This article outlines a secondary analysis of two European studies on innovative teacher professional development, through the lens of the Personal, Social and Learning to Learn European key competence. The 2018 European Recommendation describes it as being resilient, reflecting upon oneself, working with others, and managing time, information, learning and career. Adaptive, socio-emotional and metacognitive competences can be essential to harness other competences and navigate an unpredictable world, as argued in the LifeComp European framework. To nurture this key competence, teachers have to develop it themselves throughout the career. Innovative professional development can be a catalyst, addressing the complex and situated nature of teacher learning. It entails re-thinking time, space and mode of delivery, embedding active learning, relevance to practice, collaboration, coaching, feedback, and reflection. Innovative examples are presented as reciprocally related to Personal, Social and Learning to Learn, for resilient education systems in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic.