Resilience & Community with Byron Dempsey | I’m In Control

January 07, 2026•4 min read

Take the Wheel: Lessons on Resilience and Community with Byron Dempsey

If you’ve ever felt like early adulthood is a jumble of choices, pressure, and “shoulds,” you’re not alone. On I’m In Control, I sat down with Byron Dempsey, founder of Driven Young, a community and set of live experiences designed to help young adults build real-world skills, strong relationships, and clarity about who they want to be.

What I love about Byron’s approach is that it isn’t theory. It’s hands-on, human, and rooted in something too many of us are missing: community. His core belief?

You don’t become your best self by white-knuckling life alone. You grow faster, steadier, and kinder, to yourself and others, when you’re surrounded by people who challenge you, cheer for you, and tell you the truth.

Resilience isn’t a solo sport

We often talk about resilience like it’s a badge you forge by yourself in the dark. Byron flips that. Yes, adversity grows resilience, but it grows better when you have people.

The right circle reduces unnecessary struggle, helps you process knockbacks, and reminds you to keep going when it would be easier to tap out. Want to bounce back quicker? Start by upgrading your environment.

Accountability = the driver’s seat

Byron teaches a simple, uncomfortable truth I also hammer home in coaching: you can’t change what you won’t own. He frames early adulthood as a shift from the passenger seat to the driver’s seat.

The fastest way to get there? Practice accountability and responsibility, not as self-blame, but as self-leadership. In business, relationships, and your daily habits, ask: What part of this is mine to own? That question puts you back in control.

Confidence is built, not borrowed

You can read quotes about confidence all day, but confidence sticks when your environment reinforces it. Byron designs spaces where people are seen, supported, and stretched. That combo, psychological safety + honest stretch, does more than any pep talk. If your confidence feels shaky, don’t just “think different.” Be in different rooms.

Seek better feedback, give better feedback

We touched on constructive criticism, too. Most people either avoid feedback or weaponise it. Byron suggests the classic “feedback sandwich”, lead with something genuine you appreciate, offer the improvement clearly, then close with support.

Delivery matters, and so does timing. The goal isn’t to win; it’s to help. And on the receiving end, cultivating the emotional fitness to hear feedback is a superpower that accelerates growth.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable

This is Byron’s drumbeat: say yes to stretch. Travel solo. Ask for the raise. Launch the thing. Have a hard conversation. Australia (and many privileged contexts) can make life comfortable, great. But too much comfort dulls your edges. Micro-bravery builds capacity. It’s the reps you put in when no one’s clapping that make the leaps possible later.

The “slingshot” mindset

One of my favourite Byron-isms is his slingshot analogy. Setbacks pull you back; with the right mindset and support, that tension becomes stored energy.

When you re-aim with intention, new skills, new rooms, new habits, you don’t just crawl out; you launch. I’ve lived this personally after medical crises. Byron applied for it after a business loss. Different stories, same physics: let the pullback become your power.

Community, then strategy

Driven Young blends practical life skills (finance, networking, leadership) with deep relational work. That order matters. Community first, strategy second. If you’re trying to build a life on tactics without people, you’ll stall. If you find your people, the tactics stick.

Try this for the next 30 days

Curate your circle: Spend more time with one person who healthily stretches you.
One brave ask: Make a single request that scares you (feedback, opportunity, support).
Own one thing: Choose a recurring frustration and write down the part you can control. Act on it.
Environment audit: Join a room (workshop, meetup, mastermind) that aligns with your future, not your past.
Reflect weekly: What pulled you back? Where’s the slingshot pointing now?

None of this requires perfection. It requires honest reps and good people.

Talking with Byron reminded me how powerful it is to build a life that’s both ambitious and connected. Your 20s (and early 30s) aren’t about getting it “right” once; they’re about building the muscles you’ll use for decades: accountability, resilience, and community.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to take the wheel.