Unbreakable: The Power of Emotional Resilience with Josh Connolly

Who is Josh Connolly?

Josh Connolly is one of the UK’s leading resilience coaches and a passionate advocate for mental health. Having transformed his own struggles into a platform for helping others, he now works with businesses, schools, and individuals to build emotional resilience. Josh is a regular speaker on national media, sharing his expertise on self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and overcoming adversity. His work is grounded in personal experience—growing up with a father who was an alcoholic, battling addiction himself, and ultimately finding a path to healing and self-discovery.

Through his coaching, workshops, and online courses, Josh empowers people to break free from toxic cycles, process their emotions, and cultivate the inner strength needed to thrive. His philosophy centres on self-acceptance, emotional regulation, and the belief that true resilience isn’t about being ‘tough’—it’s about embracing your vulnerability and learning to work with your emotions rather than against them.

The Reality of Resilience: Breaking Through, Not Breaking Down

Resilience is often misunderstood. Many associate it with ‘toughness’—pushing through adversity, burying emotions, and simply ‘getting on with it.’ But Josh Connolly offers a different perspective.

Resilience, he explains, is about emotional fluidity—the ability to feel, process, and respond to life’s challenges in a way that aligns with your truth. Suppressing emotions doesn’t make you strong; it makes you disconnected. True strength lies in facing your emotions head-on, understanding their roots, and using them as a guide for growth.

This perspective wasn’t something Josh always lived by. In fact, it took years of personal struggle before he realised that the key to resilience wasn’t shutting down—it was opening up.

Josh’s Journey: From Suppression to Self-Discovery

Josh grew up believing he had to be ‘strong’ in the conventional sense—bottling up emotions, refusing to acknowledge pain, and projecting an image of control. His father’s alcoholism cast a long shadow over his childhood, but it wasn’t until years later that he understood the full impact.

“I lost my dad when I was nine,” Josh recalls. “For a long time, I buried that grief. I told myself I was unaffected by it.” This emotional suppression led to anger, anxiety, and ultimately, self-destructive coping mechanisms.

By the age of 24, Josh was £17,000 in debt, had four children from a failed marriage, and was using alcohol and drugs as a crutch to numb his emotions. From the outside, he seemed ‘strong’—holding down jobs, pushing forward—but inside, he was breaking.

Then, on May 14, 2012, everything changed. Josh made the decision to stop drinking, believing it would be the solution to his problems. Instead, he found himself facing a new reality—without alcohol as an escape, the unresolved pain surfaced. Panic attacks, overwhelming emotions, and a sense of hopelessness followed.

At nine months sober, he reached his lowest point—he planned to say goodbye to his children and end his life. But something unexpected happened. “For the first time, I was truly present with my kids. The past became irrelevant, the future non-existent. I just felt them.” That moment of presence changed everything.

Josh didn’t just change his mind; he changed his approach to life. He committed himself to understanding his emotions, uncovering his truth, and building a new kind of resilience—one rooted in self-awareness, not suppression.

The Truth About Emotional Resilience

Josh’s philosophy on resilience revolves around one core truth: you are not broken.

Too often, we frame mental health struggles as personal failures. But Josh argues that what we feel—anxiety, overwhelm, even anger—makes perfect sense when we look at our experiences as a whole.

Instead of asking, What’s wrong with me? he encourages people to ask, What happened to me? This shift in perspective transforms emotions from obstacles into opportunities for self-discovery.

His key insights on resilience include:

1. Emotions are Data, Not Directives

• Feeling anxious doesn’t mean you’re weak. It’s your body’s way of signalling that something needs attention.
• Instead of resisting emotions, listen to them. Ask, What is this telling me?

2. Breakdowns Are Often Breakthroughs

• Many people fear emotional ‘breakdowns,’ but Josh sees them as moments of transformation.
• “When you’re in the worst of it, it might feel like everything is falling apart. But that’s often when growth is happening.”

3. Toxic Positivity is Just as Damaging as Negativity

• Suppressing emotions under the guise of ‘staying positive’ creates false resilience. True resilience comes from acknowledging and processing emotions in a healthy way.

4. You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Emotional Struggles—You Have to Feel Through Them

• Josh advocates for somatic work (body-based healing), including breathwork, to release stored emotional trauma.

Check out the full episode with Josh by clicking here.

The Role of Breathwork in Emotional Healing

One of the most powerful tools in Josh’s coaching is breathwork—a practice that allows people to tap into their emotions at a deeper level.

“Our bodies store emotions that our minds can’t always process,” he explains. “Breathwork bypasses the rational brain and helps release trapped emotions.”

Josh’s book, It’s Not You: Breaking Free From Toxic Parents, integrates breathwork with reflective exercises, helping readers do both the rational work (understanding their past) and the somatic work (processing stored emotions). Each chapter includes a QR code linking to guided breathwork sessions, offering a holistic healing approach.

For those interested in exploring breathwork further, Josh’s online community, Breathing Space, provides guided sessions and expert-led workshops to help individuals reconnect with their bodies and emotions.

Redefining Success: Presence Over Perfection

For ambitious entrepreneurs and high-performers, the pressure to constantly ‘hustle’ can lead to emotional burnout. Josh challenges the idea that success is about relentless achievement, arguing that true fulfilment comes from being present in the moment.

“Some days, I struggle to be present with my kids,” he admits. “It’s easier to be fully engaged in my work than to sit still at home. But I’ve learned that presence isn’t about perfection—it’s about doing the best you can in each moment.”

He encourages business owners to balance vision with presence:

• Instead of obsessing over where you’ll be in 10 years, ask what you can do today.
• Instead of chasing success at the expense of relationships, find ways to integrate both.

His ultimate goal as a father? To create a space where his kids feel safe enough to share anything with him. “When things go wrong, I want them to know they can call me. No matter what.”

Final Thoughts: The Power of Self-Acceptance

Josh’s journey proves that resilience isn’t about ‘toughing it out.’ It’s about embracing emotions, finding truth in your experiences, and choosing self-acceptance over self-judgment.

His message is clear:

• You are not broken.
• Your emotions make sense.
• Healing is possible when you learn to listen to yourself.

Whether through breathwork, self-reflection, or simply creating space for presence, his work empowers individuals to break free from toxic cycles and build a life rooted in emotional authenticity.

Josh Connolly Directory

• • Website
  • Instagram

P.S. If you haven’t already I would encourage you to take my quiz to discover what type of business owner you are, knowing this can help take you from where you are now to becoming more successful personally, professionally and financially – quickly, efficiently and effectively.