Roots of Resilience

What do you inherit when your family flees everything they’ve ever known? For Dr. Emily Watson, the daughter of Cambodian refugees, the answer was clear: tenacity, faith, and the unspoken mandate to succeed.

In Roots of Resilience, Watson recounts how her parents escaped the Khmer Rouge and arrived in Indiana with nothing but hope and work ethic. From growing up in the back room of a donut shop to leading a modern orthodontic practice, she tells a deeply personal, sharply observed story of what it means to build a life from scratch—one rooted in family legacy, shaped by sacrifice, and defined by daily acts of quiet courage.

Each chapter delivers a leadership insight forged not in classrooms but in lived experience. Watson shares how cultural identity shaped her professional path, how she navigated practice ownership while pregnant and overwhelmed, and how lessons learned in her parents’ business—like cleaning the floors and showing up no matter what—gave her an edge no textbook ever could. From hard conversations with staff to the chaos of early practice years, she is refreshingly candid about what success actually requires.

Perfect for women in dentistry, first-generation professionals, and readers of memoirs that merge heart and hustle, Roots of Resilience offers: * Practical leadership lessons from a faith-driven, immigrant upbringing * A behind-the-scenes view of owning a dental practice as a woman of color * An honest look at balancing ambition, motherhood, and cultural expectations * A timely reminder that success starts with showing up every single day

Watson’s voice is grounded and warm, never sentimental. Her story is one of small, defiant miracles—refugees learning English in the dead of winter, children of trauma building businesses, a daughter finding purpose through pain.

This book is for anyone who’s ever felt pressure to make it count—for their parents, for their community, for themselves.

For fans of Beautiful Country, Somewhere in the Unknown World, and Minor Feelings. A moving, unflinching tribute to family, faith, and the fierce grace of starting over.