Planted, Not Buried: Lessons in Resilience from My Grind Pretty Award
When I accepted the Grind Pretty Award in Atlanta, I carried with me the weight of every setback and the joy of every breakthrough. To be named a 2025 Grind Pretty Honoree is more than an honor, it is proof that resilience, discipline, and faith can transform even the hardest seasons into legacy-building moments.
Grind Pretty celebrates women entrepreneurs and leaders of color who are reshaping industries and inspiring future generations. Becoming only the second Jamaican woman to receive this award reminds me that no matter where you begin, your story has the power to reach global stages.
I shared then, & I pause again to share these words:
“This isn’t just about the award. It’s a reminder that your lowest moments don’t define you, they refine you.
To every woman starting again, to every entrepreneur rebuilding after setbacks, and to every person standing strong despite resistance, this is for you. When they thought you were buried, you realized you were planted.
Let’s keep growing. Let’s keep building.”
“This honor is for every woman daring to start again.
For every entrepreneur rebuilding after setbacks.
For every average Jamaican from this tiny but mighty country…
especially those who have faced pressure, injustice, or opposition.
Let this be proof: you can keep showing up, keep building, and keep becoming, even when it feels impossible.”
– Dr. Charlene Ashley
“Your lowest moments don’t define you – they refine you. Every breakdown contains the blueprint for a breakthrough. And it is in those very moments, when you & when ‘they’ think you’ve been buried, that you realize you’ve actually been planted.”
These words come from experience. Illness, resistance, and heartbreak have all been part of my journey. Yet those challenges became the soil for new growth. They planted the seeds of resilience, clarity, and purpose that fuel my work today.
This award is not simply recognition, it is a reminder that you are never too far behind to begin again, never too broken to build something new, and never too small to create something global.
For every chronic pain warrior, for every mother, entrepreneur, woman of color, or dreamer navigating setbacks: you are not buried. You are planted. Growth will come.
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With Light & Love
Chali-A
Your Chronic Princess Warrior
