Resilience isn't the absence of falling.
It's what you build on the way back up.
Hashim Garrett, LMSW, bridges lived experience with clinical expertise to transform how schools support youth. As a psychotherapist, author of How to Fall Up, and educational consultant, Hashim brings over twenty years of frontline experience to help schools build culture rooted in safety, belonging, and lasting resilience.
“Scars show where we’ve been, not where we’re going: every scar is proof that healing is possible.”
— Hashim Garrett
The Guardian Angels.
A short film on the moment that changed everything — and the people who helped Hashim rise.
Forgiveness.
Hashim on the practice of forgiveness — and why it's the doorway to healing.
If you can't find hope today, don't worry. I have enough for both of us until you can carry your own.
LMSW · Clinical Psychotherapist · NYU Silver School of Social Work
Hashim Garrett, LMSW, bridges lived experience with clinical expertise to transform how schools support youth. As a psychotherapist, author of How to Fall Up, and educational consultant, Hashim brings over twenty years of frontline experience to help schools build culture rooted in safety, belonging, and lasting resilience.
From surviving a shooting at age 15 to founding Wisdom and Understanding, LLC in 2001, Hashim has spent more than twenty years turning lived experience into clinical practice. His work bridges trauma-informed care, conflict resolution, and student voice — so schools can move beyond inspiration to real, sustainable change.
Read Full StoryTwo decades with students.
From middle-school auditoriums to high-school assemblies — moments from the work.
How to Fall Up
14 Lessons in Resilience from the Lives of Young People
Through 14 relatable stories of everyday people at real-life crossroads, How to Fall Up offers a practical framework for turning challenges into chances to grow — building the mindset and support system to face pressure, doubt, and decision-making with clarity.
Written from two decades on the ground with students, families, and communities — from inner-city classrooms to Harvard and Yale. Not just a book. A toolkit.
Where schools ask me to start.
Across schools and districts, the same five priorities keep surfacing when it comes to student growth, climate, and wellbeing.
Student Belonging
Every student needs to feel seen, welcomed, and connected to the people and place around them. I help schools build environments where students feel emotionally supported and rooted in their community — not just accommodated.
Personal Attention & Support
Struggling students are often struggling quietly. I work directly with young people facing social-emotional, family, environmental, behavioral, or wellness-related barriers — providing the individualized attention that helps them stay engaged and persist.
Social-Emotional Support
Coping strategies, communication skills, help-seeking behaviors, and conflict-resolution tools — taught and reinforced schoolwide, not confined to a single classroom or crisis moment.
Student Partnership in Decision-Making
Students disengage when decisions happen to them instead of with them. I help schools build real structures for student voice, so young people have a genuine seat at the table.
Prevention of Body-Based Bullying
Proactive, prevention-focused strategies addressing bullying rooted in appearance, disability, or body difference.I bring a personal understanding to this work, living with a spinal cord injury myself.
Three ways to work together.
From one building to one auditorium — clinical support, systems-level consulting, and lived-experience speaking, all grounded in the same resilience framework.
School-Based Clinical Support
Direct clinical care for students navigating crisis, trauma, and everyday struggle.
- Individual counseling & crisis intervention
- Trauma-informed assessments & restorative practices
Resilience & Prevention Consulting
Systems-level programming for schools and districts building lasting climate change — belonging, SEL, student voice, and bullying prevention.
See all focus areas →Speaking & Author Programs
Keynotes and workshops built around How to Fall Up and two decades on the ground.
- Keynotes grounded in lived experience
- Workshops built on the book's 14 lessons
Packages & engagement options.
Keynote / Assembly
- 45–60 minute keynote talk
- Live Q&A with students or staff
- Signed copies of How to Fall Up available
- Travel arrangements coordinated
Half-Day Workshop
- Interactive session for students or staff
- Workbook materials included
- Built on the book's 14-lesson framework
- Follow-up resource guide for educators
School Partnership
- Ongoing consulting & program design
- Staff training & restorative practice systems
- Family engagement strategy
- Ideal for semester or year-long partnerships
Work, in brief.
How to Fall Up: 14 Lessons in Resilience from the Lives of Young People
Debut book & guided workbook. 5.0★ on Amazon. Story-driven lessons for teens, families, and educators.
Wisdom and Understanding, LLC
Built resilience and violence-prevention programming for students ages 11–18 across dozens of school sites nationwide.
School Assemblies & Workshops
Keynotes and interactive workshops bringing the book's 14 lessons directly into classrooms and auditoriums.
H.M.G Podcast
The Daily Inspirational Podcast
Short episodes on resilience, mindset, and moving forward — for students, educators, and anyone building a life after a fall.
New episodes drop weekly. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe directly on Buzzsprout.
Listen to Episodes
Let's build something that lasts.
Whether it's a single keynote or a year-long school partnership, reach out and let's talk about what your students need.