RESILIENT PEOPLE

In a group of friends, it’s not often when some start to date each other. It might be even less likely that they get married. But when it does happen, it’s one of the most beautiful things to witness. This is what happened between my friends Jason Fiorotto and Tory Butler. I had just had my second baby in 2002 when I got a call from him letting me know that they were engaged. Married life and a beautiful daughter Kate followed along with summer days at the cottage - their beloved getaway. 

Things took a turn for the worse in 2016 when Tory discovered that she had advanced breast cancer. In March 2017, just months after her diagnosis, Tory passed away. Although heartbroken from her passing, Jason was committed to an idea they had hatched together. To start a fundraiser to help others living with breast cancer. It was that purpose that helped him move forward along with those around him.

Jason shared with me how his purpose helped to build his resilience to continue to be a great father to Kate, continue Tory's legacy and bring comfort to other cancer patients. 

To learn more visit The Tory Day Fund at www.toryday.org or on socials @torydayfund. 

To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or @resilientpeopleca. Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review.

In this episode, I speak with Terrence Rodriguez who faced struggles, isolation and loneliness through his journey as a transgender man.

Terrence’s story of resilience stems from his desire for community. By recognizing the struggle that many LGBTQ youth go through, he launched a social hub and advocacy group in Toronto called, REXpride. It is a safe space for them to gather, make friends, be among their peers and feel open and confident in their identity. If there’s one thing we can take away from this episode it’s “you’re not alone”. There is always a community out there who understands you and wants to help you. And even in your own journey through hardship, you can take your experience and do something positive with it. 

To learn more about REXpride visit www.rexpride.com or on socials @rexpride. 

To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review. 

Morgan Frey is a young woman from Toronto who grew up like most kids. Going to camp, dance and skating lessons - she was also drawn to the theatre and decided to pursue a career as a writer - even mounting her own show in the prestigious Toronto Fringe Festival. 

Morgan is also a triple amputee but she hasn’t let that stand in the way of going after her dreams. I sat down with Morgan, pre-pandemic, to talk about what it was like to grow up with such unique challenges, and how a person’s limits shouldn’t stop them from realizing their abilities. The word that sticks out in my mind with Morgan is the word “try”. You will notice that she has no excuses when it comes to trying anything new. She has lived her life with the resolve that anything is possible if you “just try”. She blogs about her experiences and has written them into storylines to normalize the idea of people living with physical challenges. 

To learn more about Morgan Frey visit @1handwonders on social media. 

To learn more about RESILIENT PEOPLE visit www.resilientpeople.ca or on socials @resilientpeopleca Please subscribe to the RESILIENT PEOPLE podcast and leave a kind review. 

I never imagined in my worst nightmares that at 47, my husband would be diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and that I would lose him by 51. 

My name is Janet Fanaki and during my husband Adam's surgery and treatments, I spent a lot of time people-watching in the waiting room. How were they getting through the day? How do they find strength? 

I started interviewing people who I admired for their resilience and began a blog. Soon I was getting more and more recommendations and strangers started tweeting me their stories. 

RESILIENT PEOPLE became a way to prove that you don't need resources or connections to start a movement. Just the passion to make a change. I interview people around the world who faced adversity, bounced back and now help others be resilient too. 

Join me as I introduce you to the people you wish you always knew, and now do. 

To learn more about me and other resilient people, you can go to the website, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Or, you can email me at [email protected]