overcoming adversity Archives - Summer Owens S.O. What! https://summerowens.com/tag/overcoming-adversity/ S.O. What! Tue, 26 Aug 2025 03:19:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://i0.wp.com/summerowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/cropped-Summer-Owens-S.O.-What.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 overcoming adversity Archives - Summer Owens S.O. What! https://summerowens.com/tag/overcoming-adversity/ 32 32 152051023 Rooted in Memphis, Built on Resilience: The Cortney Richardson Story https://summerowens.com/rooted-in-memphis-built-on-resilience-the-cortney-richardson-story/ https://summerowens.com/rooted-in-memphis-built-on-resilience-the-cortney-richardson-story/#respond Sun, 22 Dec 2024 09:40:03 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23995 In this episode of S.O. What! Success Stories, I had the honor of speaking with Cortney Richardson, CEO of Peer Power Foundation and a proud University of Memphis alum. Cortney’s journey is a powerful testament to resilience, leadership, and the impact of intentional choices. Growing up with a teenage mother, Cortney Richardson witnessed firsthand the […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/rooted-in-memphis-built-on-resilience-the-cortney-richardson-story/feed/ 0 23995 Teen Mom to University Dean: Linda Hall Journey of Resilience and Leadership https://summerowens.com/teen-mom-to-university-dean-linda-hall-journey-of-resilience-and-leadership/ https://summerowens.com/teen-mom-to-university-dean-linda-hall-journey-of-resilience-and-leadership/#respond Sun, 08 Dec 2024 09:30:06 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23976 8/22/25 Update: Due to the Dismantling DEI Departments Act, the University of Memphis closed the Multicultural Affairs Office, impacting and upsetting thousands of students and alumni who benefit from that office, Dean Hall, and staff. ___________________________________________________________________________________ In this episode of S.O. What! Success Stories, I had the honor of talking to one of my mentors […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/teen-mom-to-university-dean-linda-hall-journey-of-resilience-and-leadership/feed/ 0 23976 Navigating Obstacles: Geo Derice Blueprint for Resilience and Success https://summerowens.com/navigating-obstacles-geo-derice-blueprint-for-resilience-and-success/ https://summerowens.com/navigating-obstacles-geo-derice-blueprint-for-resilience-and-success/#respond Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:30:18 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23967 I am so excited to share my latest S.O. What! Success Stories episode with the incredible Geo Derice, a marketing genius, author, and founder of 2020 Living and First Book Done. This episode was special because Geo has helped me in my business and we have become fast friends, and let me tell you, his […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/navigating-obstacles-geo-derice-blueprint-for-resilience-and-success/feed/ 0 23967 Marty Kelman: A Journey of Resilience as the Son of Holocaust Survivors https://summerowens.com/marty-kelman-a-journey-of-resilience-as-the-son-of-holocaust-survivors/ https://summerowens.com/marty-kelman-a-journey-of-resilience-as-the-son-of-holocaust-survivors/#respond Sun, 06 Oct 2024 09:30:49 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23956 An unexpected new friend. When Marty Kelman joined the board of the University of Memphis National Alumni Association, I had no idea who he was. Nor did I expect to be having lunch with him, laughing with him, or talking life with him.  In board meetings, he spoke up, asked questions, pushed back, and volunteered […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/marty-kelman-a-journey-of-resilience-as-the-son-of-holocaust-survivors/feed/ 0 23956 Embracing Legacy and Resilience: How to Honor Legacy and Foster Resilience Through Symbolic Actions https://summerowens.com/embracing-legacy-and-resilience-how-to-honor-legacy-and-foster-resilience/ https://summerowens.com/embracing-legacy-and-resilience-how-to-honor-legacy-and-foster-resilience/#respond Mon, 13 May 2024 23:43:21 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23764 I’m not sure how I came to the realization of the importance of embracing legacy and resilience, but I have learned to love the power in journies of those who have come before me. Especially, because I am a black woman, I appreciate and honor the legacy of black women. Last month I struggled through […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/embracing-legacy-and-resilience-how-to-honor-legacy-and-foster-resilience/feed/ 0 23764 Persevere to the End https://summerowens.com/how-to-be-successful-in-life/ https://summerowens.com/how-to-be-successful-in-life/#respond Sat, 22 May 2021 00:00:53 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=20045 Today as I celebrate my 42nd birthday, I also reflect on my 15th birthday when an incident that happened so fast changed everything about my life. And made me question if I would be successful. What I learned in my journey, 26 years after becoming a mother, is that to be successful in life you […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/how-to-be-successful-in-life/feed/ 0 20045 10 years later. 5 More Life Lessons from My Story https://summerowens.com/5-life-lessons-from-my-story/ https://summerowens.com/5-life-lessons-from-my-story/#respond Tue, 18 May 2021 00:00:48 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=20041 Ten years ago, I shared my story and life lessons in my first book, Life After Birth: A Memoir of Survival and Success as a Teenage Mother. I had no idea then what would happen when I told it. A new chapter in my life started back then. And as I celebrate an anniversary like […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/5-life-lessons-from-my-story/feed/ 0 20041 Single Moms: Keep Your Dreams Alive https://summerowens.com/keep-your-dreams-alive/ https://summerowens.com/keep-your-dreams-alive/#respond Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:55 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=20037 Single mothers out there, keep your dreams alive because God fulfills them. By the time I went to graduate school to study for my MBA, I had already achieved a lot in my career and life. Now, I wanted a relationship for myself and a father figure for my son. I had dated in high […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/keep-your-dreams-alive/feed/ 0 20037 Remember this when you feel like giving up https://summerowens.com/when-you-feel-like-giving-up/ https://summerowens.com/when-you-feel-like-giving-up/#respond Wed, 28 Apr 2021 00:00:31 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=20031 Before finding out that I was pregnant, I had dreams. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to be successful. I wanted a career. Then at 15 I got pregnant by a guy I didn’t know and was soon a single, teenage mother. If you have found yourself in the same situation, you may […]

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