About Resilient Living

“My career path was not a coincidence, nor was it linear. As with all childhood development, we experience our own challenges and, in some way, these challenges either harden us or empower us to be gracious. Unfortunately, in my case, my parents’ separation at an early age led me to seek stability and connection elsewhere.

Most of my choices during the various developmental stages were to explore my will and to see how far I could go. As I got older, I realised that all I was doing was actively hurting the people who loved me because deep down I was hurting. The conflict within me was overwhelming and I often turned to substances to manage the pain.

I consider myself very fortunate because, despite my bad decisions, my mother and my sister were always constant in my life, providing overwhelming love and support.

As the years wore on, I experienced overwhelming challenges, from scarcity of funds to eventually sleeping in my car and couch surfing. But the most challenging time in my life was the loss of my mother, Myrna Tadeo. My mother had actively highlighted to me that we are all deserving of love and acceptance, and it was her passion for caring that eventually led me to explore a career in mental health. The overwhelming pain in my life at her passing lead me to severe depression and actively experiencing negative thoughts.

After my recovery I finally decided to follow the encouragement of my mother, which was to start my own business in mental health. The name of the organisation sits at the core of my character and the trials I have endured in my life. To me, Resilient Living is an invitation to decide each day to take one step forward and continue to do things that will create helpful outcomes down the track. It is more than just a psychosocial organisation; it represents the fiery will in each person. Sometimes the flames may dim, and it is up to us to open our hearts so that the fire can be fanned to life once more.”