From Survival to Strength:
How Life’s Hardest Lessons Built My Resilience
Life has a way of testing us, often when we least expect it. From a young age, I was thrown into situations that shaped my resilience, forcing me to find strength in uncertainty. Today, as a HealthSpan11 Coach, I use these experiences to help others navigate their own challenges, empowering them to build a healthier, more balanced life—no matter what obstacles lie ahead.
The Early Years: Boarding School Survival
At just six years old, life threw me a curveball. My parents divorced, and my sister and I were sent off to a boarding school in a rural village. Our weekends were spent on a dairy farm with our cousins, but boarding school was where I truly learned to fend for myself.
Why it built resilience:
It was a place of strict rules and no space for emotions. You made your bed, decided what was laundry, and ate whatever was put in front of you—whether you liked it or not. Crying and homesickness was for "babies" - these emotions were suppressed. I learned early on that life doesn't hand out trophies for effort. You either made the cut, or you didn't—and when you didn’t, you tried harder next time.
University: Freedom Meets Failure
My journey to university wasn’t smooth. I did what was expected—pursued a B.Com degree because my dad said it was "better" than a BA. My first year was a disaster, and I failed outright. It was humiliating, especially considering I’d once been the top academic student in junior school.
Why it built resilience:
That failure was a wake-up call. I changed universities, started over, and fought to rebuild my academic life. Failure wasn’t an option anymore.
Starting Over: Emigrating to Canada
At 32, with a two-year-old son and a second on the way, we left everything familiar behind in South Africa to start a new life in Canada. A country we had never visited. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done—new culture, new climate, no friends, no job.
Why it built resilience:
Everything was different, from the clothes I wore to the freezing winters I had never experienced. But we pushed through, even when things felt impossible. No job, no income, no sense of belonging, and yet, we kept going. This was resilience in action.
Divorce, job loss … and then the BIG C
Having survived a heart wrenching divorce driven by my decision to seek happiness, and losing my job in the middle of this, a bright shining light... RUNNING! I joined a running club AND met some awesome people and so my love for running began.
Just when I thought life couldn’t throw more challenges my way, I faced lung cancer. The malignant tumor was discovered during the rigorous testing I was going through as a result of me attempting to donate half of my liver to a friend of mine's best friend. There would be no Boston that year.
How resilience carried me through:
I bounced back and got right back on that pony. I ran the Chicago marathon just 7 months later. I then re-qualified for Boston at the Erie Marathon and ended up running the 126th Boston marathon on my 60th birthday! Sweeeet!
Today: HealthSpan11 Coach
The strength I have built over the years has helped me weather these storms. I found a way to move forward when it felt like everything was crumbling around me. That’s why I’m here today—to help others build their own resilience, and to help them build new healthy sustainable habits that will ultimately increase their HealthSpan.
I am here for you... we've got this!
Morgan Barclay
Your Resilient
& Passionate
HealthSpan 11 Coach
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