Buoyant
The Art and Science of a Resilient Life
- Counseling, Grief & Mental Health
- Publisher: Broadleaf Books (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
"A lifeline for navigating personal hardship and the chaos of our times."--Andrew Carroll, four-time New York Times bestselling author A science-backed and story-driven guide for staying afloat amid life's ups and downs. If you've been shattered by grief, weighed down by loss, or overwhelmed by life's challenges, you're not alone. Adversity is a universal human experience, but your resilience--how you respond, adapt, and recover--shapes your outlook, strength, and well-being. What matters most isn't what happens to you, but how you rebound and chart a path forward--your buoyancy. Buoyant is a science-backed, hope-filled road map for grief healing, trauma recovery, and post-traumatic growth. Author Gina Vild draws on psychology, neuroscience, timeless wisdom, poetry, and her experience--from discovering roses still blooming through a November snowfall after her life unraveled to exploring everyday habits that can regulate your stress--to show that resilience isn't something you're born with; it's a skill you can cultivate and strengthen at any age. Buoyant offers inspiration with twenty-plus stirring stories of transformation from people who faced both unimaginable challenges and everyday struggles, and actionable steps in the form of " Buoyancy Boosters " --interactive exercises and practical coping strategies. These "Buoyancy Boosters" include surprising insights into how simple practices like mindfulness to gut-health-supporting foods can help regulate stress and build resilience. Put together, Buoyant is your toolkit to reframe pain, manage negative self-talk, embrace forgiveness, rediscover your sense of purpose, and build a supportive community. Whether you're healing after personal loss, navigating trauma recovery, overcoming professional setbacks, or simply trying to stay afloat in a chaotic world, Buoyant is your essential guide to a life of joy and meaning.
Endorsements (10)
“Vild is the epitome of a 'giver,' and this exquisitely written book--filled with beautiful poems and uplifting stories infused with light and love, generosity and grace, compassion and kindness--is the ultimate gift to us all.”
“A generous, story-driven guide to cultivating resilience that offers real-world tools for surviving what's difficult in 'your own wild and precious life.'”
“Resilience in response to life's inevitable challenges is a capacity we all too often need, but the path to achieving it is often hidden and always difficult. In Buoyant, Gina Vild vividly describes the strategies she and many others have successfully employed to achieve resilience, and her elegant presentation makes Buoyant required reading for a large audience.”
“Life can pull us under without warning. In Buoyant, Gina Vild gathers extraordinary stories of people who found their way back to the surface--and beyond. Weaving together cutting-edge research and hard-won wisdom, she hands readers the life preserver that makes all the difference: the knowledge that we are not alone.”
“Gina Vild offers a road map for navigating not only the personal traumas and setbacks we all eventually face, but also the collective political and social tumult we are enduring in the current time. Each chapter is like a fitness class to strengthen not only our inner core but the muscle of resilience that keeps us buoyant even in troubled times.”
“Vild has written an honest meditation on what it means to survive and then truly live. The stories told in Buoyant are bold, the science sound, and her voice lucid. This book shatters the ceiling you have placed on your own resilience and dares you to reimagine what you are capable of surviving and, ultimately, of becoming.”
“Gina Vild offers a compelling and inspirational take on some of life's most important challenges, her thoughtfully researched strategies deftly presented with a storyteller's voice and compassion.”
“Embedded in this book are captivating stories that will stir your soul, and the exercises will lead those facing adversity to rebound with valor and grace. This is a timely and precious book that will resonate deeply with readers, many of whom will want to gift it to family and friends.”
“Gina Vild gives us her life story and those of many others, filled with moments of turmoil and deep despair but, ultimately, lasting joy and recovered purpose. The book is clear, elegant, well researched, and deeply affecting. She provides helpful 'Buoyancy Boosters' for critical moments in life, making this a valuable primer for our troubled times.”
“This book is both profound and necessary for these turbulent times. Buoyant teaches us how to stay afloat when we're in life's dark currents, and how to resist the undertow of despair that threatens to pull us under. Gina Vild gives us a bright light to guide us in troubled waters.”
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