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.
Lord Goldie
All of the people that raised me. From my parents to grandparents. We know faith without works is dead. So we keep pushing no matter what.I started off as a hip hop artists born and raised in Nashville, TN. As I kept growing in my career, I added audio engineering, producing, songwriting and managing into my career on top of being on top of networking. I also have thrown events with many promoters around the city. Promoting everyone from local talent to big wigs like Future. Right now my homeboy Foundation Mecca and I have formed the Sunday Funday crew after our biggest song to date “Sunday Funday”. We throw cyphers once a month and we even have different crews doing different cyphers at different venues once a month as well. It’s all leading up to a City Wide Cypher celebrating the 50 years in hip hop in September. Foundation are also wrapping up a heal hop project that we’re dropping later this year! Read More>>
Kaytee Gillis
I believe my resilience was formed out of necessity. Many of us do not know that our environment is anything but normal until we grow up and develop more awareness of how the world works. Then we realize that some of the things we went through not only were not normal, but they were traumatic. And that trauma sticks with us until we do the work of understanding, which, that in itself, can be traumatizing! Read More>>
Amy Peterson
I really credit my resilience from my parents and from my early childhood life of being a competitive ice skater. My parents taught me to be persistent and keep going. They instilled in me a determined mindset and hard work ethic. As a competitve ice skater I learned at an early age to fall down on your face and get back up and finish what you started with a smile on your face. Read More>>
Robb and Melanie Wallace
Robb and Melanie Wallace, the resilient couple behind Junk King Atlanta South, have not only built a thriving business, but also embody the true spirit of resilience. Their ability to adapt and evolve has been crucial in surviving various obstacles they have encountered, marking a relentless pursuit of success and deep commitment to their community. Read More>>
Darlynn Marks
I get my resilience from my mom. She has shown me that I can do what ever my heart desires, and I try to show that to my children every day. I am a seamstress, jewelry, designer, and textile educator. I have been sewing since I was nine years old. I has been a business owner for 12 years. Six years ago, I started to incorporate sewing and textile education classes into my business. I specialize in plus size, custom sewing, and I also create different types of hair bonnets to help kitchen beauticians alleviate the use of extra towels and shower caps. Read More>>
Rayvon Griffin-Bright
As a young gifted black girl with eczema, asthma, and glasses. My journey was been marked by numerous challenges, including bullying, low self-esteem, and even a traumatic experience of being sexually assaulted. However, I refuse to let those hardships define me. Through therapy, determination, and consistency, I have emerged as a successful business owner. Read More>>
Churchill Powell
I got my resilience from my mother(Shirley Auguste).Put everything you want to do on paper , set a schedule and execute fearlessly. Read More>>
J1Hunnit
It came from being from a small town where people don’t have the resources to chase their dreams . Knowing you can break a generational curse by hustling until it happens .
Seeing my mother and grandmother struggle to pay bills and make ends meet . Read More>>
Kia Patterson
As a teen mother, I had to grow into adulthood quickly. Having two kids before the age of 21, I had to grow even more being a single parent. The one thing I knew from the beginning of my journey as a single mom was that I was not going to settle for being a statistic. There was an example to be set for my daughters. Throughout these 17 years of parenting, my daughters have watched me work hard. From working crazy restaurants hours and going to school, to now having a beauty business of my own. There were definitely times when it felt like too much, but it wasn’t. I stopped allowing challenges to get the best of me and started thinking solution-based. Being consistent and intentional will take you a long way. It was all worth the fight. Read More>>
Carol Rasheed
My resilience comes from keeping the faith and having faith, my life lessons has shown me that nothing is impossible if you just keep going no matter the odds, i was a teen age mother and a high school drop out i had my first child at the age of 15 and moved out of my parents house to go live with my aunt when i was 16 and by the age 20 I was married with a ready made family by having to help support a step child and also ended up having my own second child with my then husband by the age of 28 I was divorced however during my marriage years my then husband encouraged me to finish high school by obtaining my GED after accomplishing this i decided to go to school to get a license to do hair and from there i worked in a couple of salons and then decided to go work for Disney world in Orlando and this is how my 34 year career into TV and Film started. I have to say it was a very bumpy road for at least a decade of building my name and branded work within the film industry during my struggling years , I opened a couple of successful salons to help feed myself and my 2 kids , my first salon was a true struggle i would cry heading to that salon everyday hoping i would make enough money to pay my rent my first home purchase was a rent to buy home i eventually purchased that first home after many years of doing salon work and taking tv and film jobs when they came along i managed to get a letter in the mail where the Home Shopping Network had sent out a RFP request for proposal of overseeing their Hair and Makeup Dept. Read More>>
Maria Alejandra Hernandez
At home, definitely. My parents are both hard workers and passionate people. They never let life get them down, and they just kept pushing harder and brighter with every challenge that came their way. It was a blessing to watch them grow, learn, and build everything from scratch. They were always proactive about every aspect of life, constantly reading and working to improve themselves and achieve excellence. Read More>>
Jamie Kohler
I would have to say that I get my resilience from my Lord and Savior. I could never get through my difficult times and challenges in this world if not for my relationship with Jesus Christ. If he went through brutal torture and suffering for me, there is nothing I cannot push through for him and through his strength. I definitely have my moments that I want to give up. Jesus certainly has every reason to have given up on me, but he chose to save me and love me. For this, I owe my every breath. Read More>>
Debra Disman
I think resilience is something that you can observe over time, and its level shifts around on a day to day basis, depending on what is going on both internally and externally in the moment. One of the most important factors in my practice is consistent work, showing up at the studio each day, and doing what I can to move things forward. I apply this to my other work too: administrative tasks, online presence, applications, writing, meetings, planning and an array of teaching activities. Especially when something feels daunting, I try to do even the smallest task to move the needle. After a while, this can become a habit, and helps to break down the enormity of all that needs to be done into something more manageable and even fun! Speaking of fun, claiming that which is enjoyable, taking moments to relax and refresh, and even “putting it all down” for a time as my Mother used to say, helps me to clear my mind, gather my thoughts, renew my energy, and come back to work stronger and with greater clarity. Read More>>
Ariel Pirela
Absolutely, hands down– my mother! My resilience is intrinsic, stitched in me directly from the womb. What I inherited from her was what makes all her children superstars in this world. They are certainly superstars in my world. The key to our inherited resilience is actually joy. My mother teaches us in EACH interaction with her own shining example. She has no shortage of encouraging reminders to focus on the good. To quote her recent advice, “take all the love and a smidge of the crazy…” This was her response to me probing for her advice on embracing others who are different. Joy is medicine for the heart and Ms. Ada Marie Jones gives out gallon doses at a time. Be sure to check out her line of enchanted candles via IG (@missadacandles). As an entrepreneur, I live out this resilience through the CCC Tiny Book of Affirmations. Yes, this 56-card deck casts a line into the magical well of resilient joy to all who seek it. Tune in to our Instagram channel (@celestialcontentcreations) daily for your own personal dose! It’s an honor to call upon my inherited resilience gift from my matriarchal Haitian roots each day to show up joyfully. Read More>>
Greg Mack
From my parents. My mother was a preschool teacher and would work with me frequently as a child on various projects and when I failed she would encourage me to keep going and find the solution.
My father was a successful sales professional and worked very hard. He also encourage my participation in sports and would help me practice whenever he could. He would push me to keep going even when I was tired or frustrated. Read More>>
Anne Trainer
I am fortunate to have a family full of strong, resilient women who modeled strength and grace simultaneously. I forged my own version of those qualities when I experienced a brain injury in college that wiped out my functional short term memory. I went from an A average at a competitive school to flunking classes. I had to find a new way to learn, and forgive myself for failing at the same time. I spent four extra years in college, and after graduating, realized I no longer had the skill set I’d relied on my whole life. I made lots of mistakes, lost jobs I’d landed by selling the abilities I no longer had. It took time, but eventually I realized that I was just now meant for a different path. As I have embraced that change, I have found my confidence. Read More>>
Elijah (El) Ndoye
Discipline!
According to my mother even at a young age, I have always been that way. When I set my mind into doing something I just do it and it does not matter how long it takes, I just have to take it to the finish line. I grew up seeing my dad being the same so I guess I have learned it from him. This resilience ties into my story with The Forgotten Children and the Boarding School. Read More>>
Lluliana Flores
My resiliency is a result of many factors. First and foremost, my parents have been an example of resiliency. I grew up witnessing how they overcame many challenging situations and hearing stories about the challenges in their home country, El Salvador. Growing up they worked a lot during the week, and on the weekends they would make time for family gatherings, sharing delicious meals, and stories about their childhood and how they survived the civil war. Hearing these stories allowed me to self-reflect on the opportunities available to me. Additionally, growing up as a first generation American, of low economic status presented many challenges. It was from a young age that I had to grow in my resiliency. As a child what aided me was my father emphasizing the importance of education and making it a priority. My mother emphasized the importance of being connected and being proud of our culture. Read More>>
Emily Adams
Finding resilience in the face of adversity is a journey that is deeply personal and unique to each individual. For me, my wellspring of resilience originates from the multitude of obstacles I had to overcome to reach the place I am at today. Let me take you through my story, a story of self-discovery, determination, and relentless pursuit of a life I desired. Read More>>
Mercedes Milson
I got my resilience from the women in my family. From my grandmother to my mother. To my big sister. I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t wasn’t raised in their strength and resilience. Read More>>
Lynn Brishae
My resilience comes from God and many prayers first. Second, where I currently am has a lot to do with where I come from. As a native New Yorker, I was born with a different kind of hustle and fire inside. If you know anything about New Yorkers, you know where all about getting things done by any means necessary., and as a child, I can remember being driven and focused. I was always known for taking charge, being an organizer, and being the first to do many things. Read More>>
Josh Stokes
I got my resilience from my parents. I watched them both create jobs for themselves, and others. Remain consistent, and passionate through illness, opposition, self doubt, and apparent doubt from others. Seeing that showed me how to navigate through this harsh world, encourage and never quit no matter what. Read More>>
Ayonte Albert
From my parents. Growing up, I witnessed them overcome obstacles and the hardest of hardships. They pushed through those obstacles, and came out on top. There are so many things that you can allow to keep hindering your growth, but watching them overcome their difficulties, showed me that I can overcome mine and do so much more. Read More>>
Sharon Riche
I learned to be resilient from my late parents. When my father was 3 years old he survived the Holocaust by hiding from the Nazis in cupboards and haylofts on a Polish farm. My mom grew up in the Brooklyn projects and graduated as Valedictorian of her class. Both my parents fought cancer for many years and faced their deaths with grace. Despite their struggles they lived joyous lives with gratitude, positivity and always lead with love. Their strength and devotion to our family in light of any adversity taught me resilience’ and to always appreciate good health and to value life, and family. Read More>>
Ricardo Arroyo
Resilience runs through my family’s veins. Ever since I remember I saw my father working hard and overcoming adversities to make sure the family was ok. At thirteen years old my father quit school to help bring food home. He worked as a boot shiner and even at a circus handling the circus animals. Eventually, he joined the Navy where he became a Marine and military instructor for the new generations. Seeing all his hard work showed me that being resilient goes hand in hand with not giving up. Read More>>
Emily Falcon
In this inspiring memoir, Emily Falcon chronicles her lifelong journey with a congenital cardiac condition. In 1982, at seven weeks old, she had a heart attack that destroyed forty percent of the left side of her heart. This was her entry into a world of multiple cardiac procedures, surgeries, and hospitalizations, and a later diagnosis of glaucoma. Balancing these serious conditions defined her life. Falcon’s memoir is a story of survival and how her physical situation shaped and limited her. She never surrendered, never wavered. She always forged onward. She intends this story to be a helpful resource to families, caregivers, and physicians who want to gain insight into a patient’s point of view. Read More>>
