Robyne Hanley-Dafoe - Calm Within the Storm: A Pathway to Everyday Resiliency

In the approachable and often poetic style that defines her work, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe illustrates that resiliency isnt some ideal state achieved through suffering and scars; its a built-in feature of being a human. As unflinching as it is insightful, this book will permanently alter how you see yourself and your ability to endure.

Dr. Greg Wells, physiologist and researcher at SickKids, bestselling author, and keynote speaker

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe hits the nail square on the head. More than twenty years of expedition experience has taught me that resiliency is not an exclusive realm, reserved only for the uber-tough and fearless. Rather, this life-changing trait is available to every single one of usin spades. In this systematic yet deeply felt book, Dr. Hanley-Dafoe lays out a simple framework that will revolutionize how you engage with all of lifes adversities.

Bruce Kirkby, Canadian adventurer, author, and photographer

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe has created an insightful, smart, and thought-provoking (yet practical!) manual for redefining resiliency in everyday life. This is a book that you can revisit when youre overwhelmed, in a growth period of your life, or when helping young people navigate their own path.

Silken Laumann, Olympian and mental health advocate

This written record of resiliency is replete with a mountain of motivation and acres of encouragement. Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe poignantly portrays her personal adolescent struggles with mental health and takes us by the hand through an intentional, sustainable pathway to mental wealth. Practical, educational, inspiring phenomenal!

Michael Pinball Clemons, Canadian Football and Canadian Sports Hall of Famer

Amazing and inspiring! Calm Within the Storm helps us to view and navigate the challenges of life with more understanding and positive perspective while simultaneously encouraging us to see ourselves as innately capable of overcoming and working through adversity, setbacks, and success to live resiliency daily. This is not an instructional self-help bookit is a book of empowerment and an invitation to a deeper connection with yourself. Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoes balance of vulnerability with personal stories, assurance through research and studies, and a passionate but light-hearted desire to uplift others wrap this book in good vibes and positive feels. Sit back, read, learn about your resilient self, and bounce back!

Cavell Johnson, NBL All-Star, coach and GM of the KW Titans, and former NCAA Basketball Division I player

Using story and science, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoes book provides insight to help you find whatever you are searching for. Just like her dynamic speaking style, her writing pops off the page and speaks to your heart and your head. Calm Within the Storm equips you with the skills needed to tackle challenges in these difficult times.

Brian Callahan, president and COO of ISN

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe has spent over twenty years becoming a renowned expert in resiliency. Read this book, and youll become one in a significantly shorter time. I devoured every page and loved every word. You will too.

Ron Tite, founder and CEO of Church+State, host and executive producer of The Coup, and author of Think. Do. Say.

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe writes with a profound mastery not only of the scientific research, but also of narrative voice. You feel her gentle, encouraging, and utterly human self guiding you as you read. She moves from gripping story, to case study, to science-based research, to tangible action items and take-aways so seamlessly that it allows you to have both your heart and mind opened while your soul breathes with a knowing that there isand will always bea way forward for you. This book is a lighthouse for each of us on our journey to resiliency and will surely be held up as a definitive work on the subject alongside the likes of Bren Brown, Glennon Doyle, and Viktor Frankl.

Peter Katz, award-winning singer and songwriter

Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is a powerful force when it comes to wanting to get your life back on track! A must-read and an inspiring outlook on how to move forward in life. Her story is an inspiration.

Elizabeth Manley, Olympic champion, mental health advocate, and life coach

Calm Within the Storm is your guide to building your resiliency. Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe has written a practical and accessible book about her journey that is compelling right from the opening pages. Grounded in research and honed by years of practice in the field, Dr. Hanley-Dafoes new model presents a clear and easy path to building resiliency. This book is a game changer.

Dr. Ivan Joseph, award-winning performance and self-confidence coach and VP of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University

Life finds curious ways to remind us that uncertainty is our only certainty. Calm Within the Storm offers an invitation to meet ourselves where we are. Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe reframes resiliency as a reconnection with our true self. She encourages us to believe that we all hold the capacity to be worthy and enough.

Rick Hansen, track and field athlete and founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation

Just because you carry it well, doesnt mean it is not heavy.

Y ou are going to be okay. That is the most common statement made by first responders when they come upon someone in distress or at the scene of an accident. Hearing those words can de-escalate someone from panic and fear, and even subdue pain. Why is it that being okay in most other circumstances is not good enough? Yet in life or death moments, the words, Youre okay or they are going to be okay are a lifeline?

Okay is absolutely everything. It is all that truly matters. Okay and being okay are at the heart of true resiliency.

This book is an invitation to reframe how we think about resiliency. Often associated with concepts like persistence, mental toughness, or grit, resiliency is portrayed as a battle cry to summon Herculean strength. This forceful understanding and practice of resiliency is not attainable or sustainable for many of us. Life is hard, and it continues to be hard, but bearing down and pushing through the pain is not the only way to navigate the bumps, bruises, setbacks, and heartache. White-knuckling pain is not the only option.

Resiliency to me means doing the next right thing. It is taking that precarious step in the direction you want to go, despite what the world says about you or how hard it might be.

Unlike the current resiliency landscape that yells at us that we are not doing it right, or we just have to get over it, this book introduces a new theory of resiliencywhat I call everyday resiliency. My theory of resiliency is based on years of experience working with people all around the globe as an educator, coach, and counsellor. I never intended to create a new theory. My intention was to support people through their lifes journey. To welcome people where they were and help them map a course for where they could go. To help people see who they could become, and live a life that reflected their truest self. I think Ram Dass said it best when he wrote, When all is said and done, were all just walking each other home.

The ultimate goal of everyday resiliency is to foster a deep and personal sense of being okay, no matter what. I want you to discover that what you already have in your head and heart makes you capable of meeting any obstacle and rising to any challenge. With this steadfast self-awareness, you will live with the conviction that you are okay, and you will be okay. Rather than being at the top of your game or perfect all the time, youll realize that being okay is truly enough.