Bridges Out of the Past: A Survivor’s Lessons on Resilience | Ria Story | TEDxWilmingtonWomen

n this captivating TEDx talk on resilience, Ria walks you through her own horrific story of more than seven years of sexual abuse by her father. She then shares the lessons on resilience she learned as she learned to not just survive, but thrive in spite of her past. Overcome challenges, obstacles, and adversity in your own life by building a bridge out of the past and into the future. Like many, Ria faced adversity in life. Raised on an isolated farm in Alabama, she was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma.

Ria learned to be resilient, not only surviving, but thriving. She worked her way through college, earning her MBA with a cumulative 4.0 GPA, and had a successful career in the corporate world of administrative healthcare.

[moneym]

Unbelievable vulnerability!! What an amazing talk! Thank you Ms. Ria!!

[TheBenBenitaShow]

Daaaamn!!! Thank you for having the courage to share this as well as your journey. Please never stop inspiring!

[kristinacohen]

Thank you for your strength and bravery in sharing your story sister. You are an inspiration.

[leffordfate]

Powerful message Ria, my heart breaks for you but my spirit soars with the fact that you survived and also thrived. I love you my friend. Proud to be on the JMT with you. You are my sister.

[NyokaReid]

I am so sorry this happened to you, but i'm glad you survived and can talk about it today. This message will help many victims. God bless.

[rachelthomas]

powerful message sis, thank you for fighting to become the light you are

[needsay]

Thank you for sharing your story and for being a great model for girls around the globe.

[livingbyheart]

She didn't have anything when she left home, she didn't have a job, she didn't have a car, she didn't have a high school diploma she has never been to school.

Building the wall against the past events. And it meant to be a prison.

Building resilience:
RISE

R: respond proactively, we don't get to decide what happens in our life but we can decide how we respond to it.

I: identify accurately, identify what you can control and focus on that.

S: Step forward consistently, be consistent in your journey.

E: experience joy, choose joy.

I don't share my story to pity me. I share because people will look at me and tell, "if she can do it so can i".

What happens to us in life is not what's most important, what's most important is what you do and what you become from that moment on. What matters is the rest of your story.

[mikefrancesa]

Her real name is Maria McKee and we'll... you believe what

[aprilfrost]

This video should 100% have a warning on it. The content is EXTREME and not everyone should be watching this. I'm very surprised and disappointed that TED Talks dId not put some kind of warning indicating the extreme nature of the content of this video.