Ep. 451 | The Science of Grit: How to Stay Resilient Through Setbacks with Dr. Todd Kashdan

May 3

How do you stay committed to a meaningful goal when faced with painful setbacks and obstacles? In this deeply personal and insightful episode, Dr. Todd Kashdan, a world-renowned psychology professor and author, shares science-backed strategies for cultivating resilience and grit. Drawing on his pioneering research on well-being and psychological flexibility, Dr. Kashdan explains how we can "edit our life narratives" to reframe adversity, reconnect with our purpose, and keep moving forward. He also reveals the hidden levels of personality that shape our motivations and offers practical tips for harnessing them to achieve our aims.

Learn:

The evolutionary "basement" of personality and how it influences behavior
How personal projects and life stories add deeper layers to our identities
Why highlighting your "why" and support network is key to overcoming setbacks
How to view challenges as "just a couple of pages in Chapter 3" of your story

The power of personal narratives in fueling motivation and resilience If you've ever struggled to stay the course when things get tough, this episode will give you a rich toolkit of ideas and practices to keep moving forward with passion and purpose.

ABOUT Dr. Todd Kashdan

Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at George Mason University, a leading authority on well-being, psychological flexibility, curiosity, courage, and resilience. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and his work has been cited over 40,000 times. He received the Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year Award from George Mason University and Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association. He is the author of Curious? and The Upside of Your Dark Side, and his latest book is The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. His writing has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, National Geographic, Fast Company, among other publications, and his research is featured regularly in media outlets such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, NPR, and Time Magazine. He's a twin with twin daughters (plus one more), with plans to rapidly populate the world with great conversationalists.

ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT PODCAST

The Blueprint Podcast is for busy professionals and Household CEOs who care deeply about their families, career, and health. Host Dr. Erik Korem distills cutting edge-science, leadership, and life skills into simple tactics optimized for your busy lifestyle and goals. Dr. Korem interviews scientists, coaches, elite athletes, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and exceptional people to discuss science and practical skills you can implement to become the most healthy, resilient, and impactful version of yourself.

On a mission to equip people to pursue audacious goals, thrive in uncertainty, and live a healthy and fulfilled life, Dr. Erik Korem is a High-Performance pioneer. He introduced sports science and athlete-tracking technologies to collegiate and professional (NFL) football over a decade ago. He has worked with the National Football League, Power-5 NCAA programs, gold-medal Olympians, Nike, and the United States Department of Defense.

Erik is an expert in sleep and stress resilience. He is the Founder and CEO of AIM7, a health and fitness app that unlocks the power of wearables by providing you with daily personalized recommendations to enhance your mind, body, and recovery.