Resilience Tree: A Model for Women Leaders of Color and Those That Support Them (2025) By Dr. Shauna T. Sobers
Resilience isn’t something you’re born with or without. It’s something you build…. and tend.
For too long, resilience has been framed as a solo act of endurance: grit your teeth, push through, don’t break. The Resilience Tree offers a different model; one drawn from Dr. Shauna T. Sobers’ year-long qualitative research on how women leaders of color sustain themselves and rise in environments that weren’t built for them.
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Quick Snapshot (What the Book Is About)
What if leadership wasn’t about pushing harder, but about growing smarter?
Resilience Tree introduces a powerful, relatable framework that redefines leadership through four essential elements:
- Roots – how you rest, refuel, and stay grounded
- Branches – the people and networks that support your growth
- Fruit – your output, boundaries, and lessons learned
- Environment – the culture and systems that shape your experience
Through reflection, real-life insight, and practical application, this book helps you understand not just how to lead; but how to sustain yourself while doing it.
Who This Book Is For
- Women leaders of color navigating advancement in predominantly white or male institutions — and anyone done proving and ready to sustain
- Mentors, sponsors, and allies who want to understand how to genuinely support the leaders around them
- Coaches, Human Resources and Learning & Development professionals looking for a research-grounded framework, not another platitude
Why You Should Buy This Book
- You’re a high-achieving woman who feels the pressure to always “produce”
- You’re navigating leadership spaces that weren’t designed with you in mind
- You want to lead with confidence without losing yourself in the process
- You’re ready to set boundaries, trust your intuition, and redefine success on your terms
- You support women leaders of color and want to show up more effectively
This is more than a book; it’s a model you can live.
Get Your Copy
Start growing differently.
Available in paperback and audiobook (narrated by Dr. Sobers herself)
[ Buy from Amazon ] [ Get the Audio Book]
Bring The Resilience Tree to Your Team
The deepest growth happens after the last page; through reflection, shared language, and application.
This book was built to be read together. For teams, cohorts, and organizations, a shared text becomes a common vocabulary for growth; and a foundation you can build real development work on.
Bulk book experiences can include:
- Signed copies for every participant
- Guided reflection prompts and discussion questions
- Optional follow-up sessions with Dr. Sobers to support integration and application
Just as the Resilience Tree reminds us that growth is both individual and collective, this experience helps your team stay rooted in the work long after the book is closed.
[ Inquire about bulk & team experiences → ]
About the Author
Dr. Shauna T. Sobers is a leadership facilitator, coach, and the creator of the Resilience Tree™.
Originally from Barbados and based in Austin, Texas, she developed the model from her doctoral research and has spent her career helping leaders build resilience that lasts.
She is a Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach, a TEDx speaker, and Director of Student-Athlete Development at UT Austin.
You don’t have to prove your worth to grow; you need the right conditions to thrive.