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.

Dr. Toneyce Randolph

The sound of sirens was as familiar to me as a lullaby. I grew up in a neighborhood where gunshots sometimes replaced fireworks, and the scent of desperation often lingered longer than the aroma of home-cooked meals. Drugs were not a whispered secret they were an open truth, living in the corners of my block and sometimes in my own home. Violence was not an occasional occurrence, it was part of the landscape, like the cracked sidewalks and boarded-up windows we passed on the way to school Read More>>

Kari Tribble

When I think of the word “resilience,” I smile with a proud response. As an indigenous person, resilience is a word we use to describe why we’ve survived genocide to still be here. When I think of my resilience, I think of my father, who was an AIM Leader and Treaty Rights activist, I think of my Grandmother, who was also an activist, and I think of my 4th degree great-grandfather, who was the Chief of our tribe and the one who signed treaties. Read More>>

Elise Orozco

I grew up in an atmosphere that required me to be extremely self sufficient and independent- emotionally, physically, and psychologically basically from infancy. When I look back on my childhood, I think of it as a boot camp of sorts. All of the traits that I developed as survival in childhood turned into my greatest strengths as an adult and as an entrepreneur.  Read More>>

Irishimo

I get my resilience from creating art & connections with others; as well as the power within myself to keep going. I have accepted that not everyone will support me & that’s okay! I have learned through life to accept big changes & to keep doing what makes me happy. Creating art makes me happy. It brings me joy to make others happy through my art. My goal is to “inspire & to be inspired.” My transition makes me happy, because I’m becoming the person I want to be. It has helped me see who is there to support my journey & the ones I need to weed out. Read More>>

Gina Carrillo

My resilience came slow and steady. I had an awakening from a sort of deep sleep in 2019. Before then I was a lost soul, not able to fully know myself and being swayed in the wind by others. After multiple abusive relationships, I finally reached a point where I had to reach out and get therapy. Bridges of Williamson County helped me work on my boundaries, raise my self esteem, indulge in self love, practice self care and change from insecurities and work on my strengths. Read More>>

William Boyce

I’m from an era in New York where you was taught that the work you put in is the reward you get out. That’s just how it was. You can’t complain about results if you didn’t put in the effort. I learned early on that no one’s handing you anything — if you mess up, you own it, you learn from it, and you get better. That mindset stuck with me. It’s not about making excuses — it’s about holding yourself down, figuring it out, and doing the work. Read More>>

Savannah Turhan

Resilience, for me, has always come from a deep sense of purpose. Working in death care is not something most people stumble into — it’s a calling. Every family I serve reminds me that what I do matters, not just in a logistical sense, but emotionally and spiritually. When someone is grieving, they are in one of the most vulnerable moments of their life. Being able to show up with calm, compassion, and clarity gives me strength, even when the work is heavy. Read More>>

Corinne Jedwood Rechter

In my opinion, resilience is often defined as the ability to bounce back, but as a CEO, I’ve learned it’s really about holding true to your values when things get tough.

When we launched TailWag Resorts, we set out to create a high-end, deeply personalized experience for dogs — not just another daycare. The early days were challenging. We faced pressure to lower prices, cut corners, and scale faster than we were ready for. But compromising was never an option. Read More>>

Van Ethan Levy Âû

To be honest, resilience is not something I ever desired or aspired to have. It’s not a badge of honor—it’s a condition of survival. I am resilient because I didn’t die. In a world as violent and oppressive as the one we live in, if you’re alive, you are resilient by default. It’s not a choice; it’s a necessity. Read More>>

 INDIRA RAMGARIB KATWAROO

Oh, That is easy. I got my resilience from my mom. Watching her raise six children and keep us all together while working three jobs was nothing short of extraordinary. She has always been the source of my strength, her determination, sacrifice, and unwavering love taught me what it truly means to be strong. Read More>>

Eli Berchan

From faith, thinking of my end goal,
My wife and kids; all what I’ve gone through and still here , so it means I am doing right and can’t give up Read More>>

Ramona Edie

I believe my resilience comes from growing up in Sicily, where life taught me early on that if I wanted something, I had to build it for myself. Modeling wasn’t a common path where I came from, but I had a vision—and I was willing to work hard for it.

When I first began modeling in Italy, and later in Paris and London, I faced a lot of rejection. But instead of letting it break me, I used it as fuel to grow and push forward. Read More>>

Benjamin Tone

My resilience comes from a combination of faith, family, and experience. As the founder and creative director of Tone Production — a full-service video production company based in Lafayette, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Mobile, Alabama — I’ve faced many of the highs and lows that come with building a creative business from the ground up. Whether it’s navigating tight deadlines, adapting to last-minute changes on set, or managing a growing team across multiple cities, staying grounded in my purpose has been key. Read More>>

Paula Pozo

My resilience is as forged in the crucible of a life-altering accident in my youth. The physical barriers I faced were immense , a relentless series of surgeries and a long, arduous journey to recovery. Those years were a trial by fire, pushing me to a very edge of my limits. But within that hardship, I discovered a wellspring of inner strength I never knew I possessed. Each hurdle cleared, each surgery endured, each day spent pushing through pain and frustration only served to deepen my resolve and solidify my unwavering spirit. The memory of that struggle, and the knowledge of how far I’ve come fuels my resilience even now. Read More>>

Danielle Hazelton

Resilience is a learned skill that is achieved in the darkest of opportunities. From growing up in a lower-income family with divorced parents in a rural town, I knew that taking care of myself was not a job solely for my parents. From an early age I took on a responsibility as a problem solver—for my family, for my friends, my colleagues, and for myself. Read More>>

Yuliia Babych

I believe my resilience comes from two main places: my passion for art and my roots.
Tattooing is not just a job for me — it’s a deep part of who I am. Even when things get tough, the love I have for my craft pushes me forward.
And on a personal level, I grew up learning how to stay strong, to keep going no matter what. Life teaches you to be flexible, patient, and stubborn in the best way — and I carry that into my work every day. Read More>>

CEO PESO

My resilience comes from a lot of different things. A lot of circumstances in my life, people have been around show me that quitting something that you believe in should never be an option. My life growing up was not bad at all, but it was not the best. There was a lot of people around me that set up for what life had to offer them, but they did not go see they could create their life to be. I feel blessed at a young age to see that I want it more, and I want my family to have more.  Read More>>

Andrew Miller

I get my resilience from a combination of confidence born of what I’ve already overcome and the expectation my courage and enthusiasm will move me towards those solutions that will mean the most to me. Read More>>

Dominic Parker

I am the second youngest of my seven siblings. Growing up with five older siblings, I’ve had the benefit of watching them navigate various challenges throughout life. Some very typical challenges, like finding success in higher learning and choosing career paths. But also some less typical challenges, like figuring out what to do when our mother Debby Parker was diagnosed with an early onset case of Alzheimer’s Disease.  Read More>>

Ariel DeAndrea

Resilience, for me, comes from making art. Painting has always been my way through uncertainty and change—it keeps me grounded, curious, and moving forward. At the same time, painting asks resilience of me in return, especially as I navigate the challenges of sustaining a professional art practice in an unpredictable world. Like most meaningful pursuits, there’s a quiet, beautiful exchange—a give and take that deepens with time and commitment. Read More>>

Natasha Aquin

I think resilience begins forming long before we know what to call it.

When I was six, I watched my mom — a single parent — start a business from our home. It began with quiet determination and a vision she never wavered from. Day by day, I watched her build something that not only supported us, but eventually transformed the trajectory of our lives. Without knowing it at the time, I was learning what it means to believe in yourself, to keep going without all the answers, and to create momentum through sheer consistency and care. Read More>>

Aleeza Kaplan

I’ll never forget something my father once said to me. I was in a difficult season, grappling with significant mental health challenges and, if I’m honest, stuck in a victim mindset. I don’t remember his exact words, but he gently encouraged me to tap into the resilience of my grandfather—his father, my Grandpa David. Read More>>

Lauren Cunningham

When I started my first business, I got a lot of “no’s”. I sent out hundreds of cold emails each week & received hardly any replies. However, it just takes one “yes.” I think that time in my life was when I developed resiliency and grit. Often times, you learn a lot more from the “no’s” than you do from hearing “yes.” Read More>>

Cymarshall Law

Resilience is the rhythm of my journey, the steady heartbeat behind every verse, every battle, every moment of doubt. I get it from knowing that struggle is just the shadow cast by growth. It’s the lessons my ancestors whispered through time, the echoes of hip-hop’s spirit—unbreakable, unapologetic, evolving. Read More>>

Autumn Skylar Dolinger

My whole life I have been surviving in spite of circumstances. I came into this world forced to be resilient from my very first breath, and through every difficult experience that Resilience grew.

My birth was highly traumatic for my parents, and it was the first indicator of a life filled with struggle. My mother had a silent placenta abruptipn, leading to blood filling her uterus. I was born through a C-section, floating in a pool of blood. I was blue due to lack of oxygen, and when I was able to cry those first tears were of blood. Originally it was a question of if I would make it, but I was strong enough to fight.  Read More>>

Christa Pharo

I get my resilience from the belief that I didn’t come this far just to come this far. Resilience, for me, came from facing each challenge that came my way and realizing I could get back up. Every one of those challenges showed me that I was stronger than I thought. Read More>>

Kaci Bell

I get my resilience from recognizing that Multiple Sclerosis is something that I will live with for the rest of my life, and that I’m not promised good days. Some days are really good, but there are days where I can barely walk on my own two feet, or drive myself back home because my hands stop working. So if I can combat a chronic illness that can literally take me down at any moment, I know that I can handle anything that life throws at me. Read More>>