We’ve all had rough days at work. But none of us have been fired by a sitting President after just 11 days in the job. That’s what happened to American financier and LSE alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief and explosive stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 became global news.

But instead of letting the experience define him, Anthony rebuilt his career, returned to his investment firm SkyBridge Capital, and has since become a prominent political commentator — including co‑hosting The Rest Is Politics: US podcast with the BBC’s Katty Kay.

How do we keep going when life delivers an unexpected blow? How do we protect our mental health, rebuild after setbacks, and strengthen our resilience reserves?

In this episode of LSE iQ, Sue Windebank asks: How can we be more resilient? She speaks to Anthony Scaramucci about what it takes to ‘bounce back’ after public failure. She also speaks to Dr Grace Lordan, economist and founding director of the Inclusion Initiative at LSE, and hears about key behavioural insights that can help build resilience — from managing our inner critic to taking practical steps that boost our capacity to recover and thrive.

Contributors

Grace Lordan

Anthony Scaramucci

Research

Think Big, Take small steps and build the future you want by Grace Lordan.

From Wall Street to the White House and back, The Scaramucci guide to unbreakable resilience by Anthony Scaramucci.