The Resilient Journey

Alex Barker discusses the power of collaboration in the risk and resilience industry, drawing inspiration from pirates. He explores the difference between rebels and pirates, the importance of breaking and rewriting rules, and the necessity of embracing discomfort and self-reliance for real change.

This week’s guest explains that if you twisted your ankle, most likely you would immediately know what course of action to take. But for those who suffer with mental health issues, it’s often not readily understood. And, he challenges, it’s time for that to change. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 118 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week I’m joined by Sean Kennedy - an innovator and collaborator, bringing the worlds of mental health and technology together. In this episode, Sean talks about his own mental health journey, the need for psychological health and safety in the workplace, and the fact that education and literacy are starting to open doors. We talk about suicide prevention and how technology can improve mental health treatments. This is an important episode and I invite you to listen and share it across your network.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.  

I would like you to picture this scenario: You’re a well-respected resilience professional running a global business continuity program for a Fortune 300 company. Things are going well. Until the organization makes a sudden and drastic move. Your entire resilience team is being let go. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 117 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week I’m joined by yet another resilience A-Lister as industry icon Margaret Millett joins the podcast. In this episode, Margaret walks us through her emotions as she suddenly found herself on the job market. We talk about the importance of not only finding a job but finding the RIGHT job. And it’s interesting to learn the Margaret doesn’t feel like what happened with her previous employer is an odd one-off. It seems that more and more among us, many in senior roles, are also looking for work. It’s our goal that this episode will inspire and guide others who might find themselves in a similar situation.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.  

Do you think business continuity is boring? How are you dealing with the risk of war, global fuel and energy crisis, inflation, supply chain disruption, cyber crime, climate change, extreme weather, economic stagnation, and heaven forbid any of these things happen simultaneously? Hello everyone and welcome to episode 116 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week I’m joined by another resilience A-Lister as powerhouse Ratna Pawan joins the podcast. Ratna shares her experience in the risk and resilience world and tells us that the old school approach to business continuity planning is “child’s play” compared to what we should be focusing on today. She talks about simultaneous risk and she recommends resilience professionals need to up their game, be fluid on their feet and have plans that are responsive to multiple events. We talk about how essential it is that we collaborate with professionals in adjacent disciplines. And somehow, Alex Fullick ends up as part of this episode. What is going on around here?   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

Many of us use Excel spreadsheets and Word documents to collect data and build our plans. But this week’s guest says that it’s time for resilience professionals to build a better tool box. And he believes technology is the key. Hello everyone and welcome to 2024. This is episode 115 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week we start 2024 off with a resilience A-Lister as Marcus Vaughan joins us. Marcus tells us that we don’t often look hard enough at the tasks we need to do. He says that it’s our jobs to allow those who use our plans to make really good decisions. Marcus explains that we need to start with “Why”, and that by using technology, we can remove friction, generate interest in the work we do, build the capability of our plans and our program and yes – we can build a better tool box.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.  

Did you know that 13% of families in the US struggle with food insecurity? In the UK, the number is 14%. And in Canada, it's 18%. If you don’t have food insecurity then stay tuned, because I’m going to take you somewhere you may have never been. We’re going inside a local food bank. Hello everyone and welcome to a holiday episode of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. I want to encourage you to consider making a difference this holiday season by donating to your local food bank. This week I’m joined by Executive Director of my town’s Food Bank – Sharon Palmer. Sharon and I talk about the social isolation associated with food insecurity. We dispel some myths related to food banks, and talk about the importance of treating people with dignity and the best way you can make a healthy donation. Sharon tells me a story that reminds us that everyone matters – and that food banks make a difference.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

When it comes time to build that crisis communications strategy, wouldn’t it be nice to know the tricks of the trade? Wouldn’t it be helpful if you knew what the media was thinking? Well stay tuned because today’s guest has seen them first hand. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 113 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. I’m your host Mark Hoffman and this week I’m joined by former journalist, government press-secretary, crisis management legend, author, speaker and thought leader Suzanne Bernier. Suzanne and I got off on a bit of a tangent talking about crisis communications, answering tough questions, the pitfalls and traps to watch for and what to do to avoid causing headlines that you don’t want to see. She talks about social media response and we even dig into her book Disaster Heroes.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.  

Our job as resilience professionals can be difficult. Between the ever-changing threat landscape, the increasing reliance on technology, and the constant need to keep stakeholders engaged, the last thing we need is for our leadership team to have a check-the-box mentality. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 112 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week I’m joined by resilience thought leader and founding member of the Resilience Think Tank – Jason Hoss. Jason and I discuss the challenges that resilience professionals might face when working for an organization that has a check-the-box approach to business continuity. Jason tells me that everyday he wakes up he finds another reason we should be investing in resilience. He explains that checking the box doesn’t do anything except give you a false sense of security. And I ask Jason – is this about money or something else.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

You can’t open a news browser, turn on the radio or TV without hearing about a conflict, war, protest or some form of civil unrest. Today’s guest formed a small army of his own to draft a report with recommendations on armed conflict and resilience. Hello everyone and welcome to episode 111 of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week I’m joined by one of the co-authors of a report called Armed Conflicts: Changing the Paradigm of Resiliency Planning – Nate Bridges. Nate and I discuss his reasons for writing the report and how there was a general lack of thought leadership on this subject. He explains that this isn’t just about war – but how geopolitical threats can affect your business too. He encourages us to broaden our knowledge and build relationships as think about resilience differently in the days ahead.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.

I’m not sure how much you think about this, but something that I’ve started thinking more an more about lately is my legacy. How will we be remembered? This week’s guest has an interesting perspective – he says we will be remembered for what we do. Hello everyone and welcome to the 110th episode of the Resilient Journey podcast, presented by the Resilience Think Tank. This week I’m joined by Yusuf Ukaye and we are talking about mentoring – but this isn’t your normal mentoring discussion. Yusuf explains that we not only need to share what to do but we also need to explain how to be successful. He encourages us to ask seeking questions and find new ways to ask questions. Yusuf tells me that he thinks mentoring is philanthropic and an essential part of growing younger professionals. We also realize that mentoring is a two-way street.   Be sure to follow The Resilient Journey!  We sure do appreciate it! Learn more about the Resilience Think Tank here. Want to learn more about Mark? Click here or on LinkedIn or Twitter. Special thanks to Bensound for the music.