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