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.

Kate Wish

When I reflect on where my resilience comes from, I think about my journey from Moscow to the United States at just 19 years old. Leaving behind everything I knew—my family, my career in criminal justice, my entire identity—was an act of immense courage driven by a desire for a new beginning. It was a leap into the unknown, filled with obstacles that often felt insurmountable. Read more>>

Katie Davis

While I grew up admittedly naturally loving school and learning (your welcome, parents!), performing well academically did not necessarily come easily for me. I worked and studied really hard for my good grades. I suppose that while I was blessed with a pretty magical childhood (I know, I know…it’s probably annoying for many to hear this – but I can’t lie – I did have a magical childhood), this academic effort was where my resilience began to grow. Read more>>

Joan Miller

I attribute my resilience to my late father. Born in Iowa in 1920 to failed homesteaders, he was a primary source of support for his family from a very young age. His father visited the family on Sundays only as he worked on farms miles away. With his older brother unable to walk due to the effects of polio and a differently abled younger brother, my Dad, along with his mother and sister, provided food for their family by hunting, fishing, and gardening. At the age of 9, he assisted his family out of their house as it burned to the ground. After graduating from high school in 1938 he became a farmhand like his father. Although he loved the work, he took a cousin up on a motorcycle ride to Pennsylvania for a chance at a factory job after miraculously surviving a fall down a 60-foot silo chute uninjured and, later, receiving a nasty kick from an angry cow. Loving town life (especially indoor plumbing!) and his job building radio cabinets, he and his new friends bought a plane and learned how to fly. Together, they joined the Army Air Corps six months before the United States entered World War II. He spent the war as a flight instructor and test pilot. Supported by the Montgomery GI Bill and working full-time as a draftsman, after the war he did what he couldn’t have imagined as a child in Iowa – going to college. After receiving an engineering degree, he and his young family followed jobs from Texas to California and then to Ohio, where I was born. The lovingly cared for gardens of my suburban childhood were my dad’s link to his rural upbringing. In retirement he consulted, helped found a military aviation museum in our community, and wrote poetry. He was, always, happy to be where he was. Read more>>

Lisa Meddin

As a Jewish woman, resilience is in my DNA. My great-grandparents immigrated from eastern Europe, Poland and Russia to escape anti-semitism and build a better life for their families. They overcame the challenges of immigration and assimilation into society in the Deep South and I often think of their strength, adaptability and resilience when dealing with challenges or difficult situations in work and life. Read more>>

Margaux Wong

I get my resilience from my grandparents and my ancestors watching over me. My grandparents were both Holocaust survivors – they endured a lot to help bring me here. I’ve always had this go-getter energy within me – to continue to do better and consistently grow. My daughter helps me stay resilient as well 🙂 Read more>>

 Knives Suicide

I was born in a beach community in NYC predominately compromised of Irish/Italian folk. My father is Irish and my mother is Filipino. As a result, I looked different from other children my age, and got picked on for being visibly a POC. My home life during my early childhood was also tumultuous. My father struggled with substance abuse and undiagnosed mental health issues at the time, and there would be times I would come home to him being blacked out on a couch, or opposite him screaming and throwing things from anger. My mother, on the other hand upheld traditional Asian values in parenting and expression of emotion was frowned down upon. She was very tough with me and would scold me for crying, which as a child I read as callous and cold. Read more>>

Edosa Osemwegie

We find our resilience in the community we’ve built, in the shared stories, the unwavering support, and the knowledge that what we do truly matters. Knowing that we can make even the smallest impact in someone’s life gives us the strength to keep going, to keep creating, and to keep showing up. It’s the love, the connection, and the purpose we share that make every challenge worth it. Read more>>

Sudeep Kanwal

I was 16 when I moved from India to New York—a tricky age to leave behind everything familiar just as the world starts to make sense. The first few years were mentally tough. I had to say goodbye to my friends and adjust to an entirely new culture, which gradually turned me into an introvert. Read more>>

Jason Sandagon

What an interesting question. I think I get most of my resilience from this feeling that I’m constantly being chased by wolves and the real feeling of if I stop I will die. I don’t know how to stop. Over the summer of 2024 we shot a short film for the brand [Mad King George], edited and premiered it in October to a packed room in here in New York City. All while I had been rehearsing for my cabaret that was the following month, and of course running this business. Immediately after I took my bow on stage, I went right back into working on other projects after promising everyone I know that I was going to take a break. Even when things are tough, we have a bad month and I have to pay rent out of my personal finances, I don’t know how to throw in the towel. Is this a bad answer? Read more>>

Santiago Marino

My resilience stems from my faith in the process and the belief that when things don’t go as planned, they are simply learning opportunities. I either win or learn because failure is part of the journey; you often have to do it wrong before you can do it right. I embrace challenges, understanding that success requires boldness, taking risks, and stepping out of my comfort zone, all while trusting my abilities and moving forward with faith and enthusiasm. While I still find resistance and failure difficult, I remind myself that if I’m not failing, I’m not truly growing. Growth is painful, much like working out at the gym, but I accept it, embrace it, and keep pushing forward. Read more>>

Ammara Zaheer

My resilience comes from facing tough times and challenges. I draw strength from the obstacles I encounter, and even from people who don’t support or believe in me. The negativity, jealousy, and criticism I receive only push me to grow stronger and make me more determined. Rather than letting these things break me, they fuel my perseverance and push me to stand firm and keep moving forward. Read more>>

Zayden Skipper

I believe that everyone has something special about them. For me, it is my determination to show and educate the world on the creativity and beauty of fashion. I’ve had so many setbacks and disappointments. But I’ve always been told that when one door closes, another will open, and what is for you is for you. Read more>>

Brittany Honor – Forbes

Resilience has been woven into my story from the very beginning. Growing up as a military child, I was constantly adapting to new places, new schools, and new faces. Change wasn’t an option—it was a way of life. I remember telling myself that once I became an adult, I would plant roots, stay in one place, and never have to move again. But life had other plans. Read more>>

Jamison Williams

This may seem completely random and really, only those who have done it will completely understand, but my resilience comes from my time as a part of the Phantom Regiment, a competitive drum and bugle corps (essentially marching band on steroids). It was honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Sprinting around a hot football field rehearsing for 12+ hours a day, competing at shows at night, sleeping on a greyhound bus and on gym floors for 3 months straight. You’re exhausted and sore and your body starts giving out on you (especially considering I have arthritis in my hands and feet), but you have 149 other people on the field counting on you to give 100% every second of every day. It really teaches you how push through and accomplish greatness even when your brain and body are trying to tell you that you can’t. That was incredibly formative for me and has enabled me to reach higher and farther than I ever imagined. Read more>>

Kimia Rafieian

For a musician, resilience is one of the first things you develop as you step into the professional world. Constant feedback—both positive and negative—comes from peers, mentors, audiences, and institutions such as competitions and schools. Although praise is encouraging, it’s often the criticism and rejection that leave a stronger impression, so learning to cope with them is essential. Read more>>