Stronger Than You Think - An Interview with Sherry Hamby

About this episode

Dr. Sherry Hamby discusses resilience and trauma recovery in an interview with host Matt Sandoval.

What if everything we thought we knew about resilience was only part of the story? In this episode of Canvas of the Heart, host Matt Sandoval sits down with Dr. Sherry Hamby — distinguished research professor, clinical psychologist, and author of the forthcoming book Stronger Than You Think (May 26, 2026) — for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to heal from trauma and adversity. Dr. Hamby shares how her work in rural Appalachia, on the San Carlos Apache reservation, and with survivors of domestic violence taught her that the people our systems most often underestimate are frequently the ones working hardest to find a way forward. Drawing on decades of research, she walks us through the resilience portfolio model — a framework built around four domains of strength: meaning making, regulatory skills, interpersonal relationships, and physical environment — and explains why real healing rarely looks like toughing it out alone. Together, Matt and Dr. Hamby explore the concept of poly-victimization (why cumulative trauma exposure matters more than any single event), why creative expression belongs at the center of trauma recovery rather than on its margins, and…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Sandoval

Guest: Dr. Sherry Hamby

Topics covered

• resilience
• trauma recovery
• poly-victimization
• creative expression
• trauma-informed care

Keywords

• resilience portfolio model
• healing from trauma
• cumulative trauma exposure
• interpersonal relationships
• regulatory skills

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona

Books & works: Stronger Than You Think

Places: rural Appalachia, San Carlos Apache reservation

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