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.
Glass Cities
We think as first generation immigrants we are to encounter challenges by default at very early stages in our journey, it turns out becoming second nature to overcome any type of situation with a very firm pace and conviction. Plus as musicians I think we also see life through different lenses and it’s a mindset we are very grateful to practice. Read more>>
Matthew Hemmer
I’ve definitely struggled with many issues of motivation and drive throughout the years. I think the main focus that has always brought me back from the cliff is the reaffirmation that I am creating to satisfy myself. When I’ve lost sight of the main reason why I write and produce music, it’s been times where I have found difficulty envisioning my goals, and when I’ve been trying to shift my sound to appeal to different audiences and critics. Read more>>
Huy Lam
I was born in Vietnam during the war and my family left on a boat across the South China Sea to Malaysia. We were known as The Boat People of that era. We lived in several refugee camps for awhile before immigrating to Canada. Having that experience makes most of my challenges trivial and if a really big challenge comes along, I try to dig deep and draw on my past experiences knowing that this too will pass. Read more>>
Chrissy René
Growing up with a brother with a spinal cord injury (quadriplegic), I learned at a young age that resilience is key. He has always been such a go getter. He has never let his situation deter him from going after his goals and desires, and because of this, he is absolutely thriving. And for me, because of him, I’ve looked at the world very differently since I was 12 years old. Read more>>
Gina & Karina
Creating a new business while both having a full-time job has not been easy. We both dedicate a lot of our free time on weekends and late nights working to build Best of You Wellness. Despite being tired after a full work day and managing our own personal lives, we still make sure that our clients are our top priority. Although we just launched in September 2023, we know the potential that our business has, which keeps us motivated even on our hardest days. Read more>>
Brian Rodda
When I started LA Food Tours, and our inaugural tour, FOOD, FILM & FASHION in Beverly Hills the only person I knew in Beverly Hills was my friend, John. He is the head of merchandising at one of the top fashion houses on Rodeo Drive. That was it. I didn’t know anyone or anything else about Beverly Hills, let alone its food scene. I always thought Beverly Hills was for rich people and tourists. Since I was neither, I rarely went there when I previously lived in L.A.. For over six months, I just kept showing up. Read more>>
Liliana (aka- LR Kreations) Rodriguez
In February 2017, after residing in Los Angeles for 15 years, I found myself at a crossroads when I was unexpectedly laid off from my job as a Product Development Manager at a fashion company. My time in Los Angeles had been marked by the tumultuous ups and downs of the fashion industry—quick turnovers, frequent relocations, and the constant search for new job opportunities and side hustles to stay afloat. Read more>>
Tina Porter
1. I was raised by an incredible Mother, an artist whose choice colors were earthy and bold accompanied by a zesty flash of turquoise or pumpkin. No matter her struggles whether marital or financial, she was always positive and creatively resourceful. Above her kitchen sink now is a sign that reads ‘Always italic or bold, never normal’ and that’s what’s ingrained in me. Read more>>
Juls Marchetto
To be resilient, by definition, is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. I’ve gained my resiliency through the trials and tribulations of life. From a young age with a challenging upbringing filled with experiences of loss, death, divorce, to name a few, I learned that life is challenging. Read more>>
Jackie Lapin
When I was very young, 4 years old, my father had cancer, and while he survived it, he was financially wiped out. The desire to start over lead us to move to a neighboring region, but when we arrived, the community was incredibly closed and unwelcoming to people who didn’t fit the mold. I found myself ostracized as a child. So I realized that I needed to just focus on me, and the inner voices that I heard, and not look to others for support. Read more>>
Angela Abshier
For me and this project, it has always been about turning a no into a yes. Every obstacle that I encountered had a reason. I had to dismantle or debunk the obstacle, or find a way around it. So far I have been able to do that. I don’t think of it as being resilient, I think of it as making us bullet proof. We don’t run from the objections, we remove them. Read more>>
Kathryn O’Shea
Well, I lost my dad to cancer over ten years ago now, and that loss has taught me so much about the nature of resilience. I’ve experienced plenty of loss in my life, from my dad to some of my best friends too, in their teenage years. And I felt such absolutely gut-wrenching. earth-shattering pain over those losses. Nothing else in the world mattered when those losses happened. And nothing in the world could make it better… except time. Read more>>
Amanda Rivard
Thank you. My journey towards resilience began in childhood. I grew up amidst the challenges of extreme poverty in Flint, Michigan and it really taught me invaluable lessons on fortitude and self-preservation. That experience gifted me the ability to be able to “bounce back” in almost any situation. Read more>>
Quincy Adams
You know when I look back at my journey I would say the three skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful would be the ability to work in a team setting, my one on one skills from person to person and the ability to lead. I would love the feedback I get from customers, clients or staff about how I was able to make something so large seem so small. Read more>>
Anna Titkova
On the 24th of February with the first bomb the life of each Ukrainian was divided into before and after. On the 24th of February morning each Ukrainian started to write his/her own history of war. Working in a medical field, namely in the clinical research area I realized that I have responsibility not only for my family, for my employees, but also for our patients, who have already participated in clinical trials or were just starting participation and who appeared to be F2F with their disease along. Read more>>
Johnicka Byrd
My resilience came from dealing with many years of dealing with depression, I finally got to the point where I realized then mentally solidified the decision that out of all the options I have on earth, giving up is NEVER one. From childhood to today, I have dealt with many hurts and disappointments. Initially, I would allow the hurts and disappointments to take up too much mental residence and have me walking around in defeat. Read more>>
Ryan Stephens
During my years in school, I faced bullying, which was unrelenting for over two years and left me with significantly low self-confidence and low self-belief. I bounced back from this when I went to college and started learning more about myself and started thinking – “maybe what they said wasn’t all true, maybe I do have something to offer the world”. Read more>>
William Sims
My resilience comes from the knowledge that I am pursuing my passions and no matter what pitfalls I encounter. I would rather face a thousand failures doingbsomething I love versus the world to gain but doing something not fulfilling. Read more>>
Jules Bruff
I wanted to be an actress at age 7, and that desire never waned. Today, I love being a storyteller in front of and behind the camera. I have had to learn resilience because I love what I do, and the entertainment industry is competitive. I have to shake off any rejection or hard knocks to stay in the game. I’m sensitive, so cultivating resilience has been essential for self-preservation. Read more>>
Alan Jiang
I was originally born in Tianjin, China and immigrated to the U.S. with my family. As a first-generation immigrant, I have encountered many challenges and struggles in integrating into a new culture. I eventually overcame these struggles by learning from these challenges and practicing mindfulness activities. Read more>>
Quannthemodell
I get it from my confidence in my walk. My resilience comes from my passion and my integrity . I am a model who wants to make my dreams into reality. I want to be the face on the billboard. I strive to be successful and to work hard. I make sure that the work I put in shows, and that I accomplish my dreams. Read more>>
Gina Perez
I have been developing the ability to be resilient for many years. I even suggest that it started in childhood. I attribute three factors to this essential quality. First, I am fortunate to have a large extended family that has supported me throughout my life and role-modeled what it looks like to bounce back from failure and misfortune. Read more>>
Giovannie Espiritu
My resilience is deeply rooted in my family’s heritage, originating from Tondo, a district in Manila known for its challenges, including poverty, violence, and gang activity. My mother, who became a parent in her teenage years, displayed remarkable strength and determination to uplift our lives, ultimately leading us to the United States. Read more>>
Rini K
I truly believe that any person who chooses to work in music has to have an astronomical level of resilience. Between the instability, constant criticism, and lack of work life balance, to stick the entertainment industry out in the long haul, one has to be able to take the punches, and build themselves back up to an even stronger version than before. Read more>>
Sabine Charles
My resilience is deeply rooted in the history of my Haitian ancestors and in the personal struggles and triumphs of my parents. This legacy of endurance was born from Haiti’s history as the first black nation in the Western Hemisphere to gain independence. This is a testament to our collective strength amidst centuries of instability. Read more>>
Tamika Washington
My mother entered the workforce after graduating early from high school, at a time when Affirmative Action played a huge role in Blacks being hired. She shares with me her journey to success. I witnessed first hand how a woman dedicated to a successful career, despite the many challenges she faced, was able to thrive corporate america in the face of adversity. Read more>>
Valencia Wilson
I get my resilience from my self-confidence, supportive relationships, and learning from adversity. Self-confidence has many definitions. Believing in yourself is one of them. Having the ability to believe in myself and my strengths boosts my resilience and helps me navigate setbacks with greater confidence. Read more>>
S. Nalani Ai-Dipalma
I guess I’ve always had to be resilient, looking back it never seemed like a choice. I am the oldest child of 6 in a family who was far from well off. I didn’t know when I was young that my environment wasn’t the greatest, that was just my normal. I experienced things I couldn’t fully understand or recognize as hardship till I became an adult and parent myself, like addiction, generational trauma, or the extent of our poverty. Read more>>
Marvelous Madame
Resilience is a crucial trait for any creative entrepreneur, and for me, it stems from a combination of personal experiences, a passion for what I do, and a mindset that embraces challenges as opportunities for growth. Firstly, my resilience is deeply rooted in my past experiences. Overcoming obstacles and facing adversity in various aspects of life has taught me valuable lessons about perseverance and adaptability. Read more>>
Kendra Harris
My resilience is undoubtedly rooted in a rich tapestry of experiences and values that have shaped my journey. The commitment to thriving after a challenging marriage/divorce revealed an inner strength and determination to rise above adversity. I learned I had the ability to not only endure but also to grow from difficult situations. Read more>>
Vivian Võ Okuma
The story of my resilience begins with a chilling truth: not everyone in my family survived the perilous escape from Vietnam after the war. My mom fled Vietnam after the war on a boat with her family. Unfortunately, three of my aunts drowned and did not make it. My mom and her surviving family then lived in a refugee camp in Thailand for a year, barely having anything to eat during that time. My mom would tell me that their family of 7 would share one small piece of fish. Read more>>
Lindsay Scherr Burges
I think resilience is just picking yourself up over and over again. I think it is reframing whatever happens to you as a learning experience. You cannot get too obsessed with your own success or your own failure. You just have to pick yourself back up and keep trying even after you’ve failed or you’ve succeeded. I have become very used to rolling with the punches – in life and business. Read more>>
Bojana Ilic – BOJITT
Life by itself is a great challenge. And we all build some resilience just by living. To believe our approach to life gets more defined with experience. My resilience comes from the early age growing up in Serbia, Former Part of Yugoslavia, a country that was created based on communism beliefs. Read more>>
Mark Spencer
I would say from both my mom and my dad. I was very close to my mom, and she didn’t have a lot in terms of money or options. She often lived in stress and duress trying to keep things together, to take care of her kids and home. Also from my father. He grew up with almost nothing, and had to provide for himself, living on his own in his early teens. Read more>>
Keyani Watkins
I get my resilience from my DNA. All throughout history we have seen nothing like the resilience of my people. There’s absolutely no way I could ever stop after witnessing that, even til this day. We are a true embodiment of roses from the concrete. Read more>>
Desiree Steele
I had no choice but to be resilient and to recognize that life was going to be tough at a very early age. Acknowledging the setbacks were inevitable, choosing how I responded each time I was knocked down was up to me and no one else. I have always found the power to make a conscious decision and to gather my strength, get back up, and keep moving forward. Read more>>
Benny BoOM
My resilience comes from overcoming many obstacles in life. I had a very challenging childhood growing up between Compton California and Delta Colorado. While these locations were very different, they each posed unique social and interpersonal challenges. I immersed myself into sports and athletics as a way to occupy my mind, of which I was quite successful at, namely track (400m) and football (quarterback). Read more>>
Natalie Rodríguez
I grew up as a competitive dancer. Dance has taught me everything I needed to know about life – most notably how to practice and hone skills to achieve goals, how to work as a team, listening to constructive criticism, and how to apply the critiques to consistently improve. I credit most of my resilience to my time in the dance studio, as when dancing competitively, you are practically under a microscope both on stage and in class, always having something to improve. Read more>>
