Adversity is not something most people go looking for. Setbacks, disappointments, or uncomfortable challenges usually feel like detours we would rather avoid.
Yet in hindsight, many of the moments that tested us most end up influencing who we are. They offer a new perspective and strengthen our resilience. And sometimes, adversity can even lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
That is exactly the kind of conversation stirring again with the return of Brené Brown. She is back with Strong Ground, her first major release in years. And this time, she’s looking at the ways adversity can build courage and resilience. Her earlier books focused on topics like vulnerability and shame, but this one takes on the fine line between trauma and hardship, and why learning to face adversity might be one of the most important skills we need right now.
Who Is Brené Brown?
Brené Brown is a research professor, bestselling author, and storyteller who has connected with millions by exploring tough topics like vulnerability, shame, and resilience. Her TED Talk on vulnerability remains one of the most-watched of all time.
Her voice feels especially needed in a time when stress, division, and collective exhaustion have left many of us quick to label discomfort as trauma. Conversations about fragility, resilience, and how we hold tension have gone beyond personal; they’re cultural. She brings language and perspective that cut through the noise, helping people sit with hard truths without collapsing under them. That’s part of why her work continues to resonate.
Trauma vs. Adversity
One of Brown’s strengths is taking words we throw around casually and sharpening their meaning. Trauma and adversity often get lumped together, but in her framing, they are not the same.
Trauma describes events so destructive that they overwhelm a person’s ability to cope. It can leave long-lasting scars, both emotional and physical.
Adversity, on the other hand, is difficult but not devastating. It challenges us without completely breaking us down.
Brown points out that our culture often blurs the line between the two. We treat many types of discomfort as trauma, at least many of us often do. In reality, many of our struggles fall into the category of adversity—yes, they can be hard, but ultimately, they’re often constructive.
Why is it so important to recognize the difference? Because it changes how we approach setbacks in our own lives.
When we start to see some challenges as opportunities to grow rather than as trauma, we can begin handling them in healthier, more productive ways.
The Value of Adversity
So why would anyone welcome adversity? For starters, it actually has real value when handled in healthy amounts.
Adversity builds resilience. It strengthens grit. Plus, it gives us a kind of perspective we just can’t get from comfort alone.
Think about innovators who credit their failures with sparking breakthroughs. Or athletes who talk about how losses taught them more than wins ever did. Even everyday people often look back on a tough season of life and realize it pushed them to grow in ways they never expected.
Brown’s point isn’t that adversity is enjoyable. Far from it. We all know firsthand that it almost never feels good while you’re in it. But uncomfortable challenges can act like a proving ground, a place where strength and character take shape. Without those kinds of moments, growth has a way of stalling.
Have We Gone Soft?
This leads to a tougher question: have we, as a culture, grown too soft? Technology cushions inconvenience. Workplaces try to eliminate conflict. Parents try to shield kids from setbacks.
On top of that, there’s a broader cultural habit of dodging discomfort and shying away from hard conversations, even though that avoidance comes at the cost of real resilience.
Brown points out that when all discomfort is treated like trauma, we lose the opportunity to build resilience. Instead of learning how to handle a challenge, we see it as something to escape at all costs.
The truth is, resilience cannot be built in theory.
It grows through experience.
This often means leaning into discomfort, staying with hard situations instead of running from them, and embracing challenges as chances to grow. Brown calls this finding the courage to face tension, complexity, and paradox.
Applying the Lesson
So what does all of this look like in real life? Brown offers a few practical shifts that sound small but can change how we meet challenges:
Distinguish Trauma From Adversity
Many of us use the same language for both, but they are not the same. When you’re faced with some type of challenge, ask yourself: Is this truly destructive, or is it just uncomfortable? Naming the difference matters because it helps us respond with clarity.
Reframe Setbacks
A challenge can feel like a wall, but often it is more like a doorway. When we ask what a hard moment might be teaching us, it can open into new strength. So, instead of treating every obstacle like a dead end, we’re more likely to find a way through when we look for what it might teach or strengthen.
Lean Into Discomfort
Growth rarely comes from comfort. If anything, it often sits on the other side of unease and shows up when we allow ourselves to stay present with uncertainty instead of running from it.
Avoid Glorifying Suffering
Adversity has value, but there’s no prize in chasing pain. The point is to meet adversity honestly when it shows up, not to manufacture struggle.
Why This Message Matters Now
Life has a way of throwing curveballs. For some, that looks like stress or burnout, work hours, long commute, exhaustion. For others, it means loss or a complete shift in priorities, divorce, death, or major illness. However it plays out, it is a reminder that life doesn’t always go the way we expect. It’s best to expect the unexpected.
That’s why Brown’s return feels so timely. Her new book asks us to look at adversity differently. Instead of seeing it as something to just endure or avoid, she points out how it can change us, making us tougher, a little wiser, and more open to others.
Finding Support on the Journey
Adversity may never be something we cheer for, but Brené Brown reminds us it doesn’t have to be something we fear.
Trauma and adversity are not the same, and confusing them robs us of the lessons adversity can offer. In healthy amounts, adversity can build the resilience that makes courage possible.
But it’s not always easy to recognize what “healthy” looks like when you’re in the middle of it. This is where the guidance of a life coach can make a real difference. A coach can help you process challenges, spot the difference between trauma and adversity, and even take on hard things that stretch you and support growth.
If you’re ready to approach life’s curveballs as an adventure, an opportunity to grow, consider connecting with a coach who can hold space for you.
