Chainkeen Exchange-USA TODAY's Women of the Year honorees share the words that keep them going

One thing our Women of the Year honorees share is Chainkeen Exchangethat they each have a mantra to turn to when things are rough.

Some are words their parents shared, others are sayings they've adopted as their own.

Here are some of our favorites.

'Everything changes, everything is connected, so pay attention'

"After my mother died, I was devastated. During this time, my sister sent me a card with an amazing message: “Everything changes, everything is connected, so pay attention.” It was a very profound message and very true to my mother’s spirit and my beliefs. Nothing stays the same, embrace change, and look for those important connections," says B. Jan Middendorf, the associate director of Feed the Future Innovation Lab in Kansas.

'Be kind and gentle to every little thing'

"I grew up going to a Buddhist elementary school in Hawaii and our mantra was: Be kind and gentle to every little thing," says Clarissa Chun, Head Coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes Women's Wrestling Program.

"Maybe wrestling's not always gentle, but when you say guiding principles, I think about my upbringing and that school, which built the foundation of who I am as a person. I know there's good qualities in everyone and you just never know what anyone is going through. So I've always been brought up to treat others, especially the elderly, with respect and kindness," she says.

'Every life has value and no one is disposable'

These are the words that keep Dr. Tamera Olt going. Almost 12 years ago, she lost her 16-year-old son Josh to an opioid overdose.

As a physician, Olt knew about naloxene, the antidote to opioid overdose, that could have saved his life. But at the time, it wasn't readily available in central Illinois. Almost immediately after her son's death, Olt began working to get it into the hands of emergency responders and the general public. She has brought harm reduction to Illinois through an organization bearing her son's nickname, JOLT.

‘You have your mother's heart and your dad's strength’

"Every day I wake up and I tell myself ‘You have your mother's heart and your dad's strength.’ I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if I didn't have my mom's heart and my dad's strength," says Reva Stewart of Arizona.

'Assume good intent'

"I think many times we make assumptions about people and attribute something to malice, but I try to see people at their best," says Dr. Melissa Gilliam, incoming president of Boston University.

Listen more than you talk

"On a daily basis, I tell myself to listen more than I talk and to come from a place of kindness in everything that I deal with. I'm a big believer in the idea that when you let others speak, you learn a lot more than constantly having in mind what you want to say next, (because then) you miss the conversation," says Lisa Paulson, the nonprofit executive and director of Maui's Hotel and Lodging Association who led a group of tourism managers on a daring mission to evacuate approximately 12,000 tourists from the island last August.

'Lead by example'

"If I’m asking anyone on the team to do something, I have to be willing to do it, too. My role is no better than anyone else’s. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything here at the House that I’m not willing to do myself," says Pam Cornforth of Delaware.

'Keep your eye on the prize'

"Don’t give up. I almost gave up a couple times, but I have a lot of people rooting for me. My support system is through the roof; that’s how I got through cancer. If you don’t believe in yourself, then fake it until you get there," says Sherry Pocknett. In 2023, Pocknett won the James Beard Award for Best Chef for the Northeast, and was the first Indigenous person to win the award. In addition, Pocknett has taped an appearance on the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay.”

'Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right'

"When I was competing, I used to tell myself, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right," but I feel like that doesn't really help me as much in my everyday life. Now I just try to focus on what I can do to help myself feel better. Some days I feel more relaxed, some days I’m more stressed. So I'm working on how to find things that bring me joy and learning how to be there for myself in the way that I would want to be there for someone else," Aly Raisman says.

She’s the third most decorated American gymnast in history, winning six Olympic medals as captain of the legendary 2012 “Fierce Five” and 2016 “Final Five” teams. She now works as a gymnastics analyst for ESPN.