Connect through stories

Stories have the power to inspire, strengthen, and heal. And the stories we tell, especially about how we overcome adversity, help shape how we think about our lives. We have a lot to learn from each other and a lot to say. What’s your story?

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Stories of resilience

Divorce & Family Challenges

“If I didn’t pull this off, my family was gone. So I gave it everything I had.”

By Vernon Turner

Hate & Violence

“I’ve left Syria, but I’m not free. The fight starts when you flee. But it doesn’t have an end.”

By Sana Mustafa

Abuse & Sexual Assault

“I’ve got nothing to lose in trying to live the biggest life I can.”

By Kathy Andersen

Grief & Loss

“I’d always been the moon to my mom’s bright shining sun. How do you live without the sun?”

By Christa Fletcher

Health, Illness & Injury

“Option B means realizing that you’re reinventing yourself. There’s no rule book. There’s no guide. It’s about going back to life”

By Allen Rucker

Incarceration

“On my eighteenth birthday, I was sent to prison with a sentence of fifteen years and two felonies.”

By Danny Murillo

Health, Illness & Injury

“Having two kids with muscular dystrophy has changed how we view the future. We seize every chance to enjoy the time we have.”

By Char & Scott Frewing

Grief & Loss

“It was a wake-up call for me to get out and make something of myself.”

By Ankit Vij

Divorce & Family Challenges

“When I was 15, I found out I was pregnant. I just didn’t want to believe it.”

By Guadalupe Valencia

Grief & Loss

“I still miss my dad every day. But I think he’d be proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

By Genevieve Liu

Grief & Loss

“My dad discovered he had a son less than a minute before he discovered he had lost his son.”

By Byron Auguste

Hate & Violence

“When you’re a person the world is trying to erase, enjoying the world is truly radical. It’s a revolutionary act.”

By Jacob Tobia

Divorce & Family Challenges

“I am a proud mother of seven. And nobody can take that away from me.”

By Stephanie Zibell

Abuse & Sexual Assault

“I’ve helped others heal, which gives me an immense sense of meaning and purpose.”

By Dr. Michelle Stevens

Health, Illness & Injury

“My grandma told me that once I shake someone’s hand, my disability goes away.”

By Kyle Maynard

Raising Resilient Kids

“Our first challenge was to protect her, to let her know that she was valued. And heard. And believed.”

By Susan Guess

Grief & Loss

“I instantly connected him to Leo. I felt that maybe the universe was trying to tell me something.”

By Marina Krim

Divorce & Family Challenges

“Shame thrives in secrecy. Having such a public healing and a public acceptance has really helped me.”

By Catherine Hoke

Abuse & Sexual Assault

“When I graduated, it was the best day of my life, because I remember how close I was to giving up.”

By Alycia Bennett

Health, Illness & Injury

“My diagnosis was a turning point.”

By A'Driane Nieves

Grief & Loss

“I have to keep going for the kids, but more than that, I’m sustained by the thought that I mustn’t let George down.”

By Karla Reid

Incarceration

“I had always thought, ‘What’s in it for me?’ But seeing these volunteer teachers inspired me to give back.”

By Dmitriy Orlov

Divorce & Family Challenges

“It was something that was swept under the rug. We didn’t talk about it for many years.”

By Anthony Ocampo

Health, Illness & Injury

“The hardest part was realizing that my life would be put on pause.”

By Layth Ramatala

Grief & Loss

“When we lose someone we love, we should remember that the person has not become nothing.”

By Kevin Krim

Grief & Loss

How I learned resilience from my mom

By Mary Barra

Grief & Loss

“Grief isn’t about ‘closure.’ Nor is it something to overcome or get past. It’s something to lean into, to embrace.”

By Arianna Huffington

Health, Illness & Injury

“The attitude we bring to the table, our coping ability, and our future, is completely within our control.”

By Mamta Shah

Grief & Loss

“Maria has always had a special place in our family and she always will.”

By Laura Gould Crandall

Grief & Loss

“It’s important to process your grief, because it’s going to come out somehow.”

By Ivan Maisel

Photography credits

Special thanks to Norman Jean Roy and Getty Images for capturing these powerful images of resilience.

Connect through stories

Explore stories by category

Stories of resilience

“If I didn’t pull this off, my family was gone. So I gave it everything I had.”

“I’ve left Syria, but I’m not free. The fight starts when you flee. But it doesn’t have an end.”

“I’ve got nothing to lose in trying to live the biggest life I can.”

“I’d always been the moon to my mom’s bright shining sun. How do you live without the sun?”

“Option B means realizing that you’re reinventing yourself. There’s no rule book. There’s no guide. It’s about going back to life”

“On my eighteenth birthday, I was sent to prison with a sentence of fifteen years and two felonies.”

“Having two kids with muscular dystrophy has changed how we view the future. We seize every chance to enjoy the time we have.”

“It was a wake-up call for me to get out and make something of myself.”

“When I was 15, I found out I was pregnant. I just didn’t want to believe it.”

“I still miss my dad every day. But I think he’d be proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

“My dad discovered he had a son less than a minute before he discovered he had lost his son.”

“When you’re a person the world is trying to erase, enjoying the world is truly radical. It’s a revolutionary act.”

“I am a proud mother of seven. And nobody can take that away from me.”

“I’ve helped others heal, which gives me an immense sense of meaning and purpose.”

“My grandma told me that once I shake someone’s hand, my disability goes away.”

“Our first challenge was to protect her, to let her know that she was valued. And heard. And believed.”

“I instantly connected him to Leo. I felt that maybe the universe was trying to tell me something.”

“Shame thrives in secrecy. Having such a public healing and a public acceptance has really helped me.”