Inspired by the story of Luvena Rangel, featured in Unstoppable Women
Certain words do not get enough airtime in conversations related to resilience, and ‘fortitude’ is one of them.
The dictionary defines fortitude as - the mental, emotional, and moral strength to face adversity, pain, or hardship with courage. Basically, it goes far beyond mere physical bravery and emphasises endurance, a resolute spirit, and a steadfast mind when facing difficulties or challenges.
We are a culture that celebrates success, hustle and wins. We talk about bravery, courage and the capacity to stand upright during adversity, all the while easily forgetting the capacity that allows us to endure that particular phase when every door is shut, and we are hoping there is a light at the end of the never-ending dark tunnel.
The word ‘fortitude’ describes this capacity, and it was presented to us by Luvena!
Is there a difference between fortitude and resilience?
This is what we discovered.
Resilience is the power to bounce back after adversity, after a downfall. It’s the spring-back-into-action movement that defines that once a challenge is over, you return to the point where you left off and take it from there.
Fortitude, however, is the ability to ‘go through’. It is what sees you through when the storms are raging. It’s a belief that you navigate the hard times without being destroyed.
So, while resilience is loud and victorious, fortitude is silent, a feeling in the bones and the simple hope that ‘this too shall pass.’
Luvena knows something about going through. A toxic marriage. Relocation to a foreign country with three young children. A spinal injury that forced her to stop and rethink everything. Any one of these would be enough to derail most people. Together, they form the kind of test that could either break or make someone.
To Luvena, it became a vision of a better self. It became the ashes from which she rose and blossomed into a marketer and a yogi, a teacher and a student and most of all, an empath.
She built ‘The Curvy Yogi, a wellness platform built on the radical belief that yoga should be accessible to everyone, not just the flexible and the fortunate.
Luvena’s story will resonate with many. It tells of how she just fell on her knees and prayed, and how total surrender bypassed the shut doors and opened multiple windows.
The image of no open door, but multiple windows that opened, is one of the most honest descriptions of fortitude. It has a lack of pretentiousness and a revealing truth that does not rewrite difficulty; it simply trusts.
One of the myths we carry about strong women is that they carry everything alone. That asking for help is weakness.
Luvena’s story dismantles this beautifully.
She speaks with genuine warmth about the networks that held her, like the Kanara Catholic Association, and the Kanara Entrepreneurs community. These were not safety nets she was embarrassed to need. They were platforms that reinforced her brand, her identity, and most importantly, her support system at a time when these had been worn thin.
Luvena’s story teaches us that leaning on your community is not weakness; it is strength!
Based on Luvena’s story, the question worth asking ourselves is: What does fortitude mean to me? What do I return to when the question marks multiply, and the doors stay shut?
Luvena's story isn't just inspiring; it's instructive. Here is what it teaches us:
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Name what you have already survived.
Take a moment to actually look at what you have come through. Name it. The act of naming your survival is the beginning of trusting your strength.
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Let your community in.
Who are your people, your tribe? If you don't know, that is worth paying attention to.
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Feel the fear, do it anyway.
This is Luvena's own advice, and it is really simple. That gap between feeling the fear and acting in spite of it is where fortitude is built.
Luvena Rangel runs a thriving wellness business today. She survived a pandemic that destroyed many enterprises and grew hers by 200 times over. She serves her community, she teaches yoga, and she owns a successful business. But here is what the most striking part of her story is: Despite everything she went through, she did not lose her faith in God and in the people around her.
That is called fortitude.
And it is available to everyone of us.
Luvena Rangel gave us back this wonderful word. We didn’t realise that it was sitting quietly at the back of our vocabulary all along, waiting to be claimed.
Luvena Rangel's full story is featured in Unstoppable Women, a collection of 54 extraordinary women whose journeys will challenge, comfort, and inspire you.
Available on :____________________________(link)
What does fortitude mean to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Your story might be exactly what someone else needs to hear today.
Connect with Luvena on:
https://luvenarangel.wordpress.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/luvenarangel