We’ve shared some incredible stories of resilience below that we hope will help you on your journey towards building up your resilience.
Kayla Gonzalez
To me resilience is the consistent act of choosing yourself. It’s choosing to not only show up everyday and work towards your goals, but doing so with accountability and with a constant effort to find the joy even when challenges arise. Read more>>
Lequita Sharrock
My resilience comes straight from heaven. The holy word teach us that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This passage means everything to me. We all have low moments and deal with setbacks. However, I know the Lord will give me the strength and resiliency to push across the finish line. Read more>>
Nyiko Rikhotso
During the pandemic, I faced significant financial challenges that pushed me to my limits. However, instead of succumbing to despair, I tapped into my resilience, drawing strength from the belief that every challenge is an opportunity in disguise. Read more>>
Keith Pichelman
Growing up, I witnessed my father embark on numerous business ventures, many of which did not succeed. However, his resilience and forward-looking attitude left a profound impact on me. He never dwelled on failures; instead, he eagerly anticipated the next opportunity. This experience taught me not to fear taking significant risks, like starting a company, because failure is merely a stepping stone to the next venture. Read more>>
Amy Lubbesmeyer
I grew up in a small rural town where life as a child felt easy and fun. Surrounded by rolling fields of sunkissed corn, thick forests of evergreens and wildlife, and countless lakes to swim in. Days spent riding bikes on dirt roads and nights spent catching fireflies. Parents who had an ease to them and deep love for each other that was obvious as you’d catch them stealing a kiss in the kitchen while one of them was cooking dinner. A childhood Narnia looking back. Read more>>
Patty Kappmeyer
It seems like I derive my resilience from my curiosity and passion for birds and photography. My willingness to ask questions, seek answers, and continuously learn and adapt to new information shows a deep commitment to my craft and a determination to overcome challenges in pursuit of my goals. Read more>>
Heather Vaughan
My reflexive answer to this question is that resilience springs forth from hardships encountered in life – navigating autoimmune disease and getting divorced while most people were having fun in their 20s, losing my father early in life, among other difficult situations – and the truth is that’s part of the answer. Read more>>
Maria Miranda
My resilience is rooted in my experience as a youth and young adult caregiver to my late grandparents. From the ages of 9 to 15, I helped my Grandmother and Mother care for my dementia-stricken Grandfather. Read more>>
Nancy Luong
My parents. My mom and dad are immigrants and escaped the Vietnam War, they came to America with nothing and started life over after risking their life to give me a better one. I saw them struggle time after time growing up. Read more>>
Sunshine Foss
I’ve always approached life head-on, tackling each obstacle with determination and resilience. Navigating the various roles and responsibilities I carry hasn’t been a smooth ride, but I find solace in the knowledge that every difficulty is temporary. Read more>>
Lindsay Curtis
My resilience comes from a combination of personal experiences, supportive relationships, and a strong belief in the mission and values of A SMART MOVE. Throughout my life, I’ve faced various challenges, both personally and professionally, and each one has taught me valuable lessons about perseverance, adaptability, and the importance of maintaining a positive outlook. Read more>>
Anya Alyzabeth
I built resilience over time using different methods and strategies. Years ago, I lived in a very unhappy and emotionally abusive marriage and I developed a debilitating autoimmune disease. I didn’t want to take medication for the rest of my life so I explored other avenues. I had absolutely no energy, I had pain all over my body most of the time, I had headaches, brain fog, weight gain and more. Read more>>
Kortney Toney
My resilience comes from knowing without a doubt what my purpose and passion are in life. Knowing that is having my “North Star” because it always comes back to that. Through prayer and faith, I know that God put me in this time and space to make an impact in many ways in entertainment. Read more>>
Di-Jana Keyes
I believe resilience for me comes from a deep impact of multiple situations in my life. I have had to face adversity within physical, mental, & financial moments. Mentally I’ve asked myself multiple times “why do bad things happen to good people.” Read more>>
George Dennehy
Being born without arms, I’ve had to face the choice of either being resilient or giving up. There have been times in my life when I have wanted to give up. However, it has become a conscious decision to overcome the bad days and the negative thoughts. Read more>>
Weenie Nguyen
Along with being hopeful to a fault, I get my resilience from the unwavering support of my family and friends. Like any other immigrant story, my parents overcame a lot of hardships for me to have the opportunities that I have now. Read more>>
Maryann Gibbons
From the start, I was rarely the best at anything immediately. Learning early on to excel required extra effort, I stayed after school to tackle math as it evolved into a foreign language. My childhood was sad and lonely at times, but it gave me the space to dream in solitude and nurture a thirst through dedication to practicing whatever I wanted to master. Read more>>
Ryan Christian
I wouldn’t necessarily call it “resilience” per say, but instead, a fear of the unknown. I fear not knowing what could come about if I decide to leave this earth without having explored every opportunity at my disposal. I fear not knowing what’s on the other side of death. Read more>>
Taylor Rubart
I was 15 or 16 when my dad and some of his friends won a permit to hike The Enchantments, a mountain range in Leavenworth, Washington. My dad had been there many years before (oh how time changes memory). Read more>>
Kathy Ball-Toncic
I don’t think of resilience as being tough, or having an “I can do this” attitude 24×7. I used to, it doesn’t work. That thinking leads to burnout. For me, resilience began to strengthen only after I unlearned some ingrained (and rewarded!) behaviors. Being Wonder woman is exhausting! But the pats on the back. the medals awarded, the recognition received is so quickly metabolized. Read more>>
Alyssa Williams
I was bullied as a kid up into high school, I was socially awkward and one of those quiet “weird” art kids. Being bullied made me grow a thicker skin and learn to not care so much about what other people said or thought, as it most likely stems from their own personal insecurities and I was a good outlet for them. Read more>>
bee yelo
I would have to say my resilience comes from within. I learned from others that giving up ultimately will betray my will and ego. So I know I have to keep on going for myself and my happiness. I am big on putting me first. I also understand life happens and not everything will go my way. Read more>>
Isis Destiny
My first lesson with resilience came from growing up in a household with a teenage single mother. Although she got a lot of support from the family, she went through her pregnancy and graduated early her senior year and moved out to live on her own with me. From a young age I grew up seeing my mom as this super hero who was able to get things done with elegance and grace even though she was totally just a human, a young one at that, struggling with depression, addiction, and woman hood all while caring for me on her own. Read more>>
Aayush Kumaran
I think resilience is a product of motivation, discipline, and faith in yourself. It’s silly, but I frequently hear in my head a quote from Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ in Sir Michael Caine’s voice saying “Why do we fall, sir?”, and I’ve tried to rationalize the feeling that it triggers within me. Read more>>
Maurice Christian
Resilience was acquired from my mother who taught and also demonstrated it as she had to overcome many challenges in her own life. Also work ethics taught and demonstrated by my father. So, resilience and work ethics for me goes hand in hand in anything I did/do in life no matter what the goal to be achieved. Read more>>
J Tyler Pennington
The most significant contributing factor to my resilience comes from my time in the US Army. When I was a junior in high school, for reasons a mystery even to myself, I decided to join the army. Between junior and senior year I went to basic training in Ft. Jackson, SC. I came back on a Friday and went to my senior year that coming Monday. Read more>>
Danielle Fattizzi
As a kid from New York with Italian parents living in a fast-paced household, developing resilience must have started the day I was born. My parents were super supportive from the beginning and continue to be even more so to this day, but when reflecting back I realize that I was left alone a lot as a child to figure things out on my own. Read more>>
Bigal Harrison
I’ve always been self motivated but i can attribute large parts of my resilience from being the 2nd youngest of 24 siblings. 17 brothers and 7 sisters. My father was raised in Harlem, NY and went to the Vietnam War when he was only 17. Read more>>
Veronica Luviano
I would say an event that marked my life and completely increased my capacity to withstand difficulties was moving here to USA in my teen years. I had two options: Letting this life change break me, or make me. Read more>>
Jose Torres Priscilla Sigurani
God. It’s safe to say it’s not easy walk this life but it gets so much easier when you’re not alone. Between painful venting sessions to peaceful moments of listening, communication with God goes a long way, This and the constant flow of ideas, push us towards bringing to light the ideas in front of us. Read more>>
Zakiyyah Smith
My resilience comes from my upbringing. I grew up in a family of strong independent women. We didn’t have a lot, but that never stopped us from making the most of what we did have. Read more>>
tanya clarke
I tend to bounce between several projects at the same time. If I get stuck in one, I usually step away and restart another project that I had paused for the same reason. At the moment I’m fixated on this one project that is different than anything I’ve done before and I’m really having a hard time getting it to come together. Read more>>
Brenda Burdette
I think that resilience comes from picking yourself back up. I can come in many forms; rebuilding after a rough childhood, a failed relationship, a loss of trust, going into the unknown and having no starting point to build from. Read more>>
Christin Kless
I get my resilience from my paternal grandmother. Her name was Amelia and she was one of a kind. She never gave up and I know some of her strength and toughness is in me. In fact, growing up, she and my Dad would call me “tiny but tough”. Read more>>
Abbie Quansah
Growing up in a strict and dysfunctional household at a young age, I had struggled with low self-esteem, had trouble expressing myself, and had a negative mindset. There were many difficulties and experiences during my childhood that thwarted my confidence and expression in a healthy matter, but through those challenges, I noticed there is this fire in me that refuses to allow adversity and trauma to take control of my life. Read more>>
Taysia Matthias
In short, resilience to me is just my sheer willingness to survive, but here’s the long version: I was raised by two successful business owners who started with nothing. My dad grew up on a farm in Northern California with 4 siblings. Read more>>
CRISEAN
I got my resilience from my mother. She always taught me to work hard & to love. Her hard work has kept me safe and very lucky in this life. That’s why I fight. I fight for my loved ones. I keep going for my loved ones. I fight for myself. If I don’t, no one will. All I can do is do the same for myself and my future family. Read more>>
Tooba Dawood
My lived experiences as a woman, immigrant and person of colour have helped to pave the way for my resiliency. Growing up, I faced barriers to education and employment. At one point in my life, I found myself homeless based on my own decisions. Read more>>
Raul Cerrillo
My resilience stems from a sense of responsibility as an artist to nourish the spirit and inspire others, much like how many artists have inspired me. Growing up without a father figure—my father was an alcoholic who was largely absent—I naturally gravitated towards idols such as poets, artists, and philosophers as father figures. Read more>>
Meghan Judge
After years of dealing with dibilitating panic attacks, multiple losses and faking that I was “just fine” I found myself in the lowest place of my life, I found the strength within to go on. It was almost as if it was a tiny voice in my head telling me I cant give up. Read more>>
Vanessa Joy
In 2006, I found myself thrown into a role as the head of a manufacturing company with absolutely ZERO clue how to run a business. The crew was not thrilled with the idea of having someone who was half the age of many of them in charge. My predecessor had left things a complete mess, and employee turnover was incredibly high due to nonexistent morale. Read more>>
Shenora Lechleidner
Resilience is something so engrained in my upbringing, I did not realize that I showed it in my life until someone told me. I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan by an entrepreneur father who was also a Pastor. Our life was full of unexpected pivots and challenges, but I never saw my father give up. Read more>>
Royce Hamilton
My resilience comes from knowing that I intentionally made someone happy through food. After cooking for family events etc., I thought family just wouldn’t tell me how good my food was. They would always say, “Why isn’t this food in someone’s Restaurant .” Yes, I would listen. I also needed to get insight after I’ve hosted Pop up Shops, Catered Events, Food Tastings, or Meal Prep. Read more>>
Dr George Ackerman
My Mother, Sharon Ackerman and my story of the struggle that Parkinson’s Disease caused her and my entire family. She had Parsons’s disease for 15 years but it never started to affect major life abilities significantly until around 2014. Read more>>
Ray Fontaine
My resilience comes from my curiosity. That curiosity took me many places to meet many people and get inspired to take action in many ways. My curiosity demanded many leaps of faith. Honestly, I have fallen flat on my face a few times, and each failed experiment taught me more than my collective wins. Read more>>
