In Greek mythology, a Phoenix is an immortal bird that’s cyclically regenerated and reborn. In honor of this inspiring bird, we’ve collected a list of seven women who rose from struggle to success and continually reinvent themselves. We can all take a page from their stories to learn how to turn our greatest tragedies into our greatest strengths.
Source: AP
SAA
In 2014, a girl named Saa (a pseudonym to protect her family back home) jumped from a truck in Nigeria, escaping from the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Saa was one of hundreds of girls abducted from a Nigerian boarding school. Since her harrowing escape, Saa has been hard at work in Washington, D.C. ensuring that public awareness of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign doesn’t falter. Many are calling Saa the “Malala of Africa” as she continues to call for international intervention for her 219 peers still in captivity by Boko Haram. Currently, Saa, one of four escaped school girls, is attending a small Christian school outside of the Washington area as she continues to speak out regarding her hellish experience.
Image Source: OWN
IYANLA VANZANT
Born in Brooklyn, Iyanla Vanzant’s alcoholic mother gave birth to her in the back of a taxi cab. At the age of nine, Vanzant was sexually molested by an uncle and at 16 she became a teenage mother herself. When Vanzant turned 21, she found herself a mother of three with a physically abusive husband. After escaping her abusive home life, Vanzant raised her kids on public assistance until going to school to study law. Vanzant later left the legal world and gradually grew into a career as a writer and inspirational public speaker, attracting the likes of Oprah Winfrey. And yet, in 2002, her canceled talk show seemed to spark a great deal of loss: the loss of her home, marriage and multimillion-dollar book deals. Through all her tragedy, including the loss of her daughter to cancer, Vanzant has rebuilt her empire and continues to share her strength and message as a minister, life coach and television personality on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
AP Photo
URSULA BURNS
Many people told Chairman & CEO of Xerox, Ursula Burns, that she had three strikes against her: she was Black, a woman and she grew up poor. Burns was raised by a single mother in a rough public housing project on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. On a modest single-parent salary, Burns was educated at Catholic schools and thought she would be a nun, nurse, or teacher until she followed her dream of becoming an engineer. From her humble beginnings to becoming the first Black woman to be named CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Burns has defied the odds and the stereotypes of her upbringing.
TEGLA LOROUPE
Loroupe holds the world records for the 20, 25 and 30-kilometer marathons and is the three-time World Half-Marathon champion. Loroupe grew up in Kenya working in the fields, tending cattle, and looking after younger brothers and sisters. When she took up running, Loroupe was only supported by her mother as the Kenyan Athletics Federation found her to be too small and thin. They clearly underestimated her. After much success, Loroupe founded the Tegla Loroupe Peace Academy, an orphanage for children in Kapenguria, Kenya.
WENN
TASHA SMITH
Smith is the daughter of a single mother who gave birth at 15 to both Smith and her twin sister Sidra. Born in Camden, New Jersey, Smith grew up amongst gangs, drugs and poverty. Through much of Smith’s life, her mother was addicted to drugs and by 14, Smith herself was dating, smoking weed and ordering Hennessy at bars. Even when Smith moved to L.A. and began her stand-up comedy career, the actress stripped to make ends meet and finally had to face her own addiction to weed, cocaine and alcohol. After finding God and kicking her frightening habits, Smith was eventually cast in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls. Smith is most notably known for her role as Angela Williams in Perry’s films Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and on the television series For Better or Worse.
NASA
DR. MAE JEMISON
Jemison was the first African-American woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. Jemison grew up in very humble beginnings as the youngest child of a maintenance supervisor and an elementary school teacher. Growing up, Jemison was often discouraged from her love of science by teachers who didn’t believe in the visions she saw for herself. Still, she achieved great success. During her time at Stanford University in 1973, Jemison struggled with white professors who simply pretended she wasn’t there. She said often that they would ignore or ridicule her questions while praising her white male counterparts. Clearly all that’s changed as Jemison is the principal of 100 Year Starship project and holds nine honorary doctorates.
Image Source: Wenn
OPRAH WINFREY
We all know where billionaire Oprah Winfrey is today, but many forget the journey she took to reach her apex. Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a teenage mother. Winfrey was sexually molested starting at age nine by a cousin, her uncle, and a family friend. She gave birth to a son at age 14, who died during infancy. While growing up with her maternal grandmother, Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks and was made fun of for being poor and unattractive. Until being sent to live with her father, Vernon, in Nashville, Winfrey was on a collision course with failure and heartache. The first step on the path to her future success came when Winfrey was hired as both the youngest and the first black female news anchor at Nashville’s WLAC-TV.
