Two Piers Digest 💫 - Rethinking Resilience: Beyond Toughness 🏀
Hello, First name / friend,
Autumn is in full swing in our part of the world, and there's that frenetic, squirrely energy as we all collect our proverbial acorns and get ready for the seasonal shift.
This month's digest focuses on resilient leadership: how we can be adaptable, sustainable, and impactful, whether we are leading in a formal capacity or as agents of change in our world.
In today's digest:
Coaches' Corner 🧭: Toughness vs. Resilience 🏀
What We’re Reading 📚: How to Make Leading Sustainable 💡
The Podcast 🔊: Resilient Leadership Methods 💪
Where to Find Us 🗺️: Start Up U, UNH, Women Offshore, and Converge!
P.S. If you're getting this email, it's because you're one of the valued folks we've worked with, collaborated with, or connected with over the years. If it’s not your thing, feel free to unsubscribe at the bottom—no offense taken. But if you’re curious to stick around, we’re glad you’re here!
When we talk about resilience, it often gets mistaken for toughness or “powering through.” But resilience and toughness aren’t the same thing, at least not in material science, and not in leadership.
Toughness is about endurance: how much force something can take before it breaks.
Resilience is about elasticity: how well something can absorb energy and bounce back.
A rubber band is resilient. A dented metal mug is tough. And a ball (or yes, your dog’s chew toy) is both: absorbing impact and bouncing back again and again.
Leadership works the same way. If we only strive for toughness, we risk becoming brittle. Resilient leaders adapt, recover, and sustain themselves and their teams over the long term.
📚 Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work, by Jodi-Ann Burey
Jodi-Ann Burey’s new book, Authentic, just launched today, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Her TED Talk on the myth of bringing your full, authentic self to work and her HBR piece with Ruchika Malhotra, “Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome” (gift link), are two of our absolute favorite resources. In Authentic, she digs deeper into how “authenticity” can get weaponized at work and what that means for how we think about resilience. We pre-ordered the book and can't wait to jump in!
📚 Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, by Emily Nagoski PhD and Amelia Nagoski DMA
Burnout by the Nagoski sisters is one of our favorite takes on resilience because it approaches the topic in such a real, human way. Instead of the usual “toxic positivity” spin, the authors delve into how stress actually functions in our bodies, why we can’t simply think our way out of it, and how larger systems contribute to what we carry. It’s a compassionate and practical guide to resilience that goes far beyond “grit.”
Note: We link to Bookshop.org using affiliate links because they support not only our work but also local bookstores.
In this episode, we delve into a richer, more generous view of resilience, one that transcends grit or brute force, focusing on bending without breaking. Dr. Luévanos discusses embracing vulnerability, practicing two-way communication, and building organizations that can adapt and recover in the face of change. We also explore how leaders often misunderstand resilience as a destination and how complexity, feedback loops, and emotional intelligence contribute to sustainable leadership.
If you want to rethink what it means to lead with strength and openness, this is a conversation you’ll keep returning to.
In this episode, we're joined by Founder and CEO of The Collective Concierge, Erika Pherson, to explore what real resilience looks like when you step back from doing it all alone. We discuss the courage to ask for help, how to delegate without losing control, and how shared ownership actually benefits everyone involved. She shows how resilience isn’t about enduring in isolation but instead about building networks, leveraging trust, and creating relief paths so you don’t snap under pressure.
If you’re leading anything (team, project, organization), this conversation is a reminder that resilience is collective. Your strength is amplified when you let others in.
Back from world travels, but still with compression socks at the ready because it's a season of travel and connection ✈️
This week, Erica will lead a workshop on Goal Setting for Success as part of Start Up University, a webinar series for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The UNH Professional Coaching Certificate program now kicks off on October 21st, which means you still have time to register! If you'd like to enhance your leadership skills with coaching, this is an excellent program for working professionals. You can find the program info here!
Next week, Erica will be in Houston for the Annual Women Offshore Conference. She'll be facilitating the panel, “Life Offshore: Real Stories, Real Lessons,” which explores sea stories and offshore experiences.
Then, she'll be headed to San Diego for the ICF Converge Conference toward the end of the month.
The calendar is looking pretty packed these days, but it's all great opportunities to connect and commune!
Sending solidarity to all the folks managing their squirrel (or excited pup) energy as we get back into the swing of things and prepare for that final fourth quarter of the year!
If you've received this email as a forward and would like to subscribe, you can do so here. And if you have feedback about this digest, just hit reply! We'd love to hear from you. 📧
Erica and the Two Piers Team
PO Box 554 Woolwich, Maine 04579-9998, United States
