Resilience Redefined: Overcoming Childhood Adversity With Ethan Poetic
By Lana Reid | June 5, 2024
As part of the Black Men Matter Series, Lana Reid sits down with Ethan Poetic, author and motivational speaker, to discuss resilience, perseverance, and overcoming childhood adversity. Ethan shares his powerful personal journey, growing up in a single-parent household while navigating economic hardship, academic struggles, and life challenges that tested his resolve. Through honesty and reflection, he explains how choosing resilience over victimhood became a defining force in his life.
In this episode of The Male Perspective, Ethan Poetic delivers a moving conversation centered on resilience, accountability, and personal growth.
Ethan reflects on the challenges he faced early in life, including instability and limited resources, and how those experiences shaped his perspective. Rather than allowing adversity to define him, he shares how intentional mindset shifts and self-belief became essential tools for survival and success. His story illustrates how resilience is not an abstract concept, but a daily decision.
Throughout the conversation, Lana Reid and Ethan explore the difference between being shaped by trauma and being consumed by it. Ethan emphasizes the importance of taking ownership of one’s narrative and recognizing that hardship does not eliminate potential. He explains how reframing pain into purpose allowed him to grow into a voice of motivation for others facing similar circumstances.
The discussion also highlights the role of storytelling and speaking. Ethan shares how using his voice through writing and public speaking enables him to reach people who may feel unseen or discouraged. By sharing lived experience openly, he creates space for others to recognize their own strength and capacity for growth.
This episode reinforces the idea that resilience is built through reflection, accountability, and the courage to move forward despite obstacles.
About the Guest
Ethan Poetic is an author and motivational speaker whose work focuses on resilience, personal accountability, and overcoming adversity. Through storytelling, writing, and speaking, he encourages individuals to transform hardship into purpose and forward momentum.
For more information on Ethan Poetic:
https://ethanspeaks.com
https://www.instagram.com/ethanpoetic23
https://www.facebook.com/EthanPoetic23
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanvaughn1
https://www.amazon.com/Inspirational-Story-Ethan-Poetic-Relationships/dp/B0BM3QG4RQ
About the Series
This episode is part of the Black Men Matter Series, highlighting Black men who use lived experience, reflection, and leadership to inspire resilience, healing, and personal growth within their communities.
About the Host & Organization
The Male Perspective is hosted by Lana Reid, founder of Conversations in Color, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) grassroots organization dedicated to providing uplifting and community-building spaces of dialogue for Black voices.
Conversations in Color’s Current Initiatives
THE MALE PERSPECTIVE
The purpose of The Male Perspective is to dispel stereotypes and increase awareness of the experiences of Black men through open discussions, thought-provoking interviews, and the sharing of personal experiences that highlight the diversity and depth of the Black male experience.
SISTAS REBUILDING SISTERHOOD
Sistas Rebuilding Sisterhood is an intergenerational community of Black women who come together for relaxed, non-judgmental gatherings to exchange ideas, share experiences, and collaborate in a collective effort to improve the quality of sisterhood interactions in everyday life.
TAPESTRY OF BLACK VOICES AWARDS
The Tapestry of Black Voices Awards honors local communities and showcases the creativity, brilliance, and lived experiences of Black voices across the United States.