From Broken Pieces to Times Square: How a Resilience Movement Took Over NYC

On March 7th, something remarkable happened in New York City.Not just a book launch.Not just a billboard in Times Square.It was a celebration of human resilience.At 31 minutes past the hour, every hour for 24 hours, the cover of RESILIENT A.F. Stories of Resilience Volume 3 appeared on a Times Square billboard.That means the message of resilience showed up 24 times in one of the busiest places on Earth, where roughly 78,000 people pass through Times Square every hour on Saturdays in March.Pause and imagine that for a moment.Thousands of strangers walking through the chaos of New York City… looking up… and seeing a message about resilience.Behind that message were not celebrities or actors.Behind that message were real people sharing real stories of healing.What Is RESILIENT A.F. Stories of Resilience?RESILIENT A.F. Stories of Resilience is a global storytelling project that shares real experiences of people who have navigated grief, trauma, illness, loss, and life’s hardest moments.What started as one book has grown into something much bigger:• Five books• More than 200 stories of resilience• Three Times Square billboards• Conversations happening across Ghana, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, the United States, Australia, Bali, the Maldives, and online.The project has expanded into:• Podcasts• A clothing line• Global community events• Strategic partnerships• Speaking engagements and workshopsAnd my sister Alana and I are just getting started.There are more creative projects on the way.But the heart of this movement will always be the stories.How One Personal Story Started a Global Resilience MovementThis entire journey started with something most people are afraid to talk about.Mental health.Addiction.Family struggles.Grief.Years ago, I shared something publicly that felt terrifying at the time.My dad was living with addiction and was terminally ill. We had only recently repaired our relationship.Talking about it felt like the unthinkable.But something unexpected happened.People began sharing their stories with me.One story became ten.Ten became hundreds.This phenomenon happens because storytelling builds empathy and connection between people, a process neuroscience calls neural coupling, where listeners’ brains synchronize with the storyteller.Stories don’t just entertain us.They help us understand each other.They help us heal.What Happened at the Times Square Book LaunchFor the launch of Volume 3, 20 authors travelled to New York City from Canada, the United States, and Australia.Many of them had never met before.Yet the moment they stood together under the billboard in Times Square, something powerful happened.People hugged.Some cried.Phones came out to capture the moment.Because for many of these authors, sharing their story meant telling the truth about things like:• grief• illness• trauma• addiction• loss• rebuilding life after everything falls apartStanding there together was proof of something important: Healing does not have to happen alone.Celebrating the Launch at Oscar Wilde NYCAfter the first Times Square meetup, we walked to Oscar Wilde NYC for brunch.If you have never been there, picture ornate ceilings, velvet seating, warm lighting, and an atmosphere that makes you want to stay all afternoon.Which we did.The brunch was not just about celebrating a book.It was about celebrating the humans behind the stories.Conversations flowed about healing journeys, business ideas, life lessons, and the surreal experience of seeing a book you helped create appear on a giant Times Square billboard.Some people had met only hours earlier and already felt like lifelong friends.That is the power of vulnerability.Watching the Billboard Light Up Times SquareThroughout the day, we kept returning to Times Square.Every time the clock hit 31 minutes past the hour, people gathered to watch the billboard again.Phones went up.Cheers broke out.More photos were taken.Watching a project that started from pain turn into a public celebration in the middle of New York City felt surreal.Meanwhile, our Book Launch WhatsApp group and social media feeds were buzzing with messages from around the world.People who could not be in New York were celebrating from different time zones.Because this book belongs to a community.The Book’s Early Success on the ChartsWithin days of launch, RESILIENT A.F. Stories of Resilience Volume 3 reached:#1 Hot New Releases in Biography Reference & Collections in• Australia• Canada• The United StatesPlus many additional rankings across Amazon categories.But honestly?The charts are exciting.The billboard is cool.What matters most are the stories.The Moment in Times Square I Will Never ForgetStanding in Times Square with authors from around the world, watching our message light up the city, I had one overwhelming thought.This all started with one story.One painful truth.One decision to stop hiding what was happening behind closed doors.You never know what sharing your story might create.Sometimes it creates healing.Sometimes it creates community.And sometimes…It ends up on a billboard in Times Square.What Is Next For Us?Waitlist open, special projects, clothing line, speaking, podcast….Let’s navigate your grief together,XX BlairP.S. Please buy the book and leave us a review. It will help us get our message out to the world. Thank you for helping us spread the love!P.P.S. Get on the waitlist for Skin Deep Stories and Stories of Resilience Vol. 4. Where’s Blair?April 5-11, Bali, IndonesiaI will be co-facilitating the Bali Grief Trip alongside Rachel from Happy Grieving. There are still a few spaces if you want to join us.May 3-5, La Le Jeune, BCJoin me, Stacey and Simone this May at the Regulated Retreat.I’m stoked to be speaking at Regulated, a three-day nervous system reset retreat for people who are done surviving and ready to feel steady again because most of us don’t need more motivation, we need regulation. And that’s what makes this experience different.This retreat blends nervous system science, movement, nature, and honest conversation to help your body downshift and reset.I’m honoured to be part of this experience and would love to share it with you! Early bird rates end March 15th!May 11-14, 2025, Vancouver, BCI’ll be attending Web Summit Vancouver so that I can sharpen my skills and spread our mission.August 23-29, Porto, PortugalI will be co-facilitating the Portugal Grief Trip alongside Rachel from Happy Grieving. There is still room for you. Learn more and book your spot!How We Navigate Grief is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit howwenavigategrief.substack.com/subscribe