We connected with some of the most resilient folks in the community and one of the most insightful questions we had an opportunity to ask centered around whether there was ever a time they almost gave up. Highlighting some of the responses below.
STACIE WATKINS
we were three years in of starting our Skating group. The location we meet up at was at a basketball court and a very rough part of the neighborhood in San Diego as I approached the basketball court. Read more>>
Melanie Wang
I actually almost quit my orthodontic residency when I became a new mom. It felt impossible to do both, and the faculty (male-dominated) didn’t make it easy on me. Being a mom, especiallt a new mom was stressful and exhausting in addition to the demands of residency. I had had enough. Read more>>
Alexis yojari Luna aguilar
The moment I almost gave up was when my son was born. I was 18 years old and I wasn’t prepared for it. It was easy for me, but facing adult life at a young age is difficult. I worked for a company for two years and the people there always encouraged me and told me that I had a lot of talent to be working in something that didn’t make me happy, so I decided to quit that job. Read more>>
Rebecca Howard
More than once. Entrepreneurship isn’t all highlight reels—it’s late nights, missed payments, second-guessing yourself, and wondering if it’s ever going to work out. There were moments I was down to my last few hundred dollars, juggling client work while raising kids on my own, feeling like maybe I’d made a mistake betting on myself. Read more>>
Victoria Teodoro
Yes, there was a time I almost gave up. Between ages 19 and 21, I struggled with extreme depression and felt like I didn’t want to be here anymore. In high school, I was talented being the only girl on the boys’ wrestling team and could have pursued college athletics, but the passing of my coach deeply affected me. Read more>>
Megan Edd
There were definitely times in the first six years of my career when I felt like giving up. Being an independent contractor and small business owner comes with so much responsibility—you’re the one who has to build your clientele, manage your inventory, and keep the business running day after day. Read more>>
Ross A.M.
A couple years after the COVID pandemic hit, C-Lock the Watchman had to move to New York due to work/financial reasons, and the progression of Alternate Era came to a stand still for a couple years. At the same time, Ross A.M. became a father and life was seemingly pulling both of us in drastically different directions. Read more>>
Megan Brehman
Yes—there was a time I almost gave up, though from the outside, no one would have known. Throughout my 20s, I lived with an eating disorder, feeling like I had two lives: the one everyone saw—driven, successful, climbing the corporate ladder—and the one I lived on the inside, silently battling myself and my body. Read more>>
Jamie Schiffer
Yes—many times. Starting a business is full of ups and downs, and those early years involved a lot of trial and error. It’s not always easy to keep going when you’re pouring your heart into something and still figuring it all out. One of the hardest moments came in 2024, when I experienced a miscarriage. Read more>>
Wasim Hajjiri
One of my greatest passions has always been fitness and natural bodybuilding. Right before my first competition, my father passed away. It was a devastating moment. I thought about quitting everything—competing, working, even pursuing my goals. But my mother stood by my side with incredible strength. With her support, I chose to turn that pain into fuel. I moved forward, competed, and won. Read more>>
Sarah Herzdame
For sure! Often I think, especially in the beginning. I tent to be a perfectionist- which is probably good in my line of work and why most of us are somewhat troubled people. I am very proud of myself though, for not giving up when it was hard and things weren’t perfect. Read more>>
Jennine Powell
Honestly? All the time—sometimes daily. When I am in the trenches, juggling the emotional weight of clinical work, running a business, managing a team, and trying to show up fully in my personal life, it has been suffocating. There are days when the to-do list feels never-ending, the challenges pile up, and I question if I can keep going. Read more>>
Henry Herz
I teamed up with an illustrator to create a picture book, Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes. I queried numerous literary agents, but got no takers. Then, I submitted the project to a range of traditional publishers with no success. I was literally within days of saying, ‘The heck with it. Read more>>
Tiffany Vakilian
Last year, I got sick and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. It wasn’t autoimmune, but it was chronic. The symptoms stole days and sometimes weeks of my life. We found out later it was Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), and only once we found out what is was could I start from scratch. But at the time, it wrecked me. Read more>>
Adolfo Lopez
Absolutely, when I first started our small business 7-8 years ago. Thanx to my supporting wife we were able to find our market and also our sale market. Read more>>
