Was there ever a time you almost gave up?

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.

Aidan Elyse McCollough

For the last couple years, I have been recovering from some severe health issues. During my healing, the symptoms were so intense that most days I couldn’t even get out of bed. The pain, the exhaustion, and the overall isolation was a lot to bear during these years. Read more>>

Arthur ‘Nino’ Butler

Interestingly enough, every time I considered changing paths away from pursuing music, God had a way of pointing me back on this path. Eventually I would accept the fate and weight of my journey and have yet to peer off this journey ever again! Read more>>

Esmeralda Ramirez

There have been so many times I wanted to give up, but you know what I’ve come to learn over the years? Every time I almost give up but don’t, the outcome always supersedes the problem or issue. Read more>>

Jessica Viola

Years ago, during a holiday visit back home, a snowstorm stranded me longer than planned. That same winter, my 93-year-old grandmother went into the hospital. When I walked into her room, she looked at me and said, in her unmistakable New York Italian cadence, “What have I done to you, God? Read more>>

Jason Goldberg

I wrote and sold a movie called STAY OUT OF THE ATTIC and I was supposed to co-direct that project. Unfortunately, there were creative differences (which I found out, after I was fired from the project), and that nearly put me in the hospital. I was having panic attacks and in a very dark place. Read more>>

caitlyn mendoza

Honestly? Almost every time I have a project! I spend the entire week prepping, especially those intense 24–48 hours before the event. Then I’ll be halfway through putting balloons on the backdrop, look at it, and think, I hate it. It doesn’t look good. Why can’t my garlands look like the ones other artists post online? Read more>>

Armando Mesías

There were definitely moments when I doubted myself — not exactly when I was ready to give up, but when I questioned whether I could really do this. There were many times when giving up seemed like an option. But once I started taking my practice seriously, I realized it wasn’t one. Read more>>

Peter Joseph

Absolutely. Anyone who builds something from scratch knows there are moments when the weight feels overwhelming. For me, that moment came early in my insurance career — before my agency really took off. I was working long hours, facing rejection, and questioning whether I was truly making an impact. It felt like I was pouring everything in and not seeing enough come back. Read more>>

Benjamin Kalifa

Yes — there was a moment when I almost walked away from everything. When I first arrived in Los Angeles, I had left everything behind in France — my stability, my language, my comfort. I believed I could rebuild from zero doing what I love most — cooking for people — but the reality hit hard. Read more>>

Heather Collins

There are many times Ive felt like giving up or didnt feel good enough to rise to the task at hand. Whether it was an investment that failed or a project that I didnt feel I was skilled enough to do. Read more>>

Hugo Will

There were many times I almost gave up. In this industry, setbacks are constant — projects fall apart, opportunities vanish, and doubt creeps in. But I learned that persistence beats everything. When your mind tells you to stop, that’s usually the moment you’re closest to a breakthrough. You just have to brace yourself, stay focused, and keep moving forward. Fear passes, but consistency always wins. Read more>>

Kate Clarke

Gosh, yes. Loads of times. This field comes with an ample amount of rejection and building up the resilience takes so much time. And it’s tough, right, because not only am I trying to do what I love, but I’m also trying to support myself with it. Read more>>

Grant Zubritsky

Dedicating your life to the pursuit of art and music is not choosing a easy, defined path. I’ve had to look at how those around me do it, as well as look to myself for how I want to exist in this world. Some times of our life are good, others are practically bad. Read more>>

Leah Zaccaria

During COVID, I opened my third studio shefayoga Venice on March 21, 2020, right when we went on lockdown. It was one of the scariest and most uncertain times of my life. I had just let two studios in Seattle to do the grand opening and I got locked in Venice. COVID took its toll on all three yoga studios. Read more>>

Foday Sillah

When I was an amateur kickboxer, I suffered a knockout loss that hit me hard — both physically and mentally. I felt like a failure and didn’t want to train or talk to anyone. It was one of the toughest times in my life. But eventually, I made the decision to keep going, and that choice changed everything. Read more>>

Cristina Florez

Honestly, no. There was never even a flinch of looking back. Even when we had no idea where we’d find the locations, the funds, the actors, or the crew, giving up just wasn’t an option. We’ve always had this unshakable belief that we’d figure it out somehow, and that’s exactly what kept Malas Sicarias alive. Read more>>

Christine Moumjoghlian

Yes many times, because it’s really easy to feel discouraged when you don’t see growth or change, but that’s when we need to work even harder and give ourselves some grace. Read more>>

Colin Charles Dale

Last week. In all seriousness — I think about giving up pretty regularly. Life is hard, the business I’m in is hard. Nothing comes easy. But when it’s all said and done I’m okay with that. All that being said — the thought of giving up passes through my consciousness with some regularity. I think that’s human. Read more>>