With all the focus on success it’s easy to overlook the valuable lessons we can learn from the more difficult parts of our journey. Below, you’ll find some very interesting insights from some of the most fascinating members of the community.
Eliamaria Madrid
That there’s always room to grow. If I fail, I give myself time to sit in it and feel bad if I need to, but at the end of it, I need to take a moment to look back and se what I can learn from that and make it better. That goes with anything; skills, finalizing a piece, an art show, anything. Read more>>
Amber Coleman
Suffering taught me patience, humility, and the art of resilience in a way success never could. Success feels good. It validates your efforts and gives you momentum. But suffering slows you down and forces you to face yourself. It strips away the noise, the titles, the expectations, and shows you what really matters. Read more>>
Charity Johnson
Suffering has taught me humility, resilience, hope, and faith. It reminded me to believe in myself and unveiled the growth that comes from being uncomfortable. It grounded me, showing me that the blessings God has for me will never miss me. Through suffering, I gained character, peace, and selflessness. Today, my light shines bright, and my energy is infectious because of it. Read more>>
Annika Hinton
Suffering taught me resilience in a way that success never could. Walking through postpartum depression and anxiety forced me to slow down, confront my own limitations, and learn how to ask for help. It showed me that strength isn’t about doing it all, but about admitting when you can’t and still choosing to keep going. Read more>>
Jay Maggio
Suffering, struggling to survive, being poor, not knowing where your next check will come from, all of this can not only make you feel very insecure but it can be very very humbling. My greatest envy is for those that never experience this cause they will never understand what this is like and they will have no real sense of empathy! Read more>>
Ben Graham
Suffering taught me resilience, humility, and empathy in a way success never could. It showed me what it feels like to be vulnerable, uncertain, and in need of support and that’s shaped how I lead Wellness Code. I understand firsthand that people don’t just come to us for treatments; they come because they’re looking for hope, solutions, and someone who truly cares. Read more>>
La-Shawnda Thompson
Suffering taught me who I was when everything was stripped away. Success can make you feel celebrated, but suffering shows you what you’re truly made of. It taught me how to hear God in the silence, how to pray when I didn’t have the words, and how to stand when it felt like the ground was falling from underneath me. Read more>>
Mabel Ríos
I moved to Dallas for love. I got married and had a beautiful daughter. Then divorce came my way. I was left completely alone, and that made me realize I must move forward and support women going through divorce without their families nearby. Read more>>
Ashley Hence
To appreciate your blessings. Sometimes I’m guilty of spending so much time on what I don’t have or what’s going wrong that I forget all that I do have and what’s going right. My blessings have always outweighed my bad days. Read more>>
Chioma Amadi
Suffering taught me that I can get through anything. It also taught me that I am stronger than I think. Read more>>
Starrla Noble
Suffering taught me how to alchemize pain into power. It stripped me bare, burned away the illusion of safety, and left only truth in its ashes. While success whispered praise, suffering screamed lessons (so many lessons) — about boundaries, resilience, and the parts of myself I had abandoned to be loved or accepted. Read more>>
Eliza Stevens
Suffering has taught me lessons that success never could—especially as a Christian. I’ve come to understand that suffering is a part of life on earth, not something to avoid, but something that can refine us and draw us closer to our purpose. For me, that looked like finding myself in a career that, while meaningful on paper, left me feeling unfulfilled. Read more>>
EN Fútbol
Suffering introduced us to emotions we never wanted to feel again. While they weren’t the best, they taught us what we needed to avoid and pushed us to our limits. It showed us the value of resilience and the drive to keep growing beyond those tough moments. Read more>>
Rachel Jamison
Living in west Africa, there is no shortage of suffering. Poverty has created a way of life here where death and hunger and hardships are expected. Integrating into this community has caused me to come face to face with the darkness of the world, to really engage suffering and sit with it. Read more>>
Justin Hoard
Shew… I guess that depends on what you call success. I think it’s actually taught me more about what I want my definition of success to be. Once you start dissecting whats wrong with you and you choose to sit with it and stare at it you say ‘Ok, what’s really up? I feel these things, I do these things, I have this view. Read more>>
Kesha Austin
Suffering taught me what success never could—especially through my cancer journey. Being diagnosed shortly after my 30th birthday was completely unexpected. I was faced with a wave of questions I had no answers for: *Will I live? What will happen to my children? My husband? My home?* I had never felt so powerless. Up until that point, I believed I was holding everything together. Read more>>
Adriana Gafencu
Suffering taught me patience, while success rushed me forward. It taught me to slow down, to sit with the pain and still choose hope. It humbled me— stripping away pride and the need for control. It deepened my faith, because I had to believe in what I couldn’t see. It taught me to listen more, judge less, to lead with compassion, not comparison. Read more>>
Joshua Clark
Throughout my professional journey, I’ve encountered moments of deep struggle—times that brought me so low, the only direction left was upward. But the decision to rise wasn’t born of pressure; it came from a genuine desire for change. Through those experiences, I discovered an inner strength and self-belief that had always been within me. Read more>>
