CJ Stroud is the guy who throws daggers on Sunday, then thanks God for a hot shower on Monday. “I don’t fear any situation, I don’t fear a team, I fear God,” the Texans‘ QB said. He made it clear where his confidence comes from. Faith and his reverence for his mom, Kim, are the two things in his satchel that keep him going. “My mom is always in support of me,” he said earlier. And Kim’s recent actions spoke a lot about her beliefs.

Kim was working multiple jobs, holding the family together after his father went to prison. Stroud was watching, learning the lessons of resilience from her. On August 2, Kim Stroud stepped onstage at an event hosted by the Women’s Resource Foundation in Houston. She wasn’t just speaking as CJ Stroud’s mother. Indeed, she spoke as a woman who had weathered all kinds of storms, be it financial, emotional, or spiritual.

In a raw, unfiltered message that visibly moved the audience, Kim recalled the hardship she endured as a single mother. And, it was spotlighted in an emotional post shared by CJ himself on his Instagram story. The post read, “Divorced mom—CJ’s feet blistered ‘cause his cleats were too small and he knew she couldn’t afford more. He told her, ‘Mom, I’m going to get us out of this situation!’” Wearing a soft smile beside another attendee in front of a “Women’s Resource” banner, Kim radiated both courage and humility. The IG story said it best: “Texans have an amazing QB & QB mom!” Her story, amplified by a room of supporters and even fellow speaker Ashley Dubra-Gales, carried the weight of lived experience.

These battles include cleaning filthy storage units just to keep a roof over their heads while raising a young athlete with NFL-sized dreams. More than 100 women gathered in Houston for the inaugural “Power of 7” conference, hosted by Kim Stroud. Backed by the CJ Stroud Foundation, the Women’s Resource, and TDECU, the event offered tools for financial independence, from budgeting to career growth. “I had survivalist literacy,” Kim said, reflecting on her past. “Preparation is key,” she said, planting the seeds of hope.

During her speech, Kim Stroud emphasized what it meant to lead with both strength and vulnerability. “You don’t have to tell your children anything—they know,” she said. “And it’s not what you’re doing in the situation; it’s how you’re responding to it. That’s what they’re learning.” Her voice cracked slightly as she recalled the image of CJ walking in after football practice, seeing her cleaning out a grimy storage unit where they once lived.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Mom, I’m gonna get us out of this,’” she shared. “And I said, ‘I don’t want anything from you, I just want you to be a good human being.’” But CJ, even then, had his own plan: “I’m still getting us out of this,” he replied. And he did. But if you ask CJ or Kim, this success was built long before the NFL draft, long before Rookie of the Year buzz.

“The hard work and dedication that my son puts in today is because of that storage girl who worked so hard,” Kim said. And that’s the message she left with the Houston moms in the room: “It’s okay to show emotion, because we don’t want our kids to be emotionless either. But it’s okay to show strength too.” That strength, now passed from mother to son, continues to resonate well beyond the football field.

CJ Stroud draws inspiration from his mom

Year after year, CJ Stroud watched his mother, Kimberly, work tirelessly. She raised four children alone after their father was in jail. Stroud was just 13. They lived above the storage unit she managed, a space that barely counted as home. But Kim never let her children feel small. “My mom, she had to play both roles for me for a while; mother and father,” CJ once said. “I’m super blessed to have a mother like I do.” He is indeed.

That same quiet strength he witnessed growing up, her staying late after work, never asking for help, and never letting go of her faith. And, this has become his foundation that keeps him steady today. Kimberly Stroud didn’t just survive hardship; she turned it into something sacred.

When the spotlight found her son, she stayed rooted in humility. Undoubtedly, he chose grace even when fans and critics made noise online. “I, for one, don’t take to social media and say much,” she admitted on her podcast The Mom’s POV. “But I sure am tempted… CJ called me and told me, Take it down right now. You have to be above it.” Through all the interviews, Kim kept her message simple: ‘Always be hopeful.’

Even now, with millions watching her son throw touchdowns in the NFL, what matters most to Stroud isn’t the fame—it’s that his mom is okay.