How do we keep going when life changes in ways we never wanted or expected? Why can grief and difficult experiences – from bereavement and illness to relationship breakdown, uncertainty and the many other profound ‘living losses’ – affect us for so long? And what actually helps us adapt when life no longer feels the same?

Combining science, lived experience and practical wisdom, and drawing on her bestselling book How Will I Ever Get Through This, resilience researcher and TED speaker Dr Lucy Hone joins Suzanne Leal for a thoughtful and deeply human conversation about grief, loss and what it really means to be resilient. 

You’ll leave with a better understanding of grief and resilience, practical ideas for navigating difficult times, and reassurance about our very human capacity to adapt, connect and keep going.

Dr Lucy Hone is regarded as a thought leader in the field of resilience psychology, this expertise was tested in the most personal of ways when her 12-year-old daughter was killed in a horrific motor accident. Adjunct senior fellow at the University of Canterbury, she is an internationally sought-after professional speaker, bestselling author and award-winning academic. Her first book Resilient Grieving was released in 2017. Her latest book, How Will I Ever Get Through This? was released internationally in February 2026.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, her TED talk, 3 Secrets of Resilient People, went viral, becoming one of the top 20 most-watched TED talks of 2020 and is ranked among the Top 100 must watch TED talks of all time.

Lucy now writes and runs courses to help people cope with all types of loss, enabling them to be active participants in their grief process. Her work is regularly featured in global media, including The Guardian, The Washington Post, BBC, CBS, and the ABC

Suzanne Leal is the author of novels The Watchful Wife, The Teacher’s Secret and The Deceptions, winner of the Nib People’s Choice Prize in 2020. Her novel for middle-grade readers, Running with Ivan, is on the Children’s Book Council of Australia Notables List for Younger Readers and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s History Awards and the ARA Historical Novel Prize. An experienced facilitator and interviewer, Suzanne is the founder of Thursday Book Club, a relaxed book club connecting readers online. The Year We Escaped is her new novel for middle-grade readers.

This Bondi Books & Ideas Weekend event is presented by Waverley Council, with support from Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. With thanks to Allen & Unwin.