Harnessing the Power of Setbacks | Amy Shoenthal | 586

Amy Shoenthal, USA Today bestselling author of "The Setback Cycle: How Defining Moments Can Move Us Forward," joins Bill Sherman on the Thought Leadership Leverage podcast. Amy is a seasoned journalist and marketing executive with 20 years of investigative reporting. Her passion for profiling founders, executives, and leaders who take risks and create something new began at the University of Maryland, where she reported on student entrepreneurs.

Amy's book, "The Setback Cycle," explores how setbacks can lead to success. She discovered a pattern: significant achievements often follow major setbacks. In numerous interviews, she noticed that transformative ideas often arose after overcoming significant challenges. She researched extensively, consulting psychologists, neuroscientists, and executive coaches to develop a step-by-step framework for overcoming setbacks.

One surprising finding? Many people fail to recognize when they're experiencing a setback, making it harder to recover. Amy's framework helps identify setbacks early and provides tools to rebuild. She emphasizes that acknowledging a setback is the first crucial step towards recovery. Ignoring or denying a setback can make it more difficult to move forward and find new opportunities.

Amy was driven to create not just a narrative but a practical guide. She wanted to understand the common threads that enable individuals to rebuild and succeed after setbacks. Her book offers a playbook for anyone facing life's inevitable challenges, providing both inspiration and actionable steps.

Her goal? To make the concept of the "Setback Cycle" part of our cultural lexicon. Amy hopes people will see setbacks through the lens of her framework, allowing them to emerge stronger and more resilient. She envisions a world where setbacks are viewed as opportunities for growth and innovation, and where everyone has the tools and resources to navigate adversity.

Three Key Takeaways: • Setbacks as Catalysts for Success: Amy Shoenthal's research reveals that significant achievements often follow major setbacks. Her book, "The Setback Cycle," emphasizes how overcoming challenges can lead to transformative ideas and innovations. • Recognizing and Addressing Setbacks: One of the critical insights from Amy's work is the importance of recognizing when you're experiencing a setback. Identifying and acknowledging a setback is the first step in the recovery process, allowing for a proactive approach to rebuilding and finding new opportunities. • Framework for Resilience: Amy has developed a step-by-step framework, backed by extensive research and consultations with psychologists, neuroscientists, and executive coaches. This framework provides practical tools and strategies for individuals to navigate setbacks, emerge stronger, and turn adversity into opportunity. If you feel like your Thought Leadership is having a Setback, make sure to check out Amy's framework for overcoming it as well as this Four Part Framework for Thought Leadership.