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.
Mega
I believe my resilience comes from within. It started with my mother and I inherited it directly from her. My mother is the bounce back queen. Growing up in New York, she faced a lot of adversity. Situations meant to destroy her, I witnessed her rise again and again. Read more>>
Jennifer Vasquez
I get my resilience from the amount of “no’s” I have received in my career. As a performer, in the audition room, there has been many times I got a role and many times I did not get the role- but I promise you there were more rejections than yes’ and that’s just the reality with things in life. This builds your character to become stronger. Read more>>
Federico Lathrop
My journey has been shaped by a variety of challenges and enriched by my passion for overcoming them. I was born and raised in the diverse landscapes of Chile and was influenced by my experiences in law and sports. Read more>>
Felicia Harding
I think resilience has a lot to do with mindset. I actually have a gratitude journal I started a few years ago in which I literally write “I am resilient” as one of my mantras. The original journal was given to me by one of my students (I’m a vocal coach) named Nikita Paddock and her project is the “I am resilient movement”. I write at least 3 things I’m thankful for as well as my favourite mantras. I love how my students can also be my teachers. Read more>>
Jacqueline Little
Mental fortitude is everything. Mine comes from my DNA, the way I was raised, my life experiences, and my personal belief system. My parents instilled the concept of mind over matter and I took it to heart. I know my brain is more powerful than my body, and that limitations are created in the mind, so when I find myself in stressful or difficult situations, I think to myself, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”, and find the strength to push on. Read more>>
Lolita Taub
Picture this: my parents coming to a country where they barely understand the language. They’ve left behind their home in Mexico, their families, the streets they grew up on. It was the ’80s, and they were chasing the American dream – a better chance for me and my siblings. Life was always tough. My mom worked long hours in sweatshops, as a babysitter, a maid – she still cleans houses, even now. Read more>>
Jolie Meshbesher
Creativity keeps me alive. Read more>>
Lisa Rozzini Clay
1994…. When I was 19, I was driving my friends car with four of my girlfriends from a party in Bellevue across the bridge to meet my other friends boyfriend in Seattle. Shortly after getting to Seattle, we were headed to a pay phone that received incoming calls because pagers were most popular at the time. We thought her boyfriend drove by so we did a Uturn to go back the other way. Read more>>
Sandrine Marlier
Resilience is a muscle you build. Over time I’ve learned to tap into different places to build that resilience muscle. The first place is from experience. We can handle any situation and move past them. It may take time, energy and money, but we can go through tough times and find light on the other side. Read more>>
Fr. Jared Cramer
One of the lessons I learned early in my ministry was that my sense of calling and foundation has to be in my connection to the divine, as I have experienced the divine in Triune God. My siblings in Buddhism, along with the great mystics of the church, teach of the danger of attachments. In the mystical tradition, we call this “spiritual poverty,” which involves a detachment from worldly possessions, desires, and attachments in order to fully rely on God and experience spiritual richness. Read more>>
Rick Phillips
I think it comes from several sources. I was an Eagle Scout, and that took resilience to accomplish. My dad worked at a routine and repetitive job, and he stuck it out day after day. But I credit two women with where I got it. Read more>>
Celinda Damiana Cruz-Arce
I get my resilience from my familia and clients. I love how I grew up around genuine love, loyalty and respect. Everyone in my family has their own story to share and I carry a piece of each of them in my heart. I always get excited when someone asks me “what motivated you to start your own baking business?” Read more>>
Jennifer LaGuardia
I’m very grateful to have learned resilience at a very young age….Nothing came easy…I grew up “over night” having to think like an adult and had work to very hard for everything I accomplished. Having experienced a tremendous amount of instability, I relied on my Faith to get me through..But I always had a deep sense that God was with me, and there was a deep spiritual purpose behind the journey He was guiding me through… Read more>>
America Ortiz
I believe I draw my resilience from my mom. I’m sure everyone says that, but it’s true! My mom single-handedly raised me and my three siblings. We moved to Minnesota from Texas, so we didn’t have family here either. Growing up, I watched my mom triumph over obstacles and navigate all the crazy things life threw at her with grace. Read more>>
Alisa Shargorodsky
To be honest, I think it came from watching people around me do so much with so little. I come from a family of immigrants who come from the Ukraine in the 70’s. being a first generation American was not easy. I was surrounded by foreign speaking people, with different culture. My family came here with almost no money, escaping the oppression of their country because as jews they were treated like second class citizens. Read more>>
Gabrielle Dunn
Being a creator is about more than creating, it’s about the ability to be vulnerable and allowing your self to get lost in it. I wish I could say I had some profound, light bulb, ah-ha moment, but that’s not what happened at all. Read more>>
Michael Duggar
We just know the harder we work right now, the farther we will go. We would rather work 16 hour days now so in a few years when our restaurant has expanded, we know it was all worth it. Read more>>
Ron Grigsby
My Childhood. I believe that’s where it started for me. Mine was a mashup of mixed signals from my parents and not much structure, due to my dad’s difficulties with connecting and being closed off and angry a lot of the time, taking it out on us verbally. I know it was mostly a generational thing. They grew up during the depression, relatively poor, on their respective farms in neighboring parts of rural Arkansas. Read more>>
Perkins
During my childhood, I struggled with resilience, often becoming overly emotional and fixating on the negatives in life. This made it challenging to overcome obstacles. However, as I grew older, I turned to prayer and actively worked on managing my emotions and thoughts. Through this process, I found strength and resilience that I attribute to my faith in God. His guidance and blessings have provided solutions to my problems. Read more>>
KayKay Lavelle
Growing up as one of the few openly gay individuals in a small southern town definitely had its challenges. While most of my peers were into traditional activities like football, I was more drawn to the arts. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I’d say “famous”. It wasn’t easy being one of the only ones who didn’t quite fit the mold, but I learned early on that resilience is key; and looking back it’s not a mold I admire now as an adult anyway. I’m thankful to not have fit. Read more>>
Je’Vel
My resilience is in part innate as it comes naturally to me. However, it was refined by watching my parents strive for a better life. We moved to the US from St. Lucia when I was 7 years old. My particular part of the Island is what you would consider the countryside. I didn’t experience running hot water until I landed foot in America, among other things. Read more>>
Halle Henry
Resilience has always been a part of my nature growing up as a young child into a new young adult. A big part of that is due to my family, specifically my brother. He has overcome some of the hardest challenges life can throw at you and continues to find the best parts of life even through all of the chaos. He is seven years older than me, making himself the idol I didn’t know I would even have needed until my adulthood, facing challenges that remind me of his resilience and thinking how would he handle this. Read more>>
Antonieta Contreras
As a trauma therapist, I’ve witnessed how challenging environments can lead children to mentally escape into activities that provide comfort and protection. Some might retreat into their imagination, while others find safety in creative pursuits. I found that refuge in the consistent practice of devotion. Read more>>
Amy Kubat
My resilience, my ever lasting motivation to keep moving forward, comes from a complicated childhood, with a Dad who did not want to be a Dad, and a Mom who took on both roles without help from her family. Growing up without resources and easy cash flow, my Mom was constantly problem solving and it instilled in me that it’s really up to me to carve out the life I want. Read more>>
SHARON HERRERA
My ‘Ama’, the lady that raised me since I was 3-days old. My biological mother couldn’t and my 55-year-old grandmother took over, a true blessing in for my life. Read more>>
Daniel Calderon
My resilience is rooted in my journey, marked by an upbringing in a low-income household where resources were limited, but imagination and determination knew no bounds. As the child of immigrants, I witnessed firsthand the courage it takes to navigate an unfamiliar world, a trait that became a cornerstone of my own character. Read more>>
B.A. Crisp
…takes a deep breath… Wow, where do I begin? When I think about the source of my resilience, it’s like peeling back the layers of an onion – there’s so much depth and complexity (along with tears and stink) to my personal adventure. But if I had to pinpoint the core, it would be my experiences as a former ward of the court, foster child, and human trafficking survivor. Read more>>
Kitty Noir
My fans always tell me that I give off good vibes, good energy, and an optimistic spirit. Obtaining a positive mindset wasn’t easy. I had a really rough childhood. 18 years of physical abuse, sexual traumas, bullying, and substance abuse made me the resilient person I am. I’m open about my trauma. Read more>>
Emily Gonzales
My resilience comes from my ancestors and guides. I am here because of them. They survived their life’s journey and I am the fruit of their labor. I know that when I succeed, they do too. Read more>>
Anje Rogers-Pearson
My resilience is fueled by the belief that the only thing that surpasses failure is the effort to overcome it. Transitioning from entertainment PR to the retail sector has been a significant change. There have been moments when I’ve felt overwhelmed, yet I never allow myself to succumb to defeat. At times, I need to pause, assess the situation realistically, and strategize on how to move forward effectively. Read more>>
Gina Delbello
Resilience? That came from my mother. 100%. My mom was probably the most resilient person I’ve ever met. I had a hard childhood. We had a very tumultuous relationship . But I couldn’t imagine learning to be a strong woman from anyone else. She was a single mom throughout 97% of my life. And she did it well. Read more>>
J.K.
I truly believe my resilience is a by-product of being told “NO” so many times within the entertainment business. I was told “this will never work”, “you’re thinking too big”, “you don’t have what it takes” so many times in my career. You develop very thick skin incredibly quick in this industry. And I knew if it was easy, everyone would do it. Read more>>
Jillian O’Neil
I started my career in entertainment as professional musical theater performer. I was a dancer/singer for many years. I performed in the German production of “Starlight Express,” for almost 6 years. I had suffered a traumatic career ending injury that took me quite a few years to recover from. It was in the process of creating a brand new version of myself that I fell in love with the camera and filmmaking. I have gained so much strength from my Dad and Mom. Read more>>
Sujin Kim
From my dad, hands down. When I was only a year old, we came to the US with barely any money, no knowledge of the English language, and no family or friends. He worked his ass off to support us, learned English from scratch, and raised a wild little girl that always got in trouble at school. Read more>>
Sandra Albornoz
My name is Sandra Albornoz Schwarzkopf. I am a proud Colombian living in Miami, and a mother of two beautiful children who have been my inspiration. I found art to be part of my path to fulfillment and healing. God has given me so many virtues and talents, so many opportunities… what I do know is that illness does not define me and it developed my resilience. For me, going through cancer for more than 9 years is a learning opportunity. Read more>>
