We’ve shared some incredible stories of resilience below that we hope will help you on your journey towards building up your resilience.
Bianca Rugimbana
My resilience comes from many places, but at the root of it is my father, Professor Robert Rugimbana. His life, his values, and the way he moved through the world taught me that strength isn’t loud, it’s steady. It’s in how you rise, how you rebuild, and how you choose to keep going even when no one is watching. Read More>>
Annette Gomes
I was born in Barbados and there’s something about that Island that screams ‘YES YOU CAN’ In spite of. I’ve always known I had a calling on my life. I can’t explain it. I’m very good at making that connection. Figuring out why I gravitate towards certain things but stay away from others is truly a gift. Read More>>
Roberta Levitow
I’m not sure if anyone is born with resilience. Most of us have to learn it the hard way — by trying and failing, getting up, trying and failing again, getting back up and trying one more time. Some people call that grit. I call it resilience. My own resilience came from facing challenges growing up and learning the hard way. Read More>>
Shannon Alviar
I believe resilience is cultivated through the process of overcoming adversity. Life presents us with a myriad of challenges, including physical, mental, and emotional obstacles. Sometimes, we think we have conquered a challenge, only to find it resurfacing years or even decades later, reminding us of the vast expanse of knowledge we still have to acquire. Read More>>
Mikki Warszawski
As a therapist, I’m constantly assessing my clients’ experiences for moments of resilience, or the ability to withstand and recover from distressing circumstances. Most people associate therapy with problems, but inner strengths are just as significant. When I reflect on personal resilience, I think of my family and my heritage. Read More>>
Lisa Crites
My Father Read More>>
China Green
I am the oldest daughter of a ginormous family from Kentucky. Most of my resilience stems from my upbringing. Read More>>
Irving Pineiro
Not giving in anything, there is no such thing has failure, just lessons, they are essential to build up the torque to go on. Is important to have a spiritual fortitude for being an artist. Read More>>
David Brown
My resilience—and the persistence that comes with it—were built through early hardships and the support of people who helped me keep fighting. When I was 14 and the oldest of five children, my dad left, which forced me to grow up fast. For a long time, I didn’t have much self-confidence. Read More>>
Jessica Ruth Freedman
As a visual artist with disabilities, my resilience comes from learning to build a creative life that honors the realities of my disabled body. My energy, vision, and mobility shift day to day, and instead of treating that as something to overcome, I’ve learned to let it guide how I work. Read More>>
Lauren Landini Click
Honestly? I think resilience is something you don’t know you have until life demands it from you. My husband and I spent about 8 years trying to start a family; 20 rounds of IVF, a surrogate, multiple miscarriages. And one day I just hit a wall. Read More>>
Philip Wrencher
Has to be my mother, the strongest person I know. Right from the beginning she gave me back to the Lord and always prayed over me. No matter the obstacle she knew she was not in it alone and she could only do what she could do and give the rest to the Lord. She placed resiliency in me with love passion and determination. Read More>>
Arkansas Climate League
Our resilience comes from staying deeply connected to our roots. The founders of the Arkansas Climate League have always carried the audacious belief that all Arkansans deserve to benefit from cleaner energy and to live in a healthy environment. That belief has given us the staying power to pursue meaningful, locally driven programs. Read More>>
Angie Ng
I learned resilience from my parents. They immigrated to the U.S. as young adults with very little money, no safety net, and a deep belief that hard work could change the course of their lives. They worked multiple jobs while putting themselves through college, determined to create opportunities they never had. Read More>>
Brady Wright
“I’m a combat veteran of the Iraq War, and I served as a combat infantryman. That experience shaped who I am at my core. In combat, you learn very quickly how to operate under pressure, how to keep moving forward when things are uncertain, and how to rely on discipline, purpose, and the people beside you. Read More>>
Vanessa Adisah
My resilience wasn’t something I consciously set out to build—it was something life required of me early on. Growing up, there wasn’t much room for choice when it came to being strong. I didn’t always have the language to name what I was experiencing, but those experiences shaped me all the same. Read More>>
Juice
Great question. I believe that i have developed resilience from my need to experience the best possible version of myself and my art. The transformation that comes as a result of never quitting is phenomenal. For me resilience and exceptionality are intertwined and that truth is always a constant source of motivation; for me and for the ones that i inspire. Read More>>
Kendell
My resilience comes from faith and from watching people like my mother move through life with strength, grace, and consistency. Seeing her show up no matter what taught me that perseverance isn’t loud, it’s daily. I pull from family, from history, and from knowing that quitting was never presented as an option. Read More>>
Sean Anthony Winn
In the grand scheme of things, my resilience comes from my parents. They showed me how to push forward during moments when I didn’t think I could. Even though they can’t fully relate to me as an artist, our differences in fields, hobbies, and passions never mattered, because at the core, we are all human, navigating life for the first time together. Read More>>
Michael Anthony Valenzuela
My resilience comes from my upbringing, my family, and my relationship with music. I grew up navigating a lot of change at a young age, and early on I learned how to adapt, observe, and keep moving forward even when things felt uncertain. My family, especially my grandparents, gave me stability, values, and a deep appreciation for perseverance, faith, and hard work. Read More>>
Ariel Landrum
When people ask me where my resilience comes from, I always pause, ’cause it doesn’t come from one place, and it definitely didn’t show up fully formed. For me, resilience has been something I’ve grown into over time, shaped by repetition, loss, movement, as well as learning when not to push forward. I grew up as a military brat, which meant constant transitions. Read More>>
Elizabeth Quinn
Resilience isn’t something I chose. It’s something I learned while surviving what I never wanted to survive. I found it the day I became a mother and lost my daughter at the same time. In those early days, resilience didn’t look like strength or courage. It looked like shock. Like putting one foot in front of the other because stopping wasn’t an option. Read More>>
Napoleon Johnson ( dj solo)
A lot of my resilience stems from how I grew up being the oldest off all my brothers a lot was asked of me as far as being the third parent in the house. Growing up early and teaching yourself along the way it hardens you because you bump your head a lot Along the way Read More>>
Catherine Ayres
My resilience comes from a lifetime of realizing things could be much, much worse than they seem at the moment. So in a way, it stems from gratitude for what I do have in that moment and knowing that I am capable of digging myself out of any bad moment to reach the light on the other side. Read More>>
Dak Vanidestine
I get my resilience from learning—at a young age—that mistakes and micro-failures aren’t something to avoid. They’re data. If you stay open to the lesson, each misstep gives you information you didn’t have before, which allows you to adjust, iterate, and move closer to the outcome you actually want. I use a very simple definition of resilience: the ability to bounce back. Read More>>
Kevin Hartman
I believe resilience is developed through adversity and examples. I seen people go through many challenges and turn there pain into purpose. I believe watching my late Parents and grandparents and how they overcame various challenges prepared me for things to come. When my father passed away on November 11th 2022 it crushed me. Read More>>
Ashley Townsend
My resilience comes from lived experience. Becoming a mother taught me how to keep going even when I’m tired, uncertain, or carrying more than people see. I’ve learned how to show up anyway — for my child, for my clients, and for myself. Building LashBabe from the ground up also shaped that resilience. Read More>>
SANJAY CHANDANI
My resilience is deeply rooted in the legacy of my culture and the quiet strength of the artisans I grew up watching. In Jaipur, where tradition breathes through every carved block and dyed fabric, I learned that true artistry isn’t just about beauty—it’s about endurance. I saw craftspeople work through scorching summers and uncertain markets, yet never compromise on their craft. That spirit shaped me. Read More>>
Janelle Christa
Picture this: you are nowhere. No body, no time, no language—just a black, endless void and the sensation that you’ve been dropped into the worst corner of hell. The only image in your mind is a worm eating itself over and over, forever. And you are the worm. There are no people, no souls, no God, no exit. Read More>>
Meredith Fleischer Fleischer
My resilience comes from navigating difficult situations with integrity. Over time, those challenges have reinforced my confidence in making thoughtful decisions—even when they aren’t the easiest. Read More>>
Gaffney Taylor
My resilience comes from knowing my priorities around goals and emotions. Half a year ago, I was answering questions in an entrepreneurial journal-style book that asked me to envision my ideal life. What would a day in my ideal life look like? What would I do? Read More>>
