In Episode 4 of The Texture of Resiliency, Steve Sheffar takes listeners deep into the world of Immediate Action Plans and Deliberate Action Plans, two tools that separate reacting in panic from responding with purpose.

Drawing on decades of experience in the Canadian Army, tactical policing, and his own journey through trauma and recovery, Steve explains how the same principles used in combat and high-risk operations can be applied to everyday life when operational stress or PTSD takes hold.

Immediate Action Plans are for the rapid hits, the unplanned moments when stress blindsides you. A trigger you weren’t expecting, a sound that transports you back in time, a chance encounter that spikes your anxiety. Steve shows how the OODA Loop, Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, becomes the operating system for surviving those moments. Through vivid examples, including his own experience with triggers as sharp as the sound of a roofing nail gun, you’ll learn how to interrupt the amygdala’s overreaction, cut through the fog, and execute a pre-trained drill that gets you back in control.

Deliberate Action Plans are different. They’re for the predictable stressors you can see on the calendar: family gatherings, work events, high-stakes appointments, court dates, or therapy sessions. Using the same mindset that goes into mission briefs in the military, Steve breaks down how to plan your goals, script your responses, build backup options, and prepare your recovery. These aren’t theories, they’re practical mission-ready plans you can put in your pocket before walking into the storm.

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand the difference between reacting blindly and responding with structure. You’ll see how Immediate Action Plans powered by OODA and Deliberate Action Plans shaped like mission briefs give you both sides of resiliency, rapid drills for sudden chaos, and structured preparation for known stress.

This is training, not therapy. It’s about building resiliency SOPs, structured, intentional, repeatable responses that make sure when stress hits, you don’t rise to the occasion, you fall to the level of your training.

If you’re a first responder, veteran, or someone who knows the weight of operational stress, this episode gives you the tools to fight back with structure and strength.

Stress is inevitable. Chaos is optional.