Rethinking Resiliency: In Conversation with Soraya Chemaly

Our guest in today's episode is Soraya Chemaly, an award-winning author, journalist, and activist. We discuss Soraya's new book, "The Resilience Myth: New Thinking on Grit, Strength, and Growth after Trauma," in which she urges us to question and dismantle popular ideas around resiliency that prioritize the mind/body dichotomy, encourage a "tough-it-out" mentality, celebrates productivity, and rests on the expectation of "bouncing-back" as quickly as possible. Throughout our conversation, and as Soraya argues in her book, it is clear that this cultural script for resilience is, in fact, part of the same systems and worldviews that require us to be so resilient to begin with. And as the 2024 Paris Olympic games wind-down, one athlete's story - among many! - has already left a mark on so many of us, that of Simone Biles. Soraya believes that Simone is a wonderful role model for this new reimagining of resiliency, one in which the body's needs are acknowledged and nurtured, where the virtues of "productivity" and "soldiering-on" are questioned, and where time is taken to heal with the help and support of family, peers, and the larger community.