Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yolanda Tyler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yolanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

There have been times when I wish I would have started the business sooner because I would have impacted more lives than I have today. However, I think I started right on time because I did not have the support that I currently have. It also gave me the opportunity to refine my mission and goals for the organization.

In 2015, I recovered from a financial hardship that occurred during a medical hardship that I had gone through in 2010. Although The Resile One Foundation was not legally established, I started fulfilling my purpose and passion by providing relief, encouraging, and educating middle-class families who are facing a medical hardship. It is difficult to watch others go through the same burdens as I went through, especially when I have solutions that can help.

Looking back, I stayed anonymous because I did not think it was appropriate to share with the world what I do for others. Today, I still feel the same way; however, with the mindset that I have and more equipped with knowledge and expertise of leading a nonprofit organization, I understand that for the community to assist, it needs evidence showing that I am currently doing the work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2010, I was officially diagnosed with a chronic illness after ten years of searching for answers. It resulted in emergency surgery, leading to orders to be off work for 12 weeks. I was not financially prepared as I thought I would be for an unforeseen circumstance. After 8 weeks, I needed assistance for my expenses and necessities. I was humbled to learn that since I was employed and was considered to be in the middle-class economic bracket, I did not qualify for any assistance I applied for. This led me to convince my surgeon to release me back to work.

Not only did I struggle financially, but I was also aware that my mental health was strained. I felt alone, especially when others did not understand the illness and the adversity I was facing at the time. In 2015, the Resile One Pop-Up Squad was established to serve and meet the needs of individuals through random acts of kindness. I achieved this through giving while promoting the importance of being resilient in any situation or circumstance as I was able to relate.

I realized that to help more people, I needed help from the community, thus, in 2022, The Resile One Foundation was established with four projects, including Resile One Pop-Up Squad that already existed, with the mission to encourage, empower, and provide relief to middle-class families who are facing medical hardship to meet their needs.

Through the work over the last eight years, I have seen first-hand that encouraging and providing resources to those in need can transform the mental and financial health of families, communities, and cultures throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This has led to creating a way to help individuals prepare for unforeseen circumstances. It has also led me to develop a preventative measure to reach the youth to help them with life skills and prepare them to make good financial decisions as they move into adulthood with the program, Earn Up Academy.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I am currently going through a journey that illustrates my resilience. As a young non-profit organization, it is rare to plan a big event in the first year of business. Initially, my plan was to have a gala to raise funds in the next two to three years. I have a milestone birthday coming up in September and just like the previous year, I wanted to serve in the community in lieu of celebrating my birthday. A friend asked if I planned to have a party or travel for my birthday this year and I said, “I want to raise money for Resile One”. I was not prepared to hear, “Hey, you should plan a black-tie event to raise funds for the organization.” Knowing that there is less than $100 in the business account, I would be funding the event, which I was okay with because I was going to spend funds on a party or trip anyway. After I shared the idea with two of my mentors, they thought it was the worst idea, especially when I could just donate the money to the organization, without planning an event. My logic was that it was not about the money, it was about the exposure and support of the organization from the community, while not only raising funds but making an impact in the lives of people who I have not encountered.

When I started planning, I created a list of action items to complete. It became overwhelming as I discovered that I did not have the support I needed to complete milestones by the due dates. Jim “Rocky” Conway, founder of 30BYND in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and my mentor saw my passion and believed in me. He stepped in to assist with digital marketing tasks that were beyond my capabilities. I prioritize the milestones that I can complete on my own and make the necessary sacrifices to complete them.

While planning and executing milestones to complete for the event, I still serve in the community with Resile One Pop-Up Squad and refining the curriculum for Earn Up Academy from the feedback I received from students. As of today, I have less than three weeks to get everything finalized for the event and I am on track. I came close to giving up because I thought I would not be able to pull it off, and then, I thought about the WHY! With guidance, determination and sacrifice thus far, I know the event is going to be a success. I learned years ago that I cannot expect others to be as passionate as I am about my purpose so I must show them better than I can tell them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

At the beginning of the year, I attempted to launch two programs within the organization at the same time. My initial plan made sense but I underestimated the lack of resources that were available to me, including time management, not considering that I also work full-time as a Senior Data Engineer with a defense contractor. I found myself focusing on tasks that did not directly contribute to the mission, resulting in having to reassess the priorities to align with the goals. Frustration started to set in, and it made me realize that if I continue this path, I will keep overextending myself. I had so many great ideas that I wanted to execute, even though I knew the limitations of resources and capacity were causing me to burn out.

I became accustomed to doing things without help because it was difficult for me to ask others for what I needed to fulfill my mission. The times when I did reach out and ask, I did not get the support that I expected. I realized later that I had to unlearn this behavior because for the business to succeed, I should be comfortable with networking and seeking the assistance I need. Now that the organization is registered, individuals are willing to assist with providing direction and offering resources to help in the community. I learned that when people see the work you are putting in, they are more likely to want to get involved.

Contact Info:

• Website: resileone.org
• Instagram: @resile.one
• Facebook: Resile One