In an age of influencers and internet millionaires, the term 'self-made' has somewhat lost its true essence. Reclaimed by social media models and content creators, it may no longer carry the impressive spark it once did.

That said, there are still stories out there that retain the original spirit of the term; stories of audacious individuals who made it against all odds.

One of those stories is that of Italia Tornabene, better known to her audiences as Brianna Dymond, a self-made millionaire who has confronted and overcome life's hurdles with remarkable resilience. Her journey from early parenthood and a government job to a successful serial entrepreneur is not just a story of survival, but a narrative of breaking barriers, one societal convention at a time.

A decade and a half ago, as a 17-year-old mother, Brianna found herself prematurely bearing the responsibilities that adulthood demands.

The youthful dreams she held had to be temporarily shelved as she navigated the realities of parenthood. As a young woman striving to make ends meet, with no support from her parents or her son's father, her life seemed destined to follow a predictable path.

But Brianna had other ideas. “Anyone who has ever been in my shoes, where no one has your back, knows that you have to make tough choices. You have to fight. I chose to defy the odds, not for me, but for my son,” she reflects.

Faced with a grueling custody battle for her son, Brianna adapted and evolved, her grit leading her from one job to another, hoping to secure a stable future for her child. “I never lost sight of what was truly important for me - my son. I’ve gone to hell and back to get him back, I’ve taken on so many jobs, but I knew it would all pay off in the end.”

After years of struggle, Brianna secured a government job and tirelessly worked her way up. Simultaneously, she set up two successful paralegal businesses specializing in criminal expungements. Yet, as technology advanced, the criminal expungement process became easily available online for a very low cost, making her expertise less needed by the public. She ultimately decided to shut down both businesses.  In a move to keep going forward, she then dipped her toes into family law but found it too rife with deception for her liking. But, her entrepreneurial spirit was far from broken. Brianna then stepped into the glittering but unpredictable world of dancing.

“I did whatever I could to survive and provide a good life for my son,” she shares.

Driven by her natural knack for business, Brianna proved to be a savvy investor, leveraging opportunities beyond her immediate industries. She decided to leave her government job and withdraw her retirement contributions.

“I used the money I withdrew to buy my first land in Tennessee, which turned out to be a fruitful investment,” Brianna shares. This was the beginning of her investment journey,  helping to take her from instability to a millionaire.

Beyond real estate, she delved into the world of precious metals, particularly gold, slowly paving her path toward security. “Whatever money I had left over by the end of the month, I’d invest in land or jewelry and other commodities. It might not seem like the brightest idea, but I knew the returns would be significant.”

Although her investments have turned her into a millionaire at 37, Brianna is not one to rest on her laurels.

From there, she started two more successful businesses, slipped into content creation, where she gained tens of thousands of followers, and even wrote an autobiography, “From Suits to Stilettos”.  Brianna has not only shattered the conventional perceptions of the ‘21st-century businesswoman’ but has pioneered a trail for other young women struggling to find their place under the stars.

As she continues to expand her businesses further, offline and online, Brianna’s journey from being a teen mother, through upheavals, to achieving millionaire status is a lesson for everyone.

In her own words, “When life throws you curveballs, you duck or hit them out of the park. I chose the latter.”