Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our hope with the Portraits of Resilience series – we hope the stories below will inspire you to tap into your own resilience.
Andres Domit del Valle
From experiences. I believe that to reach the top, you have to fall down, and keep falling down, until you learn how to get up. For me, this philosophy works. As an artist and creator, I have had to take many risks, create things that I do not know where they will end up, try new materials, paint in a different way. Read more>>
Subrina Singh
I have only recently begun to recognize the benefits of living with a mental illness. At 16 years old, when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I could not see past the taboos and stigma, I had indirectly been taught. Like the rest of the world, I saw this as my life’s demise and the greatest curse. Read more>>
Amber Lee Connors
I grew up very poor and came from a troubled, unstable home. I was raised by my single mother who did her best to juggle work, taking care of me and putting herself through college. She has always been a source of inspiration for me. Read more>>
Kaysha Prunty
LIFE. I’ve been through hell and back, excuse my french. As for where the resilience comes in, my Grandmother aided in giving me wisdom at a young age since that was who guided me until i was 10 when she died. She told me life goes on. Read more>>
Brian Gaines
My resilience stems from witnessing my father’s remarkable strength and perseverance. Diagnosed with cancer when I was around 15 or 16, during a period when I was deeply invested in bowling, aspiring for it to fund my college education, my dad’s unwavering support became my foundation. Read more>>
Jamie Lynne
I am not always resilient, I often have to work my way back to it. If I’ve experienced an event that breaks my resilience such as a trusted person who let me down, unforeseen circumstances, or loss which comes in many forms, I will go through a period of mourning. Read more>>
Dee Wagner
I started my own therapeutic journey at 19 years old. When I was 30, I trained to be an expressive arts therapist. In 2013, I discovered new understanding of nervous system functioning. With this view of how our nervous systems work, I was able to see anatomically how therapy had helped me. Read more>>
Troy Legette
The moment I realized that I had a passion for pushing a pen evolved from my fascination of words I’ve never seen before. My writing journey is a bit unimagined since I was uninterested in reading books. Read more>>
Antonio Martinez
I most definitely get my resilience from my mom, (Yolanda Garcia Martinez) and dad, (Jose Martinez) who always led by example for me and my siblings, (Diana and Roman). My parents have very different immigrant stories of their journey from Mexico to the USA, but both equally inspiring and influential to me. Read more>>
RAUL GARCIA
I find my strength and endurance in Christ – Jeremiah 16:19-21 Read more>>
Jill Stowell
Oops! That didn’t work. Let’s try that again with a few variations! Like most service business owners, I went into business because I had something I was really passionate about. I knew I could make a difference, so I went for it. Read more>>
Candace Kirkpatrick
In a nutshell–God! Returning to the entertainment industry after having left for more than 2 decades wasn’t easy. Yet I felt the Lord calling me to do so. However, when I did return, I erroneously assumed that I would just be able to pick up where I had left off. Far from it. Whatever traction I had gained, I was now back on the bottom rung. Read more>>
Shachi Srivastava
Resilience, to me, comes from embracing our uniqueness and inner strength during adversities. True empowerment surfaces when we approach each day as a blessing, radiate positivity to those around us, and move forward with a smile, regardless of the challenges we face. Read more>>
Kylie Fly
As life would have it, there are all kinds of rejections that happen to us in all kinds of ways. The longer amount of time we have on earth, the more we get to experience the pains and losses of it all. Resilience is born from a place of pain. Read more>>
Jessenia Milagros Castillo
My mother died when I was 16 years old, she was in the terminal stage of lung cancer. In my childhood and adolescence I did not have a father present, so losing her was very hard. The sense of resilience begins there, accepting a situation that she had already fulfilled her mission on earth and that it was time for her to rest, it was a relief to be able to understand it. Read more>>
John Harmon
Being the founder of an app like ObiiGO really tested my resilience. With my background in finance I thought I had tested myself and was confident. Nothing compares to a startup. Every day there are challenges. Read more>>
Luis Miguel Anaya
My resilience comes from my family. I’ve been surrounded by hard workers my whole life. My parents didn’t have it easy growing up in Mexico, but one thing they connected on when they met was their desire for something more than what life had given them. Read more>>
Rosie Perez
I think for me personally, I gain resilience from self reflection and always trying to think positive. I know that’s way easier said than done but if you can master a positive mind, it really changes everything. Read more>>
Erin Scerbak
Being a kid from The Rust Belt, I believe there’s a level of strength that we are inherently raised with. I come from a hardworking family who has had its fair share of ups and downs but never gives up. My parent’s have always been great with teaching my siblings and myself to just get right back up and dust ourselves off if we ever fall. Read more>>
Nick Martinez
My resilience comes from believing in myself and believing in a power that is greater than I am. Staying focused on my goals or ideas and not letting outside influence change my direction has helped me reach new levels in business and personal life. Read more>>
Paulette Rigo
“Be a trouper” was the phrase I can still hear my dance teacher proclaim. (who also happened to be my mother) Resiliency, strength and courage are skills young dancers learn starting from the age of 3 …to “grin and bear it” “never let them see you sweat” and of course “the show must go on” Read more>>
Lane Gardner
In my early life, I was raised in a fundamentalist religious cult. When I was 9, my family left the cult, but the abuse and extremism continued on. I was brainwashed to believe that who I inherently was, was bad and that I needed to give up everything I ever wanted to be, do or have in order to be worthy of love and acceptance. Read more>>
Corey Mekell
My resilience comes from a place of humble beginnings. I know exactly what it feels like not to have anything and making the best of that. I also understand that I don’t have anyone to fall back on except for me and I know I’m not going to let myself down, regardless of how challenging the journey may get, I’m still determined to stay in the ring and accomplish every goal I’ve set for myself. Read more>>
Stephanie Cardenas Perez
I believe my resilience comes from the environment I grew up in and the people who surrounded me. It’s in my blood, my mental, maybe it’s even genetic. It was both positive and negative experiences in my childhood that made me realize I have to power through all things life throws my way. Read more>>
Deborah Farmer
My resilience flows from a lineage of unyielding strength and unwavering determination, rooted in the legacy of my mother, grandmother, and ancestors from Barbados and Ghana. Their stories are woven into the fabric of my being, a tapestry of resilience passed down through generations. Read more>>
Tayda B. Wayda
I think my resilience started early on as a child. I just applied it to my business because life always have unexpected changes. Sometimes we can’t do anything but adapt and other times you have to take the changes with a grain of salt. Being agile and resilient will help you get so far in like. Read more>>
Ty and Laura Velez
I firmly believe I and my wife get it from a will and a desire to create our something for our children that they can have and to represent our community in the best light. We also wanted to be our own bosses and move at our own rate. Read more>>
Olugbenga Makanju
I just believe in my ability and self, above all I believe in God for strength. Read more>>
Jbiz
I believe I get my resilience from God. One thing that I have learned in my life is God will always send you encouragement right when you need it. To say that there was not times in my life that I wanted to quit would be a lie. Read more>>
Carol Covino
I have spent the past two decades doing things that challenge me and even scare me. In my forties, I decided one day to take up running.. I skipped the running plan where I gradually increased mileage over the weeks. Read more>>
Valerie Martinelli
My resilience comes from making mistakes and building a strong mindset to keep going to reach my goals. Resilence to me means that it’s good to make mistakes as long as you’re consistently learning from them and pivoting towards learning and making changes for success. Read more>>
Nida Batool Syed
As a Mental Health Therapist and certified practitioner in various transformative modalities, resilience is not only a professional attribute but also a personal conviction. My resilience stems from an intrinsic source within me, fortified by a steadfast commitment to my goals and a belief in the guidance of a higher power. Read more>>
Knuck
Playing at the level of an independent band with regional success, one has to develop a very thick skin. In the face of algorithms bent on hiding anything that isn’t financially beneficial to a social media platform, cronyism amongst bookers and promoters, lack of any promotional support from venues when playing out of town, competition for prime slots, and overcoming the deluge of independent music on streaming platforms, one has to be tough as nails. Read more>>
Chade Lopez
Growing up as the daughter of Caribbean parents, resilience was woven into the fabric of my upbringing. Our humble beginnings instilled in me a deep appreciation for hard work and perseverance. I witnessed firsthand the resilience of my parents as they navigated challenges with unwavering determination. Read more>>
Elena Zabala
Title: Overcoming Labels: My Journey with Dyslexia. By Elena Zabala As I sit down to write this article, I am reminded of the journey that has brought me to this moment. A journey marked by struggles, triumphs, and a relentless determination to defy the odds. Read more>>
Mallory Palombit
Where do you get your resilience from? Life can sometimes be tough and disappointing, but what really matters most is how we respond to it. We can either sit in despair taking a victim mentality, or we can brush our shoulders off and take action. Read more>>
Ruth Fleury
My mother is a strong and passionate woman. Growing up, I’ve watched my mother make ends meet to support my father despite challenging times. This has influenced me to be resilient through the midst of adversity. I have learned to find joy in life rather than stress over things that I can not control. Read more>>
DeAndre Daniels
I believe my resilience came from being raised without my father in my life. It has made me tough as a individual that I had to become a man earlier in my life. I had a lot of anger and frustration growing up, because as a child to know that your father didn’t want you was very real. Read more>>
Estée Ochoa
Self love is your greatest defense. Then there is epigenetics; my parents and the ancestors who survived before me. Also pain and hardship. Pain can often turn into immense strength. No one gets out of life without experiencing pain and loss. Read more>>
Tēh Sanchez
I come from a long line of indigenous people who have survived in this current nation against the odds of genocide. My existence is resistance. Read more>>
Brensha “Shay” Searcy
My resilience stems from a lot of factors. I believe that my ability to adapt has been a major part. Throughout my life, I was put in many situations that required me to cope with stress and trauma. I had to learn to adapt. I had to change my mindset. Read more>>
Taryn Clayton
My resilience stems from an unwavering drive and determination that has been ingrained within me since I can remember. With a positive outlook on life, I’ve always been someone who refuses to settle until I find happiness. Read more>>
