How to strengthen your stress response (w/ Master Fixer Kelly McGonigal)

How to strengthen your stress response (w/ Master Fixer Kelly McGonigal)

From Fixable by TED

May 4, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

The episode discusses strategies to strengthen stress responses and the benefits of a challenge mindset with health psychologist Kelly McGonigal.

We all deal with stress in our lives, and it’s tempting to try to avoid it altogether. But the people who face stress head-on often handle it most skillfully. In this episode, Anne and Frances are joined by Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who studies different ways people respond to stress. Together, they unpack practical strategies to strengthen your stress response, examine the choices and attitudes of people who thrive under pressure, and explore the benefits of a “challenge” mindset for you and your team. Kelly also shares nine simple strategies for finding courage in high-stress moments, and makes the case that joy is a risk worth taking. Featured guest Follow Kelly McGonigal on Instagram and at https://www.kellymcgonigal.com Buy Kelly's book Joy Is a Risk Worth Taking Connect with the team Follow Anne on Instagram and LinkedIn   Follow Frances on Instagram and LinkedIn Watch Fixable videos on youtube.com/@TEDAudioCollective Visit Anne and Frances’ website Have a question you want Anne and Frances to solve? Email the team at fixable@ted.com or leave a voicemail at 234-349-2253 Follow TED on X , Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn…

People in this episode

Hosts: Anne, Frances

Guest: Kelly McGonigal

Topics covered

  • stress management
  • health psychology
  • challenge mindset
  • resilience
  • team dynamics

Keywords

  • stress
  • resilience
  • psychology
  • mindset
  • strategies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stanford University, TED

More episodes of Fixable

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Fixable podcast page.