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.
Laurie Whitefoot
My resilience is something that has increased a lot since starting down the path of flower farming. I’ve heard people comment that entrepreneurship and personal development go hand in hand and I completely agree with this sentiment. The more I pursue growing personally, especially with increasing my resiliency, the more my small business benefits. Read More>>
Cecily Gonzalez
I’ve had to learn to be resilient in the face of some pretty tough stuff. I’ve had to learn how to adapt, how to be flexible and how to roll with the punches.
For me, it’s about keeping a positive mindset. When something goes wrong, there’s a tendency to freak out and get stuck in a loop of negative thoughts. But you have to be able to snap out of that mindset and see what good can come out of any situation—even if it seems impossible at first glance. Read More>>
Rochelle Perez
I got my resilience from taking a positive perspective on situations. Viewing challenges as learning opportunities. Regulating my emotions and expressing feelings in appropriate ways. Focusing on the things I can control instead of dwelling on what I cannot change. Read More>>
Sabrina von Stock
I believe I got my resilience from my mother, Priscilla. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her and feel her presence around me. She always encouraged me to step out boldly even when I was deathly afraid. I had terrible self confidence issue’s growing up, and secretly she did too, but you would never see it in her. When I was a little girl, I would see and feel “spirit” she would never discourage me about my findings, she would listen to me. In a way she was protecting me. Because in rural Nebraska in the 70’s nobody knew of mediumship or anything different from church teaching. Read More>>
Matia Buggs
I think it’s important to be resilient no matter what you go through. Life comes with its fair share of punches, punches that I’ve dealt with a lot. But I truly have a foundation in God, and just knowing that He cares about the little things that happen to me, mean a lot. Read More>>
Dr. Eddie Connor
I’m reminded of a quote by Dr. Myles Munroe who affirmed, “Vision is purpose in pictures.” For much of my life, I’ve known my purpose but the vision and picture of my future always seemed to be blurry. As a son of parents who are ministers, I was raised to love God and express love to people. Grappling with their divorce and the absence of my father, I battled with how to become a man when I didn’t interact with one. How do I play the role without the script? To make matters worse, in high school, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Read More>>
Latasha Doyle
As a woman with a disability, I think “resilience” is really just being stubborn – but for a good reason. I refuse to believe that disabled folks can’t find meaningful work, so I continue to prove that we can. I am also resilient because my business has supported me and my family through hard times — and supports my team members now! Read More>>
Marquitta Johnson
My resilience story began at a young age when I found myself facing unexpected challenges. As a 16-year-old girl, circumstances led me to pivot and adapt. I was unable to complete high school and had to settle for a GED while attending Job Corps. It was during this time that I discovered the power of resilience and the ability to make something out of nothing. Read More>>
Lucy Williamson
As co-founders both myself and Nicole had good careers that we had worked hard for and had to leave to start building the Pelle Naturale brand. I worked in corporate hospitality and Nicole was a university lecturer. As young women in the work world we developed resilience whilst we built these careers throughout our twenties. Once we decided to start Pelle Naturale so many people, including family and friends, doubted that the company could work. Business advisors and lawyers told us we needed a minimum of a million dollars investment to make it work. Read More>>
Padon Suber
My resilience is behavioral trait passed down from my Father. As a community Leader my father has recoiled from many obstacles and turned those moments into experiences to build from. He use those moments to teach me how to be just as steadfast in continuing build towards the goals i would plan toast later on life. This growth-mindset was taught to me in my early years, so it comes to natural to see everything from the optimistic viewpoint now. The importance of a mindset supports the will to continue or quit. Read More>>
JELANI PERKINS
My resilience comes from understanding. It comes from patience and it comes from dedication. In the entertainment industry you have to understand that you’re going to receive countless no’s, and all it takes is one yes to change your life. Sometimes the rejection is due to things beyond your control, so focus on what you can improve on, strive to be better with every piece/performance, and stay ready for the moment that could change your life. Read More>>
Caroline Jurie
It is difficult to point out to one single thing. Many factors have played a role in building up my resilience. My early childhood was the starting point. Since we were a large family of 5 children, and because we were from the middle class, and the financial difficulties my parents faced meant that at Christmas we didn’t have merry dinners or big Christmas presents under the tree. Hardly any relatives visited us either. Read More>>
Rachel Kelly
Growing up, my family didn’t have much. I grew up in a single-parent home. My mother worked three jobs to support my sister and I. We moved often and rented house after house. I grew up in several different states and was often bullied for being the new kid. I had to overcome a lot of different challenges. This led me to my super power – resiliency. My whole life I had to be resilient. Read More>>
Daniel Komforti
People often derive resilience from various sources, including personal experiences. My past experiences, including overcoming challenges and setbacks, has shaped my resilience. Reflecting on past triumphs and realizing my ability to navigate through tough times has instilled confidence and strengthened my resilience. Read More>>
Rudy Ortega
I get my resilience from my family. I’ve seen my sister switch career paths many times but she’s always had a great work ethic and is driven unlike anybody I’ve ever seen. She’s put in very long hours to her adventure travel show that she created awhile back. All while working another full-time job as a server that she hated. She did it just to keep her passion alive and it’s led to her current job she loves. She sets up travel vacations for a big company. She works from home full-time while raising a 7 month baby. Fortunately she has a great support system to help her out including her husband. Read More>>
Luis La Rosa
In the first place I find strength and motivation in the love and responsibility that I have towards my family. The desire to provide them with a better life and protect them drives me to face challenges with determination. In addition, the ability to adapt and improve oneself is an inherent characteristic of many people who are forced to emigrate due to difficult political or social situations. The experience of leaving your home country and facing uncertainty in a new place strengthens your resilience and coping skills. Read More>>
litisha Franklin
I get my resilience from the many challenges and obstacles that I have faced in my career. The restaurant industry is an intense, male-dominated environment that can be harsh at times. I’ve endured a lot criticism and backlash that made me second guess myself. I eventually turned it around and started asking what can I do to improve and started feeding my knowledge by reading and cooking more. I also learned to not take the constructive criticism or opinions of others personal. It helped me develop a thicker skin. Read More>>
Lacey Taylor
In comparison to the children I grew up around, the odds were always stacked against me from a young age. As a child of divorce at the age of two, I looked around my world and saw intact families that had a lot more going for them. The burden alone, on my mom, and my desire to take that burden off of her was enough to completely change the person I would become. While my dad lavished me with gifts. She would raise me without child support from my father so it burdened her with the everyday expenses and all of the physical and emotional burdens of being the solo care giver. If she could do it all, I could do it all…all the time. Read More>>
Stephen Keepers Merritt
Resilience to me is like having a very strong immune system. It takes time to build and sometimes it it built through pain and sickness. I got my resilience from suffering losses and experiencing much pain. Making it through challenging times such as job loss, divorce, relationship break-ups, and having a highly successful business go out of business due to circumstances outside of my control. I also formed a huge layer of resilience from rejection. The rejection could have come from potential clients. The hardest rejection that I’ve suffered from recently was rejection from my own family. This recent experience has taught me that you cannot live up to everyone’s expectations and regardless of what people think of you, life must continue. Read More>>
Bronte Austin
My Mom has always been a strong and determined woman. She never stops looking for solutions to problems or answers to questions. Those qualities were instilled in us growing up and became important when we first started our organic farm. I remember thinking how easy it would be to grow microgreens, but there was so much more involved than we realized and the challenges we faced were frustrating. Still, I knew that like my Mom, I wasn’t going to be a quitter. Read More>>
Fiorella Melloh
When I was in my mid twenties I decided to challenged myself by looking for jobs in New York. For about 6 months I applied to multiple jobs and went thru different interviews. It was not an easy task. Throughout that time I had multiple rejections. I didn’t understand because I thought I was a great candidate. I remember applying to two different companies for different jobs and they both rejected me. I cried and felt depressed. I was living in Jacksonville trying to get a job in New York City, thinking that it was going to be easy, but it was not. However, I kept going. I kept trying. Until one day I got a call from a different company and took the offer. That offer meant living in the city and having the opportunity to have more exposure in my professional career. Read More>>
Dawn Charleston-Green
Interestingly, last year I discovered the source of my resilience after losing my biological father. It was during his memorial service when his friends shared their reflections on his life and character that I realized I was more like my father than I ever knew. Despite being raised by my mother and stepfather with strong values, faith, and a drive to pursue my aspirations, I had never fully recognized the influence of my biological father until that moment. Read More>>
Madonna Jervis Wise
Resilience is undoubtedly from both nature and nurturing in my history. My parents had non-stop work ethics. They persevered in difficult times, and instilled truth, courage, and an optimistic outlook that the impossible could be achieved with fortitude, hard work, and community. My constitution as a Midwestern farm girl was strong physically and emotionally, and with obstacles, I never gave up. A youth organization known as 4-H offered leadership and citizenship opportunities to me that included travel, debate, and projects that strengthened my skills. Read More>>
LaToya Holley Holley
My resilience comes from my knowledge, abilities, and self-confidence of the foundation that I am building. It also comes from my welcoming spirit . I have learned how to make any and all obstacle’s that has come my way less stressful by being able to effectively manage any crisis. No matter how hard running a business seems, how tough it becomes I always remind myself of my business plan and my role as a business owner . Read More>>
Marcus Chesney
I have always been a trial by fire learner. Most career paths i’ve taken, or new business ventures have always been met with resistance. Growing The Iron Legion has been met with the same.
It started out as a fake business on GTA, and turned into a real vision. When I created this vision I was working two jobs, working 7 days a week just to make ends meet. Read More>>
Lakisha Johnson
Imagine being raised by grandparents of 10 and a mother of seven who never allowed lack to defeat them. Imagine this same mother working two jobs, the majority of our childhood because she desired a better life for her children and she succeeded. Imagine knowing you live in the projects, but the inside of your home displays something different. Imagine having society already count you out because of the color of your skin, gender, poverty level, high school, etc. These are the things that made me resilient. Read More>>
Ally Manno
I get most of my resilience from massive amounts of trial and error over the years, starting since I was a child. I will admit right now that my ability to bounce back from most things may not be at the same level as other people my age, but I know that simply giving up all the time is not a moral, balanced, and authentic way to live my life. As far as how resilient I am in my present life at the moment, I would say that I am proud of myself for reaching a higher level of maturation, given that I will soon be turning 30 this year. Read More>>
