It doesn't take billions of dollars or complex medical technologies, and there doesn't have to be a dramatic upending to the current order. It's trying to change the mindset of people who deal with youth to have less judgement and more curiosity. That's asking a lot, emotionally it's asking people to step up and engage more. But what I often heard was that is easier for them to engage emotionally, than to just be angry and judgmental.

There needs to be the support and help around you, even when you may have an unhealthy home environment.

What my previous film 'Paper Tigers' have proven, is that it can point toward helpful tools for change.

I think the macho mystique was far more a guiding principle in our Dad's generation than ours, the 'strong silent type' was much more common.

My grandfather was a prominent executive at Chevron (oil), and of course my father is a fairly radical and progressive environmentalist. But he was also a very active Democrat and pacifist. More importantly, he was one of the best storytellers I've ever met. I think that trait has been passed down the line, even to my kids.

Resilience is not just a complimentary individual quality, but something that is built. And you build it through a number of things in your life, part of it being social fabric.

The interesting thing about the ACE study, as it began in the 1990s, is that it was based on a very strict set of ten questions. But what is evolving from that is a better understanding what kind of experiences are beyond the ten questions, and what kind of stressors it generates, there are so many ways that children can be exposed to ongoing stress.