Building Resilience and Maximizing Your Life with Dr. Peter Rios

Dr. Peter Rios inspires with his story of persistence.

Dr. Peter Rios has spoken at Harvard University and consulted with organizations across the country. But his path to success was anything but straightforward.

In an interview on the High Performance Podcast, Dr. Rios shared his story of growing up in public housing, being raised by a grandmother with a fourth-grade education and failing community college three times before eventually earning two doctoral degrees.

Watch the Interview with Dr. Peter Rios

Formative Years Shaped by Struggle

Peter Rios was born in the Bronx and grew up in the projects outside Buffalo, NY. His parents were absent during his early years, leaving his grandmother to raise him. Like many kids in similar circumstances, he struggled with feelings of abandonment.

"I grew up feeling some level of abandonment," Rios explained. "Always thinking that something was wrong with me because my parents weren't around. Seeing kids at school getting dropped off in nice cars while I had to walk in snowstorms."

Those early struggles, however, planted the seeds of persistence that would define his later life.



Tested by Rejection

A story from his book "Maximize" captures Rios’ persistence. Rios tried out for his school basketball team in seventh grade, eighth grade, ninth grade, tenth grade, eleventh grade, and twelfth. And each year he was rejected.

Some of those rejections had nothing to do with his athletic ability. Coaches dismissed him because of his background or because he had gotten into trouble, including an incident where marijuana was found in his locker.

Most kids his age would have quit. They would have accepted the rejection, even internalized it as unworthiness. But Rios kept showing up.

It wasn’t until he joined the Marine Corps that a basketball coach finally gave him a chance. The reason? The coach saw Rios’ determination and wanted that energy on the team.



The Mentor Who Changed Everything

A major turning point in Rios’ life came in tenth grade when Dr. Denoya, who ran an Upward Bound program, walked into his social studies class. Rios was skeptical at first.

"Here's another person coming to the hood to sell us some dreams," he remembers thinking.

But Dr. Denoya became what Rios calls his "angel." She introduced him to a growth mindset. When he was expelled after the marijuana incident, she advocated for him like a lawyer, arguing that the school system needed to support him, not deny him his right to an education.

"She found me as a dysfunctional child, as a troubled youth," Rios said. "That deserves recognition because it's easy to mentor someone who's all cleaned up. It's harder when they're a mess."



Failing Forward Through College

After the Marine Corps, Rios went to community college, but was daunted by academia. He lacked confidence. His GPA dropped to an abysmal 1.5 at one point.

Then he had what he describes as a faith encounter that shifted his perspective. He began to see himself as someone with a purpose and a mission rather than someone just drifting through life.

"I started to see life differently," he said. "I have a purpose. I have a calling. There's a mission I need to fulfill."

Focused and determined, he returned to college at age 28 and spent the next decade in education, eventually completing two doctoral degrees.

The Power of Exposure

Dr. Rios’ book, Maximize, outlines 12 keys for growth. When asked which was the most important key, he chose Exposure.

"It's hard to believe there's something better (available to you) if you've never been exposed to it," he explained. His time in the Marines took him to Japan and Korea, forcing him out of his comfort zone.

His advice: expose yourself to new environments and spend time with people who think differently than you do. Growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. 



Empty the Gas Tank

Dr. Rios’ book, and his life philosophy, is all about maximizing potential. He often thinks about a quote from the author Myles Munroe: “The richest place on Earth is the cemetery because so many people die without realizing their potential.”

"I want to die empty," Rios said. "I want to die having given all of myself."

His message for anyone struggling in life is simply don’t quit. Someone will eventually notice your efforts and believe in you. But first, you have to believe in yourself enough to keep knocking on the doors of opportunity.



Learn More About Dr. Rios

Watch the full interview with Dr. Peter Rios on my YouTube Channel.

You can order Dr. Rios’ inspiring book "Maximize" at Peter Rios Consulting Library

Learn more about Dr. Rios at Peter Rios Consulting