Pressure at work feels higher than ever. Change is constant, expectations are relentless, and leaders are often told they simply need to be more “resilient”.

But what if resilience isn’t about coping, endurance, or pushing through at all?

In this episode of Sticky From The Inside, Andy Goram is joined by Russell Harvey, often known as "The Resilience Coach", to explore a far more human take on resilience. One that places leadership behaviour and the manager–employee relationship right at the centre of the conversation.

Russell reframes resilience as springing forward with learning, not bouncing back to how things used to be. Together, they unpack why people’s experience of pressure and change is shaped far less by big organisational strategies and far more by how their line manager shows up day-to-day.

They discuss what resilient leadership actually looks like in practice, why “shut up and move on” cultures are so damaging, and how optimism, grounded firmly in reality, can help people face difficult situations without pretending everything is fine.

If you care about performance, wellbeing, and creating workplaces where people can genuinely say “I’m okay”, this conversation is a powerful reminder that resilience starts with relationships.

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Key Takeaways

Resilience isn’t coping, it’s learning. Russell reframes resilience as springing forward with learning, not enduring more or bouncing back to how things used to be.
Leadership behaviour shapes resilience more than strategy. People experience pressure and change through how their manager shows up day-to-day, not through lofty organisational initiatives.
Line managers aren't responsible for other people’s happiness, but they hugely influence it. An individual’s ability to say “I’m okay” at work is strongly shaped by the quality of their relationship with their manager.
Optimism is a leadership skill, not forced positivity.
Grounded, realistic optimism helps people face hard truths without slipping into denial or despair.

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Key Moments

The key moments in this episode are:

0:01:16 – Pressure, burnout and why resilience gets misunderstood
0:02:57 – Why managers shape how work really feels
0:09:27 – Defining resilience as springing forward with learning
0:12:01 – The three things resilient leaders are responsible for
0:14:25 – The disproportionate power of the line manager relationship
0:18:00 – Optimism vs toxic positivity
0:22:43 – Recovery, resilience and the danger of “shut up and move on”
0:26:18 – How personal resilience gives leaders the confidence to challenge upwards
0:30:00 – Why resilience shouldn’t feel like ‘one more thing to do’
0:36:40 – How resilience builds the confidence to challenge unsustainable systems
0:41:45 – Sustainable work practices as a leadership responsibility
0:47:08 – Russell Harvey’s Sticky Notes

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Get the full transcript of the episode here