Michaela Haas, Ph.D., an award-winning reporter and author of three non-fiction books, wrote her most recent book looking for answers to a chronic health issue she experienced.
Two psychologists, Richard G. Tedeschi, Ph.D., and Lawrence Calhoun, Ph.D., coined the term "post-traumatic growth" from their work with survivors. Michaela wondered how other people navigate through trauma, illness, and death.
In "Bouncing Forward: The Art and Science of Cultivating Resilience," Michaela interviews iconic "mavens of post-traumatic growth," including Writer and Civil Rights Activist Mia Angelou, ex-POW Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum, famed jazz guitarist and Holocaust survivor Coco Schumann, Buddhist Teacher Roshi Bernie Glassman, and many more.
Michaela gravitated toward Mia Angelou's definition of resilience. As opposed to bouncing forward, resilience explains that we can never bounce back; we will never be the same after that loss, but we can forge a path ahead, and it's not something that happens immediately.
She discovered a change in five different areas of their lives:
Michaela emphasizes that one of the essential components of resilience is joining like community and sharing your experience. "No one can do it on their own," she said. "Finding support is the most crucial step." She now defines herself as a solutions journalist, seeking stories of effective, reproducible solutions to society's most pressing issues.
Michaela is a contributing editor for David Byrne's Reasons to be Cheerful and has been writing for the New York Times, AlJazeera, Rotary International, the Huffington Post, CBS, and numerous other media. Awards include the Professional Excellence Award 2022-2023 from the Foreign Press Correspondents Association & Club (AFPC-USA), Winner ASJA Health Writing 2022, First Place Environmental Reporting LAPress Club 2020, a.o. Find her at www.MichaelaHaas.com
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