Who Taught You Resilience?

In this heartfelt episode, Julia Vaughan reflects on the person who first taught her resilience — her stepdad, a former college basketball player whose steady words carried her through life’s toughest moments: “We’re going to get through this. Do you hear me?” This episode invites you to explore who modeled resilience for you… and how you can become that voice for someone else.

Transcript

Who taught you resilience?

Think about that. Not just the surface-level answer, but the root. Who showed you how to keep moving when it would have been easier to break down? Who taught you that no matter how deep the valley, you could climb out?

For me, that answer is easy: my Daddy Mike

His career began with playing basketball at both the college and professional levels, but it was short-lived, which already tells you a lot about him. He had discipline, drive, and heart. But the lessons I carry from him weren’t about scoring points or staying in shape. They were about life… and how to survive it with your soul still intact.

He had this phrase, simple but unforgettable. Whenever life felt like too much, when bills stacked up, when health issues came, when everything felt like it was crumbling — he’d look right at me and say:

“We’re going to get through this. Do you hear me? We’re going to get through this.”

Every. Single. Time.

It wasn’t just a pep talk. It was a promise. And when someone you love says that with conviction, you start to believe it, even if you don’t see the way out yet.

That phrase anchored me.

Later in life, I realized he wasn't just giving comfort, he was giving me language for resilience. A rhythm. A mindset. A voice that still speaks inside me, especially when everything goes silent and I don’t know what to do next.

And let’s be honest, life will test you. It has tested me.

I’ve lived through moments that shattered my world, losing my son Joseph was the deepest heartbreak of my life. But in that unbearable silence, when I couldn’t breathe from grief, I heard his words again:

“We’re going to get through this. Do you hear me?”

Even if I didn’t believe it that day, those words kept me breathing until I did.

Here’s the truth:
We don’t always get to choose our battles.
But we do get to choose how we show up in them.
And for many of us, resilience was modeled before it was ever spoken.

Maybe you didn’t have someone like my stepdad in your life. Maybe you had to teach yourself how to be strong. If that’s you, you are remarkable. Because that means you didn’t just survive, you built resilience from scratch.

But for most of us, somewhere along the way, someone planted a seed.

So I want you to pause and reflect on this today:

👉 Who gave you that strength, directly or indirectly?
👉 What did they say that stuck with you?
👉 How did they show up during hard times?

Was it a parent who worked two jobs and never complained?
A grandparent who never wavered in their faith?
A teacher who believed in you before you believed in yourself?
Or a coach who demanded more because they saw your potential?

And now, here’s the big one:
Whose resilience are you shaping right now?

You may not realize it, but someone is watching how you handle your storms. A child. A coworker. A friend. Maybe even a stranger.

They’re watching the way you show up after loss… how you rise after failure… how you speak life in the middle of chaos.

What if the words you speak today become the anchor for someone else's tomorrow?

What if you are now the voice that says:

“We’re going to get through this. Do you hear me? We’re going to get through this.”