Emma had a high flying career as a litigator and judge. Through her work, she noticed how some people flourished in the face of adversity, while others fell apart or allowed it to define them as victims. As a coach, she’d seen the same thing.
Did those who thrive in the face of trauma have anything in common? Emma had a hunch that they did. When she couldn’t find any research on the subject, she decided to pursue it herself, quitting her coveted job as a judge to travel all over the world, talking to people who’d thrived after trauma and hardships. Emma says:
It was terrifying, exhilarating and compulsive - and perhaps some would say ‘impulsive’ - but it didn’t feel that way to me. Sometimes you need to ask the question ‘if not me, then who?’
Emma worked with a psychologist and resilience expert, Paul Hannam, to set out the remit of the research and define exactly what was meant by 'surviving' and 'thriving'. They wanted to interview 50 people, who had flourished in the face of different kinds of adversity to understand there was sufficient similarity in their resilience strategies.
She found the Thrivers “through sheer grunt work”, approaching only the potential candidates who fitted the definitions, gradually picking up momentum as she got more Thrivers onboard, from all over the world – Emma kept a map of the world in her office, with pins for the location of every Thriver.
The logistics were complicated, to say the least! But it’s the most rewarding and moving journey of my life. I have cried and laughed with the Thrivers and have been inspired by each and every one of them. If I have brought even a portion of that to the audiobook, it will be a remarkable journey for the listener too. I am delighted that we have 28 Thrivers voicing their own story on the audiobook - so that the listener will have some of the experience I shared with them.
The audiobook is out 10 September, and as part of the experience the listener will get a workbook and a series of videos to help get them started on their own journey to thriving. Order 9 Secrets to thriving here.
