A round-up of Dr Lucy Hone’s Keynote & Q&A Community Evening
Last week, 330 people filled the Lake Wānaka Centre to hear Dr Lucy Hone speak on Thriving Through Challenges and Change: Lessons from science and life. The full house reflected both the relevance of the topic and the strong appetite in our community for practical, honest conversations about life’s harder moments. Principal Nicola Jacobsen hosted the Q&A with Lucy, bringing warmth, wisdom and a steady local voice to the conversation. This evening was followed by a workshop the next morning attended by 65 people from the Community & Social Sector.
Dr Hone’s presentation struck a chord by combining credible research with grounded, real-life experience. Rather than offering abstract theory, she shared simple, repeatable tools that people could take away and use immediately.
Three key areas stood out
First, practical tools for navigating challenge. Attendees valued strategies such as asking “Is this helping or harming me?” and focusing attention on what can be controlled. These ideas were described as clear, actionable, and easy to apply in everyday life.
Second, the normalisation of grief and difficulty. Messages like “we are real, not perfect” and the reminder that adversity is universal helped many feel less alone. There was a strong sense of permission to experience grief in individual ways, without judgement or comparison.
Third, the importance of connection and community. Participants reflected on the need to build and lean on support networks, to be kind to themselves and others, and to strengthen relationships before challenging times arise. A clear message emerged: resilience is not built in isolation.
Feedback from attendees reinforced the impact of the evening. One participant shared, “Great to have a speaker talking about an issue that affects all of us.” Another noted, “Came away from Lucy feeling so good. Amazing speaker.” Others highlighted the value of the series itself, with calls for more events like this in the future.
Events like this matter. They create space for honest reflection, shared understanding, and practical learning that can be carried into everyday life.
Path Wānaka and Upper Clutha Community Link would like thank everyone who attended and contributed to such a meaningful evening, and our funders CLT, OCT & QLDC.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve shared several of Lucy’s blogs. For more, read:
Lessons from Braided Rivers: Real-life Resilience https://pathwanaka.org.nz/lessons-from-braided-rivers-real-life-resilience/
Empty Nest Grief: Living With the Invisible Loss https://pathwanaka.org.nz/empty-nest-grief-living-with-the-invisible-loss/
How to Talk to Children About Death, Grief and Loss https://pathwanaka.org.nz/how-to-talk-to-children-about-death-grief-and-loss/
Thriving through challenges and change https://pathwanaka.org.nz/thriving-through-challenges-and-change-a-conversation-with-dr-lucy-hone/
Are my children going to be okay? Supporting kids through grief https://pathwanaka.org.nz/are-my-children-going-to-be-okay-supporting-kids-through-grief/