Roots to Thrive: An Evidence-Informed Guide to Resilience and Well-Being

Where science meets spirit, supporting the journey from surviving to thriving.

Roots to Thrive is a community-based nonprofit devoted to helping resilience take root—blending research-informed practices with time-tested perennial teachings.

Available in print, eBook, and audiobook formats, this resource meets a wide range of learning styles and accessibility needs.

Inside, you’ll find practical tools, step-by-step practices, and reflective prompts designed to help navigate stress and adversity, soften entrenched patterns, and reawaken our innate capacity for connection, healing, and growth.

Twelve waypoints guide the journey. Each is grounded in the four essential roots of resilience: awareness, regulation, compassion, and alignment. As these roots deepen, we learn to trust our inherent worth, capacity, and the sustaining power of connection.

Wherever you are on your path, these waypoints meet you with respect, curiosity, and the pace of trust—held in grace and supported by fellow travelers.

From this steady ground, we remember what has always been true: we are not broken, we are not alone, and we have what we need to find our way—again and again—from surviving to thriving.

Learn more at www.rootstothrive.com

Dr. Shannon Dames has served as an educator, researcher, and registered nurse for over twenty years, with experience in frontline care, leadership, and healthcare administration. Over the past decade, she has worked as a health professional investigator, collaborating across disciplines and cultures to develop innovative programs in education and healthcare. Her work focuses on the core factors that help humans move from surviving to thriving. She holds a master's degree in public health and a doctorate in adult education.

Dr. Watler serves as the lead psychiatrist for the Roots to Thrive program with more than twenty years and is widely recognized as a thought leader and speaker in mental health and trauma recovery.

Dr. Pamela Kryskow serves as the Medical Director for Roots to Thrive, and oversees psychedelic-assisted therapy programming.