We recently connected with Mia Rivers and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mia , really appreciate your meeting with us today to talk about some particularly personal topics. It means a lot because so many in the community are going through circumstances where your insights and experience and lessons might help, so thank you so much in advance for sharing. The first question we have is about divorce and how you overcame divorce and didn’t allow the trauma of divorce to derail your vision for your life and career.
I overcame divorce by choosing myself—every single day. I stopped blaming, stopped holding on, and started rebuilding. Piece by piece, I learned to love my own company, forgive my past, and find power in the woman I was becoming. It wasn’t easy—but healing rarely is. It was worth it.
“I didn’t just survive divorce. I became someone I actually love.”
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
“From Survivor to Artist: My Journey”
I didn’t come to New York to chase a dream. I came to survive.
After a messy divorce, years of domestic violence, and the emotional weight of immigration, I arrived in this city with nothing but a suitcase and my silence. I was healing from wounds no one could see, building a new life in a language that wasn’t mine, and learning to breathe again in a place where no one knew my name.
But New York, in all its chaos, gave me something precious—freedom. I found art in the cracks of the sidewalk, in the fire escapes, in the rhythm of people trying to make something out of nothing. I picked up my pen, my camera, my voice—whatever I could use to tell my story. Art wasn’t just a passion. It became my survival, my way of turning pain into something beautiful.
Years later, I took everything I had built—my strength, my story, my spirit—and moved to Los Angeles. Not to escape, but to expand. LA taught me softness after the hustle. It gave me sunshine after years of storms. Now, I create not just for myself, but for every woman who was ever silenced, every immigrant who felt unseen, and every soul who had to rebuild from ashes.
This is more than a journey. This is my rebirth.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Resilience.
Life didn’t hand me comfort—it handed me storms. I learned to stand up again and again, even when I was tired, even when no one was clapping. Resilience was built in the quiet moments when I chose not to give up.
Advice: You don’t have to feel strong to be strong. Just keep moving forward, even in small steps. Keep showing up for yourself, especially when it’s hard.
2. Self-belief (even when it felt fake).
I didn’t always know what I was doing, but I held onto the vision of the woman I wanted to become. I kept reminding myself, “If I made it through what I’ve been through, I can figure this out too.”
Advice: You won’t always feel ready—and that’s okay. Take the leap anyway. Confidence often comes after the action, not before.
3. Storytelling and creative expression.
Finding a way to express what I had been through—through art, writing, fashion, performance—was transformative. It helped me heal, connect with others, and find my voice in a world that once tried to silence me.
Advice: You don’t need to be perfect to start creating. Start where you are, with what you have. Your story matters, and someone out there needs to hear it.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Yes, I’m always looking to collaborate—with heart-led women who turn pain into power.
I want to connect with other immigrant women, artists, and survivors—especially those who’ve been through domestic violence and are now reclaiming their voice. If you’re building something real, if your story is your strength, if you believe art can heal and community can empower—we already speak the same language.
Whether you’re a visual artist, writer, advocate, filmmaker, or just someone with a story to tell—I’d love to hear from you. Let’s create something that matters.
If you’re reading this and you feel called to collaborate, reach out.
You can connect with me through email or instagram.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.poisonedapples/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/miriam.rozenbergova/
- Other: Email: the.miarivers@gmail.com
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
