While we cannot control our life circumstances, we can control our responses.
Dr Lucy Hone is best known for her hugely popular TED talk, Three Secrets of Resilient People. Translated into 23 languages and viewed more than nine million times worldwide, it is now ranked among TEDx’s Top 100 “Must Watch” talks.
She’s also a bestselling author, respected researcher and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the University of Canterbury. Dr Lucy’s work regularly features in international media including Oprah Daily, the BBC, The Guardian, Vogue, CBS and The New York Times, and her latest book, How Will I Ever Get Through This? became an overnight best-seller.
As the world faces a new era of work, Dr Lucy’s expertise is in high demand. She equipsleaders and organisations with the skills to navigate uncertainty, challenges and change byreplacing overwhelm and fatigue with realistic optimism, clarity and confidence. Trusted by companies ranging from Amazon and Apple, Deloitte and KPMG, GSK and Nestlé, to the World Business Forum, the United Nations, National Defence Forces and global hospices, her evidence-based tools help people perform under pressure, stay steady and committed through change and communicate more effectively when the stakes are high. Describing herself as a “pracademic,” Dr Lucy is a rare mix - an academic who can laugh and be wholly relatable, and a social-media communicator who’s scientifically tested the tools she teaches. It’s a winning and unique combination!
Dr Lucy’s work goes beyond a keynote. Through workshops, webinars, deep-dive masterclasses, advisory, guest blogs and resources, she helps teams build their resilience muscle over time - future-proofing their ability to navigate disruption, handle uncertainty and stay steady through ongoing change. These extended learning options help her tools stick, giving teams a shared language and creating lasting impact.
Audiences love her and the way she leaves them feeling hopeful, strong and confident, ready to face anything. As she says, “I’m real, not perfect, we all are! But I’ve also learned - from my studies, research, conversations with thousands of clients, and my own lived experience, how incredibly adaptable humans are. We all want to thrive!”
Talking Points
Three Secrets of Resilient People (extended version of the TED talk)
Based on Lucy’s TED Talk with over 9 million views and ranked in TEDx’s Top 100 “Must Watch” talks of all time, this keynote unpacks the three evidence-based strategies used by highly resilient people - those who manage to face adversity and keep moving forward. Three Secrets of Resilient People (extended version of the TED talk)
Warm, moving and deeply practical, this keynote tackles resilience as a much over-used but little understood term, replacing outdated myths with a modern, science-backed understanding of what really enables resilience.
Takeaways from this Keynote:
1. Rethink resilience as a learnable skill: the ability to flex and cope is part of our evolutionary inherited DNA.
2. Learn three proven strategies to build compassion, confidence and selfcontrol. Feel better equipped to support resilience in themselves and others.
3. People always leave this keynote saying, “I had no idea what resilience really meant and now I finally get it!”
Thriving Through Uncertainty & Change
This keynote equips your people with a small number of practical, science-backed frameworks they can use immediately to navigate uncertainty, make better decisions, and adapt under pressure.Thriving Through Uncertainty & Change
These tools are simple enough to recall under pressure and flexible enough to be used every day - so they rapidly become embedded as a default way of thinking and responding.
Designed for fast-moving, high-stakes environments, this session focuses on what actually works when clarity is low and demands are high.
Takeaways from this Keynote:
1. Cut through noise and focus on what matters most using Ruthless Prioritisation
2. Make better decisions under pressure with the Helping or Harming question
3. A 3-step framework for responding to setbacks without losing momentum
4. Create a shared language your teams can use to navigate pressure and change
Leadership in a VUCA-MAX World: Accept. Focus. Choose.
Business As Usual is a thing of the past. Leadership in a VUCA-MAX World: Accept. Focus. Choose.
Where work once involved cycles of intense effort followed by recovery, today’s leaders are operating inside a near-constant tsunami of pressure, risk, regulatory change and technological disruption, with little opportunity to reset. What were once periodic stress waves have become a permanent operating condition, fundamentally reshaping the leadership landscape.
Advances in AI and accelerating change have also fundamentally disrupted our deeply held assumptions about how work, leadership, markets and systems are meant to operate. Much of the old playbook no longer applies.
In an era where change, opportunity and threat are constant, leaders need a new internal operating system. Accept. Focus. Choose. is a highly practical, evidence-based keynote that equips leaders with three trainable skills to rebuild steadiness, protect attention, and make better decisions under pressure. Leaders leave with clear tools to reduce cognitive overload, improve judgement, strengthen culture, and lead with clarity and confidence in complex, high-risk environments.
Key takeaways from this keynote:
1. Navigate the transition from BAU to our new VUCA-MAX World: how permanent volatility reshapes leadership and team behaviour
2. Protect attention and focus: cut through noise and stay clear-headed under pressure
3. Make Real-Time Resilience decisions: choose well when opportunity, threat and ambiguity collide.
Understanding Modern Loss: Tools for a New Era of Care
Loss is universal - yet our ways of understanding and responding to it remain outdated, misunderstood, or entirely missing. This keynote introduces Lucy’sUnderstanding Modern Loss: Tools for a New Era of Care
scientific Resilient Grieving™ framework, which is changing people’s approach to grief and loss globally.
Pragmatic and hopeful, this session equips helping professionals and leaders more broadly to respond to loss proactively - without awkwardness, fear or avoidance. Founded on Dr Lucy’s bestselling book,
How Will I Ever Get Through This? this presentation shares her latest research.
Key takeaways from this keynote:
1. Replace outdated and harmful myths (such as the Five Stages model) with modern, evidence-based understanding.
2. Gain practical tools to respond constructively - knowing what to say, what not to say, and how to support without feeling overwhelmed or out of their depth.
3. Improve the quality of care, leadership and connection offered to those experiencing loss, trauma or disruption.
4. “Nobody can talk about these heavy topics in the hopeful, practical and warm way Dr Lucy does.” - Andy Reid (RISE Australia conference)
Thriving Through Uncertainty and Change Masterclass
This session combines a high impact keynote with an applied masterclass to equip your team with practical, science backed frameworks they can use immediately to navigate uncertainty, make better decisions, and sustain performance under pressure without burning out.Thriving Through Uncertainty and Change Masterclass
Designed for fast growing, high performing environments, the session focuses on what actually works when clarity is low and demands are high, then builds capability at both the individual and team level.
Participants leave with a shared language, clear frameworks, and practical strategies they can use straight away.
Takeaways from this Session
• Cut through noise and focus on what matters most using Ruthless Prioritisation
• Make better decisions under pressure with the Helping or Harming question
• Apply a clear framework for responding to setbacks without losing momentum
• Understand the six key drivers of burnout at work and how to reduce and prevent it
• Strengthen psychological safety - trust at the team level - and learn how to pro-actively build and maintain it
• Identify and apply individual and team strengths to enhance performance, motivation, relationships and job satisfaction
• Build a shared language and practical tools that teams can use in real time
Half day Workshop or Full day Workshops available.
Video
Dr Lucy Hone | Global Authority on Coping with Uncertainty, Disruption & Change
In this compelling showreel, internationally respected resilience expert Dr. Lucy Hone shares her unique approach to helping individuals and organisations navigate disruption, uncertainty, stress, and change. With over 15 years of research in resilience psychology and psychological well-being—combined with her own lived experience—Lucy delivers practical tools and strategies that truly work when life gets tough. Whether you’re looking to boost team performance, improve workplace culture, or support your people through adversity, Lucy’s keynotes, workshops, and masterclasses are designed to spark real human connection and create lasting impact.The Three Secrets of Resilient People | Dr Lucy Hone | TEDxChristchurch
Dr Lucy Hone is a resilience expert who thought she found her calling supporting people to recover following the Christchurch earthquake. She had no idea that her personal journey was about to take her to a far darker place. In this powerful and courageous talk, she shares the three strategies that got her through an unimaginable tragedy?and offers a profound insight on human suffering. Dr Lucy Hone is a director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, a research associate at AUT University, a published academic researcher, best-selling author and contributor to Psychology Today, the Sunday Star Times and Next magazine. She trained at the University of Pennsylvania and got her PhD in public health at AUT University in Auckland. She has helped a range of organisationsfrom primary schools to leading law firmsto design and implement wellbeing initiatives creating sustained and meaningful change. Five years ago, the sudden death of Lucy's 12-year-old daughter Abi forced Lucy to turn her academic training and professional practice to foster resilience in very personal circumstances. The blog she wrote in the aftermath of Abi's death attracted international attention and resulted in the best-selling non-fiction title, What Abi Taught Us, Strategies for Resilient Grieving (Allen & Unwin, 2016), now available as Resilient Grieving in the US, UK and NZ.Dr Lucy Hone | Is it helping or harming? | Saxton Live powered by Delegate Connect
Dr Lucy Hone is an Adjunct Senior Professor at the University of Canterbury, a co-director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, a published academic researcher and best-selling author and blogger for Psychology Today.Dr Lucy Hone | Ordinary Magic | Saxton Live Powered by Delegate Connect
Dr Lucy Hone is an Adjunct Senior Professor at the University of Canterbury, a co-director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, a published academic researcher and best-selling author and blogger for Psychology Today.Audio
Thank you for sharing this conversation with me today. I feel as though I benefited greatly from having had the opportunity to speak with you firsthand, and suspect that many of those in the ... keep reading San Diego State University
Probably the most beneficial talk I have ever listened to. Fantastic speaker. Inspirational. Excellent presentation and useful strategies. The most relevant information for me at this conference.
We were incredibly excited to have Dr. Lucy Hone zoom in to chat with us as part of our Mental Wellbeing Month activations this October. and wow - she didn't disappoint! It was one of the most impactful firesides/chats we have ever put on (and we do quite a lot here at Canva!). Dr. Hone's research around resilience absolutely resonated with our team and her actionable steps were bang on. Would definitely recommend!
On behalf of the Finance Commercialization Event planning team thank you very much for your engagement on our Global Finance Meeting and for contributing to the success of our meeting. Your presentation was tailored to our needs, you showed a lot of flexibility and consideration to our needs and we have received very nice feedback. Many thanks for the materials you sent us to support your presentation and workshop.
Dr Lucy was a highlight of our Conference this year, just as she was at our Leadership Forum in 2021. Her delivery in not only professional and relevant, she provides practical advice that anyone can utilise, just sensational.
Dr Lucy Hone is both an engaging and insightful speaker. Not only did our conference delegates really enjoy her presentation, Q&A session and subsequent panel, she was great for us to work with as organisers.
Lucy Hone was incredible at engaging with the audience and putting everyone in the room at ease. Her knowledge, tools and lived experience was extremely valuable. We would highly recommend Lucy for future events.
I have seen lots of different speakers talk about resilience and Dr Lucy is one of the best. She makes the content relatable and accessible.
Lucy was a fantastic speaker who effortlessly wove her personal experiences in to her keynote to help empower and inspire our audience. She was incredibly personable and motivational while acknowledging the unique barriers of our audience in the ECE sector.
Lucy is clearly very accomplished in her field but makes her work accessible and applicable for the audience. Lucy blended her personal story and practical tips into an insightful and relevant presentation that held everyone's attention.
We invited Lucy to speak to our Senior Leaders and also complete a workshop with them to give them tangible tools to use for themselves and within their teams. Our audience was very engaged and appreciated the tools given to enable them to lead resilient teams within our business.
Lucy was determined to make the events she did for us relevant and with an element of local. It wasn't about her, it was about the audience. Spot on.
Lucy was fantastic! She worked with us very collaboratively to tailor her session to our business. The feedback received was incredible.
I adore listening to Dr Lucy Hone, I couldn't take notes fast enough. In this modern world where our daily headspace can be our biggest enemy, her strategies for coping and silencing your inner critic are just fabulous. I plan to share her tips with my family and I hope our workplace gets her in for a session asap.
Lucy’s delivery was top notch, casual yet captivating. I cannot begin to say how amazing and engaging Lucy’s presentation was. I enjoyed every bit of it and would recommend Lucy to any group!
Dr Lucy was really personable and was able to tell her story and her lessons in simple terms which can be adapted to everyday life. Her session was relevant to each of us in the room and I'm sure people took home a few 'a-ha moments'.
