About

Hi, I’m Marquita Herald, the founder, chief evangelist, and author for Emotionally Resilient Living.

My mission is to challenge you to think about things in different ways and not just accept the status quo, to pay attention to your life and take responsibility for your choices, and believe, really BELIEVE in your ability to grow beyond your circumstances and direct the course of your life.

I know this stuff works because I live it.

You see, fear didn’t just run in my family, it galloped. Growing up issues such as substance abuse, depression, and general dysfunction was all too common among those near and dear.

Determined not to follow in the family tradition, in my early teens I became obsessed with trying to understand how is it is that two people can be faced with the same crisis and while one becomes hopelessly mired in negativity and feelings of helplessness, the other can remain positive and grow through adversity to become stronger than ever.

That search led me to develop a passion for the power of resilience and understanding what a difference it can make in our lives, not just during times of hardship, but every single day.

I am not brave, but I am a survivor. I am flawed but determined to grow. I dance with fear and doubt every single day and I don’t always do what I know I should. But I trust that as long as I am willing to do the work and keep going, I will find my way.

~Marquita

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Obstacles Show You the Way

My journey has taken me through a successful career in international marketing, followed by a decade as an award-winning life and small business coach that led to building an online presence, and ultimately launching Emotionally Resilience Living.

Through my blog, books, courses, and coaching, I’ve spent the past decade teaching and writing about proven strategies to build the capacity for emotional resilience.

I work hard to keep up on the latest research, but most of my lessons have been delivered the hard way. I lived through the dysfunctional family; overcame financial hardship, survived betrayal, divorce, and a major health crisis.

There’s a great quote by Haruki Murakami that goes, “Once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

Yeah, like that.

What I can tell you is that the storms of my life have taught me how important it is to believe in yourself, and to trust that if you do the work and keep going, you will find a way.

• When I set my sights on a career in international sales and marketing, I was the first woman in my family to have a job outside of the home, let alone one that would involve traveling the world. My friends and family all told me I was crazy – repeatedly. I had no one to learn from or believe in me, but I trusted that if I kept at it and worked hard, I would find my way, and I did.

• Shortly after I separated from my husband, I discovered he’d withdrawn all of our savings to cover the cost of his substance abuse problem. Within 3 months I’d gone from living a comfortable married life in the home of our dreams to fielding calls from drug dealers and police looking for my “ex” while working 3 jobs to cover a mortgage and bills, trying to sell the house and finalize the divorce. Despite feeling overwhelmed and exhausted at times, I trusted that I would find my way, and I did.

• And yet, life had a few more surprises in store. While I was out of the country on business my dad died suddenly of a heart attack, and just two weeks later I was diagnosed with an “incurable” eye disease that my doctor said would result in the complete loss of my eyesight within a matter of months. It was like my whole life had turned into some sort of Greek tragedy. But once again, I dug deep (really, really deep!) and told myself to keep going, one way or the other I would find a way through the darkness, and I did.

I didn’t come by this level of resilience naturally, and I most assuredly didn’t inherit it, but I did make the choice at an early age to cultivate it and it has made the difference for me again and again.

Unapologetically Me

I am not brave, but I am a survivor. I am flawed but determined to grow. I dance with fear and doubt every single day and, maybe like you, I don’t always do what I know I should.

I’m an unapologetic introvert and joyful workaholic who loves red wine, rock n’ roll, road trips (and car dancing!), peanut butter cookies, and (especially) a dog named Lucy.

I am saddened and frustrated by excuses, angered by racism and cruelty, and believe that genuine empathy is the most powerful force in the world.

I’ve worked hard to create my path in life, and I am grateful for every experience and trust that as long as I am willing to make the effort and keep going, I will find my way.

My passion is to inspire you to embrace the power and authority you have within you to create the quality and course of your own life.

Anything useful I have to say stems from my personal experiences; speaking from the heart, and wanting to leave things better than I found them.

Here’s to living and loving your resilient life.