Stronger Than You Think: This week's marvellous event!

Contributors to Stronger Than You Think (L-R: Tim, Natalie, Sai Sai, Tracie, and Sherry.

This week Own My Life had a joyous event to celebrate the release of Professor Sherry Hamby's new book Stronger Than You Think; Four Pillars for a Stronger and More Resilient You.

The book enables readers to understand how we can all build the pieces of a good life, and this event sought to share some of that knowledge, not only with the live online audience, but also with you who can now watch the event recording!

Sherry started off the session by giving an overview of the work up until now, focussing on how many ways things have changed because of the work done by anti-violence academics and advocates. She went on to talk about how things can proceed from here, briefly explaining the four domains (or pillars) of resilience; meaning making, interpersonal relationship, regulation, environment/nature.

Across the session, Sai Sai Akhtar shared two of her poems, enabling us to reflect on the power of telling our stories within efforts to build our meaning making domain.

Tim Woodhouse explained that in his work on domestic abuse and suicide, it is not solely in the midst of the abuser's most severe perpetration that women are driven to suicide, but in the months and years after fleeing him. He spoke about the importance of anger and joy in fuelling both our work and women getting to flourising lives.

Also presenting was Tracie Faa Thompson, who treated us to some joy and humour along with enabling us to consider the importance of animals and nature in our work and support of women and children. Her intentional creating of open and unstructured space with women and children, that enables fun and play was inspiring to consider for our own work.

Throughout the session we also had breakout discussions and personal reflection time, learning from one another and listening well to ourselves and others.

Thank you to all who attended the event and to all our contributors. Please do share the recording and resources far and wide! 

Recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhXLAuy_V80

Session Resources

• Session Notes HERE.

• Link to YouTube recording HERE.

Other links:

• Find out more about the World Association of Resilience Professionals HERE.

• Tracie’s co-authored book on Animal Assisted Play Therapy can be found HERE.

• Tim’s Churchill Fellowship report can be found HERE.

• Publications about the Resilience Portfolio can be found HERE.

• Our Own My Life podcast is a finalist in the Independent Podcast Awards, find out more HERE.

• You can find out when our next Own My Life training dates are HERE.