Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our hope with the Portraits of Resilience series – we hope the stories below will inspire you to tap into your own resilience.

Raechell Tamaryn

Through all the ups and downs in my life, God has been by my side. I know that it hasn’t been easy, but I’ve also been crafter with a spirit of determination and a bit of stubbornness which helps. I want to have my dreams come true, and I hope they do, so why not keep on trying. Read More>>

Abigail Fine

When I was fourteen, I wrote a paper for my high school English class on Kermit the Frog. Specifically, the prompt asked us to choose a figure – living, dead, fictional – with whom to have dinner and then explain our reasoning. Read More>>

Anna Bouw-bolik

I’ve always maintained an unwaveringly positive outlook, ingeniously navigating life’s ups and downs with creative coping strategies. While my parents might label me as “stubborn,” my friends see me as “determined.” Read More>>

Gloria Person

god Read More>>

Hq Jelinek

My resilience comes from My desire to want more than I had growing up and also knowing that there’s a lot more out there for man than I’ve received knowing im the only thing that can get in my way Read More>>

Mark Roell

I think my resilience comes from my passion for what I do and the challenges that come with running a mushroom farm. Mushrooms teach you the importance of working with nature rather than against it. Read More>>

Nayrobi Estevez

I get it from my Mom, she inspire me to have faith and believe everything will be ok, and no matter what be happy in those ups and downs Read More>>

Trinetta J.

I get my resilience from my Mom. My mother was a very determined and resilient spirit who overcame tremendous obstacles in her life. She raised five children single-handedly while also pursuing her goals and dreams. Read More>>

SORRY NEBOSUKE

I have faced many challenges in my life, but I have always relied on my beliefs to overcome 以下は先ほどの日本語文を英語に翻訳したものです：

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I have faced many challenges in my life, but I have always relied on my beliefs to overcome them.
As a self-taught illustrator and artist, I have had to learn everything on my ownfrom the basics of drawing to how to connect with people and I am still learning every day.  Read More>>

Allyson Tomchin

Overcoming, Resilience and Adapting
My name is Allyson Tomchin. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and I have Bipolar II Disorder. I would like to share my thoughts about overcoming, resilience and adaptation.
A Solution Focused approach to therapy actively engages clients
in the process of identifying solutions, recognizing strengths, and
envisioning a future where they can navigate challenges effectively. Read More>>

Andreina Paez

My resilience comes from my passion for what I do, my commitment to my clients, and, above all, my faith in God. I firmly believe that He guides my steps and gives me the strength to face every challenge with courage and perseverance. Entrepreneurship is not an easy journey, but I trust that every obstacle carries a lesson and that, with faith and effort, everything has a purpose. I know that God has a perfect plan, and even in difficult moments, I lean on Him to keep moving forward. Read More>>

Chelsie Lawson

I gain resilience by observing and being inspired by the people around me, both professionally and personally. All we have to do to feel downtrodden and hopeless is turn on the news, so my focus has been looking at those around me. I see grit, hope, heart, community and a desire for wellness. My resilience is build by my life partner, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and my patients. We are in this world together and we can help unburden each other. Read More>>

Ilver Villasmil

I see life through passion, through what is essential. I don’t see it the way many people do because, to me, life is too short to waste it on something that doesn’t fulfill me.

Resilience, for me, comes from knowing that I’m on my path. When you do what you love, when you follow what truly moves you, no obstacle is strong enough to stop you completely. Of course, you’ll fall many times, but the fact that you’re moving in the right direction is what pushes you to get up, learn what you need, and keep going. Read More>>

Jenée Naquin

I don’t think I’d naturally describe myself as resilient—it’s not a word I lead with. But since you ask, when I really think about it, I am. Being a business owner demands resilience. There’s constant rejection, unexpected setbacks, and the weight of everything resting on your shoulders. If you can’t bounce back from a lost client, a contractor quitting, or even an unplanned sick day, you simply can’t run a business effectively. Read More>>

Noé Montes

About resilience, I would first like to say that resilience is a concept which needs to be interrogated. We think of resilience as a good quality to have, and it is, but it also presupposes that we are operating from a place of being oppressed and needing to heal from trauma. This in turn points to the histories of people of color and people from marginalized communities being harmed by the legacy of colonialism and the continuing effects of white supremacy. This is a notion that I learned about from reading the author Tommy Orange. Read More>>

Sy

My resilience stems from deep confidence in myself, a drive that is reinforced by the strong support system I have built over time. But honestly, it comes down to seeing opportunity. Whether you read, watch, or talk to people, there are windows of options that will appear. The main question I always ask myself—Where does this fit in my game plan? If it doesn’t, the idea gets put to the side. Read More>>

Marina V

It is perhaps serendipitous that this interview and the very first question both fit so well with the timing of the release of my new song, <b>Symphony &amp; Metal</b>, because it is a song all about resilience.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, it only matters if you get back up” is one of the lines in the song, and I feel I have lived it many times, but it all began when I was a kid. Read More>>

Amanda Sw Hall

From a young age, I’ve faced significant hardships: homelessness, physical abuse, poverty, bullying, and the loss of a sibling to incarceration. My parents separated when I was two, and throughout my life, I’ve continually had to rebuild. The obstacles I’ve encountered have been so immense that typical solutions often feel inadequate. I believe that God didn’t allow me to endure these trials without a greater purpose.  Read More>>

Kasaydia Carter-martinez

I consider myself incredibly lucky in the way that I have the greatest parents anyone could ask for. I grew up watching them run their own businesses, while also working whatever jobs were necessary for us to have everything we needed. I got to know the feeling of walking into a store that was ours, and seeing how my parents treated others from all walks of life. There was never a single moment growing up that I ever had any doubt that I wanted to be like them and to have something of my own, no matter how hard it could be. Read More>>

Richie P. Goldchain

I have to say, I get my resilience from my parents. My dad lived to see 90 summers. That’s a guy who was the ultimate resilient. A true stoic. I can’t remember seeing my dad cry or let things get him down at all. Same with my mother. She was a very strong, independent working woman. She never let anything stop her from accomplishing what she had in her mind. Read More>>

Shauna Dermigny

Resilience, for me, is something cultivated through every challenge, every heartbreak, and every moment I thought I couldn’t keep going—but somehow did. It’s those times when I ask myself, Is this just how life is? When I can’t yet see the lesson, but deep down, I know I’ll look back and realize it was all for my greater good. Read More>>

Rex Bressler

Los Angeles is called La La Land for a reason. Artists come here with star-studded dreams in their eyes and delusion in the cavity where a brain should be, or at least that’s how I arrived.

I moved here at nineteen from Silicon Valley, where I’d been doing theater and short films, because I loved acting and I wanted to make a career of it. In my head, I was already a network series regular who did mega studio films on the weekend and Broadway in the off-season. I knew that someone would spot me on the street and go “You, Rex Bressler, you are the one.” and then the world would know my name and everything would be easy. Read More>>

Lorena Roque

Resilience is in my DNA. It’s something I inherited from my parents and ancestors. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and freelancers, people who built their own paths with determination and grit. My grandmothers each had their own businesses—one ran a flower shop, the other a boutique. My mom has a bakery and is always exploring new ventures, and my dad, a business owner himself, constantly seeks new ways to grow. Read More>>

Ryan Von Minus

I definitely developed and learned resilience from several sources. The first thing that comes to mind are my grandparents. I was very close with my fathers parents, all of them Holocaust survivors, resistance fighters, and immigrants, They quite literally lived many lives, fought for what they needed to survive, and restarted several times in different parts of the world. This was a basis of the culture of my family, I learned very early that if you don’t give up, you can win even against the most pessimistic odds. This lesson or mentality has allowed me to dream big, and continue to pursue my creative career in the face of a lot of failure, toxic people and loss. Read More>>

Amanda Scholz

Resilience: the ability to cope with and recover from setbacks. At its most basic, I think my resilience comes from experience and most critically from my mom. I was horribly bullied in grade school and often came home sobbing not wanting to go back to school. My mom would help me through those moments the best ways she knew how. One phrase she often said was “You can do anything for an hour, anything for a day, anything for a week, anything for a month or however long. Just know there is an end date and put one foot in front of the other.”  Read More>>

Ben Copperwheat

My resilience stems primarily from my Mum, who has been an extraordinary role model throughout my life. Despite enduring significant hardships, including an abusive childhood, she has demonstrated remarkable strength and remained a constant source of support for both my brother and me. Her example has taught me that we can overcome even the most challenging circumstances. Read More>>

Christy Holland

Even answering this question presumes I believe myself to be resilient, and I have to admit, I wonder if that’s true. If resilience is about bouncing back from setbacks, adapting to challenges, and moving forward despite difficulties, I can certainly say I’ve done that. But does that mean I’m resilient?

I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life, especially as a child—too many for a kid to handle, with not enough support. There was violence, loneliness, trauma, and a regular sense of feeling lost. Read More>>

Crystal Hale

I get my resilience from growing up as a millennial in the transition from the manual to the digital age. Unlike today, where answers are just a click away, I had to learn things the old-school way—by going to real libraries, digging through books, and figuring things out on my own. There were many times I didn’t know how to do something, but instead of stopping, I embraced the process of learning. Read More>>

Dexter Brown

My resilience came from my own drive to make something of myself. My deep desire to offer something valuable and be a success. That is what has allowed me to withstand many of the challenges I’ve faced. Read More>>

Kimberli Davino

Honestly? I get it from having no other choice. Resilience wasn’t something I consciously decided to have—it’s something I had to build, over and over again.

When challenges keep coming, when they hold a chokehold on your life, you either let them consume you or you fight. And I choose to fight. Read More>>

Anthony Cracha

Honestly? My resiliency developed around 25 while I was working the pandemic as a nurse in the ICU. I worked alongside and learned from some of the most resilient mentors in those five years. I’ve seen some of the worst and learned a sense of empathy that I fear so many people will never develop without experiencing healthcare. Read More>>

Amira Rogers

I would say my resilience comes from living in Newark, NJ, my whole life.
Coming from a place like Newark, NJ, no one wants to see you in the same room as them. They don’t even expect it.
When the world has already made up its mind about who you are, you can either lean into it or fight against it. Read More>>

Ashley Bissett

Resilience, for me, comes from building AB Fitness from the ground up. When I founded this business in 2013, I knew I wanted to create more than just a gym—I wanted a space where movement could truly change lives. Over the years, I’ve faced challenges that tested my endurance, from navigating business growth to balancing work with family life and even managing the complexities of opening a new studio. Read More>>

Cameron Dunlap

I have faith in my skills and my drive Read More>>

Cynthia Sapp

Growing up, I was compelled to develop resilience at a tender age. Life’s circumstances dictated that I become independent early on, and this was a necessity rather than a choice. My formative years were a whirlwind of responsibilities that included learning to cook, clean and do laundry while still very young.  Read More>>

Devina D

My resilience started building from a very young age. Throughout my childhood, I had to juggle various pressures while also navigating a childhood of trauma. I balanced the demanding nature of school, competitive chess, piano, taekwondo and more along with personal struggles that went on in my home life every day.  Read More>>

Dr. Sabrina Livingston

The Source of My Resilience: Choosing to Thrive
Resilience isn’t something you’re born with – it’s something you build. For me, it started in chaos. I was passed between guardians from the age of two. By six, I was living in a car and a homeless shelter, struggling with chronic stress that took a toll on my young nervous system. Eventually, my grandmother took in my siblings and me, keeping us out of foster care.  Read More>>

Sophie Howell-miller

Growing up, my parents faced several different trials. My mother suffered from bipolar depression as a result of some deep losses and hardships. As a young child my mother had trouble getting out of bed to face the day. This confused me and I held a deep sadness around her inability to enjoy life, convicted for many years that I could change her. Read More>>

Theron Boyd Jr

Music is my passion and I Feel As If Through All My Trials & Tribulations The Only 2 Things That Have Never Failed Me Is Myself & Music Itself. Making Music/Music As A Whole Is Where I Find My Complete Solace & Place Of Peace. Read More>>