Ever feel like you just can’t catch a break? Appliances malfunction unexpectedly, health challenges arise, jobs come and go. Or do you feel that the world seems unsteady in our current times? Besides politics, there are ebbs and flows of the economy, infrastructure, and weather to deal with.

After four years of writing in nearly every café in Lanark County, I am beyond excited to share that my newest book, High Agency Human: Navigate Adversity and Live Big is available for pre-order at Mill Street Books in Almonte, on amazon.ca, and at Indigo-Chapters.

My favourite quote is an excerpt from My friend, Abigail by Huseyn Raz that states: “Remember, we are our own griefs, my dear, we are our own happinesses and we are our own remedies.” This is the undertone of High Agency Human, which focuses on dealing with adversity in the moment, preparing for the next challenge life will inevitably throw our way, and increasing personal agency. It is an invitation to create the break we can’t catch and the space we need to live big, in whatever way living big means to you.

Having high agency means possessing both the belief and the capacity to influence outcomes. It is the intrinsic sense that you have control and the ability to take ownership of your responses, decisions, and actions.

While most accept this broad definition, academics can’t quite agree on the specific components of agency. Some cite intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness, and self-reflectiveness (core features of agency as developed by psychologist Albert Bandura), while others include the desire to achieve, confidence, and competence. Personal agency is a concept that is closely linked to free will and self-efficacy. It includes both mindset and action.

The definition I’ve settled on is that high agency is a state in which you feel a sense of control over and in life, while actively and effectively participating in your own outcomes. Think of personal agency as a spectrum from low to high; not an inherent trait we are born with, but rather a mindset that can either be cultivated or atrophy.

What is High Agency Human™?

High Agency Human is a term and project that I’ve created to help give us the freedom to live big no matter what life throws our way. It is adventure, adversity, and wellbeing preparedness for the everyday. It is the mechanism that gives us the space and freedom to live big.

The core of being a High Agency Human lies in our ability to:

The project is comprised of the new book, High Agency Human: Navigate Adversity and Live Big, articles and resources (emergency plan templates, kit recommendations, reading lists, etc.) found on highagencyhuman.com, and a High Agency Human assessment (coming in 2027).

Are You a High Agency Human?

This is a condensed version of the exercise, but you’re likely a high agency human if…

1. You focus on what you can do next, not who’s to blame. You notice disappointment, unfairness, or frustration, and then ask: “What’s within my control right now?” Blame may show up briefly. It doesn’t move in permanently.

2. You act before you feel ready. You don’t wait for confidence, clarity, or motivation to arrive first. You understand that action creates momentum, not the other way around.

3. You separate circumstances from identity. Setbacks don’t become self-definitions. A hard season doesn’t mean you’re broken. A failure doesn’t mean you are one. You say: “This is happening” instead of “This is who I am.”

4. You ask for help strategically. You don’t confuse independence with isolation. You seek support to move forward, not to stay stuck.

5. You see adversity as a call to capability, not collapse. Hard things don’t make you smaller. They activate learning, preparation, and skill-building. You don’t say, “I hope this never happens again.” You say, “If it does, I’ll be more ready.”

Here is a simple self-check: when something goes wrong, which question comes first? A low agency default is “Why is this happening to me?”, whereas a high agency default is “What’s my move?”

How Do I Increase My Agency?

If you wanted to start right now, before even reading the book, then I would simply begin with language and how you describe reality. Shift from: “I can’t because…”, “I have no choice…”, and “This always happens…” to: “I’m choosing not to…”, “My options are…”, and “What’s one thing I can do?”

Local Book Launches

I am spending the full year of 2026 (re)applying all aspects of High Agency Human into my own life and sharing along the way. In fact, I’m in Albania as I write this, starting the year here and implementing healthy habits, which is part of my own version of living big. At the end of the year, I’ll post the complete before and after, along with how implementing the book affected my year. You can follow the journey on Instagram at @highagencyhuman or by reading articles posted at vickiemlanthier.com.

Kindly consider supporting local and join me in celebrating the book’s launch! Events include a launch day party at Hourglass Café in Perth from 2–5pm on March 24 (no registration required), a discussion and Q&A with book signing at the Mississippi Mills Public Library in Almonte with Mill Street Books from 6:30–8:30pm on March 26 (registration required), and online reading on March 30 with a Q&A hosted by my editor, AJ Harper, from 7-8pm over Zoom (registration required). Anyone who pre-orders a copy of High Agency Human before March 24 can email the receipt to vickie@vickiemlanthier.com and receive the “High Agency Year Challenge and Checklist” PDF bonus to join me on these high agency adventures! All details and event registration links can be found at highagencyhuman.com.