How gratitude and joy can coexist with struggle
I sat down to record this episode of Make Things Happen thinking this is going to be a good conversation with USA Today Bestselling Author of “Joy Through the Journey, Internationally Renowned Motivational Speaker, and resilience coach Amberly Lago.
I didn’t realize it was going to be one of those conversations that stays with you, wanting to watch this episode again.
Because once Amberly Lago started talking, I felt that familiar feeling in my chest — the one that tells me I’m listening to someone who has lived the lesson, not just learned it. The kind of person whose strength isn’t a slogan. It’s a decision they’ve made again and again in real time.
And if you’re in a hard season right now… I want you to know: this episode is for you.
Meeting Amberly felt like meeting resilience in human form
Amberly is vulnerable and incredibly real. The kind of real that doesn’t try to impress you. It just tells the truth.
She shared what her life looked like before everything changed — how she spent 26 years in the fitness world, and how movement was her entire life. She was a professional dancer. She trained clients. She was sponsored by Nike. She contributed to major health and fitness magazines. She built a career that was strong, successful, and predictable in the best way.
Then one day, in the blink of an eye, it all shifted.
In 2010, Amberly was hit by an SUV while riding her Harley. She was thrown 30 feet. Her leg was crushed. Her femoral artery was severed. There was blood everywhere. And even in that moment — even before she fully understood how severe it was — her brain went straight to, “Okay… what’s next?”
That part hit me hard.
Because that “what’s next” mindset? That’s not just positivity. That’s a survival strategy. That’s a woman whose spirit refused to hand her life over to the worst moment.
The part I can’t stop thinking about: “Amberly said 1%… so there’s a chance.”
When Amberly woke up from an induced coma, she was told she had a 1% chance of saving her leg from amputation.
One percent.
Most people would hear that and feel like the decision has already been made for them.
Amberly heard it and locked in on the only thing that mattered: there was still a chance.
She found a doctor willing to take that chance with her. And the recovery that followed wasn’t a quick comeback story. It was a long, relentless road. Thirty-four surgeries. Piece by piece. Day by day.
And then — just when you think, “Okay, she made it through the worst” — life handed her another mountain.
Amberly was later diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a nerve disease so painful and so persistent that it changes everything about how you live inside your own body. She’s been in and out of hospitals. In and out of the country searching for treatment. Still navigating it. Still managing it. Still choosing to show up anyway.
And this is where the conversation took a turn that I’ll carry forever.
She said something like:
“I tried everything to get out of pain… and then I learned how to get through pain.”
That’s the shift.
That’s the line.
Pain is pain — and it demands to be heard
One thing I loved about Amberly is how she doesn’t make her story a pedestal.
She actually said, “You might be listening and thinking you can’t relate because you didn’t have an accident.”
Then she followed it with something so honest and so inclusive:
We’ve all been hit by something.
And I agree with her. Completely.
People get hit by loss. Betrayal. A diagnosis. A divorce. Financial stress. Burnout. A dream that didn’t work out. A childhood that still echoes. A relationship that hurts. A season where you’re doing everything you can and it still feels heavy.
Different stories. Same human nervous system. Same ache. Same fear. Same exhaustion.
And Amberly’s message isn’t “Ignore it.” It’s not “Push it down.”
It’s: accept what’s true… and then choose your next step from there.
Because acceptance doesn’t mean you’re okay with what happened.
Acceptance means you stop wasting energy arguing with reality.
And that… is where your power starts to come back.
Gratitude isn’t cute. It’s a tool.
We talked about gratitude a lot in this episode, but not the surface-level kind.
Not the “just be grateful” kind that people say when they don’t know what else to say.
Amberly described gratitude like a decision point — a fork in the road.
She talked about those spiraling “what if” thoughts:
What if I can’t run again?
What if my husband doesn’t love me?
What if I can’t work?
What if I die?
And then she stopped herself from spiraling and chose something else:
What can I control?
What do I have today?
What’s still possible?
That kind of gratitude isn’t denial.
It’s direction.
It’s choosing where you’re going to place your focus when your mind wants to drag you into the darkest outcome.
What Amberly taught me about the “tiny steps”
There was a moment in our conversation where Amberly shared something that made me emotional, because it was so raw and so human.
After everything happened, her first goal wasn’t running again.
Her first goal was being able to get to the bathroom on her own.
That was her win.
That was her mountain.
And I love that she said it, because I think so many of us look at someone’s success and forget the humiliating, painful, humbling “middle” they had to walk through to get there.
We say we want the book.
But we don’t always want the 4 a.m. writing sessions.
We say we want the business.
But we don’t always want the uncertainty, the missed launches, the “is this even working?” days.
We say we want the breakthrough.
But we don’t always want the tiny steps that look unimpressive on the outside and feel massive on the inside.
Amberly reminded me: the tiny steps are the whole thing.
And we have to celebrate them.
Because if you only celebrate the finish line, you’ll spend your whole life feeling behind.
Joy Through the Journey: the message I needed
The title of Amberly’s book Joy Through the Journey fits her perfectly.
What surprised me most is when she shared that writing the book actually forced her to come back to herself — to her “non-negotiables.” The habits that keep her grounded. The practices that reconnect her to her faith, her strength, her joy.
Because even the most resilient people don’t just “stay positive.”
They work at it.
They check themselves.
They fall apart sometimes.
They want to throw in the towel sometimes.
They just don’t stay there.
That’s the difference.
If you’re struggling right now, start here
At the end of the episode, I asked Amberly what she would say to someone who feels like they’ve tried everything — someone who’s exhausted and discouraged and maybe losing hope.
Her answer was simple, and it was powerful:
Don’t do it alone.
Ask for help.
Get support.
Get in the right rooms.
Seek counsel, not opinions.
And I want to echo that, because I’ve learned the same thing in my own life.
Isolation doesn’t make you stronger. It makes you quieter. It makes you doubt yourself.
Support gives you oxygen.
And you deserve oxygen.
Listen to this episode if you need a reminder that you can get back up
This episode isn’t just inspiring.
It’s grounding.
It’s the kind of conversation that doesn’t pretend life is easy — but refuses to let pain be the final word.
If you’ve been hit by something lately… if you’re tired… if you’re scared… if you’re trying to figure out how to keep going…
Please watch and listen.
And as you do, I hope something in you remembers itself again.
You can get back up.
You’re not alone.
And you are still capable of making things happen — even from here.
🎥 Watch the episode on YouTube: Click here.
Subscribe to the Make Things Happen Podcast and never miss a moment of inspiration.
🎧 Listen Now on Spotify.
🎧 Listen Now on Apple.
Learn more
🌐 Visit Amberly Lago’s website
📘 Order Amberly’s book Joy Through the Journey.
Want to go deeper?
If you’re serious about mastering your mindset, and executing at your highest level—my group coaching program is where we do the real work. DM me “READY” on Instagram @iamdianapagano and I’ll send you the details.
📕 Read my book, The More Mindset!
This book is more than pages bound together. It’s my story, my struggles, my faith, my lessons, and my breakthroughs. It’s everything I had to walk through—the pain, the doubts, the setbacks—that shaped me into who I am today. I wrote this book for the dreamer who’s been saying “someday.” For the achiever who looks successful on the outside but still feels like something is missing. For the person who knows, deep down, that there has to be more.
I’m so grateful to be on this journey with you!
Stay blessed,
💜 Diana
Connect with Diana: