WOMEN OF NAMM I BY LISA MACDONALD Wear Your Scars Proudly
A s a compliment, “you’re so resilient” is kind of the worst. It belongs to an entire family of accolades that only get trotted out when bad things hap- pen and you’ve somehow walked out the other side. Serious illness? “Such a battler.” Downsized? “Bounced back.” Loss? “Survived so much.” Look, nobody actually wants to be resilient. Resilience is the emotional equivalent of a scar. When you’re lucky, it’s just a callous you build on the tender parts of you — the resilience you teach your kids to handle hearing “no,” to understand that no one wins every time, to be OK with not everyone liking you. But the big cuts? Untended, that scar tissue can tighten and restrict your future movement. I’ve incurred my share of scar tis- sue recently. Here, as the by‑product of “you’re so resilient,” are some lessons I’ve learned about keeping professional and personal range of motion in the face of adversity. Make your own decisions — and own them. It may sound threatening, but it’s a gift. Under pressure, imagine your- self on the other side of whatever the trial is, and then make the choice you won’t regret. It may not fix the situation. It might even make it worse. But it’s how you sleep at night. The ability to live with yourself is the foundation of bouncing back. Stop catastrophizing. Real stress will come. But if you’re anything like me, 90% of the bad things that “happen” to you happen only in your mind. You gain nothing by
exhausting your reserves imagining everything that could go wrong. Save your strength for when there’s actually something to recover from. Embrace the clarity and power that resilience brings. The bright side of “the worst thing” that ever happened to you? It puts every previous “worst” into fantastically clear perspective. Understanding the outer limit of what you’ve survived reassures you that you can take whatever’s coming next. Yes, you’re strong enough to get through it alone, but take the help anyway. Re- member this even when it’s too much. Even when it’s misguided. Even when it’s not the person you wanted it to be. Being resilient doesn’t have to be an individual sport. I’m aware how blessed I am to have an entire list of people who show up, but whatever your personal situation is, lean on the resources you have. Here are some I leaned on:
Faith: I start with leaning on God. I have stress‑tested “rely on Him” and can confirm that broken, at fault, ugly … He’s always there for me. Friends: You never know who will be the one who gets it — the one who delivers the help you need. Keep your heart open to their energy. Colleagues: I work with the best team ever (fight me). For two years, they kept an eye on me. They stepped in and steadied every plate I was spinning. I literally cannot count the small kindnesses done by those I work with.
“Understanding the outer limit of
Community: I’m humbled by the communi- ties who showed up for me — my congrega- tion, my Women of NAMM family and the MI industry at large. People I never expected to know my situation stopped me on the NAMM floor to offer condolences and prayer. Strangers: I joined a support group, spent time on the (right) subreddits, joined (and left) a few Facebook groups. Talking to some- one who has lived through whatever you’re experiencing can be validating and shrink the aloneness of the moment.
what you’ve survived reassures you that you can take whatever’s coming next.”
One last note on help: Give people grace when they fail at helping. Until they’ve lived it, they’re doing the best they can with the empathy they have. Letting go of your expectation helps the scar tissue flex. In the end, resilience is not a compliment, but a badge of honor. So, lead with gratitude and remember to be there for the next person who earns it. MI Lisa MacDonald is the director of vertical marketing for Yamaha, on the advisory board of Women of NAMM, a NAMM YP mentor and the 2026 recipient of the SheRocks Groundbreaker Award. She is a 20-year marketing veteran who focuses on reaching passion-based communities.
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