There was a season in my life where everything just felt like a lot being a full-time mom, working in construction, and pushing myself to grow through school and new opportunities. I didn't feel strong in those moments, I just felt stretched. But looking back, I realized strength was showing up in the small things. It was waking up early even when I was exhausted. Staying consistent when it would've been easier to quit. Showing up for my son and still choosing to grow, even when I felt unsure of myself. I even stepped out of my comfort zone and entered a pageant, something I never saw myself doing. At the time, it didn't feel like strength. It just felt like life. But that experience showed me that I'm more resilient than I thought. That strength isn't always loud or obvious, it's in the quiet decisions to keep going, even when things feel heavy.

I've always been resilient, but my real growth came when I started saying yes to opportunities that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I faced challenges and did it anyway. That's where I found my strength, and why my 40s and 50s have been my most powerful years. I hope my journey gives hope to other women who feel stuck or believe it's too late; because it's never too late to grow, to start, and to accomplish something meaningful.

Strength found me in a moment I never would have chosen. What felt overwhelming at the time forced me to show up with clarity, resilience, and a level of focus I didn't know I had. I learned that strength isn't about avoiding pressure; it's about rising through it with purpose. That experience revealed that I'm far more adaptable and driven than I give myself credit for. When faced with uncertainty, I do not step back; I lean in, problem-solve, and keep moving forward. It reshaped how I see challenges: not as obstacles, but as opportunities to lead, grow, and deliver.

Back 10 years ago, my strength was something I could measure in reps at the gym and the quiet authority of a librarian who had finally reclaimed her life. After my divorce, I was in the best shape of my life, raising two sons, and pursuing a doctorate to pivot into HR. I was a woman who had finally built a foundation on her own terms, feeling invincible as I balanced career-shifting studies with the physical energy I'd worked so hard to gain. I thought resilience was about pushing harder, moving faster, and outrunning the past, until my body began to signal a different kind of challenge. The diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis arrived just as I was stepping into my new professional identity, effectively pulling the emergency brake on the version of "strength" I had come to rely on. Suddenly, I had to navigate the heartbreak of new physical limitations while proving my worth in a corporate field that rarely pauses for chronic illness. I surprised myself not by pushing through the pain, but by learning to lead from within it. This experience revealed that my resilience wasn't found in my physical stamina or my ability to do it all; it was in the quiet, unshakeable courage to redefine my worth when the world felt like it was narrowing. I found that I wasn't just a survivor of a divorce or a career change; I was a woman capable of building a powerhouse career and a legacy of advocacy from the very seat of my own vulnerability.

I used to think strength meant having everything under control, but balancing full-time work while furthering my education and still making space to see the world showed me it's really about showing up even when you're exhausted and uncertain. And realizing that when there's a will, there's always a way to make it happen.

Along the way, I learned to listen to that quiet voice inside me. To God's voice. After years of working in healthcare, I felt a calling placed on my heart. It didn't make perfect sense at first, and I was afraid. Afraid of failure. Afraid of rejection. Afraid of stepping out on my own. But faith is not about having all the answers, it's about taking the step anyway.

Strength revealed itself to me in a moment of redirection, not certainty. When my corporate career ended unexpectedly, I was faced with the responsibility of raising my children while redefining my own path. There was no clear roadmap; only a quiet, persistent instinct to begin again. What surprised me was not a single act of resilience, but the decision to keep going, day after day, building something from nothing. I stepped into the unknown, trained my hands, refined my eye, and trusted that discipline would lead to clarity. That experience taught me that resilience is not loud; it is steady. It is the willingness to continue with intention, even when the outcome is uncertain. In that space, I discovered not only my strength, but my purpose.

There wasn't a single dramatic moment where I suddenly realized I was strong. Instead, it was something quieter and more unexpected. In the early stages of my career, I found myself in environments where I often had to prove my place. Working in a male-dominated field meant there were times my ideas were overlooked, my voice was interrupted, or my contributions weren't fully recognized. In some cases, I even watched work I had done be credited to someone else. At first, those experiences made me question myself. I wondered if I was truly as capable as I believed I was, or if I needed to change who I was in order to be taken seriously. But over time, something shifted. I started to realize that strength wasn't about never being doubted- it was about how I responded when I was. It showed up in small, but important ways: speaking up again after being interrupted, continuing to share ideas even when they weren't immediately acknowledged, and learning to document my work so my contributions were clear. What surprised me most was that resilience didn't feel loud or dramatic. It built quietly, through repetition and persistence. That experience taught me something I carry with me now: confidence is not something you wait to feel before you act. It's something you build by acting anyway. Looking back, I didn't become stronger because everything got easier- I became stronger because I learned I could keep going even when it wasn't. That realization changed everything about how I see my own voice, and what I believe I'm capable of doing with it.

During the Covid period, I was in a car accident, car was totaled and so was I. Early that day I was out with Sister V shopping Thanksgiving. The next day doctors were trying to save my life. I'm thankful that today this story can be told. I'm not sure of all the events that happened but God kept me. Major surgeries were performed and when I awaken I couldn't do anything for myself. I learned how to walk & talk just like a baby needing a mother. I Thank God today for bringing me through all the pain and suffering. I thank God for every one who prayed and took care of me. I had no clue about the magnitude of making bad decisions would make provisions to live today. I take nothing for granted and there's a divine reason I'm here. Believe me so unworthy of his Love ❤️ for me.

I found my strength by simply having the ability to "bounce back" from difficult experiences. Resilience is not a trait that people either have or don't have. It involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that can be learned and developed in everyone from experience that can either make or break you. My resilience is about being adaptable.

I am a mom first, and that is the most important role of my life. Corporate life did not always provide the flexibility I needed to be fully present for my children or support them as competitive gymnasts. I wanted to build a business that allowed me to continue doing meaningful, strategic work while also showing up for my family in the way they deserve. For me, the journey has been about courage, purpose, and trusting myself. I built Hawk & Helm to help organizations transform Learning and Development into a strategic business driver and to build a life where success, impact, and presence can coexist.

There was a moment in my life where everything felt uncertain, and I realized I didn't have the option to fall apart. Not because I didn't feel it, but because too many things depended on me continuing to move forward. That's when I understood what resilience really is. It's not loud or visible. Sometimes it's simply choosing to get up and take the next step. What surprised me most is that I didn't lose myself in the process. And that changed me.

Strength sometimes appears in ways we never anticipate. At RELTCO, resilience isn't just about surviving challenges it's about rising through them with grit, grace, and determination. Some of my proudest moments came when I realized I was stronger than I ever imagined, leading through uncertainty while continuing to build, grow, and believe in the vision.

There was a season when I was balancing leadership, learning, and personal challenges all at once, and I realized resilience isn't about never feeling overwhelmed. It's about continuing to show up with purpose anyway. That experience taught me that strength grows quietly through consistency, faith, and perseverance.

The moment I stopped trying to survive and started reclaiming my soul, everything changed. I learned resilience isn't about being untouched by the fire. I's about becoming forged from it.

In my hardest season, I was grieving, but I was also working full time, going to school, and proving to myself how resilient I truly am.

One of the biggest moments of resilience in my life was walking away from an abusive relationship and rebuilding my life from the ground up. Moving to Chicago and choosing to fully invest in myself, both personally and professionally, taught me that strength isn't just surviving difficult situations, it's having the courage to choose yourself and create a better future despite them.

I've learned that resilience often shows up quietly: in consistency, adaptability, and continuing to move forward when things don't go as planned. Some of my hardest seasons revealed strengths in me I didn't know I had.

I once chased down a guy trying to steal my bag at a Nigerian airport. He dropped it and ran when he saw me coming. Moral of this story, pack a bag so heavy that you can outrun the guy trying to steal it.

I surprised myself by surviving the things I once thought would destroy me. What I discovered is that resilience is not about never breaking ... it's about continuing to love, heal, and keep going even after you do.

Resilience is survival. It's adapting, rebuilding, and growing through life's seasons that should break you.

I've learned that strength doesn't always look loud or fearless. Sometimes it's simply continuing to show up with confidence, compassion, and authenticity through challenging or uncertain moments. As a woman in leadership, resilience revealed to me that growth often comes from trusting your voice, stepping outside your comfort zone, and realizing you belonged in the room all along.

Leading the implementation of a new teacher evaluation system across Delaware revealed a different kind of strength in me. I learned that resilience can look like creating space for hard conversations, genuinely responding to feedback, and staying committed to collaboration and continuous improvement even when the path forward is not easy.

There were a lot of seasons when I had to keep showing up in my uncertainties, and I shocked myself by how much strength can increase through consistency. It revealed that resilience is not always loud, it's often the quiet decision to keep moving forward.

Sometimes the very seasons that tried to break us reveal the strength God placed within us all along. I learned that resilience is not the absence of struggle, but the willingness to keep walking in faith, purpose, and obedience even when the path is uncertain.