Come Hel(ene) and High Water

October 1, 2024 Samantha Schell Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance, Positivity helene, help, hurricane, hurricane reliefe, national emergency, United 3

Hurricane Helene just tore through the country, leaving whole towns and counties completely devastated in its wake. As a resident of North Carolina, I have personally seen the effects that Helene has had on the western part of the state, mainly with Asheville and Buncombe County and the surrounding mountainous terrain. Helene rampaged through Florida, […]

Yesterday, I Was 25

August 27, 2024 Samantha Schell Anxiety, love, mental health, Overcoming Adversity aging, Anxiety, death, dying, masters, old, tragedy 5

Sometimes I am having conversations with my friends lately, then all of a sudden I am hit abruptly with the realization that we are collectively getting up there in age. It’s crazy how much I used to scrutinize my appearance instead of cherishing that youthful, and cherubic skin with only mild aches and pains. And, […]

Health is Wealth

June 25, 2024 Samantha Schell Adaptation, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance chronic, headache, headaches, health, migraine, migraines, pain, sickness 1

I have chosen to be open about a lot of my struggles, personal, physical, and mental. It is no secret that I have the knees of a geriatric former paratrooper and anyone who has grappled with me has felt my right knee grind together like some rusty gears. Hell, I just posted a picture of […]

Comparison is the Thief of All Joy

June 11, 2024 Samantha Schell BJJ, mental health, Overcoming Adversity, Positivity, self confidence achievements, comparing, comparison, happiness, joy, mental health, post partum, rankings

We all do it, every single one of us. It’s almost like this type of human nature is ingrained in our brains where we have to see how we “measure up” in comparison with our peers. We tell ourselves that it doesn’t matter and that all of us have different journey’s and all take different […]

Per Aspera Ad Astra

June 4, 2024 Samantha Schell BJJ, Family, Friendship, love, Overcoming Adversity, Perseverance caring, empathy, feelings, friendship, quit, struggles

The other evening, I posted a somewhat cryptic Facebook status about not owning a Jiu Jitsu gym if you’re an empath, because your heart will break every time that someone leaves. I was just in my feelings temporarily, not really thinking about one specific instance, and decided to vent online (I don’t know why, is […]

Circling The Drain

May 21, 2024 Samantha Schell Anxiety, BJJ, Overcoming Adversity Anxiety, bjj, Depression, injury, Jiu Jitsu, mental health

One thing happens, then another, and then another. Slowly, things begin piling up, and all of a sudden you’re in a downward spiral that you can’t seem to control. The negative experiences seem to surmount, which lead to negative thinking, which then leads to feelings of discouragement, which then lead to isolation, which ultimately just […]

Broken Heart in Martial Arts

April 9, 2024 Samantha Schell BJJ, mental health, Overcoming Adversity academy, dojo, gym, gym owner, Jiu Jitsu, small business owner 10

My feelings as they pertain to Jiu Jitsu are going to vary slightly from the patron who attends these schools being that I am coming from the perspective of a gym owner. This is my full-time job, and rather than working a 9-5 all day and then coming to Jiu Jitsu to blow off steam, […]

What Was I Made For?

March 12, 2024 Samantha Schell Anxiety, mental health, Overcoming Adversity Anxiety, barbie, fake, future, meaning of life, purpose, understanding 7

Listen, I caught myself watching Billie Eilish’s Oscar performance the other night, and it moved me tears. I had never listened to the song ‘What Was I Made For’ in its entirety, and when I was scrolling social media, her performance popped up on my feed, because I was not spending my Sunday watching over […]

Spotlight Moment

March 5, 2024 Samantha Schell Anxiety, Family, Overcoming Adversity chance, free, freedom, risk, spotlight

In my opinion, complacency is the greatest disservice someone could do to themselves; never stepping out of their comfort zone because you are too accustomed with the familiarity. It can be scary venturing into unknown territory, because you have gotten so used to routines and patterns that throwing a wrench into your plans feels borderline […]

Standing on Business

February 27, 2024 Samantha Schell BJJ, Overcoming Adversity, self confidence brave, confident, courageous, emotions, facts, feeliings 19

People can proclaim all they want until they are blue in the face that they know right from wrong, or aren’t hateful, prejudiced, or critical of someone, but actions always speak louder than words. Pay attention to the unconscious biases around you. Several years ago, I wrote about an instance when my husband and I […]

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Category: <span>Overcoming Adversity</span>