An interview with Cheryl:

Q…Tell me about your background.

A… I was born in Maryland and lived in Washington D.C. from ages three to twelve. Because I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at eighteen months. I attended a school for crippled children. I lived with my grandparents and it was assumed that I could be anything I chose to be. I felt very secure in my elementary school environment but when I was old enough to enter junior high, my grandparents decided to relocate in Rockville, Maryland. Mainstreaming was now in vogue and I was terrified of being “different” than my classmates. I cried everyday for months after entering junior high. All of my false beliefs about Cheryl were front and center in my life – I’m not worthy, I’m not safe, I’m different were the cocktail of my existence. In reality, I made friends easily, bullying was never allowed, and I was the source of my own misery because of my false beliefs regarding being inferior. My new mainstream existence actually invited a circle of caring young people into my life.

Q…What kind of training did you have prior to coaching?

A…After graduating from Robert E Peary High School in Rockville Maryland, I attended the University of Maryland in College Park for two years (where I changed majors three times.) I dropped out after Robert F Kennedy was assassinated. I was a very disillusioned hippie child of the sixties. I got married because someone asked, and I was afraid it was my only opportunity. We moved to Wisconsin and had two children and I returned to college at the same time as I filed for divorce. It was an emotionally abusive marriage and a painful divorce. I found myself being a single parent and a full-time college student, but I had grown up enough to know that I wanted to major in social work. I wanted to help other women like me who were raising children while trying to heal from the wounds of childhood and of a bad marriage. I graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Q…Can you briefly describe your employment history?

A…After college, my first job was teaching parenting skills to low-income single parents. I was then hired as a Social Services Coordinator for a Head Start program where my primary duties were training staff and parents. I managed monthly meetings in five Head Start centers during which I steered parents to lead meetings and volunteer in the classroom. Public Speaking was a substantial part of my job. Tired of travel, I accepted a job with the County Health and Human Services Department where I counseled low-income parents to find employment. All of my occupational experiences encompassed one-to-one interactions or group interactions involving bolstering people into transforming their lives and opening their lives up to higher aspirations.

Q…Why were you inspired to be a coach?

A…I hadn’t thought about coaching until I discovered Katherine Woodward Thomas during an online Soulmate Summit weekend. I bought her Calling in The One book and signed up for an online class. She’s inspirational and when the opportunity arrived to be a certified coach and benefit from her vast wisdom; I took it. As soon as I finished one certification, I signed up for another. After retiring from Social Work, I missed the daily interactions with people. However, I quickly found out that coaching is very different then social work. In social work, I was paid to have the answers; sometimes I was court-ordered to have the answers. In coaching, YOU have the answers. I’m your cheerleader; I’ll guide you, question you, push you and lovingly encourage you. I’ll teach you practices that will assist you in moving forward, in loving yourself, in visioning your future, in creating intentions that light up your life!

Q…Tell me about your divorce:

A…I tried to consciously uncouple in 2005 but it was more complicated than it appeared. I didn’t realize that I had been married to a narcissist. I didn’t realize that the reason that I felt lost and sad and crazy was because I’d been gaslighted for years. I felt guilty for leaving because I thought he’d be devastated but he had replaced me before I could move out of the home we shared. I was a mess. I didn’t want to be married but when he moved on without so much of a hiccup; I felt like I had meant nothing. It was all very painful as well as confusing. I was stuck in a sea of emotions. I didn’t date; I didn’t try to re-couple. It was a conscious divorce in that I didn’t try to destroy him financially. Even in my disbelief; I tried to be fair. I thought that if I left the marriage; I’d re-discover my essence. But that would require a lot of healing, a lot of journaling, a lot of insight and a wonderful mentor.

Q… Did your divorce improve your life?

A…My divorce saved my life. I would not have found my way to Katherine Woodward Thomas and her network of incredible, supportive people if I had stayed married. I would not have learned that I was the source of my life experiences through uncovering my false beliefs from childhood. I would have remained a victim, blaming my ex for gaslighting instead of seeing that I had given away my power in order to belong to someone. I was the frog that had jumped in a pot of cold water who didn’t understand that the pilot light was turned up in slow increments over the years. I jumped out of the pot as the water was about to boil. The universe was supporting me!

Q…Who do you work with?

A…I work with people who have an awareness of themselves; who can see the world from a non-victimized perspective. I help them see possibility where none seems to exist. These people are ready to invest time, money, energy and soulfulness into their transformation. Together we can wake up to love and let go of the past.

I have two specialties; one is working with people who have been partnered with narcissists. I recognize their pain, their confusion and their lack of trust in themselves and in others. I understand the perplexities of gaslighting. I speak the lingo; narcissism has its own language. My promise is to stand with you as you release the past and embrace the future.
My second specialty is guiding you as you remove the physical clutter that can serve as a block to magnetizing love and/or releasing pain. If you are someone with clutter in your world; we will work together to de-clutter your environment, removing obstacles to your success. I have always been zealous about Feng Shui and have discovered the magic of decluttering. Getting rid of our “stuff” improves our ability to invite peace and love into our lives.

Q…What are you passionate about?

A…I am passionate about helping others transform and bring more joy into their lives. This desire landed me in the field of social work and into the coaching arena. I am an empath and have always been “tuned” in to the feelings of others. Over the years, I have learned to tweak the ability of being a sensitive into being a gift, rather than a curse. I am wholeheartedly committed to support people in finding love for themselves as a springboard for finding romantic love. Equally, I’m dedicated to supporting people through the divorce, separation, or break-up process. My True You Awakening expertise will steer you into discovering the false beliefs that are holding you back and together, we will create powerful intentions for your incredible future. I am passionate about people!