In our building blocks of success series, we tackle the various foundational blocks we believe are essential for success. Resilience is near the top of the list, because pursuing greatness almost always means you will face losses, mistakes and tough times along your journey. The ability to bounce back is so critical and we hope the stories below will inspire you to dig deep and discover more of your own resiliency.
Armine Galstyan
My resilience has been shaped by a unique combination of cultural heritage and professional experiences. From a young age, my upbringing in a small town in Armenia instilled in me the importance of perseverance. Growing up with limited resources and opportunties, I learned to stay committed to my goals despite challenges and obstacles. Read more>>
Kalli Padgett
Resilience – I love this word. Resilience from me comes with shaking hands with fear. It’s a courageous act of determination exploring your fear of adapting changes and let go of things that previously made you “safe.” The way I see it – all these things can be subconsciously resilient: your depression, insecurity, fear, and the different types of actions / habits that are formed from these inner shades of ourselves. Read more>>
Nicole York
Tow places: failure and family. Resilience doesn’t exist without failure. Every time I fail and learn that I can pick myself up and keep moving toward my goal, it’s proof that the next mistake, the next hurdle won’t stop me. That gives me the courage to try one more time, and then one more time. Read more>>
Susan Chu
I don’t think resilience comes from one moment in time, but through a series of opportunities, where you make a choice, “fight or flight”. It’s where our behaviors and brain align and we say to ourselves, “I am going to get through this”, “I am going to figure this out”, “I am going to make this happen”. Read more>>
Maggie Eckburg
My resilience comes primarily from my Christian faith and a willingness to work through trials instead of wish them away and pine for things to be the way they were before the struggle ever came. It’s not about giving up but letting God in and allowing myself to be held by the One who loves me. Read more>>
Brett Forgich
My resilience started when I began playing sports as a kid through high school. I was the one in the room that wanted to work harder to get better and push myself to continue to learn and grow. While playing sports I had two jobs to help me gain the experience I needed and financially the ability to help pay for college. Read more>>
Rhodalynn Anne Romero Chua Jetton
My resilience stems from relentless curiosity and delight in wonder. This drive is unattached to specific outcomes. It keeps me moving forward with a deep trust that each step, however slow, brings life and flourishing. Read more>>
Jennifer Bertling
I think a key factor in developing my resilience was the exposure I got to difficult and challenging – but manageable – experiences at a young age. My father is ex-military so I grew up in a typical military brat fashion and moved every few years. Then when I turned 15 my parents bought 135 acres of untouched property on Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island to build a agritourism based off grid eco-farm. Read more>>
Brianna Brown
My resilience comes from a blend of my curiosity, faith, and belief that there is always an opportunity to learn and for things to look and be different. Curiosity drives me to explore new perspectives and possibilities, while my faith provides a foundation of hope and strength. I firmly believe that every challenge presents a chance to grow and create positive change. Read more>>
Justin Stewart
I think resiliency comes from holding a clear vision of the results of a person’s spiritually centered mission. I believe that when we set ourselves to mission, truly ourselves to mission, we are capable of overcoming nearly any obstacle. It creates an understanding that adversity is opportunity and helps us to drive forward with an undying and unrelenting sense of purpose and commitment. Read more>>
Tonya Pettit
Resilience is innately woven into the fabric of the women in my family. But my personal introduction and understanding of just how important resilience was, happened to me on June 18, 1989. The day my son was born. I believe I was anointed with a deeper level of resilience and a reserve amount of resilience that I didn’t even realize that I would need. Read more>>
Alex Lazaris
I think a large part of my resilience comes from being dyslexic. Learning to read as a child was extremely challenging but taught me how to overcome obstacles, push through failure and remain motivated. Living with the daily constraint of being dyslexic helped me learn how to push past my limits and grow as an athlete, in my career and business. Read more>>
Jon De Lucia
In my career as a musician and educator, I have constantly taken on more and more work, which at times threatens to overwhelm me. In the past I have faced burnout, which I got out of by going back to school and repositioning myself to find new work. Because of this, resilience has taken a central theme in my life. Read more>>
Luke Rolfes
In my experience, publishing a first book (for a writer) is the toughest hill to climb. I remember the day I nearly quit. I had a full manuscript that I was trying to publish as a collection of stories. At the time, I had entered about twenty short story collection contests, and they were fairly expensive to enter—a reading fee of 25 to 30 dollars. Read more>>
Kenneth Fields
My Mom gave birth to me at 15 years old at my Aunt Martha’s. Although she became an unexpected young Momma, she managed to graduate as Valedictorian of my High School Graduating Class. She did not go to college but she instilled high expectations in me, in particular with academics. I also had Aunts who inspired me to excel and always represent my ancestors. Read more>>
Stephanie Harrison
In a world where resilience is often tested, my family’s legacy stands as a testament to enduring strength. My grandmother Aurora, a hairstylist who graced the floors of the Broadway Plaza in downtown Los Angeles, was more than just a stylist—she was a savvy businesswoman who turned her earnings into real estate investments, mastering the art of negotiation with an iron will and an unwavering determination. Read more>>
Meredith Sipe Sumner
“You Grow Through What You Go Through” – Embracing Resilience as a Business Owner. Resilience is not just a concept to me; it’s a lived experience. Having battled sexual trauma, the tragic loss of my grandparents, a tumultuous divorce, and stage 3 breast cancer, I’ve learned firsthand how adversity can shape and strengthen us. Through these profound challenges, I’ve embraced the mindset that “you grow through what you go through,” and this perspective has guided my journey as a business owner. Read more>>
Crystal Evans
I think I developed my resilience when I was a teenager in a tumultuous family home. I realized that I needed to survive this situation and pass my exams if I am going to make it out to become the future self I envisioned. I couldn’t fail my exams I had no one to fall back on. What other alternatives do I have? I can either push through these dark phases and come out at eighteen or I can get stuck here and then I would be eighteen and stuck. Read more>>
Nicole Aquilina
There are so many factors that can contribute to an individual’s resiliency, but for me personally, I think a few things largely contributed to mine. The first is, I haven’t had an easy life. My life had lots of up and downs as a child and I think it forced me to grow up faster then I probably should have. I also think I was born resilient, it’s just who I am. Even as a little girl, I can remember getting excited about a challenge because then I could push myself so I could see what I was capable of achieving. Read more>>
Keveisha Strawberry
I get my resilience from my bloodline, strength and courage are naturally within my DNA. When I was 3 weeks old my mother, who was 18 at the time, was intentionally hit by a car where she suffered severe brain damage and short term memory loss for the rest of her life. She had to learn how to eat, walk, breathe on her own again. Read more>>
Jany Rodriguez
Life is full of changes, some expected and others unexpected. Having emigrated has led me to learn to adapt and move forward regardless of the difficulties. I see each challenge as an opportunity to learn and improve, always keeping my desire to excel and achieve my dreams and goals firm. Read more>>
Jane Sin
This question really had me thinking to myself. Every hardship, shaped me into who I am today. We won’t get into all of it, but losing my dad at such a young age while seeing him fight cancer was traumatic. To this day, I get choked up and find myself crying when I dive deep into everything I went through during that time. Read more>>
Deb Schell
Resilience comes in the form of experiencing failure. You can’t get up if you haven’t fallen. For me, failure is something I’ve often faced in my work. As an online community strategist, I have helped many creators with an online membership or course launch. Read more>>
William Jeffery
I feel like resilience is one of those things you are constantly building, you never really know how relisant you are until faced with an obstacle. For this reason I try to look obstacles as just that, opportunities to practice resilience, obviously this is easier said than done but I like to think I get a little bit better each time and there is no better teacher than experience. Read more>>
Alexus Edmonds
I get my resilience from my mother. Growing up, I saw her dust herself off many times and get back up stronger and better. She taught me by example that life will always have challenges, but how we respond to those challenges is what truly matters. Now, as a mother and business owner, I have an even deeper appreciation for the sacrifices and decisions my mother made for me and my sister. Read more>>
Auria Abraham
I believe resilience comes from a strong belief, a faith shall we say, that everything always works out. What is it that I have faith in? I was raised Catholic but no longer subscribe to that doctrine. Instead, I choose to reach back in time to the belief systems held by my ancestors before they were forced to adopt Catholicism. My ancestors were most likely Hindu on one side and Buddhist on the other. Read more>>
Odette Fernandez Lopez
My resilience stems from my journey when I left Cuba to build a new life in the United States. Starting over in a new country, with all the uncertainties and challenges that came with it, required an unwavering commitment to self-discipline. I realized that, to succeed, I had to focus on continuous self-improvement. It became the foundation of my journey to become a professional brand photographer and photo restoration expert. Read more>>
Adriana Pabon
My journey to resilience has been shaped by the trials I’ve faced as both a cancer survivor and a domestic violence survivor, and by the support of a loving family that gave me the strength to keep going, even in the toughest times. Read more>>
Bula Barua
I derive my resilience from my experiences as a young child. Growing up, I faced significant bullying because my family was from India. I was often made fun of for my name, my clothes, my weight, and many other things. I used to come home from school in tears, feeling isolated and misunderstood. Read more>>
Kindred
When I think of my resilience and perseverance, I think of this phrase from Langston Hughes’ poem, ‘Mother To Son,’ “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” My life was full of ups and downs. My parents divorced when I was 6, and I watched my mother bust her ass to make sure we had. That birthed my by any means necessary attitude and my urge to hustle to make things happen as a kid. Read more>>
Deborah Jane Burke
My resilience comes from family, my community, and most of all my faith in God. The path that God has laid our for me give me the knowledge that I have a purpose to use my gifts to uplift my community. So, even when the odds seem stacked against me, I push through. Resilience was a critical factor when I launched my production company House of Deborah Jane Studios after graduating from USC School of Cinematic Arts with my Master’s in Screenwriting. Read more>>
