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.
Ana Pestana
I come from a culture that resilience is our second nature. As a Portuguese descendant, I saw my parents come from a foreign country and fight their way through the struggles and hardships that they faced. From learning a new language (english), to the importance of family, and unity. They sacrifice everything to be able to provide for our family. My resilience comes from there. The seed was planted at a young age, and the plant just kept growing, blossoming into the person I am today. Nothing ever came easy to us and that’s okay, I’ve learned to appreciate the struggles as learning experiences so that I can do, and be better. Sometimes I do want to throw down that towel and say what am I doing here? It would be a lot easier having a secure 9-5 job where I wouldn’t have to worry about financials, or how am I going to attract clients into my space. Read more>>
Jsal
My journey into music began as a way to cope during one of the most challenging periods of my life—facing cancer treatment. At a time when words alone felt inadequate, I found solace and expression in music. Songwriting started as a therapeutic outlet, a way to process fear, hope, and the intensity of that experience. Over time, music became more than therapy; it grew into a calling and a way to connect with others on their journeys. Read more>>
Carolyn Kamii
From my family. My great grandparents came to this country to pursue a better life, but they had to overcome tremendous odds (language, prejudice, not having means) to do this and work very hard to succeed in establishing their new life. It wasn’t easy to be an Asian immigrant in Los Angeles in the early 20th century. There was tremendous prejudice against Japanese Americans that got so much worse during World War II, leading to their incarceration. Some of my family members escaped incarceration by enlisting in the U.S. military and their linguistic knowledge of Japanese helped America win the war. Read more>>
Miriam Wasmund
I think my resilience and work ethic have been something that has been an intrinsic part of me my whole life in a way. I had an exceptional role model, my mother. She was a single parent bending over backwards to keep her two children,my brother and I, safe and sound. She had, had a difficult life as did we as children but she always demonstrated that you have to keep going, that you have to find a way, that you have to be a good person and if it meant getting up early and staying up late you had to do what it took to survive an often unfriendly world. I think I internalized that as a young child. Find a way, if it matters to you, find a way. I have had to get back up many times over, I always carry with me a survivorship of sorts. I have to keep going to tell the stories to make the work to show up for things and people that matter to me, cause if not me then who? Read more>>
Salvador Tinoco Barahona
Time and experience. When I reflect on my youth, more specifically 10-12 years ago, I was so concerned about making money and doing it in the least risky way possible, that I wouldn’t even take a chance on being a part of such a competitive market as art. I am blessed to work a job right now in the US Army, that allows me to do good fulfilling work when I am on the clock, but have enough time to spend with my family after, then once they are all asleep, I have time to relentlessly work on art. I have learned through experience and time that not everyone will like my artwork and that is okay. The idea of not appealing to the masses used to worry me so much that I was willing to forego artwork all together to avoid the criticism. Now, I have adopted an understanding that some will love my art and others just wont get it. For those who don’t, that’s okay, it wasn’t for them in the first place. Read more>>
Cherokee Case
I believe resilience is something that takes a lifetime to build, and the circumstances are different for everyone. For me, it started while I was growing up in Detroit. My dad had a lot of mental and physical health problems that led to drug addiction, and witnessing “traumatic” things was the norm for my siblings and I at a very young age. I put “traumatic” in quotes, because for an experience to be traumatic, it has to be outside the norm as you interpret it in your own mind, and I didn’t realize that my life was abnormal for a kid my age until I was around 12 or so. I would laugh while telling my friends stories at school, and they’d look at me concerned, and every now and then I’d have an adult ask me if everything was okay. Read more>>
Zak Webb
My resiliency comes from life itself. I’m definitely no stranger to struggle. After losing my parents as a young man and taking responsibility for the well being of my special needs sister, it became apparent that I must tackle any obstacles in the path of my success. In order to learn from challenges, we really have no choice but to face them head on. As I moved through adversity, I realized that I was succeeding and had the strength within me to deal with anything that came at me. Read more>>
Suzannah Kolbeck
Resilience is a tricky question: is it innate, or can it be developed? For me, it might be a mix of both. I come from strong women and tough times; I spent the first three years of my life in a one-room cabin in the mountains with no hot water, and many years after that very poor. I have had various traumatic childhood experiences that I carried with me into adulthood, and my husband died in a car accident when I was 42 (and our child was just 12). The last experience really solidified for me that if I am nothing else, I am resilient. Every day for a year after my husband died I put my feet on the floor — everything after that was a bonus. Read more>>
Valentina Naranjo Saavedra
My resilience comes from the ability I’ve developed to adapt, endure, and thrive despite all the adversities I’ve faced since I was a child. In my mind, there’s always a voice that says, “Don’t give up, keep going,” even when things get tough. I’ve nurtured this strength because I’ve always had a clear sense of where I want to go, and the biggest pillar that supports me is my family. Read more>>
Sarah Grant
My strength comes from my commitment to my vision, knowing that I’m the backbone of everything I build. Being a single mother, running businesses, and pursuing my dreams has taught me that there’s no room for excuses—just action. I get my resilience from the mindset that every setback is fuel for my drive and each win is proof of what I’m capable of. When you put in the work before the play, resilience becomes second nature—it’s not just about bouncing back but moving forward stronger than ever. Read more>>
Katie Pobjecky Orr
Resilience has been something I’ve had to cultivate over time, shaped by challenges and setbacks, but also by moments of unexpected support and discovery. Growing up in an educated family, with my dad being a tax attorney and my mom an English teacher, I was expected to succeed academically. But school was a struggle for me, though I didn’t know why at the time. It wasn’t until later that I learned I had ADHD, something that wasn’t widely understood in the 90s. Being held back in second grade deepened my insecurities, but I found solace in art. I loved drawing and creating things, though I was too shy to share that side of myself until high school, when I discovered ceramics. My teacher encouraged me to think outside the box, and that’s where I found my confidence. Read more>>
Joseph Swanigan
My resilience? Good question ….id say from being born an extreme not have to the point I did not have proper parental support and had to become that for my siblings and loved ones in many shapes and forms I’m still there. Read more>>
Nicole Burbank
I think there’s a common misconception that resilient people are just born this way, but I believe resilience is actually a skill set that anyone can build over time. When I work with clients, I teach them to develop resilience like a ‘resilient soup’—a blend of essential ingredients that, together, create the strength to face life’s challenges. Read more>>
Sarah Evans
I think it comes from being raised with a strong work ethic and an ability to keep moving forward. In business, I sometimes see things that are needed or missing in a community. If it’s a skill I can bring, I move towards it with an unwavering determination. The ability to lock into a vision like that allows me to push through setbacks, pivot around failures and bring an energy to what I’m doing that I wouldn’t otherwise have. Read more>>
Jacob Suarez
Resilience, for me, was shaped by conversations with my grandparents and learning about their incredible journeys. One side of my family immigrated from Uruguay over 50 years ago, arriving in a country where they didn’t speak the language, didn’t know how to drive, and had a newborn to care for—all while facing the threat of deportation. The other side came from similarly humble beginnings, overcoming numerous obstacles all on their own. Read more>>
Robert L. Kay
My resilience comes from two places for very different reasons. The first: my Dad. He joined the 82nd Airborne Rangers to fight in WWII, leaving high school before graduating. When the war was over the only job he could get was sweeping the floor in a machine shop. Without a high school diploma he worked his way up, becoming a machinist and ultimately leading contracts administration for a company that made parts for every aircraft that flew in the US in the 50’s and 60’s. My Dad never let anything stop him from pursuing his dreams. He went back and got his high school diploma when he was 55. No matter what life threw at him, he always had a smile and a way to get through. Read more>>
Muzhda Akbari
Resilience is my favorite word; it gives me a warm feeling, even though it reminds me I might sometimes be scared. Throughout my life, many experiences have pushed me to become more resilient and to overcome challenges. The most significant factor in this journey was growing up in Afghanistan, where I faced limitations, fear, war, and more on a daily basis. I learned from a young age that resilience was essential for imagining a better life for myself and for those around me. Read more>>
Joan Jocson-singh
It took me reaching my 40s to finally answer this question and it’s not really a short one. Feel free to edit as needed! I feel like I can finally articulate the lush and emotional landscape that is my mind. Perhaps it needed this long a time to marinate in my body. I don’t know. I was often a child who felt displaced, or what my therapist today has labeled “abandoned.” It took me a lifetime to understand the implications and meaning behind that word. I’m the youngest of three children and never particularly felt like I was abandoned. It was the kind of childhood where you woke up on Saturday mornings to fight with your brother so that you could watch your favorite cartoon, only to be bullied into watching yet another episode of GI Joe. Read more>>
Nadia Gross
Growing up in Wilmington, (DE) especially in a tough neighborhood, resilience became a part of who I am out of sheer necessity. Life there was anything but easy—surrounded by crime and facing limited opportunities, I quickly learned the importance of being strong and adaptable. I had to figure out how to bounce back from setbacks, and that skill became essential for my survival and growth. Read more>>
Igor Blintsov
My resilience comes from my extensive experience in the financial sector, particularly in high-stakes roles at Citi Bank and Alfa-Bank. Working in debt recovery and fraud prevention required me to handle complex, high-pressure situations and taught me to stay calm, focused, and solution-oriented. Transitioning from a secure corporate role in Eastern Europe to founding AICFO Solutions in the U.S. further strengthened my resilience. Building a fintech startup from scratch presented challenges like regulatory obstacles and competition, but my commitment to empowering small and medium-sized businesses kept me going. Each setback reinforced my belief that resilience is about adaptation and learning to navigate every challenge with a strategic mindset. Read more>>
Desi & Darren Gaither
D&D started because of burnout and a love for quilting. In April 2022 I (Desi) was suffering severe burnout in my career, bought a sewing machine and started quilting again for the first time in a decade to.copr. In July 2022 D&D Tropical Trading Co. Went live on Etsy. Originally it was a tiny shop and that sold scrunchies, mug rugs and headbands. Darren was seeing all the cool.Tropical and Disney images available and started both creating and sourcing fabrics for 3 yard Bundles that I could turn into quilts and bags. Read more>>
Andrea Simon
I get my resilience from family members. My mother and grandparents escaped religious persecution in Eastern Europe and came to this country before World War II. My maternal grandmother endured pogroms and brought her children to Ellis Island, not knowing the English language. These immigrants settled in a foreign land and eventually made successful careers, some battling antisemitism and gender restrictions.My maternal grandmother, in particular, brought up nine children, had three marriages, and traveled widely. She surviived the death of two sons. She was a charismatic storyteller and mesmerized me with tales of her adventures. Read more>>
Guy Balbaert
With grandparents and parents that were professionals in the theatre industry I quickly noticed that my upbringing was clearly different then the other kids in school and different is not always appreciated between kids, so that was my first lesson in being resilient and standing up for being who I was. Also being around adults all the time as a kid gave me insight on what life was all about and what you needed to have inside of you to deal with it well. Humour was what I saw most as a life saver and I cherish humour immensely. Diversity as well, but it takes years to tap into that source of understanding and acceptance. Read more>>
Gerald M (jerry) Tuckman
I am a retired 78-year man and emerging artist. I have written poetry for approximately 70’years but have created steel sculpture only in the last four years. I have put the two together, and also written poetry to complement fine art and one symphony in what I call ArtsPairing. Read more>>
Will Levatino
When I was 18, I was in a very bad car crash, where I broke my neck, my femur, and a few other bones. I was in a coma after surgery and when I came to was told that I would be quadriplegic. There is a part of me that just wouldn’t accept that as an answer, I refused to believe what they were telling me and that that was my future. And I am one of those miracle stories you hear about where one day I started to get feeling in my toes then my feet, ankles, knees, etc., etc. to this day, I still have to push through my disability , but all the things I face don’t compare to what I’ve already overcome. Read more>>
