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Achieving your dreams and becoming a success is never easy. The road to success is littered with obstacles; hardships await around every corner, and adversity is everywhere you turn. Yet, it is this very adversity that tests our resolve, sharpens our resilience, builds our character, and makes us worthy of our ambition.

Just ask Liandra Samponi. The serial entrepreneur from rural Nevada refused to listen to naysayers when they said a single mom couldn’t simultaneously raise two kids and build a business empire from scratch. Not only did she perform an amazing juggling act to prove her critics wrong, but she also learned invaluable lessons about herself along the way.

“In my role as a motivational speaker, whenever I hear of people running away from adversity, I tell them that’s the worst thing they can do. I urge them to face it head-on,” explained Liandra Samponi, who added, “What I learned from my journey is that its adversity which defines, shapes, and improves us. I think it was Oprah Winfrey who said, ‘Turn your wounds into wisdom,’ and that sums it up perfectly. No one becomes a success overnight; it takes time, and there would be days when you’d feel overwhelmed and contemplate giving up on your dreams. Yet, if you do, you’ll eventually be consumed by regret at what could have been. The key factors are perseverance and self-belief. That’s what will win the day every single time.”

The confidence Liandra Samponi had in her abilities has certainly paid off dividends. Today, she owns a diverse portfolio of businesses and runs a number of retreats where she coaches other women to not be afraid of following their ambition. She explained, “I’ve always had the attitude that if opportunity doesn’t knock, you should build a door. We are all capable of greatness; we just need to be bold and shrug off the low expectations that society seems to place on a lot of women. Adversity is nothing to be afraid of. Embrace it, learn from it, and you’ll soon see the difference it will make in your life.”