Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of most of the wildly successful folks in our community have exhibit an extreme degree of resilience and we’ve come to believe that if our goal is to help our community achieve great outcomes we have to help build resources and knowledge around how one can become more resilient.

Sade Curry

My resilience comes from the disadvantage that I thought was actually holding me back. I didn’t get the chance to do what other young adults would normally be doing at the age of 18 or 19 years old. I married early and began building a family immediately. My aspirations of being what I thought I wanted to be was immediately snuffed out. The dream that I thought died, was placed on hold and delayed. Read more>>

Sloan-Taylor Rabinor

I grew up in a house that didn’t necessarily want me to pursue dance. I did well in school, so it was uncharted territory when I wanted to dance professionally. I am as resilient as I am because, despite no one wanting me to run this course, I ran full force through the doors. It was out of me having the “watch me” mentality that I succeeded in my dreams in dance. I knew I never wanted to play small. I dreamed of dancing on all the stages I saw on TV. Read more>>

Brittany Christine

As much as I hate to admit it, I believe my childhood had a lot to do with it. I am a child of multiple divorce, so we moved around a lot growing up. Because of that I was always the new girl in school. And most of the time, the moves were in the middle of the school year so friend groups had already been established. Read more>>

Michael Murray

A hard life. My father passed when I was two. I survived two abusive stepfathers and turned my anger into athletic prowess. That athletic prowess led me to a successful Marine Corps career as an infantry officer for over 18 years until I was injured. Post injury, I have overcome chronic pain, drug addiction, and PTSD. Overcoming adversity has been bred into me since childhood. Read more>>

JD Venter

Wow, we’re starting on a real one! I guess my story is pretty similar to a lot of other artists. I never really fit in in school. I had big curly hair Really wanted to play more so in my imagination than in sports. Overtime, I began to find my roots in my footing in metal music funny enough especially being that I grew up, listenin Stevie Wonder, sly in the family stones and so on. I would say that genre more than most you have to learn how to stick up for yourself in a very real way pretty quickly.  Read more>>

Ziva Shi

(SCAD) and currently a stage manager at WLAB, a virtual production studio based in New York. My journey began far from the theater, as a professional equestrian rider in China. The discipline required in equestrianism taught me early on about adapting swiftly to challenging situations—something my coach emphasized would be a cornerstone of handling professional pressures.  Read more>>

Courtney Alabi-Isama

I honestly have to say that I get my resilience from growing up as a young girl watching my mom as a young single mother push through everything that was meant to break her. I learned from my mom that nothing that’s worth having will ever come easy so you always have to be resilient. Read more>>

Lequvia Ousley

I attribute my resilience to my humble beginnings, childhood and adulthood experiences, and my strength and faith in God. I come from a maternal and paternal lineage of strong individuals who despite various challenges also found their strength and solace in God to bounce back. Negativity within various environments and external factors were also driving forces to overcome and make strides personally and professionally. Read more>>

Olga Rybalko

Resilience, I believe, is an ongoing commitment that requires careful maintenance. Much like the Stoic philosophers’ notion of inoculating oneself against discomfort, I see resilience as a force that can diminish if we become complacent or plateau in our growth. Regularly pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone has been integral to maintaining and enhancing my resilience. Read more>>

Mirna A

From living in the middle east and going through a lot if challenging situations in life. Read more>>

DIA LUNA

At the beginning of 2020 I had recorded an EP with my band that I was excited about. I had been playing shows in great venues in Brooklyn and I finally felt like I had some palpable momentum for my solo musical releases after a long stretch of performing in collaborations. Then the pandemic happened. Like many other artists, I felt all of the stability I had created for myself slip away. Read more>>

Federico Vallin

When reflecting on the origins of my resilience and how I evolved into the individual I am today, numerous thoughts come to mind. Several defining moments in my life have ingrained in me the belief that there is no turning back, and embracing a mentality that is both robust and adaptable is the key. In Africa there’s a saying: “If all doors close, come in through the window” Read more>>

Melissa Parker

I believe that my life experience of Entrepreneurship has fostered our resilience, honestly. We’ve had to become adaptable and pivot many times to remain a successful business, dynamic partnership, and quality leaders. We opened in 2010 during the Great Recession and survived 6 months of being shut down by CA during Covid in 2020. We’ve had to restructure our business due to law changes as well. Read more>>

Santyanna Webb

I would say I get my resilience from my mother and grandmother. My mother was killed March 11, 2011, and my grandmother passed away January 4, 2014. They were 2 of the strongest women I knew. I was only 14 years old when my mother was killed, and the journey has been extremely difficult. I knew that no matter what happened I could not give up. My mother and grandmother always instilled in me that there is nothing I can not do. I live by that every day. I have no choice but to be resilient because greatness requires resilience. Read more>>

María Esther López-Thome

My mother, Alicia, was an extraordinary woman. She did not have an easy life, but she still always maintained an optimistic attitude despite the situations. She always believed that everything happened for a reason and it was better to deal with that, cry all you need and then keep going on, don’t worry unnecessarily. If you could do something, you better do it. Read more>>

Pat Louis

I get my resilience from my mother. She was a very determined women that instilled in me that I could do anything that I set my mind too. I believed her. Read more>>

TaKevalyn X

disappointments, delays, & being told no. It’s something about still going after what you want regardless of the current situation / circumstance. Those moments are genuinely learning moments so being able to learn quickly and apply what eye have learned enables me to bounce back and tackle on the next challenge. Read more>>

Priya Jangda

My parents are Indian immigrants who thrived for change for themselves and their family, watching them work so hard in an unknown country (the UK) at the height of racism to grow their family has always been my inspiration to do better. I always ask myself if they took such a risk to leave their homeland (India) to set up somewhere completely alien to them, then why should I carry on being the same but do better? That is no disrespect to anyone who enjoys a life like this because everyone is wired differently.  Read more>>

Bianca Banda

My resilience emanates from a positive mindset that fuels optimism, a deep connection with God and faith, a commitment to personal development, a profound sense of purpose found in my two children, and an ongoing exploration of the meaning of life. These elements collectively empower me to elevate my frequency and navigate challenges with strength and determination. Read more>>

Brittany Atkinson

Engaging in sports as a child and young adult was a profound teacher of resilience in my life. Through the highs and lows of competition, I learned perseverance and determination are the cornerstone of success. Whether facing a challenging opponent or enduring grueling training sessions, the discipline and patience I cultivated playing sports translated into a broader understanding that any goal can be achieved with time and persistence. Read more>>

Tom Pergola

I’m an Italian from New Jersey just out of New York City and i’ve always been ambitious and driven in everything I do. My mother always said to me “you can’t sit still” so I have to keep moving on through ups and downs. It just comes natural and I don’t know any other way. Read more>>