In this episode of Leading You, Julie Hyde is joined by Dr Paul Taylor for a grounded, practical conversation about a concept most people haven’t heard explained clearly. Hardiness.

We talk about resilience constantly, but Paul offers something sharper and more useful. Psycho-physiological hardiness is the ability to grow through stress, not just survive it. It’s about building a mind and body that can handle the real world, not the cushioned version many of us are living in.

Paul’s background is as credible as it gets. He’s a former Royal Navy air crew officer, trained in combat survival and resistance to interrogation, and holds postgraduate qualifications across psychology, exercise science, nutrition, and neuroscience. He’s also the author of Death by Comfort and his latest book, The Hardiness Effect.

This is a conversation about the cost of modern comfort, the way our stress tolerance is quietly shrinking, and why strength is built through challenge, recovery, and meaningful discomfort.

Julie and Paul explore the science behind why the right kind of stress can make us stronger, the difference between resilience and hardiness, and what leaders can do to build greater capacity in themselves, their teams, and the next generation.

If you’re heading into 2026 wanting to feel clearer, stronger, and more capable, this episode will challenge your thinking in the best possible way.

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction and welcome
01:10 Who is Dr Paul Taylor? Overview of his background
03:00 Combat survival and resistance-to-interrogation training
06:30 How that experience changed Paul’s perception of stress
08:10 The science of hormesis. Why stress can be good for us
10:40 Resilience vs hardiness. What’s the difference?
14:10 What the research says about people high in hardiness
16:40 Why Paul wrote The Hardiness Effect now
19:10 The state of physical and mental health in Australia
22:00 Mental health awareness and its unintended consequences
25:00 The key mindset shift. Life is hard, and that’s not a problem
28:00 Worthy opponents and Paul’s open-heart surgery story
33:00 Raising hardy kids in a world of comfort and convenience
37:10 What schools could be doing differently
40:00 The media, “crisis” language and our barometer of difficulty
43:00 Three practical ways to start building hardiness today
49:00 Final reflections and where to find Paul’s work
50:30 Outro and invitation to rate and review

Links:
Learn more about my group coaching program here

Connect with Julie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

Connect with Dr Paul:
Website: https://www.paultaylor.biz/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultaylor1971/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/paultaylor.biz/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepaultaylorpodcast

In this episode of&nbsp;Leading You, Julie Hyde is joined by&nbsp;Dr Paul Taylor&nbsp;for a grounded, practical conversation about a concept most people haven&rsquo;t heard explained clearly.&nbsp;Hardiness.
We talk about resilience constantly, but Paul offers something sharper and more useful.&nbsp;Psycho-physiological hardiness is the ability to grow through stress, not just survive it. It&rsquo;s about building a mind and body that can handle the real world, not the cushioned version many of us are living in.
Paul&rsquo;s background is as credible as it gets. He&rsquo;s a former Royal Navy air crew officer, trained in combat survival and resistance to interrogation, and holds postgraduate qualifications across psychology, exercise science, nutrition, and neuroscience. He&rsquo;s also the author of&nbsp;Death by Comfort&nbsp;and his latest book,&nbsp;The Hardiness Effect.
This is a conversation about the cost of modern comfort, the way our stress tolerance is quietly shrinking, and why strength is built through challenge, recovery, and meaningful discomfort.
Julie and Paul explore the science behind why the right kind of stress can make us stronger, the difference between resilience and hardiness, and what leaders can do to build greater capacity in themselves, their teams, and the next generation.
If you&rsquo;re heading into 2026 wanting to feel clearer, stronger, and more capable, this episode will challenge your thinking in the best possible way.
Time Stamps
00:00 Introduction and welcome 01:10 Who is Dr Paul Taylor? Overview of his background 03:00 Combat survival and resistance-to-interrogation training 06:30 How that experience changed Paul&rsquo;s perception of stress 08:10 The science of hormesis. Why stress can be good for us 10:40 Resilience vs hardiness. What&rsquo;s the difference? 14:10 What the research says about people high in hardiness 16:40 Why Paul wrote&nbsp;The Hardiness Effect&nbsp;now 19:10 The state of physical and mental health in Australia 22:00 Mental health awareness and its unintended consequences 25:00 The key mindset shift. Life is hard, and that&rsquo;s not a problem 28:00 Worthy opponents and Paul&rsquo;s open-heart surgery story 33:00 Raising hardy kids in a world of comfort and convenience 37:10 What schools could be doing differently 40:00 The media, &ldquo;crisis&rdquo; language and our barometer of difficulty 43:00 Three practical ways to start building hardiness today 49:00 Final reflections and where to find Paul&rsquo;s work 50:30 Outro and invitation to rate and review
Links: Learn more about my group coaching program&nbsp;<a href="https://juliehyde.com.au/leadher-mastermind/">here</a>
Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/</a> Instagram:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliehydeleads/">&nbsp;@juliehydeleads</a> Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://juliehyde.com.au">https://juliehyde.com.au</a>
Connect with Dr Paul: Website: <a href="https://www.paultaylor.biz/">https://www.paultaylor.biz/</a> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultaylor1971/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultaylor1971/</a> Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/paultaylor.biz/">https://www.instagram.com/paultaylor.biz/</a> YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thepaultaylorpodcast">htt</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thepaultaylorpodcast">p</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thepaultaylorpodcast">s://www.youtube.com/@thepaultaylorpodcast</a>

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?

Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.

There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.

I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.

Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.

Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?
Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.
There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.
I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.
Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.
Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

A Podcast dedicated to business owners and leaders to inspire you to make it count

Leading You

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?
Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.
There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.
I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.
Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.
Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.