Episode 14: Quick Hits - Defining Resilience, Finding Hope with Drew, Anuj and Lisa

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What does resilience actually mean - and where do we find it?

We recorded a series of special episodes at a recent gathering focused on rebuilding to insurable standards in Altadena and the Palisades.  

Sean sits down with three thoughtful leaders working across architecture, energy infrastructure, and philanthropy:

• Drew Pedrick (MCTIGUE)
• Anuj Desai (Southern California Edison)
• Lisa Cleri Reale (philanthropic and nonprofit advisor). 

Each offers their own lived definition of resilience, rooted in design, systems thinking, community care, and hard-won personal lessons.

Drew talks about how buildings and people alike must be prepared to endure and adapt. Anuj speaks to the challenge of keeping the lights on in a warming world, and the deeper meaning of community resilience. Lisa reminds us, quoting Rocky Balboa, that it’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up.

From data fatigue to hope found in collaboration, from personal recovery to helping others through tragedy, this short, moving episode captures what Shared Ground is all about.

🎧 Listen, subscribe, and send it to someone you think might need to hear this today.

 💬 Then leave a comment or reply—what’s your own definition of resilience?

 🌍 More stories and resources at shared-ground.com

Shared Ground is produced by Sean Knierim and Allan Marks. Thanks to Cory Grabow, Kara Poltor, Corey Walles (from The Recording Studio) for your support in launching this effort.

For more stories of resilience & rebuilding, kindness & generosity: visit shared-ground.com and subscribe to Sean's substack. We invite you to share your own stories of resilience at the Shared Ground website - whether in response to the January fires in LA or other situations.

Follow us at seanknierim.substack.com, Instagram, or wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc).

Episode Transcript

Sean Knierim (00:00):
So we're sitting here at an event focused on
building and resiliently inAltadena in the Palisades, and
I'm joined by three prettyastounding people that I really
respect.
We're going to go around andjust say you know who are you,
what do you do, and then I'llcome back around saying what is
resilience and then what bringsyou hope.
But start with you, drew.

Drew Pedrick (00:19):
I'm Drew Pedrick and I've been an architect for
44 years and for the last 14years been running a practice in
LA called McTeague.

Sean Knierim (00:26):
Fantastic.

Anuj Desai (00:29):
my name is Anuj Desai.
I work at Southern CaliforniaEdison on climate adaptation and
resilience issues, particularlyhow we build partnerships
around those particular areas.

Lisa Cleri Reale (00:39):
Hi, I'm Lisa Cleri Reale.
I'm a philanthropic andnonprofit advisor for the last
25 years here in LA.

Sean Knierim (00:46):
All right, so three people that are serving
our community in prettydifferent but intersecting ways.
So, drew, and then we'll goaround.
How would you define resilience?
I know you have a good answeron this one.

Drew Pedrick (01:01):
I define it personally, first of all, and I
define it in terms of ourmindsets, our bodies, our own
physical strength, our community, so our society, and even
spiritually.
What does the world really meanto us and how do we interact
with it?
And from an architecture pointof view, I look at buildings the
same way.

(01:21):
So we look at the physicalityof the building, we look at what
it means to people,qualitatively and quantitatively
, and how it can withstand allsorts of conditions that come
upon it.
Most of them are environmental,but they're also economic and
social and others.

Sean Knierim (01:37):
I love the focus on the multifaceted realities
that fall into this concept.
Anuj, for you, how would youdefine resilience?
I don't know that.

Anuj Desai (01:44):
I have a word to add that you didn't already mention
, drew, but it's a great way tobe thinking about it.
I guess maybe try to just tooffer a different perspective on
it, or kind of I think about,at least in the capacity that
you all have kind of just met meunder, which is at work.
I think about resilience.

(02:05):
As you know, we're operators ofa grid that in a country where
everybody expects electricity24-7, and so when we think about
resiliency now moving forward,it's about practically speaking.
It's about thinking aboutforecasted climate risk and how
that impacts our assets,operations and services and how

(02:26):
we can start making investmentsnow for those future forecasts.
And what's really interestingfor us as a utility is that we
have a very defined process bywhich we can actually identify
and propose and hopefully getthose investments.
We're not chasing grants, forexample, and so that's kind of

(02:49):
how I think about itprofessionally.
I think, personally, it's a lotof what you said, drew.
You know I think it happens atmultiple levels.
It's about physicalinfrastructure and that's kind
of where it intersects with workit's about, but I think it's
really about communityresilience and it's about
personal resilience and findingways for that to take place and

(03:10):
creating spaces, because I thinkcommunity resilience and
personal resilience can bedefined differently.
Some people might find that ina spiritual sense, some people
might find it in a dailyexercise routine.
Whatever the case might be,trying to find ways where we
have a world and a society whereall that can be not just take

(03:33):
place, but also it can befacilitated and uplifted as a
way that drives other sets ofdecision making beyond the scope
of where your own kind ofpersonal boundaries you think
your personal boundaries lie, oryou think a community scope
lies, wanting to expand and seethat change evolve over time.

Sean Knierim (03:53):
Thank you very much.
Lisa, What would you add onthe concept of resiliency?

Lisa Cleri Reale (03:57):
Well, very simple, and my son and daughter,
who are now in their 30s, rolltheir eyes because I quote from
movies all the time.
So I quote from the movie RockyBalboa and I say to them it
doesn't matter how many timesyou get knocked down, it matters
how many times you get up.
That's resilience, very simple,and I think that it's something
that we absolutely need toteach the next generation In

(04:18):
some way.
I don't think we do enough ofit, but the next generation of
children, youth, that's a skillthat is critical to their
existence and theirsustainability as successful
adults.

Sean Knierim (04:30):
None of us rolled our eyes at that, Lisa.
Where do you all find hope, so,in the jobs that you're doing,
moving across these differentsystems?
Where does the hope come from?
We'll start with you this time,lisa.

Lisa Cleri Reale (04:41):
Well, I'll tell you, you know I go to these
things all the time theseconferences and you read reports
and data.
That just drowns you.
It's so daunting what we facein LA and across the country and
the world, but every day I getoverwhelmed by what I'm hearing
and then I meet people like allof you and people like I've met
all today, who inspire me.

(05:02):
The energy is powerful, thepassion is there and they're
doing something that'sinnovative and creative.
So it counters how daunting Ijust felt.
That gives me hope.

Sean Knierim (05:11):
Thank you.

Anuj Desai (05:19):
I think it's really it's what you're seeing play out
in this conference as well.
It's the multi-sectorcollaboration.
You know it's become almostcollaborating is kind of
political these days in someways, but I just think it's so
inherent to who we are as humanbeings and can be from that.

(05:39):
But I think collaborations andthe way I see collaboration
taking place at this event, theway you see people respond,
trying to develop new models forpublic, private and community
partnerships, all of that energyand ethos, I think it comes
from a very for some individualsit can come from a very kind of
instinctual place.
But the way we're seeing thatkind of play out now, I think
it's really exciting and veryyeah, it offers a lot of

(06:01):
potential and a lot of energyand just a path forward for
doing things differently in thefuture.

Sean Knierim (06:06):
Thanks.
Drew, Bring us home what'sbringing you hope these days.

Drew Pedrick (06:10):
Well, so much was just said that I'm kind of on
the end just listening to thiswonderful discussion.
The thing I would like to addin terms of resilience is and
there's a fellow named ArthurBrooks.
Arthur Brooks talks about manythings, including the people in
the world who recover fromtragedy faster.

(06:30):
Why is that?
And it goes back to a core partof the brain and the ability to
come out of that and heal andnot suffer PTSD or other
long-term factors is becausethey're helping other people.
So a nurse, fireman, someoneyou know, in a position where
they can care for others whilethey're even suffering their own

(06:52):
tragedies, they survive betterand faster.
And in late January I wastalking with my team and we were
talking about how optimistic wewere and Arthur Brooks came up.
We realized what is going onfor us is exactly that we lost
everything, but we're helpingother people.
So we're trying to figure itout.
We're suffering through how dowe have enough insurance, money

(07:13):
and what decisions and whatpermits, how fast we get it, but
we're helping along the way andthat just maybe it disperses
the energy a bit and it makes ita little more palatable, a
little more human.