Growth through Struggle: A New Perspective on Growth and Resilience
In today’s fast-paced world, marked by quick fixes and curated perfection, struggle often gets a bad reputation. We view it as an error, a blip in our otherwise smooth journey. But what if we’ve been viewing it all wrong? This inspirational keynote, which can be personally delivered by the author, turns things on their head and seeks growth through struggle.
We draw inspiration from Grace Marshall’s enlightening book, ‘Struggle: The Surprising Truth, Beauty, and Opportunity Hidden in Life’s More Challenging Moments’. And this keynote proposes a radical idea – Struggle isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a catalyst for growth.
We recommend:
In-person or online
2hrs
Unlimited
What you’ll learn & do
This keynote empowers your teams to:
- Understand why we struggle with struggle, and how instinct can work against us under pressure
- See how curveballs and wrong turns can become catalysts for change, not just setbacks
- Build stronger relationships and connections in the midst of mistakes and conflict
- Leave with a shared language for talking openly about struggle, without blame or defensiveness
- Walk away with practical next steps that build psychological safety back at work
94%
of participants would recommend our workshops
Who is this keynote for?
- Organizations going through change, uncertainty or a difficult period, wanting an honest space to process it together
- Teams planning an away day, all-hands or conference who want a keynote that sparks real conversation, not just a to-do list
- Leaders whose teams avoid mistakes and conflict rather than learning from them
- HR or L&D leads looking for something that builds psychological safety and resilience, without feeling corporate
What this workshop offers
- A space to be honest. Structured, calm and supportive, giving people room to talk openly without blame or defensiveness.
- Grounded in a book, built for the room. Based on Grace Marshall’s Struggle, adapted into a live, shared experience for your team.
- Learning that lasts. Every participant gets access to the Productivity Ninja® Academy after the session.
- A format that fits. 2 hours, group size unlimited, in person or live online.
What you’ll do
You’ll start by unpacking why struggle feels so uncomfortable in the first place, looking at the instincts that kick in under pressure (and why, in a crisis, we buy toilet roll). From there, the session moves into how curveballs and wrong turns can actually become catalysts for change, using real examples to show struggle as a source of innovation rather than a failure to avoid.
The second half turns inward, to relationships. You’ll explore how to build trust and connection in the middle of mistakes and conflict, creating shared agreements without blame or defensiveness. Whether your team is navigating a genuinely difficult period or just wants a more honest way of talking about setbacks, you’ll leave with language and confidence you can use immediately, not just a session that felt good in the room.
What happens when struggle is faced well
When teams stop hiding struggle and start facing it together, everything changes:
- Mistakes get talked about instead of buried
- People feel safer speaking up before small issues become big ones
- Setbacks turn into genuine learning, not just something to move past
- Relationships get stronger, even in the middle of conflict
- Culture shifts from fear of failure to confidence in the face of it
NSPCC
“A perfectly pitched, relaxing, fun, interactive and reflective session to wrap up our two-day conference.“
Patrick Weaver, Voluntary Income Director
Benefits & Results
The most immediate benefit is permission: people leave able to talk about setbacks and mistakes without fear of looking weak or incompetent. But the deeper shift is cultural. Once a team has a shared way of naming struggle, difficult conversations stop being avoided and start becoming useful.
What your organization gets
A culture of innovation, growth and psychological safety in the midst of uncertainty and adversity, built through a session that’s structured and evidence-based, not just cathartic on the day.
KP Snacks
“Brilliant session. Love the 3 S’s. Looking forward to using this with my team.”
Steve Cross
Why it matters
In a culture obsessed with fast hacks and Instagram-perfection, teams aren’t struggling because they’re weak, they’re struggling because struggle itself has become taboo.
- Setbacks get hidden instead of talked about, so the lessons in them get lost
- Mistakes and conflict get avoided rather than worked through, leaving tension to build quietly beneath the surface
- A culture forms where people feel they have to look fine, even when they’re not
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Almost anything that affects how your team works. Common examples include communication overload, unclear roles, clashing priorities, hybrid tensions, meeting chaos, workflow bottlenecks or a team that feels stretched and disconnected. If it’s affecting focus, clarity or morale, we can help.
-
Yes. The session gives people space to talk openly, understand each other’s perspectives and create shared agreements without blame or defensiveness. It’s structured, calm and supportive.
-
Absolutely. Hybrid and remote strain often sits underneath many team struggles. We help teams explore expectations, communication, fairness and boundaries so everyone feels clearer and more connected.