Stories & Perspectives on Resilience Building

We’ve shared some incredible stories of resilience below that we hope will help you on your journey towards building up your resilience.

Kyoko W P

I grew up in an abusive home. Then I married an abusive man. I stayed in the marriage despite the abuse for a while before I realized this is not right. Not right for me and not right for my daughters. So I planned and packed and one night we made our escape. Read more>>

Kayla Ryan Walsh

I think when you’ve been conditioned by those around you that you aren’t enough, or you’re told “NO” so frequently, you start to develop a stronger sense of self, and are able to analyze and diagnose yourself more clearly. I felt completely emboldened when I moved to New York to become a professional actor post-college, because I really had no one telling me I would make an impact (other than my Mom of course!) so I went in absolutely delusional, and with no expectations. Because of that, I developed a strong spine and didn’t think I’d find success or joy as quickly. Read more>>

Samuel Phanor

I get my resilience from the diverse and challenging experiences I’ve encountered throughout my life. Serving over 20 years as an Army Reservist, including two tours in Iraq, was instrumental in shaping my ability to adapt, persevere, and lead in high-pressure situations. Those experiences taught me that resilience isn’t just about surviving tough moments, but about embracing them, learning from them, and growing stronger. Read more>>

Halie Rose Bloom

Resilience is a tricky word—one that often carries an unspoken weight. Many shy away from it because it implies an expectation to endure, to always bounce back. For as long as I can remember, people described me as the child who was “resilient.” It wasn’t a title I chose for myself, but something that became part of my identity, simply because of who I was. Read more>>

Casey Jacox

At ripe old age of 48, I still gain resilience from an injury in football that happened when I was 17 years old. This experience taught me so much about humility, vulnerability, curiosity, and leadership. Read more>>

Scarlett Islas

My resilience comes from embracing my story and choosing to transform the darkest moments of my life into sources of strength and growth. I’ve experienced loss, heartbreak, betrayal, and the profound responsibility of being a mother through some of the toughest circumstances. For a long time, I felt shattered and stuck, but I knew I had to keep moving forward—not just for myself, but for my daughter, who deserves a life filled with hope and love. Read more>>

Marshn

I’ve experienced resilience in my life as an energy that can be embodied and a path to walk down through turbulent times, led by gratitude. Many aspects of my life have involved different lessons in suffering. Just the same, many aspects of my life have involved different lessons in beauty and unity. I’ve often been referred to as a romantic and these terms, ‘resilient’, ‘romantic’ and ‘grateful’ could likely be used interchangeably. Resilience is not something I’ve always felt in the present moment. I’ve fallen down many metaphorical wells that I struggled to believe I’d make it out of. But therein lies the key to overcoming and sustaining. Belief. I’ve had a strong propensity for belief since I was a child. Forever pondering the mysteries of life and what else could be ‘out there’. Read more>>

Brody Burke

I would say I get my resilience form my mother. She is one of the strongest people I know. She took a job as a waitress when she was going to college. When she had my sister and me, she kept working there (giving up school) because she wanted to be there for us as a mother. She made sacrifice after sacrifice, never expecting a thank you. Early on in my life (before I can really even remember) she got diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.). Over the years her mobility has declined (especially within these past few years). It is difficult to see her struggle, but she is resilient: insisting to do all she can on her own. She’s a fighter and has passed that fighting spirit onto me – a fact that I am very grateful for. Read more>>

Kxnto

It’s honestly something I’m still working on, but it usually comes from me thinking about the negative side of the future more often than the positive. Although I try to work hard because I want a lot of good things to happen down the line, what tends to keep me going is the thought of bad things happening, and trying to prevent them. Read more>>

Kiyomi Aupri And Shane Friedrich

I got my resilience from a difficult childhood. From early childhood it was a struggle to feel good enough. They say it takes three generations too overcome and I truly believe that is true. I struggled to get approval from my father and one day I realized that it would never happen and my self approval had to be enough. At that moment I began to discover the true meaning of freedom and self discovery. It was a wonderful turning point in my life. Read more>>

Kristle Jones

Wow, that’s an interesting question. I would say that my resilience has developed throughout my life with all sorts experiences. It comes from every rejection, every failure and also every success. Kate Lane Salon in San Clemente is my 4th business and with each prior business, I had the opportunity to fail and then learn from those failures and grow and learn something new about what I am capable of. Those failures stung (big time) but they honed who I am now and how I show up as a leader in our industry and our community and what I prioritize as a business owner. In my mind, resilience comes with learning to fail and getting back up and trying again and doing better the next time. Read more>>

One Mic

My resilience comes from knowing that have a family to provide for. Knowing that I want to achieve greatness and nothing but myself can get in the way of that. The unwavering knowingness that I will not back down from anything or anyone. Where does this knowingness come from? A little place called “The Boogie Down Bronx”. Read more>>

Jontell

From my mother, Ive watched her overcome so much in her life growing up. From having me at a young age and being on her own, to eventually becoming a nurse and owning her own home before she passed. She would never let anything hold her down for too long, and I try my best to imitate that in my everyday life. If I find myself struggling in a specific area I remind myself to take it one step at a time. Some days will be better than others but consistency is key.  Read more>>

Spencer Rydholm

I get my resiliency from my faith in God and the previous battles I’ve been through in life. I’ve struggled with my mental health since I was 16 years old and I also beat cancer in 2017. If I can beat those things, I can beat anything, and through those experiences I’ve also learned that God has helped me through them. I truly believe that I will be able to get through anything life throws at me. I’ve gained a lot of hope. Being in the entertainment industry can be incredibly difficult and my past experiences have helped me navigate it. Read more>>

Niko Nelson

I’ve become resilient in life because I had to at a young age – around 5 to be exact. Growing up in a broken home with two drug addicts as parents was a constant struggle throughout my entire childhood from seeing my mom get arrested in front of me at 5 and then going mute for 3 years because of that trauma puts a lot of things in perspective as a child. When you don’t have your voice you really get a chance to figure out the world in an alternate way than others, like learning at a young age to read body language and to know when the situation or my environment wasn’t safe to be in anymore and when to get out of it. Read more>>

Kyle Bethel

I believe I got my resilience from becoming a type 2 diabetic after getting covid. I was a week away from going into a coma when I was diagnosed. If I went into that coma it would have been harder to save me. After which I was on Insulin for about a month, month and a half. The Resilience has translated into my music. Since gaining resilience I gained the confidence my music can reach others and inspire them to be resilient. Read more>>

Shavon Ragsdale

I get my resilience from my personal experiences as a single mother of three-my 17-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter , and my 4-year-old autistic and nonverbal daughter. Raising my children, each with their unique needs and challenges, has shaped me into someone who refuses to give up, even when the odds feel stacked against me. With a small support system, I’ve had to learn how to push through difficult moments, balancing motherhood, work, and community leadership with grace and grit. Read more>>

Tansy Rodgers

My resilience came from knowing that I simply didn’t have any other choice. And, knowing that deep down, I was put here on this Earth to play a bigger role — for a deeper purpose — that I only was being led to by a proverbial breadcrumb trail. Ever since I was a young girl, there were times in my life when everything felt so overwhelming that I couldn’t see a way out. Honestly, I felt stuck and alone and a bit like a weirdo, but there was a little voice within me that whispered, “just keep going.” And, even when the grips of depression and anxiety felt like they were suffocating me, I knew deep down that there was something bigger I was meant to move towards. It wasn’t always clear, but that sense of purpose—like a small, steady flame—kept me going.  Read more>>

Alexis Williams, MBA

My resilience boils down to remembering why I started. I spend intentional time learning to love my inner child/ teenager and the dreams they had for me as an adult. As a teenager, I desired a specific lifestyle, freedom of identity, freedom to choice, freedom within my career, and many more types of freedom. So my resilience is my effort to create more layers of freedom for myself. I want to be able to look back on my life and be proud of my decisions, commitments and everything I was able to create for myself. Read more>>

Carlene Griffith

Whether in writing, show business, or being an entrepreneur, resilience is an absolute must. When pursuing goals and dreams, the reality is you hear ‘no,’ 99% of the time. No, you’re not right for the part. No, this writing doesn’t cut it. No, your idea will never work. No, you’re not ready. I mean, no one wants to hear no! But the truth is, the naysayers will always outnumber those who believe in you and encourage you. Learning to resist listening to all the no’s is vital if you truly want to achieve success. You can either accept the no, turn away, and give up, or take a minute to evaluate the no. Instead, use the no as a tool to determine what your next steps are. Read more>>

Beth Shelton

Resilience is the ability to adapt and learn from adversity or difficult experiences. Everyone has it; we’re born with it. I’ve been adapting and learning all my life. When faced with daunting struggles, my favorite adage comes to mind: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The highest peak in Colorado is Mt. Elbert at 14,440 feet. My sister and I, mildly sedentary and nonathletic, had trained for months and were excited to tackle our first fourteener. But halfway up the mountain, my sister stopped and said, “You go on. I’ll wait here.” She was worn out. Read more>>

Oswald Perez

I get my resilience from everything that’s happened to me.From the fact that I shouldn’t be alive right now, due to being born six weeks premature. And all the complications that came with diagnosed with cerebral palsy at such a young age. I was determined not to let the circumstances dictate how I would grow up in life. Read more>>

Miz Chaos

I think in the end I had to get resilience from my inner self. The world can try and knock you down – but will you let it? People will be sour and mean spirited – will you allow them to dim your fire? I’ve had a domino of impossibly hard challenges (mental hurdles, life situations out of my control etc)… but really in the end – my whole hearted drive is to be a painter and bring joy and imagination into this world. Seeing hatred in the world and towards me personally has just inspired me to go more neon with my art, go bigger and try to more even more love onto this planet. Read more>>

Melissa Lombardo

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), resilience is defined as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life
experiences.” In contrast, the Oxford Dictionary describes resilience as “the capacity to
withstand or recover quickly from difficulties.” While both definitions capture key aspects
of resilience, they differ in the implied timeline for recovery. Read more>>

Aaron Sutherland

When it comes to the topic of resilience and where I get it from I don’t have one sole area where I draw it from. Resilience for me at least is something that comes from a multitude of places that vary day in and day out with the biggest sources of it being from my family, my friends, and reflecting upon my own life experiences. As a black male being brought up in south side of Chicago growing up in place where drugs, violence, poverty, and lack of opportunity ran rampart resilience was something that was instilled in me at a young age. Since then just witnessing my family especially my mother sacrifice so much no matter the circumstance to make sure I had every opportunity possible to succeed and thrive really made me value all that I was blessed with.  Read more>>

Olena Pokalchuk

These days, it’s hard to talk about resilience without mentioning Ukrainians. In today’s world, you have to be resilient if you want a better life. Strength and endurance have become synonymous with Ukraine, and I’m proud of that. First, because I’m Ukrainian, and second, because the world has finally seen us for who we truly are. Read more>>

Jeanie Alessandrini

I can tell you clearly where it doesn’t come from. It did not come from my upbringing, my family, and I did not see it modeled for me as a child. I believe I was born with it. I say this because at 5 years old I had to be resilient when my father passed away and my entire world was turned upside down physically, emotionally, and financially. Although I lost my dad physically, I was told by my Aunty that he was in heaven watching over me. I didn’t understand what that meant, but it still gave me comfort knowing he was always there, and I wanted to make him proud. At home all hell broke loose literally. Read more>>

Trinity Jane

Resilience. To speak plainly, I have yet to not wake with the rising sun, so I go on, and go on I must. Putting a pin on the exact moments where I found courage in my pursuits seems impossible. There is an accumulation of life I’ve lived up until now and then still the path continues. Pain and fear is real and present in this life, it is demanding. You must feel it and what you do with that, when you let it in, when you somewhat surrender. Surrender in a sense is your shield, this is my resilience. Read more>>

Lauren Yerkes

As a leader I have learned over the years the importance of resilience. You never know what the day will bring you so I have always approached each day in every part of my life, personally and professionally, with a new day of opportunities. In my professional career I found that being resilient came with the job, whether it was a valued employee leaving the organization, a global pandemic or a shift in the business, it was important for me to take each shift as it came and not get hyper focused on things that either weren’t happening yet or weren’t ‘that day’s fire.’ Personally, after a breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 37, I really had to apply my resiliency skills and truly embrace each day that came my way.  Read more>>

Matthew Kenner

I got my resilience from failing over and over again. I have attempted so many things and have fallen on my face so many times in my life. I have had many humbling experiences in my life they keep me grounded and from being too arrogant. Once you fail enough times, you develop a numbness to it. I have become fearless in a lot of ways and have a relentless drive to accomplish my goals. Read more>>

Kate Warren

I would have to say that my resilience definitely has to come from my upbringing in Greece, or rather, my summers in Greece. I shifted to summers over growing up in Greece because it truly was the summertime that really built my strength and resilience. To begin with, I was raised in Kifissia, a suburb of Athens, the first 6.5 years of my life. My father was hired by the US government to work for the Marshall Plan and help build Greece’s economy up after WWII and then upon falling in love with Greece and not wanting to leave, he went on to work for Esso (Exxon). Before my parents decided to move to the US, they wanted to buy a house so we could go every summer and continue their/our love of Greece. They found an extremely beautiful piece of property on the island of Paros. Read more>>