Reflection Series: Looking Back to See How Far We've Come
When we launched Making Waves Project in 2020, the world was standing still. Robiee picked up her camera not to chase perfection, but to capture something real: moments of stillness, hope, uncertainty, and quiet resilience.
Now, five years later, we are reconnecting with some of the very first people we featured.
And what we have found is that they have kept moving forward. Evolving. Making waves of their own.
The Reflection Series revisits these original stories not as a look back, but as a deeper dive into what has changed, what has stayed, and how each person has grown in ways they never imagined.
You will meet:
Elle Ryder, a dancer who turned grief into motion and now teaches others how to move through what holds them back.
The Golfieri family, who bought their first boat just before the world shut down and went on to build a thriving charter business together.
Maggie, a Hollywood producer who went from pandemic isolation to emotional healing, bold independence, and telling stories that matter.
Bravo, a self-described late bloomer who found his artistic voice in the middle of a pandemic, a beach, and a scribbled line, proving it is never too late to start again.
These aren’t just updates. They’re reflections on what it means to change, to stumble, to shift course, to keep going. Sometimes that growth looks like joy. Other times, it’s messy, slow, or still unraveling.
Each of these stories picks up where we left off. They’re honest windows into the lives of the people who once let us in and who’ve continued living, breaking, healing, building, and becoming ever since.
We hope you see yourself in these stories. In the setbacks and in the strides. In the quiet resilience. In the moments that didn’t go as planned and the ones that surprised you.
Here’s to the waves we’ve made. The ones that crashed. The ones still rising.
This post was created by Making Waves Project to share real stories of strength, resilience, and community. We believe that when people open up, it creates space for connection, healing, and collective impact and we’re here to keep that going.
If you or someone you know has a story worth sharing, we’d love to hear from you. And if you're looking to get involved whether that means submitting a story, donating, or simply spreading the word…your support helps us keep these stories alive and amplify the voices within them.
These stories aren’t just reflections of individual experiences…they're reminders of what it means to belong to something bigger. A growing community. A movement grounded in purpose and shared humanity.
We also partner with brands and organizations that are committed to making a difference. By creating thoughtful, story-driven campaigns together, we’re able to fund this work and extend its reach. If that sounds like something you believe in, reach out to us at hello@makingwavesproject.com.
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Photography by Robiee Ziegler
