Having hates is an inevitable part of any bold journey – everyone who has made a difference in the world has had doubters and critics. As natural as haters might be, in the age of social media it’s become harder and hard to ignore them – and so we asked some brilliant creatives and entrepreneurs to tell us how they deal with haters.

Brant MacDuff

I study wildlife conservation strategy, and for better or worse my general “opponents” are people who want the same thing I do (lots of wildlife and lots of healthy habitats for them to live in.) The hate comes from the chasm between those who want to get from A to B emotionally, and those who want to get there scientifically. The people who are the most emotionally driven by the/any topic won’t be able to think critically about it. But when I get to talk with folks who are solutions oriented and interested in success and progress, then I get fired up enough to bring that conversation to the next group of people and the next.  Read More>>

Mike Martin

My work is connected to gun violence prevention, but not how most people think of it. Its not legislative advocacy work. I work with an organization that encourages people to trade their tools that foster violence for tools that foster creation and life. We are known for turning guns into garden tools. But we do this with a survivor centered approach. We invite them into the process of turning swords into plowshares. We also train or introduce people to skills that help them navigate conflict without harming others or themselves. This largely happens in dialogue skills and conflict facilitation. But also at the anvil while make a garden tool from a gun with someone who has been impacted by gun violence. Read More>>

 Drew Kevitch

It is important to remember that no matter what you do in life, someone will always have something to say about it ; whether you’re doing something someone sees as positive or negative. After reading The Four Agreements, I really resonated with the fact that when those who only have negative things to say, it is often a problem they have with themselves which is causing them to say negative things, rather than the problem actually being me. Read More>>

Lida Xu

When I face doubt or criticism, I don’t rush to fight back, and I don’t let it define me.
I’m lucky to have a mom who always listens and a dad who, despite driving me crazy sometimes, has supported me financially.
I’ve always known the path I want to take, so those negative voices are more like background noise—they exist, but they don’t steer me off course. Read More>>

 Alejandry

I’ve learned that not everyone will understand your vision and that’s okay. I don’t focus on the noise, I focus on the mission. Every time someone doubted me or criticized me, I used it as fuel to keep building. What drives me is the impact I want to create through Alejandry Detailing Solutions, AAB360 Academy, and my other project coming soon. I’ve faced negativity, but I choose to respond with results, not reactions. I remind myself: I’m not here to please everyone, I’m here to make a difference. I’m not building this just for me, I’m building it for every person who needs proof that it’s possible. My story is still being written, but I know it’s going to inspire others to start writing theirs too. Read More>>

Alex Badillo

I’ve learned to accept that things can fall apart at any given moment — but they can also turn out really well. Both can be true. It’s not that I don’t care about outcomes anymore, I just try to adjust my expectations. These past few months have been some of the roughest and most transformative of my life. A lot of things fell apart, but others managed to thrive. I lost control over situations that, in hindsight, I never really had control over to begin with.  Read More>>

Lehuanani Perez

All my life, I had struggled with anxiety and depression—and at one point, an eating disorder as well. Therapy and medication had been helpful in the past for managing those symptoms. But everything changed after I gave birth. The anxiety and depression skyrocketed, but even more alarming was how impaired I became in doing everyday tasks. It wasn’t just emotional—it was executive dysfunction at a level I hadn’t experienced before. Medication stopped being effective, even after changing doses, and I was told it might be postpartum depression or anxiety. But deep down, I knew something else was going on. Read More>>