What Bad Bunny taught me about resilience in his Super Bowl performance

I immediately felt cold sweat and chills running down my spine. The taste of barbecue ribs still dancing on my tongue. My body was tense, but heart racing. The smell of the smoked jalapeño cheese dip lingered in the air as the music still hummed in my ears and soul. I was unable to collect my thoughts for a brief moment. In a room full of people, there was an audible moment of silence, then soft exhales. It was a moment of presence and healing that we all didn’t know we deeply needed.

We often hear terms like resilience to bring forth emotions of empowerment, inspiration, and hope. But what we fail to acknowledge is that while resilience is an act of courage, it is also a heavy burden that falls onto our shoulders.

Instead of celebrating resilience, we should be identifying which people and environments are forcing people to have to be resilient. What actions are being done to restrict, push down, or even harm people so that they have to be resilient to even survive. What words are being intentionally thrown around to give birth to the instinct of people to be resilient, so that they don’t start believing it themselves deep down.

As of today, resilience is no longer something I’m proud of. It’s a necessity, not a choice. It’s the byproduct of being put through situations and experiences that should have been avoided. At the core of it, resilience stems from externally-caused hardships and challenges—it’s not the outcome or quality we should strive for.

Instead of resilience, we should lean in to resonance.

By definition, resonance is the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating. That deep vibration you feel when you see yourself represented. Or when you’re able to represent beyond yourself—a much larger purpose or calling. In science, resonance means the reinforcement or prolongation of sound by reflection from a surface or by the synchronous vibration of a neighboring object. Our voices and stories are those sounds, reflected off of everything around us—our children, our jobs, our homes, our communities. That synchronous vibration is our joy and pride, sometimes buried so deeply that it takes years to uncover again. The stirring of our hearts, the embers glowing within us, fueled by years of resilience from our ancestors—who had to be resilient in order to offer us a chance of hope. In order to turn their dreams into our lives.

It was the resilience of our ancestors and people before us that got us here. The kicks, the whips, the slurs that cut like knives into their skin. The camps they were forced to call homes, where the only solace was the memory of their roots, shared through their native tongue, music, and careful joy. The homes that were taken and later denied. The safety stripped instantly from their veins.

It was their resilience that got us here.

But let’s not continue the cycle of being resilient.

It’s our duty and honor to carry forth these vibrations—in resonance. Not in resilience. So that we can secure our future, command back our stolen dignity, and look those who want us to fear them in the eyes with pride and no hesitation. And firmly, intentionally, begin to resonate—and heal from the resilience of yesterday.

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About Ricky Koo

Ricky Koo is a seasoned corporate executive, entrepreneur, and certified Leadership & Communication Coach with a passion for helping professionals lead with authenticity and impact. With a background in Psychology and as a former Big 4 CPA, he built a distinguished career in Fortune 500 companies across banking, consulting, and technology, leading global teams and navigating complex business environments. Ricky’s unique perspective and strong instincts as a business leader enable him to successfully guide people through challenging situations while developing and fostering strong cultures.

As an instructor for UC Berkeley Extension, he passionately blends a strong technical foundation with real-world leadership experience to deliver transformative learnings on communication, influence, leadership, and career development. His approach bridges science with practicality, creating meaningful impact for audiences worldwide—from the classroom to the boardroom.

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