Business

The Financial Crisis and Hardship Could Not Hold Her Back: How Entrepreneur Monika Tapia Overcame All Odds

Published

4 years ago

August 13, 2020

If you have not yet to heard of Ivan and Monika Tapia, you are in for one inspirational story. The two entrepreneurs are a classic encapsulation of the American dream, and a continually driven power couple to boot. It is rare to hear of a “started from the bottom” story these days, but that is what makes them so powerful. The inspirational essence of their tale is not lost on Ivan and Monika, and they reflect on the roots of their success every day as they strive to achieve their main goal: helping the less fortunate achieve the position they have worked so hard to obtain.

The words that Monika Tapia lives her life by are these: “Success is not a destiny or a place you arrive, it is a way of life.” Upon realizing the trials and hardships that she and her husband faced, this wisdom rings all the more true. Monika stood by her husband as he struggled to navigate the torturous waves set forth by the 2008 financial crisis. Ivan lost his career at an engineering firm the week before the couple was to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. With fierce competition in his field and a countrywide economic downturn to contend with, he soon could not afford their debts, and the two had no choice but to move back to his hometown of Tijuana, Mexico. Soon after, Monika discovered that she was pregnant. It was a bittersweet moment that highlighted their life’s theme of beauty among struggle. Through all the turbulent times, they remained vigilant and stood by one another, a true testament to success as a way of life. For Monika, it’s not how hard you fall, it’s how many times you get back up.

“There will be many obstacles in your growth such as lack of clarity, not knowing where to start, lack of discipline. It costs a lot of money, loneliness and lack of support, but to move forward you need to want to win.” She declares. Upon finally obtaining employment, Ivan worked tirelessly to hold down a steady job while developing his own multi-level marketing business. In spite of family members questioning Monika’s involvement with a man who could barely afford their small house in Tijuana, even encouraging her to leave him at times, she saw his true potential. Over the course of a few years of incredibly hard work and long hours, Ivan turned his business into a multi-million dollar generating endeavor, with Monika as his partner in both love and lucrative business endeavors.

Monika and Ivan decided to take their hard-won status and turn it into a platform to give back to others who seek to invert their low status in life. Never forgetting the months she spent pregnant and depressed on a mattress in a house with no furniture, Monika vowed to enrich the lives of others with the knowledge necessary to navigate a tumultuous and unpredictable economy. The couple has already educated thousands of students in the ways of entrepreneurship, assisting over 300 people earn incomes of over $10,000 monthly, and even producing a few millionaires.

Monika also has a major presence in media. She is a columnist for multiple digital magazines and newspapers, and has even written a best-selling book that is currently being translated to English. She is responsible for the creation of her daughter’s brand Rich & Mind Kids, and manages her daughter’s social media status as an influencer. With further endeavors in the fields of fashion and her own social media presence, she is prepared for any economic hiccups through her multifaceted streams of income. “We currently have more than 30 different sources of income. We know the importance of not depending on one.” She explains.

After living the lowest of lows and building up an enviable life for themselves, this power-couple is ready to take on anything. As young as Monika is, through her trying times she has developed the wisdom of an elder, and yet still has so much more time to cultivate knowledge. She eloquently illuminates the barrier between oneself and success as such: “Life happens very fast, many things you postpone and others you simply cancel. What you desire stops being important because you consider that you are not of the right age, that the condition you are in does not allow for those desires, or that you do not have the resources. These are all excuses that in the end will leave you with remorse.” It is unfathomable to imagine what Ivan and Monika have yet to achieve, when they are so inherently successful, and have discovered the secret to their true potential already.

Instagram : https://instagram.com/monikatapiaoficial

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

5 days ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”