Antifragility: Turning Adversity into Strength

We often think resilience is the goal, but what if there’s something better—something that allows us to grow stronger through life’s challenges?

My wife and I had always thought it would be fun to learn how to fly fish. In September 2019, we planned a trip to Steamboat Springs, complete with a full-day session with a guide. We were excited to explore a hobby that combined our love of adventure with our passion for the outdoors.

But the day before we were set to leave, everything changed. We learned that my dad had suffered a stroke.

Instead of heading to Steamboat Springs, we headed to the hospital. Over the next three months, we built our lives around daily hospital visits, navigating the demands of family and work, and facing an uncertain future. It was an incredibly challenging time, but it also taught me a profound lesson about resilience and something even more powerful: antifragility.

What Is Antifragility?

In Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s book Antifragile, he shares the idea that the opposite of being fragile isn’t resilience—it’s antifragility. While resilience is the ability to endure challenges and bounce back, antifragility is the capacity to grow stronger through adversity.

So how do you build antifragility? You have to return to your protocols. When unexpected illness, injury, or disappointment occurs, it’s easy to turn to sedation—whether it’s TV, alcohol, social media, or dozens of other ways to block the noise.

But embracing antifragility means leaning into the sustaining habits that allow you to thrive: eating well, sleeping adequately, and staying active. These habits don’t just keep us afloat; they create energy, capacity, certainty, and confidence. By leveraging these positive routines, we can transform adversity into growth, building the strength and clarity needed to navigate life’s challenges.

Lessons for Life and Leadership

This experience reminded me that life’s challenges often force us to pivot, but how we pivot makes all the difference. It’s tempting to seek comfort in distractions or quick fixes, but true antifragility comes from leaning into the sustaining habits that help us thrive.

While my wife and I never rescheduled that fishing trip, seeing the difficulty my dad has endured and continues to endure helped us re-commit to our own health initiatives. It helped us get clear on what matters most.

This lesson is especially relevant for employers and leaders. When stress or disruption arises—challenging financial situations, shifting team dynamics, or personal struggles—returning to positive habits like clear communication, consistent routines, and proactive support can create the energy and confidence needed to navigate adversity.

Just as antifragility helps individuals grow stronger, it can transform workplaces, building trust, resilience, and the capacity to thrive in uncertainty.

Let’s Embrace Antifragility Together

If navigating life’s challenges feels overwhelming, let’s explore how embracing antifragility can transform adversity into opportunity. Whether it’s empowering employees, creating positive habits, or supporting your team through change, we can work together to build the habits and structures that foster growth and confidence—even in uncertain times.

Here are a few prompts to help you evaluate how you have met unexpected adversity.

1. When have you encountered something completely unexpected?

2. How did you respond in the early moments of that adversity?

3. Looking back on that experience, how do you feel you handled the situation?

4. What process or protocol did you follow to re-establish normalcy?

5. What would you do differently should adversity strike again?

Let’s start a conversation about turning setbacks into stepping stones for success. It's critical for both business and personal achievement. Please share an example in the comments of lessons you learned so we can all learn with you.