We were lucky to catch up with Dr. Clementine recently and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Clementine , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from having survived the Rwandan genocide at the age of eight, living through refugee camps and settlements and going through several life altering experiences at such a young age of 8. These experiences showed me that as human, we have the capacity of enduring that many of us will probably never experience in our lives. I have learned that literally what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and his mentality has helped me see adversity and challenges in my professional and personal lives as steppingstones to bouncing forward.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My journey is a testament to the power of resilience. As a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, I was forced to cultivate a deep, genuine resilience to endure such harrowing circumstances. Today, I am a beacon of inspiration, sharing the valuable lessons I learned throughout my journey, enabling both individuals and businesses to not just survive, but to flourish. My exceptional contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Voice of the Year Award in 2016, the Women in Action Award, and the esteemed Lifetime Presidential Achievement Award from President Joe Biden. My influence extends beyond the awards; I have been featured in business magazines alongside prominent figures like Mark Cuban and Jeff Bezos and have shared stages with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Cheryl Crow, and Aisha Tyler.
My story is marked by extraordinary persistence and determination, beginning with my escape from the war-torn environment of Rwanda at just eight years old. Rather than succumbing to the hardships of a refugee life over the next five years, I quickly matured, adopting responsibilities typically reserved for adults.
My journey didn’t stop upon my arrival in the United States in 1999. Here, I faced new challenges, including the stigma of being perceived as ‘different’ and enduring bullying during my high school years. But instead of letting these adversities shape me, I used them as fuel to keep my motivation burning brightly.
A poignant chapter in my life was the heartbreaking loss of my daughter, Clarette. Transforming my grief into action, I established the Clarette Refugee Fund, aimed at providing educational opportunities to young refugees.
What sets me apart are not only my remarkable achievements but my consistent ability to convert adversity into a driving force for empowerment. My speaking career, which began in my college years, has taken me across the globe, touching and inspiring many with my story. My audiences gain not just insight into a survivor’s journey, but also an empowering message that any hardship, however daunting, can be a catalyst for profound gratitude and personal growth.
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 innate ability to be optimistic has helped me going even when things got tough.
Having a strategy on how to see adversity as a friend and not something to be afraid of has also helped me do things I never thought it be able to do in my life.
My ability to see the best in people even when they don’t even see it themselves has helped me make an impact in the world.
The best advice I can give is: Don’t let life happen to you…you need to happen to life! Find a way to make the unpleasant things work for you and you will never have a bad day!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’d like to collaborate with people and organizations that want to build authentic resilience which will allow them to not only bounce back but bounce forward during times of stress, adversity and disruption. This IS possible!
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.clementinelive.com
- Instagram: Clementine_empowers
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drclementine?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
