How to THRIVE: Resilience That’s Not Bloody Rocket Science
Let’s be honest—resilience gets thrown around like confetti these days.
“You need to be more resilient.”
“They need to get some grit”
“I need to learn to bounce back quicker like they do.”
Sounds great. But if you’re already overwhelmed, tired, and just about holding it together—how, exactly, are you meant to do that?
Myself and Dr Iain Price wrote DOSE for exactly this reason! It includes 52 science-backed ways you can try as a ‘pick and mix’ to increase your energy, motivation and all-round mojo. The 52 tips work because they are proven to increase the levels of Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin and Endorphins in your body that can become low without you noticing and leave you feeling depleted. But simple activities can boost your DOSE!
I work with leaders, teams, and good humans of all ages, and the same pattern comes up time and again: we know we want to build resilience—we just don’t know where to start.
That’s why I created THRIVE. Not as another fluffy acronym, but as a way to make resilience practical.
Let’s break it down, one step at a time.
T is for Tenacity: Grit Over Quit
Tenacity’s the stuff that gets you out of bed after a rubbish night sleep interrupted by trying to problem solve at 4am…and you what awaits you is a full day on Zoom and an email inbox that is scrolls on forever.
It’s not about being stoic or steely—it’s about carrying on, even when the motivation’s gone missing. A UK Government report on ageing and emotional resilience says that perseverance (along with purpose and social connection) plays a major role in how well we adapt to challenge. Read the study here.
So next time life says, “Nope, you are done for this time” your job is to say, “Watch me.”
There are skills we can learn to build grit. And we can teach them to you when you appreciate they exist and other people aren’t just born lucky!
H is for Health: Resilience Starts with Your Body
You can’t be emotionally resilient if you’re running on caffeine, broken sleep, and a half-eaten flapjack from 2021. Your body powers your brain. Your brain powers your bounce-back.
During the pandemic, the Mental Health Foundation found that people who felt resilient had one thing in common: they were looking after the basics. Eating properly. Moving regularly. Sleeping (as much as life would allow). I’m now trying Yoga Nidra which science suggests is equivalent to 4 hours sleep. As you know I’m not a scientist…but I am a convert to this practise…
The Health basics are not sexy, but it’s the bedrock. Start there.
R is for Reasoning: Use Your Head (Even When Your Heart’s Having a Wobble)
Ever noticed how some people can calmly say, “Okay, let’s figure this out,” while the rest of us are busy catastrophising?
That’s cognitive flexibility—the ability to adapt your thinking when the game changes. You don’t have to be a chess master. You just need to stop and think, instead of panic-reacting.
This study in BMC Public Health links strong reasoning and adaptive problem-solving with better mental wellbeing. It’s not about being clever—it’s about being calm enough to think clearly.
And that, friends, takes practice. But it is a trainable skill. And we know how to train it!
I is for Integration: You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
No one thrives solo. We’re built for connection—tribes, tea breaks, and team WhatsApps that turn into therapy sessions.
When things get tough, it’s our support networks—family, friends, colleagues, communities—that stop us slipping. The Guardian recently wrote that friendships don’t just make us feel better—they’re essential to mental health and long-term resilience.
So if you’re struggling, your first move might not be to “dig deeper”—it might be to reach out.
Some of my Executive coach clients tell me this is why they retain my services over years. They have a watertight place they can just download and ‘be’. Time to think with someone who has their backs. It is the biggest privilege of my life to do that for successful people.
V is for Vision: Your North Star on a Foggy Day
When things go sideways, your brain needs a reason to keep going. That’s vision—a sense of purpose, even if it’s not fully formed yet.
Setting goals that actually mean something to you helps you push through when it would be easier to give up. The Mental Health Foundation found that having a strong sense of meaning is a key driver of long-term wellbeing.
If you’re feeling lost, ask yourself: What’s important to me right now? That’s your compass.
There are some activities in It’s Not Bloody Rocket Science #2 that I wrote especially to help with thinking about your North Star. You can buy a copy of that Journal – and DOSE for less than the price of a couple of big coffees.
E is for Emotional Control: Pause, Breathe, Respond
Look—I get it. Emotions run hot. (I’m 53. Feels mine are hot all the time!) We all say things in the heat of the moment, or spiral into overthinking when something goes wrong.
Resilience isn’t about not feeling emotions. It’s about managing how you respond to them. The Counselling Directory talks about emotional regulation as one of the biggest indicators of resilience. It’s not the moment you lose it—it’s what you do next that counts.
Pause. Breathe. Come back to the thinking part of your brain before you act. It’s not rocket science—it’s self-control and it CAN be learnt and we can help.
Practical strategies to build resilience
Here’s a quick video of me talking about ‘it’ over a cuppa.
So… Where Do You Start?
The beauty of THRIVE is that you don’t need to be perfect in all six areas. You just need to know where your gaps are—and choose to do something about them.
- T: Push through when it matters
- H: Sort out your sleep and snacks
- R: Give yourself time to think
- I: Connect—don’t isolate
- V: Remind yourself why you care
- E: Pause before you react
Final thought
Building resilience isn’t about being bulletproof. It’s about being bend-but-don’t-break. It’s not about bouncing back in a week—it’s about choosing to show up again, when you can, as your best self.
And if all else fails?
Put the kettle on. Reflect on which bit of THRIVE you’ve been neglecting. And start there.
Because it’s not bloody rocket science. But it is worth it.
We listen. We understand. We are confident that we can create a bespoke solution
that really adds to your bottom line.
