Meet Amanda Soler

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Soler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.

Amanda, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience probably stems from a combination of genetics and the way I was raised. But I will say this: my most profound lessons in resilience came when my middle daughter caught a cold before her first birthday—and stopped breathing.
That cold turned out to be the harbinger of a host of congenital malformations that had gone undetected. Clara needed heart surgery and was diagnosed with long-stem tracheal stenosis with complete rings—a condition accompanied by a dire prognosis.
Essentially, I lived in the Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Unit for half a year. My husband came every day, bringing our four-year-old daughter after preschool. Each day seemed to bring a new horror or, at the very least, a fresh crisis. Every eight days, my husband would stay overnight at the hospital so I could go home to spend time with our youngest daughter.
It was the most terrifying and anguish-filled time of my life. And yet, it was also the time when I learned how to find joy amidst pain, to feel courage in the face of impossible odds, to build a community of people who uplift and empathize, and to surrender to what is while working toward a future built on hope and research.
The hospital became my home, my office, my community, and our safe space. When we finally returned home, it was with oxygen tanks, a pulse oximeter, and a daughter who ate through an NG tube, required a 24-hour cycle of medications, and still carried a dire prognosis.
For me, resilience is about thriving while enduring chaos and crisis. It’s about accepting reality while working toward a life of dreams. It’s about hope and faith. It’s about reaching inside when you feel you cannot survive and finding a way to live—and live a meaningful life.
I’m happy to report that the little baby I’m writing about is now 19 years old. Clara still faces challenges, but she epitomizes resilience.
The lessons I learned during that phase of my life have shaped everything I do. Fighting for my daughter’s life through months of uncertainty and anguish created a heightened sense of reality. That experience produced truths that now form the foundation of my life—and my work with SolFul Living and the SolFul Connections podcast.
Resilience is not just about survival; it’s about finding purpose and meaning in the journey, no matter how difficult it may be.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

SolFul Living: A Vision Born from Challenge and Purpose

In the early days of the 2020 pandemic, life as we knew it slowed down, and in that stillness, I began dreaming. For over three decades, I had served as Chief Operating Officer of a Chamber of Commerce, helping countless people network, grow businesses, and achieve their goals. But I carried a secret—a deeply personal experience that had transformed my outlook on life.

That secret, born in the trauma of my daughter’s health crisis, became a desire to create something that could help people to design a life of love, intention, purpose and fulfillment, despite what they were experiencing. That experience taught me how to find joy and purpose even in the darkest moments, because, as I realized, helplessness is not a way to live—not for me, not for my other children, and not for anyone.

Through the chaos, I nurtured a dream. I envisioned a way to share what I had learned—about finding light in darkness, about resilience, and about building a meaningful life. As a writer, magazine editor, meditation instructor, wife, mother of three, and seasoned professional, I had the tools, but the whirlwind of life kept pulling me in different directions.

Then the pandemic brought the world to a halt, and in that pause, SolFul Living was born.

SolFul Living is more than a business; it’s a movement and a community. It combines decades of business and relationship-building experience with the insights I gained as a meditation instructor and survivor of life’s most profound challenges. SolFul Living is a resource for anyone seeking to live their most extraordinary life, no matter their circumstances.

We provide practical tools, techniques, courses, and gatherings that inspire people to intentionally craft lives full of purpose, joy, and connection. Whether through specialized workshops, meditation teachings, or our SolFul Connections podcast—ranked #35 on Goodpods’ list of top 100 Indie Self-Help Podcasts—we’re here to fuel ambitions and help others uncover their unique light.

With SolFul Living, I’ve created a platform where resilience meets inspiration, and where stories, tools, and community converge to uplift and empower. Together, we’re rewriting what it means to truly live.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My three top qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are: my ability to find joy as I navigate life’s ups, downs, challenges, and changes; my resilience, I can get knocked down and get back up again and again – an essential quality in business and life; and my people. Find your people! I am intentionally always building, maintaining and refining my community. This is a whole topic in and of itself.
 
This is my advice for people early in their journey. Number one: What do you want? Knowing what you want is essential to getting it. It sounds simplistic; but it’s surprising how many people get swept up in life’s currents without pausing and identifying what they really and truly want – not what others want for them, what they want. Number two: Take steps every day toward getting what you want. Be focused and every day do at least one thing that leads you toward where you want to be. Number three: surround yourself with people who uplift, support, encourage and listen with excitement as you share your dreams and goals. And, do the same for them.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

There are a few things I do when I feel overwhelmed. First of all, I move. When I’m overwhelmed from a big project, too many different projects, balancing all of the aspects of life I find important (family, business, community, me-time, learning, reading), or a crisis, I place one foot in front of the other and I act. Every morning, I meditate, learn (a language and I’m currently earning my IIN/Chopra certification as a Health Coach), read, look over my goals, affirmations and calendar. I then tend to my pets and family. Then, I work. This is daily, no matter what. Of course I allow for flexibility. But, these practices help me to collect myself spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. If I find myself worrying or ruminating, I allow some space for this – but, I don’t allow it to take over (Eknath Easwaran’s book Conquest of Mind, read early at the behest of my father goes into that concept more thoroughly). Then, deep breath move on. In the evening, I build in movement – yoga, a walk, time with family. The essential component is plan + action = overwhelm reduction. Being overwhelmed can steal little bits of your soul. Developing meaningful practices nurtures your spirit in a powerful way, reducing overwhelm and restoring your soul.

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Anne-Marie Mettus

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