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There are stretches of life that just leave you feeling wrecked. 

You do everything right. You put in the time. You trust the people around you. You build something you believe in. And then one day it falls apart anyway. 

Adversity hits like that. Not a single punch you see coming, but a series of blows you never asked for. And sometimes it leaves you standing in the middle of your own life wondering what the point of any of it was. 

At Tiger Resilience, we do not pretend that feeling hopeless is weakness. We know what it is like to hit the point where moving forward feels almost impossible. We know what it is like to question whether you even want to. 

But what we have seen, again and again, is that meaning does not disappear just because everything else breaks. Sometimes you find it buried in the wreckage. Sometimes you create it one small choice at a time. 

This week we are digging into adversity for what it really is. Not a quick setback. Not something you train for. The kind of pain that changes how you see yourself. We will break down what adversity does to your brain and body, how it separates itself from normal challenges, and why movement can actually be one of the strongest ways to fight your way through it. 

You will hear both of our perspectives on what it feels like to hit bottom and what it takes to rebuild from it. We will share a real-world story from someone who lived through real adversity and did not just survive, but found something deeper on the other side. 

Most important, we are giving you tools you can actually use. Ways to understand what you are feeling. Ways to hold onto hope when it feels out of reach. And ways to rebuild on your own terms. 

This is not about bouncing back. It is about rising different. Rising better. Rising real. 

What Is Adversity? 

Adversity is not just having a bad day. It is not losing a game or missing a goal you set for yourself. 

Adversity is when something hits you so hard it shakes the ground you stand on. It is the breakup you never saw coming. The diagnosis you did not ask for. The job loss that guts your confidence. The family betrayal you did not deserve. 

It is the moments when no amount of effort, discipline, or positive thinking can fix what has been broken. 

Adversity is not about difficulty. It is about disruption. It is the deep emotional, mental, and sometimes physical impact that throws you off your axis and leaves you feeling like you are trying to rebuild a life you no longer recognize. 

When you are in it, adversity touches every part of you. 

• Emotionally, it can feel like carrying an invisible weight that nobody else sees. Grief, anger, fear, shame, isolation. You cycle through them even when you try to keep moving.   
• Mentally, it messes with your ability to think clearly. Doubt creeps in. Confidence erodes. Decision-making feels paralyzed because everything suddenly feels unstable.   
• Existentially, it hits the deepest questions. You start asking yourself why you even try. What the point of any of it is. Whether things will ever get better or if this is just it now.   

That is the difference. Challenges test your effort. 

Adversity tests your identity. 

You do not just lose a battle. You lose a version of yourself. And the work is not about getting back to normal. It is about figuring out how to build something different from what is left. 

Real adversity changes you. The choice you have is whether it changes you for the worse or whether you let it shape something stronger. 

Michael’s Perspective: Learning to Stay in the Conversation 

When we first started shaping this newsletter on adversity, I had the same uneasy reaction I did when we covered trauma. 

My mind immediately went to the big stories, major loss, huge setbacks, dramatic moments. And for a second, I felt like maybe I did not have anything worth saying. Like unless you had survived something grand, it almost felt inauthentic to speak on it. 

But the more I sat with it, the more I realized that is not how adversity actually works. 

Adversity is not always a lightning strike. It does not have to be a single catastrophic event to change you. Sometimes it comes from the slow erosion of setbacks over time. Small losses that pile up. Disappointments that harden you if you are not careful. Stretches of life where it just feels like no matter what you do, it is not enough to break through. 

And that kind of adversity, the kind that creeps in quietly, can be just as real, just as hard to overcome, as anything loud and visible. 

In a lot of the work we have done with Tiger Resilience, we talk about how the people who are most impactful, the ones who sustain excellence over time, are not the ones defined by their talent, their titles, or their accolades. They are the ones defined by how they respond when adversity shows up. 

It is not about whether you are gifted. It is about whether you can stay grounded when life stops cooperating. 

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about this concept called the "calm conversation." 

The idea is simple: when a difficult stimulus hits. pain, disappointment, frustration, there is a natural urge to react immediately. Get angry. Panic. Lash out. Shut down. But the calm conversation is about inserting a space between the stimulus and your response. It is a small pause where you notice what is happening without rushing to judgment. You give yourself room to choose how you want to move forward. 

Running has taught me this better than anything else. 

There are so many moments during a workout or race when the pain starts creeping in. You feel it first in your breathing. Then your legs start tightening up. Then your mind starts throwing out excuses about why it would be smart to slow down or quit. 

In those moments, the instinct is to react. Panic. Tense up. Fight the pain. 

But if you practice having that calm conversation, noticing the pain, accepting that it is there, and choosing your response without judgment, everything changes. You stop seeing the pain as the enemy. You start seeing it for what it is: part of the experience, part of the process, not something to fear or resist. 

The same thing applies to adversity in life. 

It is not about eliminating pain or waiting for a life with no hardship. That is not the goal. 

It is about creating enough space inside yourself to interpret the situation for what it is, not what your fear or anger tries to tell you it is. 

Most people are looking for solutions when they face adversity. They want something to make the pain go away. But the reality is there are no perfect solutions in life. Only tradeoffs. Only choices about how you will interpret and respond to what is happening to you. 

The calm conversation gives you the breathing room to make those choices with clarity instead of chaos. 

And over time, those small spaces, those quiet moments between stimulus and response, are where you start to build the real strength that adversity demands. 

Not by pretending it does not hurt. 

Not by trying to outmuscle it. 

But by learning to stay present inside it, long enough to shape your own way through. 

Last year, I showed up to this race barely holding it together after four months off from running. No rhythm, no real fitness, just trying to get through it. This year felt different. Not perfect, but stronger. Sometimes adversity is not one big moment, it is the quiet work you do when nobody is watching..

Bernie's Perspective: My Fight with Weight and Habituation 

There are stretches of life that break you slowly, piece by piece. Not with one devastating blow, but through the steady erosion of hope over time. 

For me, one of the deepest battles I faced was my struggle with weight throughout my 40s. 

It wasn’t just about the physical weight I carried — it was the weight of habits I couldn't seem to break, the weight of daily discouragement, the weight of believing that maybe change was no longer possible for me. 

It is easy to underestimate the power of habituation. 

The routines we fall into, the comfort we seek in food, the silent agreements we make with ourselves to settle for less — they build over years until they feel like concrete poured over our spirit. Every morning, I would wake up knowing what I should do, yet somehow feel trapped in the same cycle. I knew better. I wanted better. But wanting and doing are not always the same, especially when adversity grows from within. 

It took hitting a personal breaking point to see that if I didn’t make radical changes, the life I dreamed of — the life I deserved — would slip away quietly. 

My path forward was not flashy. It wasn’t a miracle diet or a sudden epiphany. It was a slow, humbling process of asking for help and using every tool available. 

I worked with my doctors. I leaned into the power of structured fitness. I allowed myself to accept medication support when it was the right tool for the job, with no shame attached. I pieced together every ounce of resilience I had left to create a lifestyle transformation — not just a temporary fix, but a permanent new foundation. 

But the real battle was never just about losing weight. 

It was about breaking the deeply ingrained patterns that had taken root over decades. It was about showing up for myself, over and over, even on the days when the old habits called louder than the new ones. It was about believing that no matter how many times I had failed before, I could still build something different. 

I was never alone in that fight, even when it felt like it. 

My son Michael stood beside me the whole way — not by preaching or pushing, but by embodying what it meant to honor health, discipline, and movement. I remember vividly my own athletic years, playing sports and being physically fit – but now watching Michale pursue his athletic dreams, watching him treat his body with respect and gratitude, reminded me that strength is not just physical. It is a choice, made daily, to live in alignment with your values. 

Today, four years and 100 pounds later, I look back and hardly recognize the man I once was. 

One of the small but powerful symbols of my transformation has been what I call my "Apple a Day" theory. Every morning, without fail, I eat an apple. 

Not because it is a magic food, but because it represents the small, intentional choices that, when compounded over time, reshape a life. 

In my 40s, I never imagined living this way. 

Now, I cannot imagine living any other way. 

Adversity comes for all of us. Sometimes it roars like a storm. Sometimes it creeps in quietly. 

But what I know now is this — no matter how deeply entrenched your old life feels, you are never too far gone to rise again. 

It does not happen overnight. It happens one decision at a time. One apple at a time. One hard-fought choice at a time. 

This is not about bouncing back. 

It is about rising different. 

Rising better. 

Rising real. 

Mastering weight loss is not about giving up good food. It is about not letting a plate of sausage and peppers negotiate your entire future - though they do love to conspire!

The Science of Adversity: Brain and Body 

Adversity does not just feel heavy. It changes the way your brain and body operate under pressure. When you understand what is happening inside you, it gets easier to work with it instead of feeling stuck inside it. 

🧠 The Brain on Adversity 

When adversity hits, the amygdala, the part of your brain that scans for danger, fires up fast. It triggers a full stress response, flooding your system with adrenaline and cortisol. Your body gets wired for survival. 

In the short term, this helps. But when adversity drags on, the brain starts to adapt in ways that are not helpful: 

• Hippocampus: Shrinks under chronic stress, making memory and emotional regulation harder.  
• Amygdala: Becomes more reactive, increasing fear, anger, and anxiety. 
• Prefrontal Cortex: Loses strength and connection to emotional centers, making it harder to calm yourself down.   

This is why adversity can leave you feeling more emotional, less clear-headed, and stuck in survival mode even after the worst has passed. 

But the brain is built for recovery too. Through neuroplasticity, new pathways can form. With time, reflection, movement, and support, the same brain shaped by adversity can be reshaped by resilience. 

🩺 The Body on Adversity 

Adversity hits your body just as hard. Chronic stress keeps survival systems locked on and recovery systems pushed down. Over time, it starts to show up physically: 

Cardiovascular System: Blood pressure stays elevated, putting more strain on the heart and vessels.   

Immune System: Gets suppressed, making it harder to fight infections or recover from illness.   

Inflammatory Response: Stays high, increasing risk for chronic diseases and slowing healing.   

Hormonal Balance: Stress hormones like cortisol stay elevated, throwing off sleep, digestion, and energy regulation.   

This is why people facing heavy adversity often get sick more often, heal slower, and feel drained even when they are trying to rest. 

The good news is that recovery is built into the system too. When the immediate crisis finally passes, the parasympathetic nervous system — the "rest and digest" system — starts to take over again. It lowers cortisol, relaxes muscle tension, repairs tissue, and helps bring the body back to a healthier baseline. 

Movement plays a big role in speeding this up. Exercise not only helps lower stress hormones faster, but it also boosts brain chemicals that support emotional stability, physical healing, and long-term resilience. Even small amounts of movement can help pull you out of the chronic stress loop adversity creates. 

📊 By the Numbers: The Real Impact of Adversity 

The emotional and physical cost of adversity is not just personal. It shows up across every part of society, in mental health stats, physical health risks, and long-term life outcomes. 

Here are some numbers that show just how deep the effects of adversity can run: 

Mental Health and Emotional Impact 

Individuals exposed to major adversity have a two to three times higher risk of developing anxiety, depression, or PTSD compared to the general population.  

According to the World Health Organization, chronic stress from adversity is now considered a leading risk factor for global disability and mental health burden.  

A 2023 study found that 61 percent of people who faced major life adversity reported lasting changes in their outlook on life, both positive and negative.  

Physical Health Risks 

Prolonged adversity is linked to a 40 to 60 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.  

Chronic stress increases inflammation levels by up to 50 percent, raising the risk for conditions like diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and even some cancers.  

People with histories of severe adversity recover from illness and injury up to 30 percent slower than those without major stress exposure.  

Long-Term Life Outcomes 

Studies show that childhood or early life adversity can reduce life expectancy by up to 20 years if not addressed through intervention and support.  

However, individuals who engage in active recovery strategies — movement, therapy, connection — report 40 percent greater life satisfaction compared to those who remain isolated or disengaged after hardship.  

Resilience and Recovery 

People who successfully process adversity show higher post-traumatic growth scores, meaning they often report more meaning, stronger relationships, and deeper personal strength afterward.  

Regular exercise, even just 150 minutes per week, is associated with a 30 percent reduction in perceived stress levels for individuals recovering from major adversity. 

The Tiger Resilience Lens: Adversity vs Challenge 

It is easy to mix up adversity and challenge, but they are not the same thing. Understanding the difference matters because it changes how you approach recovery, mindset, and growth. 

A challenge is something you take on by choice. It tests your skills, your discipline, your endurance. You might struggle, but deep down you still feel like you are in control. You chose it. You can walk away from it if you want to. 

Adversity is different. It is not something you sign up for. It is a hit you take whether you are ready or not. It changes the ground you stand on. You do not get to walk away from adversity. You have to find a way through it. 

Here is how they really break down side by side: 

🏋️‍♂️ Michael’s Training Corner: How Adversity and Transformation Are Built 

Part 1: How Training Cycles Mirror Growth Through Adversity 

If you have been reading our past newsletters, you know we have talked about periodization, the idea that progress does not happen in a straight line. It happens in waves. You push, you accumulate stress, then you recover and rebuild stronger. 

At the heart of periodization are mesocycles, which usually last about four to eight weeks. Inside a mesocycle, you go through two main phases: 

• An accumulation phase, where you build fatigue by gradually increasing volume, intensity, or complexity.   
• A deload phase, where you intentionally back off to allow the body to recover, adapt, and bounce back above your old baseline.   

Life works the same way, especially when it comes to adversity. 

When you are facing real adversity, it feels like you are trapped in an endless accumulation phase. Stress piles up without the recovery you need. It is exhausting because it is real. 

The key is learning how to build mini-recoveries even during hard seasons. They might be small wins, days of movement, moments of stillness, or leaning on people you trust. The rebuilding happens during these spaces, not during the constant grind. 

Understanding this pattern helps you see setbacks differently. Struggle does not mean you are broken. It means you are in the middle of the cycle. Recovery and growth are still possible, but they require deliberate space to happen. 

Part 2: How Movement Rebuilds You From the Inside Out 

When adversity wrecks your system, movement becomes more than training. It becomes part of survival. 

Here is how movement helps rebuild you from the inside out: 

• It restores control: When everything else feels chaotic, choosing to move reminds you that you still have agency over your body and your choices.   
• It interrupts stress cycles: Even a short walk or workout can break the loop of spiraling thoughts and reset your nervous system.   
• It reinforces progress: Every training session, even the small ones, creates evidence that you are still moving forward, even if the rest of life feels stuck.   
• It reconnects mind and body: Adversity can make you feel disconnected from yourself. Movement brings you back into your body, into presence, and into the moment.   
• It builds emotional resilience: Regular movement strengthens not just muscles but emotional stamina, making it easier to ride out difficult emotions without feeling drowned by them.   

Training during hard times is not about numbers, aesthetics, or chasing perfection. It is about giving your brain and body reasons to believe you are still alive, still fighting, and still capable of creating a different future. 

Some of the strongest resilience you will ever build starts with one small act of motion when standing still feels easier. 

📓 Journal Exercise: Rebuilding Strength Through Reflection 

Adversity takes a real toll on your mental and physical health. Journaling can be a powerful tool to start rebuilding both. 

It helps clear mental clutter, reset emotional balance, and give your brain and body the space they need to recover and grow stronger. 

Here is a focused framework you can use this week: 

Step 1: Check in with your mind and body 

Write down a quick scan of how you are feeling mentally and physically today. Energy levels. Mood. Sleep quality. Stress levels. No judgment, just observation. 

Step 2: Track your responses to stress 

Think about a recent stressful moment. How did your body react? How did your thoughts shift? Were there signs you pushed through, or signs you need more recovery? 

Step 3: Identify what is helping 

List two or three habits, practices, or people that have been helping you cope in a healthy way. Movement, routines, conversations, rest, anything that builds you up. 

Step 4: Set one action step 

Choose one small thing you will do this week to support your recovery, mentally or physically. It could be a walk, a better sleep schedule, cutting back on something draining, or adding something positive. 

Small exercises like this help reconnect you to your own strength. They also help your brain and body start shifting back toward balance after adversity tries to pull them apart. 

If you want more structured prompts that focus on rebuilding mental and physical resilience step by step, our Awaken the Tiger, Rise Like the Phoenix journal is built exactly for that. 

🛒 Grab your copy here. 

🌟 Final Thoughts: Building Strength Through Adversity 

Adversity has a way of stripping life down to its bare essentials. It takes away the noise. It forces you to confront what is real, about yourself, about the people around you, about what actually matters. 

It does not mean the pain disappears. It does not mean what you went through was fair. But it does mean you have a choice about what comes next. 

At Tiger Resilience, we believe adversity is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a new one. And the foundation you rebuild from comes back to our Five Pillars: 

Purpose: Adversity clarifies what truly matters. When everything is stripped away, your real purpose has a chance to rise.   

Planning: Recovery does not happen by accident. Having a simple plan, even if it is just one positive action each day, helps pull you forward when motivation feels low.   

Practice: Small consistent efforts — movement, reflection, connection — rebuild your strength over time. You do not need to be perfect. You just need to keep showing up.   

Perseverance: Healing and growth are not linear. There will be setbacks. There will be days it feels like nothing is changing. Perseverance is the willingness to stay with the work anyway.   

Providence: Not everything is in your control. But if you stay open, help, healing, and unexpected opportunities will find their way to you. Some of the strongest turning points in life come from grace you did not plan for.   

No one chooses adversity. But you can choose how you meet it. You can choose what you build from it. You can choose what part of you rises next. 

And you do not have to do it alone. We are right here with you, standing in the work, building forward, one step at a time. 

Stay resilient, 

Bernie and Michael 

Tiger Resilience 🐅 

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 📚 References

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Black, D. S., O'Reilly, G. A., Olmstead, R., Breen, E. C., & Irwin, M. R. (2015). Mindfulness meditation and improvement in sleep quality and daytime impairment among older adults with sleep disturbances: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(4), 494–501. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8081 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Chronic stress puts your health at risk. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/stress.htm 

Cohen, S., Janicki-Deverts, D., & Miller, G. E. (2007). Psychological stress and disease. JAMA, 298(14), 1685–1687. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.298.14.1685 

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8 

Kemeny, M. E. (2003). The psychobiology of stress. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.01246 

McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: Central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews, 87(3), 873–904. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00041.2006 

Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why zebras don't get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping (3rd ed.). Holt Paperbacks. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780805073690/whyzebrasdontgetulcers 

Southwick, S. M., & Charney, D. S. (2018). Resilience: The science of mastering life's greatest challenges (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108551573 

World Health Organization. (2022). Mental health and COVID-19: Early evidence of the pandemic’s impact. WHO. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Sci_Brief-Mental_health-2022