  Just check today's show notes for the link.

A Personal Story: The Hidden Tree Root

I want you to imagine this with me. You're walking along a quiet trail by yourself.  Everything feels predictable and steady. The breeze is calm. The sky feels endless. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and you feel safe.  And then outta nowhere you trip over a hidden tree root. You fall hard. Your leg hurts too much to stand. You reach for your phone, no service. That's exactly how unexpected setbacks show up. Everything is fine until it's not.

A quiet day, normal routine, then everything shifts. That's why resilience matters before life gets messy, not after your life has hidden roots on the path. We all have them, and while we can't remove every root, we can learn how to study ourselves before we ever trip. 



Top Reasons People Ignore Resilience

Today, I wanna walk you through the three biggest reasons people believe they don't need resilience. And the three powerful reasons building it today will change your future.  These insights come directly from lived experience mine, my clients, and maybe after today, yours too.  Let's begin 

The top three reasons people think they don't need resilience.

Reason 1: The Illusion of Calm

Reason number one, I'm fine. Nothing major is happening right now.  When life feels calm, setbacks seem far away. Your brain relaxes into routine and routine tricks you into believing everything will stay the same. But midlife has its own way of shifting quietly beneath our feet, kids leaving home. Aging parents, health challenges, relationship changes, career transitions, even when things seem stable.

One phone call, one conversation, one diagnosis can shift everything overnight.  Most people respond to life's calm seasons by waiting, waiting until something breaks.  Waiting until they need resilience, waiting until the ground shakes. But here's what I learned. The hard way reaction mode is exhausting.

Preparation mode is empowering. Most people try to simply push through when the setbacks arrive, but reaction without preparation drains you faster than you expect, and you deserve more than that. 

Reason 2: Postponing Resilience

Reason number two, I'll deal with things when they happen.  This one sounds reasonable. Until life hits harder than expected, people postpone resilience because they believe I'll rise to the occasion.

I'll be stronger later. I'll figure it out when I have to.  But stress steals clarity.  Fear steals confidence. Shock steals energy. When adversity hits, it's harder to think clearly. It's harder to make decisions. It's harder to take even one next step.  I remember this feeling well. I've lived through multiple life changing events back to back.

When adversity arrived, I didn't magically become stronger. I learned through tears, exhaustion, trial and error, while the world around me was shifting fast. Eventually, what saved me wasn't the crisis itself. It was the habits, the thoughts, the internal anchors I built along the way.  And that's why I teach preventive resilience today, because you don't have to learn everything the hard way.

Reason 3: Misplaced Strength

Reason number three, I'm strong. I've handled things before. Strength is beautiful, but strength alone isn't the full story. Strength without support leads to burnout. Strength without skills leads to shutdown. Strength without tools keeps you stuck longer than necessary. 

Many people believe they should handle everything alone, even when they're overwhelmed or invisible or stretched thin. But resilience is not about being tough. It's about being prepared.  People try to power through. They isolate themselves. They pretend they're okay, but the weight grows heavier when carried alone.

Resilience grows through intention, not pressure and not isolation. 

The Power of Preventive Resilience

I want to talk about why preventive resilience matters starting today. Now, here's the hopeful part. Resilience isn't something you're born with like a muscle. It's something you build one small intentional step at a time, and the earlier you start, the stronger you become.

Let's talk about the three biggest reasons taking action today matters. 

Three Reasons to Act Now

Reason number one, because resilience helps you stay steady before the storm hits.  Strong resilience starts with the way you think before life shifts.

Preventive resilience means you learn how to build a mindset that can adapt to change.  Strengthen coping strategies. So you think clearly under pressure and practice calm daily, not just during crisis.  People who prepare ahead of time recover faster because they're not starting from zero.  They already know how to reframe a tough moment.

How to control what's controllable, how to take one small, doable next step.  And how to keep hope alive in the middle of overwhelm.  This is a steady ground you stand on when life tilts sideways. 

Reason number two, because setbacks don't wait for a convenient moment.  Adversity doesn't check your calendar.

It doesn't wait until you're ready. It doesn't ask if this is a good time. That's why preventive resilience matters so much. It ensures you're not trying to learn emotional CPR in the middle of chaos.  When you practice resilience tools ahead of time, tools like pausing, reframing, planning, one small action step, you're already prepared when life shifts.

People who wait until the crisis feel lost longer. People who build resilience early regroup faster. 

Reason number three, because resilience creates hope, and hope makes next steps possible.  Hope isn't a feeling, hope is a strategy. Hope is action oriented and resilience is what makes that hope possible, even when life feels dark.

Preventive resilience anchors you in, meaning helps you hold onto your identity when roles shift  helps you trust yourself again after emotional losses and helps you create small steps even when you don't feel ready.  This is why my everyday resilience framework works so well for my clients.  It gives them a simple structure to regain control no matter the size of their setback.   People who build resilience early, don't stay stuck as long. Don't spiral as deeply. Don't lose themselves in the setback and they rise sooner.  Not because the pain was easier, but because they prepared for the hard moments long before they arrived. 

Final Thoughts and Next Steps

What this means for you today,  if you're listening to this episode, something in you already knows you don't want to wait for the next crisis. You wanna be ready before life takes an unexpected turn, and that shift starts with one small choice today.  Maybe your next step is downloading the Reframe the Spiral guide in the show notes.

Maybe it's writing down what you can control today. Maybe it's choosing a more compassionate thought.  Maybe it's scheduling a clarity call with me to talk through your next chapter. You don't have to overhaul your life.  You don't have to rebuild everything at once. You just have to begin, and I'd love to walk with you when you're ready.

Recap and Closing

Let's recap the most important takeaways.   Most people underestimate the need for resilience because things feel calm. But calm seasons are the best time to prepare.  Waiting until things fall apart makes recovery harder, not because you're weak, but because stress steals your clarity and confidence.  Preventive resilience shortens the pain, steadies your mind and helps you rise sooner when life shifts. 

Building resilience early helps you think, plan, breathe, and hope in ways that support healing, growth, and joy.  

If you want to take control of overwhelming thoughts during uncertain times, be sure to grab my free guide. Reframe the spiral. Five quick coping strategies to shift negative Thoughts and reclaim your day.

The link is in the show notes,  and if you're walking through a hard season and want support, clarity, and a clear next step, I'd love to talk with you. You can book your free 15 minute clarity call through the link in the show notes.  Alright, that's it for today's episode. Take a second to subscribe so you never miss what's coming next, and it would mean so much if you rated or reviewed the show.

It helps more people find hope and join us here. Better yet, please share this episode with three people in need of hope.  Remember, adversity can make you bitter or better, choose better! You've got this!