Loss is an inevitable part of being human. Throughout our lifetimes, we will experience the death of loved ones, personal and wider-scale tragedies, changes in circumstances or stages of life, and physical and emotional pain. While we may ponder why we must go through suffering, and why some of us seem to go through it more than others, the fact remains that it is a state of being we will all endure at some point. And if this is the case, then we naturally turn our thinking to the question: “How will I ever get through this?”
Luckily for us, resilience expert and psychologist Dr Lucy Hone will be at Tūranga on Sunday 6 September 10:30-11:30am, as part of WORD Christchurch Festival 2026. Alongside Sarah van der Kley, she’ll be discussing all things grief and loss, and how to navigate through those toughest of times.
No stranger to loss herself, Dr Hone’s world was turned upside down after a devastating accident took the lives of her daughter and friends. She has since taken what she learned about grief and channelled it into her work, providing compassionate guidance to people both in New Zealand and all around the world about effective strategies we can harness to remain resilient through tough times. Her viral 2019 TEDx Talk, "The Three Secrets of Resilient People," details a few of these simple, key ideas and how to put them into practice. This moving kōrero reminds us that "it is possible to live and grieve at the same time."
Dr Hone is also the author of two books, which both draw on personal experience and extensive research to guide us through periods of grief and loss.
How Will I Ever Get Through This?
Examines how we endure hardship, and includes many practical strategies to better cope with all kinds of loss and equip ourselves to face the future. This title not only focuses on the loss of loved ones, but any kind of loss that causes suffering in our lives - divorce, health concerns and illness, natural disasters, relationship breakdowns, redundancy, infertility and more.
Shares Dr Hone's personal story of grief, and provides hope to those facing seemingly helpless situations.
Why should you attend?
As Dr Hone has aptly pointed out, none of us are strangers to hardship. I too have experienced various kinds of loss, and struggled to deal with its heavy toll. "How Will I Ever Get Through This?" is bound to be a moving conversation on the small steps we can all take to healing. I'm looking forward to leaving the room with a fresh and hopeful perspective.
See more from Dr Lucy Hone
WORD Christchurch Festival 2026
- Buy your tickets to Dr Lucy Hone's event
- Get a copy of the WORD programme at libraries or check it out online
- Visit our WORD Christchurch 2026 page
- Visit WORD Christchurch's website
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