I have been following Calina on the TikiTok. Her videos are so funny, and informative you can find her on Family Lawtok. Calina, her wife, and their beautiful family are so much fun and full of laughs.
1) Please share a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, what do you do, and what are your passions?
My name is Calina Plotky. I was born in Atlanta, GA and still live in the area. Though it may seem like I lived my whole life here that is not the case. I am a dual citizen, Brazilian (inherited at my birth through my mother) and American (as a natural born citizen). Growing up, I spent a lot of my life bouncing back and forth between Atlanta, GA and a small town in Brazil. I am a family law attorney, mother, and wife. I am passionate about my children, my wife, my work, and helping as many people I can. I went into family law to help others through some of the worst most difficult times of their lives. In no other area of law are you more of a counselor then in family law.
2) In your own words, what does strength mean to you? Please feel encouraged to use personal examples of situations in your life where you were required to demonstrate your strength.
Strength to me means fighting when you have no more fight in you. It means digging down deep into yourself and finding a way to stand up when everything and everyone is telling you you can't. At 17, I was diagnosed with one of the top ten most painful chronic illnesses in the world. At that time in my life I was lost. My entire life burned around me and everything was telling me it would be easier to just quit. It took me a while to find my strength, years in fact. People don't always tell you that. You think strength will come right when you need it, when you demand it but it doesn't. I had friends that kept me going during that time, in fact some that would pick me up, take me to their apartments for dinner and movies then take me home. Even if I was in my pjs, that was not an excuse, they came every day without fail. I was in college, I was drifting along doing what society expected of me. My strength came at 20 when I got pregnant unexpectedly, for the first time I really had to fight for something. Everyone in my life told me to end the pregnancy but I knew if I did that I wouldn't survive. So I took time alone and when I was truly alone I found my strength, it was in that moment that I realized no matter what, the only person in my life that would ever truly know how I felt and what I needed was myself. I decided in that moment that everything I wanted was worth fighting for, like setting the world of fire type of fighting for. So I did, I had my daughter with little help and when family came back around, while I allowed them to be part of my daughter's life and mine, I did not lean on them or rely on them. Because I had learned what strength was. Strength comes from within, it is not external and if you allow it to be external you allow other the control to take it from you. I had my daughter, I finished college, I went straight to law school, and then I started practicing law. Don't get me wrong, through that time so many helped me. My friends, my family, my ex-husband, my boss, my daughter's paternal grandparents but my strength came from within, My desire and determination to be the person my 10 year old self wanted to be.
3) What would you describe as the source of your strength?
My strength comes from two place first from within. At the heart of it the best way to explain it is it is my desire and determination to be the person my 10 year old self wanted to be. Second, my strength comes from my children. I want to give my children everything in life so they can succeed and that success to me means that they are happy, healthy, and doing what they love to do in life. I want my children to care for other's and help others in the ways they best can.
4) What keeps you from giving up?
My children, my family, and the knowledge that I can help others. I have been given opportunities in life that others have not. I am determined to help as many people as I can with the time I have. I have a legal education and life experiences that allow me to help others and I will not waste them.
5) Please share something that you never imagined you have the strength to do but you managed to accomplish anyway?
My entire life I was told that it would be impossible for me to realize my dreams. From my aunt telling me I would never be a lawyer because I said like to much when I was 13 to the time one of my first year law professors told me to be just be a lobbyist because I was pretty. But I used those comments as fuel for my fire. The only time in life I doubted myself was when I was diagnosed with my chronic illness. I lost hope that I would be able to become a lawyer. But when I realized I fight more in the first few minutes of my day to even get out bed then most people do their entire day, I realized that anything I set my mind to I would accomplish. It doesn't matter if it takes you 10 years longer than anyone else, if you want to do it, get up and fight no excuses. Do it for the 10 year old version of yourself that wanted the world!
