Road to Resilience Archive
Since 2018, the podcast, Road to Resilience, has been inspiring listeners with stories of resilience and the power of the human spirit. The podcast was inspired by the book, Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life's Greatest Challenges, a practical resource describing personal experiences and ten factors that comprise resilience, co-authored by Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and resilience expert, and Jonathan Depierro, PhD, Associate Director of the Center for Stress, Resilience, and Personal Growth. On this page, you will find all previous episodes of Road to Resilience.
Farewell
Road to Resilience host and producer Jon Earle signs off with a few reflections from listeners on the past 75 episodes. Listen Now
Bright Days, Dark Nights
Light researcher Mariana Figueiro, PhD, on using light to sleep better and feel more alert during the day. Listen Now
Talking Resilience With a Harlem Minister
Rev. Audrey Williamson’s Harlem congregation lost about 15 percent of its members to COVID-19. Now she’s using science and faith to fight for her community’s future. Listen Now
The Cancer Dancer
Breast cancer survivor Sarrah Strimel Bentley on “joy-mining” and the moment-to-moment choice to be resilient. Listen Now
Coming Home
Dino Rivera and Iris Bowen, LMSW, on escaping the spiral of addiction and incarceration. Listen Now
The Resilience Paradox
Psychologist George Bonanno, PhD, on the importance of facing challenging experiences with flexibility. Listen Now
7300 Days
Psychiatrist Sandra Lowe, MD, on what she’s learned from the most resilient 9/11 responders. Listen Now
Polymath of the Soul
Psychologist, minister, and artist Thema Bryant-Davis, PhD, on racial trauma and the journey home to your authentic self. Listen Now
Only the Lonely
Loneliness expert Louise Hawkley, PhD, on the toll of chronic loneliness and paths to connection. Listen Now
Ketamine: From Club to Clinic
Neuroscientist Dr. James Murrough on ketamine, a novel treatment for severe depression, and the neurobiology of resilience. Listen Now
Heart to Heart
Cardiologist Anu Lala, MD, on the teachings that support her and her patients’ resilience. Listen Now
The Fierce Side of Self-Compassion
Psychologist Kristin Neff, PhD, on how self-compassion helps us integrate painful experiences and challenge oppressive systems Listen Now
Beyond Sleep Hygiene
Sleep expert Rafael Pelayo, MD, offers sleep advice backed by the latest science. Listen Now
Wise Up
Sociologist Monika Ardelt, PhD, on the benefits of becoming wise and how to cultivate wisdom in everyday life. Listen Now
Toxic Apocalypse
Shanna H. Swan, PhD, explains how endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are threatening humans' ability to reproduce. Listen Now
A WEIRDo’s Guide to Exercise
Harvard paleoanthropologist Daniel E. Lieberman, PhD, uses science to bust common myths about exercise, sitting, and sleeping. Listen Now
The Man Box
Author and educator Ted Bunch on healthy manhood and raising resilient boys. Listen Now
Good Trouble
Author Luvvie Ajayi Jones on facing fears and raising your voice when it counts. Listen Now
A Shot in the Arm
Yvette Calderon, MD, MS on confronting vaccine hesitancy with compassion, enthusiasm, and science. Listen Now
Enough with the Mindfulness
Mindfulness pioneer Sharon Salzberg dispels myths about mindfulness and explains how it can help caregivers become more resilient. Listen Now
PTSD, Meet MDMA
A trip to Burning Man causes Rachel Yehuda, PhD, a veteran trauma researcher, to give psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy a second look. Now she’s leading efforts to study it further. Listen Now
Year of the Pandemic
Two veterans of the COVID-19 pandemic response reflect on a year unlike any other. Listen Now
Theater of War
Theater of War’s Bryan Doerries explains how Ancient Greek tragedies can help diverse communities heal from stress and trauma. Listen Now
Workshopping Resilience
As the pandemic rages on, front-line health workers are reporting high levels of mental health distress. What would it take for them to bounce back? Two physician assistants and a clinical social worker share insights from a new resilience workshop. Listen Now
Cancer is Me
Tanya Bhatia has had breast cancer for most of her adult life. But this isn’t a sad story. It’s a story about living. Listen Now
The Indestructible Judith Hunt
Patient Judith Hunt on the medical odyssey that almost took her life and the lessons she learned along the way. Listen Now
The Price of Perfection
Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold almost lost her career to depression. Now, armed with new coping skills, she’s fighting to return to the podium. Listen Now
Our Better Angels
9/11 responder and cancer survivor Neil Carroll on how learning to open up saved his life. Listen Now
Three Generations of Autism Advocates
A mother-daughter team of autism advocates talk about finding joy and purpose in autism, and share how they’re working to help people with autism thrive. Listen Now
I Am Not My Hair
Cancer Survivor Shahonna Anderson on how tapping into her support network and learning to love her new look helped her beat cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen Now
Coping After a Natural Disaster
Newly returned from earthquake-damaged Puerto Rico, Psychiatrist Hansel Arroyo, MD, and Lyse Aybar, share strategies they used to boost survivors' resilience and reflect on how communities respond to natural disasters. Listen Now
Unmaking Painful Memories
Neuroscientist Daniela Schiller, PhD, on how the science of fear memories can inform how we relate to past traumas and treat anxiety disorders like PTSD. Listen Now
Rewrite Your Script
Lynne Richardson, MD, talks about how rewriting society's "script" helped her build resilience, and explains why she's hopeful that COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement will lead to progress on health care equity. Listen Now
Opening Up
As Mount Sinai Queens gets back to pre-COVID business, ER doctor Erik Blutinger, MD, reflects on his front-line experience and explains why patients shouldn’t be afraid to come to the hospital. Listen Now
Three Good Things
Medical student Jordyn Feingold shares three resilience-boosting techniques from the field of positive psychology. Listen Now
The Recharge Room
David Putrino, PhD, on the science behind Mount Sinai’s recharge rooms and what high-performance teams can teach us about resilience. Listen Now
Emily & Kumail on Staying In
Writer Emily V. Gordon and comedian Kumail Nanjiani on thriving at home during the pandemic. Listen Now
The Givers
Eight nurses from across the Mount Sinai Health System reflect on what it’s been like to be a nurse at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen Now
The Edge of the Unknown
Hospital Chaplain Rev. David Fleenor draws on ageless wisdom to tackle the stressors of the present moment. Listen Now
Signs of Hope
Amid signs that the COVID-19 pandemic is slowing in New York City, The Mount Sinai Hospital President David Reich, MD, talks about the pandemic’s next “chronic” phase. Listen Now
Pandemic-Proof Parenting Tips
Developmental psychologist Aliza Pressman, PhD, answers parents’ questions about adjusting to the new reality, including tips on coping, self-care, and how to talk to kids about the pandemic. Listen Now
Our Finest Hour
Drawing on decades of resilience research, Dennis Charney, MD, offers concrete strategies for weathering this historic resilience challenge and bouncing back stronger than before. Listen Now
How to Stay Sane While Staying Home
Psychiatrist Deborah Marin, MD, offers advice on keeping your spirits up and staying connected while social distancing. Listen Now
Calm Through Chaos
ICU nurse Jessica Montanaro, MSN, RN, talks about how front-line healthcare workers and staff are banding together to meet an unprecedented challenge. Listen Now
The Only Way Out is Through
Brendan Carr, MD, provides a sobering, front-row view as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds. Listen Now
The Body Heals the Mind
Trisha Meili, better known as the “Central Park Jogger,” explains how focusing on her physical recovery helped her bounce back mentally. Listen Now
Modeling Courage
Transgender activist Mahogany Phillips talks about overcoming bullies, bureaucrats and gender dysphoria. Listen Now
"I Made a Decision to Live"
Lauren Manning talks about her determination to survive and heal after suffering severe burns on 9/11. Listen Now
Facing Climate Change
Environmentalist Karenna Gore talks about rethinking our collective mindset in light of the climate crisis. Listen Now
The Gospel of Curtis
NFL Hall of Famer Curtis Martin talks about faith, facing fears, and the life-or-death moment that changed everything. Listen Now
10 Resilience Insights from 2019
Road to Resilience producers share their favorite moments from the year. Listen Now
My Experiments With Truth
Oncologist Gabriel Sara, MD, shares how truth-telling builds trust and resilience. Listen Now
The Stuff With My Mom
How a terminal illness strengthened one woman’s bond with her mother. Listen Now
Kids Who Can Deal
Developmental psychologist Aliza Pressman, PhD, explains why “authoritative” parenting helps kids respond to stress in a healthy way. Listen Now
Your Brain on Fear
Neuroscientist Anthony Lacagnina, PhD, explains how your brain processes fear, and what the latest research might mean for future treatments. Listen Now
The Story of Bed 25
George flees anti-gay violence in his native Ghana and seeks asylum in the United States. This is the story of what happened next. Listen Now
A Scientist’s Guide to Optimism
Want to improve your health? Become an optimist. Cardiologist and optimism expert Alan Rozanski, MD, explains why optimists fare better than pessimists and outlines steps for becoming more optimistic. Listen Now
Unknown Exposure
9/11 health expert and a volunteer responder talk about their experience at Ground Zero and the latest research into 9/11-related illnesses. Listen Now
The Comedian and the Brain Tumor
Comedy writer/director and supermom Jeannie Gaffigan talks about battling a life-threatening brain tumor with the help of her faith, family and humor. Listen Now
Measuring the Mental Toll of Child Separation
Mount Sinai researchers discuss the first, large empirical study examining the mental health of children in immigration detention. Listen Now
Forget Kumbaya: The Art of Self-Care
Overwhelmed by grief, an oncology fellow embarks on a self-care journey that leads to unexpected places. Cardinale Smith, MD, PhD, Director of Quality for Cancer Services at the Mount Sinai Health System, offers advice on processing loss and having hard conversations. Listen Now
Dr. Krieger’s Three Resilience Tips
In this mini-episode, neurologist Stephen Krieger, MD, shares resilience insights he's learned from treating patients with multiple sclerosis. No. 1: View uncertainty as an opportunity. Listen Now
Somebody to Lean On
The science is in: We’re stronger together. Support networks have been linked to longer, healthier lives. On this episode, multiple sclerosis patients Kate Milliken and Elizabeth Jones talk about how their tight-knit MS community has made them more resilient. Listen Now
The Long Arm of Childhood Trauma
Saturday Night Live veteran Darrell Hammond, filmmaker Michelle Esrick, and Mount Sinai psychologist Jacob Ham, PhD, discuss the lifelong impact of childhood trauma and explore opportunities for healing. Listen Now
Resilience Stories (Live!)
An “unsanctioned” breast exam confirms a woman’s worst fears, and a young man struggles out of poverty with the help of zebra finches. Two stories performed before a live audience by neuroscience PhD students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Listen Now
The Mystery Virus
In 1977, Doug Dieterich accidentally infected himself with a deadly, nameless virus. Four decades later, Dr. Dieterich reflects on his journey from hepatitis C patient to caregiver with the help of an unlikely ally, AIDS activist and “cockney rebel” Leigh Blake. Listen Now
The Power of Optimism
Deb Gruen was born with spina bifida, a debilitating birth defect. But with the help of her parents, she stayed positive, focused on her strengths, and reached outstanding heights, winning a Paralympic medal and earning degrees from Yale and Georgetown. Listen Now
Thriving After a Devastating Loss
After her brother’s murder, Dr. Rosalind Wright channeled her grief into a career in public health, where she has studied the connection between trauma and disease. Dr. Wright is Dean for Translational Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Listen Now
Managing Stress, Anxiety and Fear
Med student Jordyn Feingold and resident Dr. Benny Laitman talk about the stressors faced by young medical professionals—from performing a first surgery to managing course loads—and explain how reframing stressful thoughts and facing fears has helped them thrive. Listen Now
A Resilient Journey from Trauma to Success
Dr. Angela Diaz discusses her remarkable journey from high school dropout to Ivy League graduate and now director of the Mount Sinai’s renowned Adolescent Health Center. Find out how altruism and playing to her strengths helped Dr. Diaz succeed. Listen Now
Faith, Spirituality and Mindfulness
Psychiatrist Dr. Deborah Marin, explains how faith, spirituality, and a core belief system can make you more resilient to life’s challenges—something she knows from person experience. Dr. Marin is Director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Spirituality and Health. Listen Now
Building a Resilient Family
Research shows that exposing children to manageable amounts of stress and uncomfortable situations can build resilience and confidence. Dr. Dennis Charney explains how he did this with his own family, and his son, Dr. Alex Charney, joins the conversation. Listen Now
The Prescription to My Recovery
During a highly publicized trial, Dr. Dennis Charney comes face-to-face with the man who tried to murder him. Listen as he takes that courageous step and details the resilient factors he used to stay strong during this emotional stage in his recovery. Listen Now