What Begins With One Person: Welcoming Our First Resilience in Service Cohort

Last week, I took a deep breath as I welcomed the first cohort of our Resilience in Service program.

On my screen were faces from several police services, including chiefs, deputy chiefs, sergeants, and constables whose work brings them into situations many of us can barely imagine. They are called upon to make difficult decisions, navigate uncertainty, and be a steady presence for others, often in their hardest moments.

I felt humbled that they were here.

With everything competing for their attention, they had made time to join my wonderful colleague, Deputy Chief Lee-Ann O’Brien, and me to cultivate resilience in themselves and learn how to support it in others.

As I looked at the faces on my screen, I thought about the experience they brought with them. Each person had stories of navigating adversity, finding their footing, and continuing to show up for the people who depended on them.

Learning from the wisdom in the room

There was a remarkable amount of wisdom in this room. I wanted us to draw upon it, learn from one another, and discover what we could carry forward into our lives and work.

So we invited participants to interview one another, beginning with a story: “Tell me about a time you navigated adversity and embodied resilience. What helped you find your way through?”

We asked them to recognize the strengths that come alive when they are at their best and imagine what they would like to be celebrating a year from now, for themselves, their teams, and their services.

These conversations were an opportunity to learn from experience and practice something central to the program: listening with curiosity, recognizing strengths, and helping another person reconnect with their own capacity.

Often, we move through something difficult and turn immediately towards the next demand. We rarely pause to recognize what supported us, what we did well, or what we now know that could help us again. Someone else’s thoughtful attention can help us see what we might otherwise overlook.

That is something participants will be able to offer others within their services. It is where the possibility of this work becomes especially exciting to me.

Two connected intentions

Resilience in Service is grounded in the framework of our Certified Resilience Coach Program and adapted to the realities of policing. At its heart are two connected intentions: helping people embody resilience in their own lives and equipping them to cultivate it in others.

The first is deeply personal. We want participants to feel healthier, happier, and stronger. We want them to recognize when stress is building, understand their nervous systems, and have practical ways to regulate and recover. We want them to have greater capacity for the demands of their work and more of themselves available for life beyond it.

That capacity grows through practice. Small habits, repeated over time, can help us notice our reactions sooner, find our footing more readily, and choose how we respond.

The second intention extends that learning outward. Participants are developing the tools to hold space for others through coaching-inspired resilience conversations. They are learning to listen deeply, ask thoughtful questions, and support someone in finding their own next step.

Sometimes, the most helpful thing we can offer is our full attention and our belief in another person’s capacity.

When someone is overwhelmed, they may struggle to see beyond what is happening right now. We can acknowledge how difficult things are while still seeing their strengths, their resourcefulness, and their ability to move forward. Being held in that light can matter enormously when we cannot quite see ourselves that way.

The ripple effect of Resilience Officers

Imagine having people throughout your organization who are practicing these skills.

A leader recognizes that they are becoming reactive and takes a moment to steady themselves before a difficult conversation. A colleague notices that someone is struggling and knows how to open a supportive conversation. A team member feels heard and leaves an interaction with greater clarity about what they need.

Now imagine those moments happening more often, with more people.

That is the possibility behind developing Resilience Officers: people who embody these practices themselves and help make them available to others through everyday interactions.

One person’s growing capacity can influence how they lead, how they respond under pressure, and how they support a colleague. That colleague carries the experience into their next conversation. Over time, these interactions can help shape how a service feels and functions.

The ripple can reach beyond work, too. It can influence the patience someone has with their children, the presence they bring to their partner, and the way they engage with a person in the community who is having a difficult day.

This is what Lee-Ann and I hope to help cultivate.

Creating space for connection

When I read the evaluations after our first session, one of the things participants valued most was the connection with one another.

That stayed with me. People doing demanding work had appreciated the opportunity to share, listen, and learn together. In a world where we are constantly communicating, we can still have very few opportunities to feel truly heard.

Creating space for that connection is part of building resilience. The way we speak to one another, listen to one another, and respond when someone is struggling helps create the environment in which we all work.

We are only at the beginning of this program. There will be learning, practice, and discovery ahead. Yet I left our first session feeling hopeful about what these participants could carry into their services and how far it might reach.

Creating the ripple in your organization

Although Resilience in Service was developed for policing, many workplaces are asking people to carry more with fewer resources while navigating constant change and uncertainty. Meaningful support needs to reflect the realities of their work.

If you are reading this and thinking, “I would love to create that ripple here,” I would love to hear from you. Tell me about your organization, what your people are carrying, and what you would like to see change.

Even in this hurried, uncertain world, it is possible to live and lead with greater ease. Each time we pause, choose a more thoughtful response, or help someone feel truly heard, we contribute to that possibility.

A little more steadiness and light within us, and a little more kindness between us, can ripple further than we may ever know.

With love,

Monica

P.S. If you would like to explore how we can cultivate greater resilience in ourselves and others, I invite you to join me for my free webinar, Beyond Bouncing Back: The Art and Science of Coaching Resilience. We will explore practical, evidence-informed approaches to building resilience and how to bring them into our lives, leadership, and coaching. Learn more and register here.