From Survival to Success: Exploring Resilience & The Immigrant Experience with Justine Gatt PhD, Lan Cao & Harlan Lan Cao

Moving residences, whether elective or forced, is known to be one of the most stressful things humans can do. Dealing with the trauma of new places and new faces can be difficult for both parents and children. Why do some people bounce back after a change and others sink into themselves? What about when a family moves into a different culture? How do individuals maintain a sense of well-being in the face of 180-degree life change? To determine the role genetics and environment have in calculating survival or success, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with three women about the resilience across cultures and the immigrant experience. Justine Gatt is the Lead Scientist at Gatt Wellbeing and Resilience group. She describes the multiple studies she has been a part of that measure wellbeing and resilience in various cultures and with varying stressors. Mother, Lan Cao and Daughter, Harlan Lan Cao, co-authored Family in Six Tones: A Refugee Mother, An American Daughter. Each describes how her experience differed from the other in school, society, and when writing the book.