The Night I Realised Resilience Isn’t Quiet or Hidden
- Oct 1
- 3 min read
By Katie Lynch
Sometimes it looks like laughter, confetti, and the courage to start again.
When I threw my divorce party over ten years ago, people thought I was joking. Divorce wasn’t something you celebrated. It was supposed to be sad, heavy, even shameful. But I had carried enough of that. I wanted to rewrite the story.
People probably expected tears or bitterness. What they didn’t expect was me in a cheeky outfit, swinging at a giant penis piñata in the garage while my friends cheered. It wasn’t about shock value. It was about reclaiming joy and proving to myself that I could turn heartbreak into something light, funny, and unforgettable.
Early into our relationship, I gave up a career I loved to provide us with stability. It was only me and him then, but the dream was to create a family and a life together. When the marriage fell apart, it felt like everything I had invested in was gone. That family dream went, but the kids and all of our things remained.
That night in the garage reminded me I still had the power to shape my own story. Resilience didn’t need to be quiet or hidden. It could be loud, playful, even a little outrageous. What mattered was that it came from a place of courage, the courage to let go of shame and step into a new chapter with laughter instead of regret.
Over time, that moment became more than just a funny memory. It was proof that I could face challenges head-on and still choose joy. Life since then hasn’t been easy or perfect. I’ve been through another divorce, am raising independent kids with the support of family, friends and my second husband, and started building a business when it might have been easier to give up. I am the family’s circus ring leader, the one managing it all, juggling the chaos and keeping the show moving forward.
That spark of courage became the foundation for what I built next. In the same year, I started my business from home with a small printer so I could be there for my kids. The career I once loved and studied so hard to get into, the one I gave up for a stable family life, I got back in my own way. This time, it was mine. I built something that gave me freedom, creativity, and the ability to create magical memories for my children while also helping thousands of other families celebrate their milestones.
I also began to see resilience in a different light. For me, it wasn’t about keeping quiet, pushing through without emotion, or pretending everything was fine. Resilience was about finding healthy ways to move forward, even if that meant being a little outrageous. Smashing a piñata might not be the traditional picture of strength, but for me, it was a turning point.
There is still stigma around divorce, and I feel it even more now than I did back then. When I tell people I’m divorced, let alone twice, I see their reactions. When I say I’m a single mum, I know what some people assume. But these labels don’t make me less of a person. If anything, they show my strength. They prove that I was willing to keep going, to protect my kids, and to carve out a life for us even when the path was difficult.
What people don’t often talk about is how much creativity and even catharsis can come from those hard times. Planning that party gave me something to look forward to. It distracted me from the endless cycle of grief, the reliving of happy and painful memories, and the dreams that had been shattered. I won’t pretend I didn’t grieve. I cried plenty, and I think that’s healthy. It is important to feel those emotions and let them out. But after a couple of months, it was time to move forward, and I wanted to do it with my head held high.
That night taught me that resilience can be joyful. It can be bold. It can even be silly. And that perspective carried into my business too. Every time I create something bright, fun, and personal for a customer’s celebration, I’m reminded that joy is worth fighting for.
Resilience doesn’t always look like silence, strength, or pushing through quietly. Sometimes it looks like laughter echoing from the garage, confetti on the floor, and a woman with a stick in her hand taking one last swing at the past before stepping into the future.
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