10 Inspirational Women Who Made It Against Adversity

When things are seriously feeling too much and you’re wondering how you can keep on top of everything, just breath. Whatever you’re trying to accomplish will be worth it when you get there so don’t give up.

You’re not alone either, check out this list of women who have overcome adversity and been through some serious shit yet they’re still here, doing their thing and succeeding. Not JUST because of their skills and talents, but because they chose to never give up.

1. Drew Barrymore

Before she was even one-year-old Drew was on the TV screen, in adverts, and by the time she hit seven she’d acted in her
first huge film role, in E.T.. She became known as one of the world’s most famous child stars but in her teen years she literally fell to pieces. Drinking and smoking were part of her life before she even hit her teens, and cocaine was on the scene by the time she was 13.

Despite losing many years of her life to some serious teenage rebellion and several stints in rehab, Drew bounced back and remains a key player in Hollywood, with regular film roles. She is also a recognised director and photographer.

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2. Nicki Minaj

Born in Trinidad, Minaj spent the first five years of her life with her grandmother as her parents left to make a better life in America. Once reunited with her parents she moved to their home in Queens New York. By this time Minaj’s father was already in the grips of a serious crack cocaine addiction and she spent her childhood terrified of him. He was both physically and verbally abusive, and even burned down the family home.

But look at her now. Minaj is now one of the biggest rap and music stars there is, with worldwide fame and a quirky style that ensures she’s never forgotten.

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3. Emily Blunt

Beauty and brains combined to create Emily Blunt, but her childhood was dominated by an incapacitating stutter. Her speech impediment made even basic conversation difficult and it was only a chance suggestion by a teacher, that she give acting a go, that she was able to conquer it. Speech coaches didn’t work but acting did, and Emily’s career was able to begin.

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4. J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling is one of the UK’s richest women yet it could all have been so different. As well as having her world famous Harry Potter novels rejected several times from different publishers she was also going through a divorce and raising her daughter alone, whilst working and writing. She proves that anything is possible; you’ve just got to keep believing.

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5. Charlize Theron

The trauma Charlize went through at a young age is more than most people experience in a lifetime. In 1991 she saw her mother shoot and kill her father. Her father had been abusive for many years and Charlize opened up about the experience in 2004, making it clear how terrifying her father could be. Her on-screen career has been nothing but a success, despite the heartache she has had to endure.

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6. Martine Wright

One of the lesser known names on this list but not one to be forgotten. Martine Wright was one of the many people injured in the 7/7 London Bombings. She lost both of her legs in the incidents but within less than a decade of the accident, she had made it onto the Paralympic Games Squad. Martine was a member of the British sitting volleyball team at London 2012 and is an ambassador for disabled sport.

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7. Tina Turner

When Tina released her autobiography, I, Tina, the world heard about the real horrors in her marriage to Ike. The 1970s had seen Ike and Tina all over the world touring but at the same time Ike had a huge cocaine addiction and was hugely abusive and violent towards his wife. Tina filed for divorce and, without Ike, became one of the most recognisable female singers on the planet.

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8. Malala Yousafzai

Aged just 18, Malala’s name is known around the world and she has been through more than most adults experience in their own lives. She was just 15 when she was shot by the Taliban in her home country of Pakistan. She has since published her autobiography and remained a strong advocate for girls’ education, especially in Pakistan. Malala is also the world’s youngest Nobel Prize Laureate, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

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9. Catherine Zeta Jones

Sometimes the personal battles are the hardest and in the last few years she has admitted to diagnoses of both depression and bipolar II disorder. Having received treatment for both, whilst also spending time estranged from her husband, Catherine has still maintained her successful career and more than bounced back. She and Michael Douglas have reconciled and she was recently on screen in the movie remake of Dad’s Army and is soon to star in the Griselda Blanco biopic, The Godmother.

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10. Oprah

The Queen of the chat show and in some ways the queen of the whole of America, very few people have lived through the trauma Oprah has and come out the other side still kicking ass. Not only did Oprah struggle from birth, raised in poverty by a young single mother, she was also raped aged 9 and became pregnant and lost a child aged 14. She has said herself that these moments helped her when pushing forward for success in her career. And, testament to this, by 19 she was a co-anchor on the local evening news. Now there are very few people on the planet who don’t know who she is.

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