About this episode

Jay Abbasi discusses a more effective approach to resilience that avoids toxic positivity and emphasizes understanding team members' experiences.

Resilience is often framed as pushing through, staying positive, and powering past challenges. But that version of resilience can backfire, especially for managers trying to support their teams. When leaders jump too quickly into problem-solving or positivity, they can unintentionally make people feel unheard, dismissed, or disconnected. Fortunately, this week’s guest shares a more effective approach to building resilience, one that starts with acknowledging what people are actually experiencing and then guides them toward solutions. Jay Abbasi is a leadership coach and former executive who helps individuals and organizations develop resilience, improve performance, and lead through challenges with greater awareness and intention. In this conversation, we explore how to support resilience in others without falling into toxic positivity, practical coaching techniques that help people find their own solutions, and how to lead teams through difficult moments by creating space, trust, and honest dialogue. Conversation Topics (00:00) Introduction (02:18) Rethinking resilience beyond “just pushing through.” (05:46) Why positivity can sometimes make things worse (09:12) The importance…

People in this episode

Host: Mamie Kanfer Stewart

Guest: Jay Abbasi

Topics covered

• resilience
• leadership
• coaching
• psychological safety
• toxic positivity
• team support

Keywords

• resilience
• leadership coaching
• psychological safety
• active listening
• team dynamics
• problem-solving
• emotional awareness

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