Written by Maddy May, PRTM undergraduate student.

During the final webinar of our series, we focused on how important the topics of mental health and resilience are for professionals across the tourism industry. We were joined by Ann DuPre Rogers, LCSW, Executive Director of Resources for Resilience, to learn strategies for understanding stress, supporting well-being, and building resilience in both personal and professional settings. Resources for Resilience (1), a nonprofit organization based in Asheville but working across NC and beyond, was founded to provide trauma-informed, research-based tools that help individuals and communities navigate stress and hardship. During the webinar, Rogers shared insights into how the nervous system responds to challenges and why understanding these responses can help people better manage stress. This session was a brief introduction to one of the many trainings Resources for Resilience provides.

Rogers, using the simple "hand brain model (2)” (Siegel, 2012), explained how different parts of the brain work together to help us navigate our environments. Participants learned about the role of the amygdala, which serves as the brain’s alarm system, constantly scanning for signs of safety and danger. When the brain perceives a threat, the body's fight, flight, or freeze response can activate, making it more difficult to think clearly, focus, or connect with others. Rogers emphasized that while these responses are normal, people can sometimes become stuck in heightened states of stress (i.e., fight, flight) or shut down (freeze). Participants explored how stress can show up differently from person to person, whether through anxiety, irritability, exhaustion, disconnection, or difficulty concentrating. Understanding these responses can help individuals recognize when their nervous system may need extra help.

Rogers also introduced the concept of the "resilient zone" (Levine & Heller, 2005; Miller-Karas & Leitch, 2007), a state in which people can experience a range of emotions without becoming overwhelmed. Resilience, she explained, is not about ignoring difficulties or simply "toughing it out." Instead, resilience involves developing the ability to recover, adapt, and regain balance when challenges arise. To support this process, attendees learned several rapid reset tools designed to help regulate the nervous system and return to the resilient zone (Levine & Frederick, 1997). Some examples are: physical activities such as exercise, cleaning, or yard work; orienting to one's surroundings by noticing familiar and friendly elements in the environment; gentle movement practices such as tapping or rocking; and simple actions like walking, humming, or pausing to reset.

The webinar reinforced the importance of supporting mental wellness across the tourism workforce and provided practical tools that attendees can incorporate into their daily lives and organizations. By understanding how stress affects the brain and body and by practicing simple resilience-building techniques, tourism professionals can better support themselves, their colleagues, and the communities they serve.

1. Resource for Resilience
2. Hand Brain Model Video

Levine, P. A., & Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

Levine, P. A., & Heller, D. P. (2005). Somatic Experiencing Training Manual. Boulder, CO: Foundation for Human Enrichment.

Siegel, D.J. (1999). The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are. New York; Guilford Press.

Siegel, D.J. (2012). Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology: An Integrative Handbook of the Mind. New York: WW Norton & Company.