Building Blocks of Success: Resilience

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.

Nicole Perez

My resilience is deeply rooted in my upbringing in a divorced household marked by both integrity and challenges. My mother, a hardworking and loving nurse, raised me from the age of 3. She was my best friend. The pivotal moment of my journey was at 14, when, after a tense visit with my father, I returned home to the devastating news of my mother’s passing. She had overdosed on New Year’s Day. She had struggled with chronic pain and depression, and her death left me to navigate life on my own. Read more>>

Ac Hampton

Resilience, for me, is not just a trait—it’s a necessity, a mindset, and a commitment to never settle for less than what I know I’m capable of achieving. My resilience comes from a life shaped by challenges, adversity, and the unwavering determination to rise above circumstances that were designed to break me. Read more>>

Roxann Murray

I am a fighter. I have always been a fighter since I was a child because no one fought for me. I fight for my rights, my voice, and my survival. I fight for others who don’t have a voice. I do this through the lens of a camera, through visual storytelling. I document others’ struggles so people can understand the world from a different perspective; becoming desensitized to issues affecting the planet and her inhabitants will bring nothing but harm to all of us, and sadly apathy has spread. Read more>>

Danielle Murrell

Resilience, for me, is a quality I’ve been cultivating and refining since childhood. It’s the ongoing pursuit of adapting to life’s challenges with grace, intelligence, and the ability to pivot when needed. Though I haven’t always succeeded in these efforts, one thing remains constant—I always find a way to get back up, no matter how massive the failures or missteps in my journey as an artist, mother, educator, and human being navigating this world. Read more>>

Bijan Masoumpanah

At an early age I discovered that I was being noticed by people in my surrounding such as family, schools etc. for being talented in many of the arts, drawing, singing, drumming etc.
This gave me an encouragement to continue in those activities and that was one indication of how I felt resilience in my life and how to go forward during life challenges. Read more>>

Sebastian Garcia

Since I was little my life has been an ever changing roller coaster that’s constantly presenting new obstacles in new shapes and forms. I am actually from the neighboring country, Mexico (Ciudad Juarez). Coming here as a kid presented the challenge of having to learn a new language, lifestyle, and culture that quickly made me realize adaptability and constantly jumping from problem to problem was going to be a huge skill in my new life in this country. Read more>>

Kristiann Colasacco

My resilience has developed over time as I have grown into a truly Independent Solopreneur. When you do not have access to certain resources and have to figure out how to survive and thrive you are planting your feet firmly into the ground to focus and make it happen no matter what challenges or adversity you face. I had to learn this a very hard way when I grew impatient and wanted to fast track success! I trusted a stranger I had met on a dating app (ironically) to guide me financially to grow my funds through an app designed to mimic the New York State Stock Exchange. Me being a creative and not a financial professional did the best research I could in that moment and had to learn to trust my spiritual discernment.  Read more>>

Stefano Profeta

Resilience is something that a person builds overtime, possibly in years of hard work, it is usually not something people are born with. It is the caapability of coming out of problems, difficulties that someone has in life and get the best out of it, turning situations upside down against the odds that presented in the first place. I always try to have and developed an optimistic side in life in general, alomst as a life philisophy, where the general rule is to be realistic but with a nice splash of optimism toward the future; my life has not been simple at all, I was not spoon fed or born in a rich family, and had to conquer everything by myself on the first place; I was not born in an artistic family either, so when I decided to study in a dramatic art academy and move to the US to pursue acting, no one ever pushed me or gave me a helping hand, I had to do everything by myself; that’s where my resilience came from and started to build up, from all the challeges and bad curves life gave me and will continue to present me with, it’s a neverending journey, full of tests and examinations, in which I always have to find the best way to face this amazing path called life. Read more>>

Chris Shields

1. Identity – when you know who you are, you know what you have a right to. You have a right to the abundant life. Therefore, you will make a point to focus on looking forward to what is going to come rather than fixating on what you are enduring, knowing that what is to come is going to workout for your good if you choose to continue forward. The suffering only continues when you choose to stop, movement always stops the suffering and gets you to the desired destination. Read more>>

Christine Sharp

I have a lot of health issues. I have chronic, daily migraines, an autoimmune thyroid disease, a digestive system disorder that has previously been diagnosed IBS-C but hasn’t responded to medication for that condition, cluster headaches, reactive hypoglycemia, chronic neck pain, preeclampsia (with my pregnancies), as well as the more minor conditions of asthma, carpal tunnel, radial tunnel, and cubital tunnel, allergies, vascular reflux, and motion sickness, among other things. All of that can be summed up as: I am in a lot of pain, almost all of the time. Read more>>

Dr. Francis Olaoluwa Ogunleye

I was born and raised in Nigeria. As an immigrant to the United States, where i came from has thought me the value of hard work, dedication, resilience, Grace, self reliant, and humility.
All of these have contributed to my journey so far. Read more>>

Mmabatho Montse

Resilience is more than strength in the face of adversity—it is a sacred alchemy, transforming hardship into purpose and pain into progress. For me, resilience springs from a deep well of identity, connection, and a profound sense of belonging that transcends time and space. I was born in South Africa to a migrant mother from Lesotho and trace my ancestral roots to the Basarwa people of Botswana. These connections carry the echoes of countless stories of endurance and triumph. My name, Mmabatho—“Mother of the Peoples”—is both a guiding light and an inheritance, linking me to what Alice Walker describes as an unbroken line stretching “all the way back, perhaps, to God; or to gods” (In These Dissenting Times) Read more>>

Courtney Bourasaw

I think it’s part of my personality to fight in the face of adversity. But I know that I find my strength in the Lord. Read more>>

Dionysia Ross

My resilience stems from my faith and belief in God. From a young age, I faced numerous challenges, yet despite adversity, I have continued to give myself grace, stay connected with God, and prioritize my mental and physical well-being, no matter what life throws my way. Growing up, my childhood was complex and multifaceted. My mother, though well-intentioned, struggled with her own trauma, which often led to a home environment filled with tension and uncertainty. She ensured that I was financially cared for, but due to her upbringing, I had to learn how to navigate life as an emotional being. Despite these challenges, my mother’s unwavering support and resilience in the face of adversity had a profound impact on me. On the other hand, my father was absent, dealing with his own trauma. Read more>>

Marshall Day

Both of my parents. They are both people who taught me to always believe in myself and never give up. Read more>>

Sami Schmidt

silience as a queer business owner comes from navigating the intersection of my identity and my entrepreneurial journey. Building a business that supports local women-owned farms and creates opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals is a reflection of my belief that challenges can lead to meaningful change. Every step I take, from building community connections to advocating for inclusivity, strengthens my determination to thrive and make an impact. Read more>>

Taylor Cotton

I would say I got my resilience from coming from a place of lack.During my pregnancy,I stopped working at one point and it was a difficult time for me but I was still pursuing graphic design and other things on the side.I wanted to make sure I was in a better position before having my daughter, so that was also where a lot of my resilience came from.It meant trying until I got it right and falling on my face a lot! Read more>>

Desiree Karyn

I get my resilience from my mother. I never saw her give up, no matter the circumstances. She kept going. I became a mother at 21, and I can say that watching my mom and becoming a mother myself has made me even more resilient. I can’t, and I won’t, give up as long as my daughter is watching me. Read more>>

Preston Craig

This question actually covers two topics i.e.,resilience and work ethic. I got both from my parents. My mom was an RN before she married my dad and some of her stories revealed to me, not only the many trials and tribulations she went through in order to get her degree as an RN but also, the physical endurance she had to practice; sometimes having to work 24 hour shifts. In addition, her hard work as a mom to be able to raise 11 children. She really had to learn to cope with many issues; farm life was not easy. As for my dad, stories of his hard scrabble life after his dad abandoned his family and how he, and his siblings, struggled to survive during and through the Great Depression, really showed me how he persevered. His sacrifices to go work 4 years in the CCC camps, which were set up by Roosevelt to supply jobs for young men and relief for families who had difficulty finding jobs during this time, allowed him to earn a wage, a lot of which he sent back home to his mom and garner some work experience. He helped to improve the country’s public lands, parks, and forests. Toward the end of his stint at the camps, he enlisted into the army and ended up fighting in some of the most taxing conditions in the Pacific Campaign of WWII. Read more>>

David Ventura

From a young age I’ve attended church and have always been a very spiritual person. There have been many instances in my life where I’ve had to look beyond my challenges, beyond my problems, and beyond my circumstance to be able to push forward. Although it may appear from the outside that my resilience is a trait of my personality, it is something that has been developed over time through trials and overcoming ‘failure’. Resilience is like a muscle, and it must be trained. Read more>>

Michael Mitchell

My resilience was shaped by my surroundings. Growing up, I endured and witnessed incredible trauma, pain, loss, and hardship. Through it all, one word stayed with me: survive. Read more>>

Rachel Kallander

I gained my resilience without a doubt from my community and my family. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs, immigrants from Sweden, and World War II vets. The matriarchs in my family have thrived under pressure for generations, my parents built a small but mighty empire in Alaska’s fisheries and started out with very little, and my community survived one of the worst environmental disasters in US history. Read more>>

Shay Franklin

My resilience comes from a combination of my upbringing in Baltimore, Maryland, and my personal experiences, which shaped my determination to overcome adversity. Growing up in a tough city, I witnessed the struggles of those around me, including financial hardships and the challenges of navigating a city with its own social and economic barriers. I was raised in a home for kids due to the struggles of the disenfranchised community I was born into. Read more>>

Rinell Ponceleon

I get my resilience from the many hardships in my life. I had to keep going because I had no other option. Read more>>

Seth Pepper

Being a professional athlete… the pursuit and achievement of best in the world. Read more>>

Christie Pierce

I’ve been asked how I made it through to the other side and my reply has been, “because failure wasn’t an option”. Social media is loaded with hashtags about resilience but this is what it means to ME: There are days where I wish I knew then what I know now but honestly, this is my journey and although it has been incredibly unpredictable and obscenely challenging it’s also been overwhelmingly expansive. In April of 2023 I was hiking in the South of France. I had taken a few weeks off from work to attend a week-long women’s retreat in Bandol and afterwards planned to visit friends in Paris. Read more>>

Taylor (taylor) Ehle (hammer)

A common misconception about floristry is that it’s just “playing with flowers.” We get it! We used to think that, too, until we dove headfirst into the industry. When we first started, you could find us crouched under the blazing desert sun, scrubbing five-gallon buckets with bleach water. Once cleaned, those buckets were partially filled with water and became temporary homes for 75 roses, 30 hydrangeas, or other stunning blooms. Our next task was to carry those heavy buckets, brimming with flowers, into the cooler to keep them fresh. Read more>>

Mathias Charles Yabe

My resilience is rooted in my upbringing in a small farming community in Ghana. Watching my parents, small-scale farmers, persevere through unpredictable weather and limited resources taught me the value of determination and adaptability. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I drew on these lessons to develop a disability-friendly virtual learning platform for hearing-impaired students, despite limited resources and no prior experience. This platform reached over 850 students and earned international recognition. Read more>>

Nikki Scott

My resilience is fueled from my desire to succeed. Negativity can also fuel me to change the outcomes of a typical situations. Read more>>

Thomas Gallagher

To consider myself resilient, I suppose comes from an unrelenting self-competitiveness mixed with a little bit of insecurity. For better or worse, I’m never fully satisfied with whatever accomplishment is behind me, and I’m always looking ahead to how I can improve on my next effort. I’ll never forget an experience I had when I was very young, showing up to band practice one day to find I had been replaced by another guitar player. Of course I was extremely defensive at the time, but that quickly turned into my being mesmerized by the sound that was coming out of this new guy. He was such a fantastic player, he even made the not-so-nice guys I had been playing with sound pretty darn good. I put my tail between my legs, left without saying goodbye, and knew exactly what I needed to do. I went home, grabbed my sister’s Led Zeppelin records and got down to some serious practicing.  Read more>>

Anaya Roy

Resilience comes from a combination of experiences, mindset, and habits. It’s shaped by: 1. Past Challenges: Facing and overcoming difficulties builds strength and confidence to handle future obstacles. 2. Support Systems: Having friends, family, or mentors who offer encouragement and perspective. 3. Mindset: A growth mindset, which sees failure as a learning opportunity, is key to staying resilient. 4. Self-Care Practices: Physical and mental well-being, through rest, exercise, or mindfulness, fuels resilience. Read more>>