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.

Robin Stevens

I get my resilience from being in foster care as a small child. I was 5 months old when I was placed in foster care and though I was always aware of who my birth mother was, I was raised by parents who at the time of my placement, were in their 60s. Quite a generational distance I might say but they were good parents who raised me in the admonition and admiration of the Lord. Read More>>

Jasdeep Mand

I learn or I would say got it from my dad. He was very tough guy and always help others. So not only this but learnt many other good lessons from my dad. Read More>>

Joseph

Resilience, for me, comes from a deep desire to serve. I’ve always felt a calling to show up for others — to help, to problem-solve, and to create something meaningful that can truly improve someone’s business or life. That sense of purpose gives me strength, especially in the face of challenges. Read More>>

Bella Bea

It’s about becoming—choosing softness when you could be hard, choosing love when you were shown pain, choosing to keep going even when no one expected you to. Read More>>

Rebecca Glenski Coppage

I have learned resiliency from my amazing mom, Christine Glenski. Throughout my entire life, my mom has shown me time and time again how to be resilient, whether it is through her life stories or through watching her carry herself when times get difficult. She puts her chin up, and she puts one foot in front of the other. Read More>>

Derek Flores

My mom – easily. I was very lucky to come from a very strong woman. We fight a lot and rarely agree, but seeing her work and how she navigates life and STILL raising me and my siblings (despite our age) makes me feel like I can overcome any obstacle thrown my way. When I face something that feels like the end of the world, her first response is usually “Okay, well keep going.” I love you, mom. Read More>>

Daryl Webb

Honestly, my resilience comes from God. I wouldn’t be who I am without Him. Losing my father at the age of six changed the entire course of my life. That kind of void doesn’t just disappear, it shapes you. But what the enemy meant to break me, God used to build me. My strength comes from every moment I chose faith over fear, purpose over pain, and obedience over convenience. Read More>>

Andrea McPherson

I gained my resilience from lived experiences – it has shown me both beauty and hardship, and I’ve learned to stand in both. I’ve had to rebuild, start over, and keep showing up even when things felt uncertain. I draw strength from people I love, especially my children, and from the deep belief that I’m here for a purpose greater than my circumstances. Resilience, for me, comes from choosing growth over bitterness, progress over perfection, and love over fear. Read More>>

Cristina Braun

Resilience is not merely about overcoming challenges; it’s about how you stand tall and push through when those challenges attempt to knock you down. I was born with this resilience firmly within me. My mother battled mental illness and resorted to drugs and alcohol to cope during my childhood. From an early age, I recognized the importance of being aware of my surroundings and working diligently to secure a happy and healthy future for myself. Read More>>

Cassidy Cagney

I didn’t know I was dyslexic until the end of my freshman year of high school. Until then, I thought school was just harder for me than it was for everyone else. I could see how much easier it seemed for the other kids, and I was beyond frustrated. It didn’t feel fair. Read More>>

Soon Hagerty

I get my resilience from my family.

When I was nearly five, my parents immigrated to the U.S. with seven kids and just $300 in their pocket—fleeing Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. My father had fought alongside American soldiers, and they left everything behind for a better life. Read More>>

Erin Johnell Dickey

My deep passion for life and its endless possibilities is what makes me resilent. Every challenge I’ve faced has only ignited a greater desire to rise, to try again, and to keep pushing forward. I’ve endured setbacks that could have broken me,but instead, they built me. That’s why I proudly call myself the bounce-back princess. Read More>>

Aretha

My resilience simply comes from my faith in Christ, I find the strength to keep going and to overcome obstacles because I know God loves me and while and won’t fail me. Do I sometimes fell like giving up when the storm gets too much to handle OfCourse I do I am human, but I remember all the storms I have already overcame and it reminds me if that one didn’t take me out this one surely won’t. So, my resilience come from my life experiences and knowing that no matter how hard lfe gets because of the love of God I am equipt for the battle. Read More>>

Stephanie Cespedes

Resiliency is something we all hope to possess but not everyone has what it takes to bounce back from life’s challenges. I believe I gained my resiliency early on in life as an Army Brat. It wasn’t easy moving from one place to the next as a kid. Making new friends, learning the ropes of a new school, and acclimating to a new place are very challenging for anyone, especially a kid who is still developing. Read More>>

Halle Li

I get my resilience from my mother. She is the strongest person I know, and everything I’ve learned about perseverance, grace under pressure, and unwavering love comes from watching her live her life. I’ve seen her face unimaginable challenges with a quiet strength that never asked for recognition, only results. She didn’t just tell me to be strong — she showed me, every single day, what strength truly looks like. Read More>>

Daisy Castillo

Resilience, for me, comes from a mix of deep personal experiences, a commitment to my dreams, and the love I have for the people I’ve lost. One of the biggest sources of my resilience comes from my sister, who faced numerous challenges due to her disabilities. Watching her go through life with so much strength, despite the constant obstacles she faced, taught me something fundamental: you keep going, even when life isn’t fair or easy. Read More>>

Alessandrina Dorer

A lot of my resilience comes from lived experience—growing up with developmental trauma and navigating deep personal losses throughout my life. Those early patterns shaped me to bounce back from intensely challenging situations, and over time, I’ve learned that I don’t need to be perfect or hold it all together to feel safe, loved, and accepted. Read More>>

Chris Matteo

I wasn’t born resilient – I had to build it, one setback at a time

Growing up, I was considered gifted. I picked things up quickly, did well in school, and stood out in sports. For a while, things came easily. But when I was 16, I herniated a disc in my back while juggling football, volleyball, and weightlifting. A neurosurgeon looked me in the eye and said, “You’ll never lift again.” Read More>>

Ebony Hall

You know, people often ask me where my resilience comes from, and I always say it’s not something I picked up from a book or a motivational speech. I got my resilience from everything that broke me but didn’t kill me. On my 21st birthday, while others were blowing out candles and making wishes, I was rushing from the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Johnson, Louisiana, catching a flight back to Columbus, Georgia. Read More>>

Soufside Dre

To be honest , I was born with it. I believe my resilience comes from all the pains and struggles I endured in my life. I know that when you have went through so much you have no choice but to either pull through and keep fighting or lay down and die. I was born to do what Im doing and that is creating. Read More>>

Jamie Shultz

My resilience comes from being sick. Living with a chronic illness stripped away so much of what I once took for granted, especially my health, my independence, and my career. But in facing all of that, I found a strength I never knew I had. Being sick taught me how to persevere, how to think creatively, and how to keep moving forward, even on the hardest days. It gave me a deep determination to help others going through the same thing. Read More>>

Jennifer Porciello

It’s rooted in a deep sense of responsibility, first to my children, and before that, to the vision I’ve always had for my life. I’ve never given up on myself because I’ve never seen that as an option.

I’ve always been entrepreneurial. I believe in hard work, consistency, and creating opportunities rather than waiting for them. While some days are harder than others, I’ve learned to focus on what is working, and use that momentum to move forward. Read More>>

Katye Wasson

I’ve learned resilience the hard way — through deep, personal loss. I know what it feels like to want to give up. But I also know that when you keep going, when you choose not to quit, something miraculous can come from the pain. That mindset has shaped everything I do. Read More>>

Denisse & Jonathan (JD) Daniels

Neither of us grew up with a silver spoon. We both had to deal with much adversity which gave us a strong footprint for how we would be as adults. One of our biggest experiences of resilience was the birth of our second child. We knew when the doctors wanted to see us after our 20-week ultrasound that something wasn’t right. Sure enough, a rare condition was diagnosed, and we used the power of prayer and positivity to help guide us through the pregnancy. Without sharing too much information, our son is now thriving as a normal 12-year-old. We always tell each other, that nothing will ever be as difficult as that, and we can overcome anything. Read More>>

Neal Greenberg

I’d attribute it to a mix of practice and upbringing. I wasn’t an exceptional student, but I could focus deeply on things that genuinely interested me. My parents weren’t overly strict about grades, but they made sure we always felt loved—even when we fell short—and they never let us adopt a victim mentality. We were taught to take ownership of our circumstances and keep moving forward. Read More>>

Jae Lucas

I really can’t live with the idea of having gave up on something.

Like for example in a video game .. many of my friends tell me when they lose they just turn off the system and take a step away but it isn’t that simple for me .. I gotta prove to myself that I can do it; that I can persevere. Read More>>

Gabrielle Garzon

In the face of life’s trials, there’s a quiet strength that comes from knowing I am not alone. No matter how many times I am knocked down, I draw resilience from the unshakable force of God’s presence. When the weight of the world feels too heavy, I find solace in the certainty that God is with me—guiding me through every storm, supporting me when I feel weak, and lifting me up when I am most in need of His grace. His power doesn’t just sustain me, it transforms me. Read More>>

Ryan Watkins

My resilience comes from my Christian faith in God’s providence. Despite the hardships my business took during covid and the difficulties of balancing my work with the other organizations I volunteer with I can trust and all things are working together for the good of those who believe in Him. Read More>>

Selena Aguirre

My resilience comes from my faith in God and my knowing that God works all things for the good of those who love him. Through his unconditional love I have always found the strength to keep going despite challenges, setbacks, or no’s. Read More>>

Dhiraj Adhikari

My faith in God and the trust of my family are where I get my resilience from. Resilience isn’t something I learned alone but it’s built upon years of hardwork, learning through failures and believing in my calling. It helps me stay grounded during challenges and motivated to keep going. Read More>>

Chikiya Balthrop

My resilence didn’t start overnight, but it came from the trials and challenges that I faced in my life.It was build through every setback, heartbreak , and challenge I faced. Through all of this it has been times when it didn’t look like it would ever been sunshine on the other side, and I wanted to quit. In the lowest places I kept pushing through even when my strength felt like it was gone I knew this was building my faith.  Read More>>

DeAndre West

Resilience, for me, is not merely a trait; it is a tapestry woven from the threads of my experiences. From a tender age, life bestowed upon me challenges that would test the very fabric of my spirit—trials that I would not wish upon another soul. Yet, rather than succumb to adversity, I embraced it as a catalyst for growth. Read More>>

Cordell Winter

In regard to performing alongside legends like Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins or being called back for a second year to Sturgis Buffalo Chip to share the stage with The Stone Temple Pilots…

For me, it’s never been about the accolades. It’s the journey as a whole. Read More>>

Natalie Shay

I think with any kind of creative career or venture you need to be aware of the level of resilience it takes to be successful before you begin. Even if you’re not ready to handle rejection just yet you need to be ready to learn on the job. Anything where you’re putting yourself or your art out there will come with a lot of rejection / things falling through / being ignored. I started my project when I was 13 years old, so I had many years to practise being resilient and keeping going no matter what life throws your way – ie.  Read More>>

Hannah Elliott

I get my resilience from a long line of strong women on both my mother’s and father’s side—women who carried grit, tenacity, unwavering determination and fearlessness. I once heard my mom tell my Nannie “you could fight in your sleep.”That same spirit runs through me. But what has truly grown and sustained my resilience is the grace of God. It’s His strength in my weakness that has shaped me, refined me, and taught how to rise despite. Read More>>

Rodney Warren

I would like to think I got my resilience from my mother. growing up in a single parent home I watched her make something out of nothing on a daily basis. We didn’t have much but she was always willing to help others. She would take in kids who parents might not be in the best of abilities to provide due to various reason rather it be drug use or abuse, but she never turned away a hunger child or left one that was in need. Read More>>

Shuang Qin

I think my resilience comes from where I started—from growing up in a small town in China where art was not a visible part of life, and filmmaking felt impossibly far away. But I always had a quiet belief that stories could open doors, and I held onto that even when I had no clear path forward. Read More>>

Hazzy Bako

I’ve stumbled, I’ve tried, and I’ve failed—but I never quit.
Every failure is not the end, but a lesson that fuels my fire.
Each setback sharpens my vision, strengthens my will, and pushes me to rise higher.
I’m not just chasing a goal—I’m becoming unstoppable. Read More>>

Shev

Resilience, for me, comes from years of navigating uncertainty and having to adapt quickly. Working across different countries, industries, and cultural landscapes teaches you to think on your feet and stay grounded in your vision—especially when the external circumstances aren’t ideal. Read More>>

Mary Smyer

“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.” Read More>>

XVND!

I get my resilience from all the matriarchs in my family.I was raised by strong,independent Caribbean/African American wowen,who taught me to never quit on myself or my dreams no matter how hard the journey may become. Read More>>

Joseph Mario Micale

My resilience comes from my mission and my roots. I started my company, Narrative Digital Media, because my region of Northeast Ohio had been experiencing population decline for 2 decades. People were moving out, and my city of Akron had long reached its peak. I remember being in high school talking with my friends about where they were going to college and very few of them were staying in the area. Read More>>