Most of us will go through about 2 crucial events each decade of our life between 20 and 60. We might get divorced, fired, bankrupted, critically ill, canceled, arrested, or we might go through an addiction or a tragedy with a loved one.
Some people become emotionally crippled by these events . . . forever. They lose much of their confidence and hope. Colors in the world turn gray or aren't as bright as they once were.
But other people surprisingly rebound even higher after being Godzilla-stopped into the ground. They used this very same event as a springboard to thrive for the rest of their lives.
Some people become emotionally crippled by these events . . . forever. They lose much of their confidence and hope. Colors in the world turn gray or aren't as bright as they once were.
But other people surprisingly rebound even higher after being Godzilla-stopped into the ground. They used this very same event as a springboard to thrive for the rest of their lives.
The Crucial Event Thriver Project
What do the thrivers do differently? As social scientists, that's the question we want to answer.
We're in the middle of a multi-year project to learn why as many as 20% really thrive after crucial events while most other people don't. What did they learn? What did they do? What advice do they have?
So far we've interviewed or surveyed hundreds of people who have faced a combined total of over 5000 crucial events in their lives.
Our eventual goal is to develop programs that people can use to reduce the trauma of their critical event and to shorten their recovery time. Maybe even bounce back higher and be part of the 20% who thrive.
As we sort through this data and as we test some of the insights we find, we'll keep you posted if you want to leave your email.
Some Recent Discoveries
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The 2024 Crucial Events Survey
Our most recent research was a series of three surveys that examined which Crucial Events were most common, how often they occurred, and what people did to try and recover from them. Here's a top-line infographic of some of the preliminary findings. 
Learn more on "The 2024 Survey" tab above.
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How to Ask Your Spouse to Help
We interviewed people who had lost their jobs during COVID (or earlier) but who are now thriving. Some credited their partner for helping them recover. Here are some early findings of what their family did that helped most. 
Learn more on the "For Families" tab above.
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