“What if I told you that you could overcome anything—that there isn’t a circumstance or situation known to man that you cannot overcome? That you are indeed unbreakable—would you believe me? And more importantly than me telling you, if you told yourself those things, would you believe you?” — Charles Hunt

Throughout life, many people are exposed to potentially traumatic events that can cause immense pain and suffering. These experiences can become overwhelming and difficult to manage, especially when their impact is profound. How one copes with these experiences can determine their ability to recover from such adversity. Therefore, it is crucial to recognize that one’s past does not define their future.

In a riveting TED Talk on trauma and resilience, motivational speaker and resilience expert Charles Hunt shares his deeply personal journey through trauma and how he emerged stronger from his most painful moments.

Born and raised in Oakland, California, in the 1980s, Charles faced a challenging social environment. High unemployment among Black people, systemic housing segregation and discrimination, educational inequities, extreme poverty and murder rates, and the onset of the crack epidemic marked the backdrop of his childhood. These societal issues were just part of Charles’s struggles. Between the ages of 7 and 10, he endured some of his most traumatic moments, including a mother battling addiction and an uninvolved father who was also a pimp.

Charles recounts a tumultuous childhood, living in housing projects with his mother who struggled with addiction. One haunting memory is finding his mother’s boyfriend lifeless from a drug overdose.  Not long after, he learned that his father, incarcerated at the time, had died after being attacked in prison. Charles would never get the chance to see him alive again.

Despite facing relentless trauma—a reality many endure—Charles managed to overcome his past. He emphasizes that it’s not the “how” that matters, but the “why.” Change in life is inevitable, but resilience is the strength to adapt to negative change and bounce back quickly. Charles’s story is a testament to the human spirit’s remarkable resilience and the power of believing that even the worst experiences in life cannot diminish the best within us.

Watch the video here

Image Credit: Luca Bravo on Unsplash.