In this inspiring episode of The Passion Institute Podcast, host Shivani Gupta sits down with Heidi Dening, an award-winning speaker and resilience expert whose life story is nothing short of extraordinary.

Heidi has faced everything from petrol bomb attacks to earthquakes, paralysis, and business burnout—yet through it all, she’s transformed trauma into powerful post-traumatic wisdom. Drawing from her lived experience, Heidi shares how passion and resilience fuel one another, how leaders can build connection before crisis hits, and what it truly means to prepare ourselves for life’s unexpected “petrol bomb moments.”

Listeners will discover:

🔥 How passion without resilience can burn out—and resilience without passion becomes endurance

💡 Practical tools to strengthen professional resilience in fast-changing times

💬 Why connection and preparation are key leadership foundations

💖 The role of joy, stillness, and community in sustaining personal wellbeing

Heidi also opens up about her mission to bring Pacific and Melanesian wisdom into modern leadership—and why sometimes the best medicine is a good “Herkle Derkle” (staying in bed a little longer with tea and a book).

🔗 Connect with Heidi:

LinkedIn: Heidi Dening

Website: heididening.com

Free Team Resilience Quiz: Available on her website

Tune in for a deeply moving and practical conversation that reminds us how even our hardest moments can become the fuel for our greatest growth.