I was born in Jamaica in 1968, and on August 21, 1986, I was the skinny little brown skin black girl who was standing at the airport in Kingston, Jamaica waving goodbye to my family. I had my one entry visa in hand, $60 U.S. dollars in my purse, and I was going to America. "The land of Opportunity", the place where dreams can come true. I was a young girl with big dreams, and I was ready to work hard to achieve all those dreams! "I am going to help my family, I am going to have 10 children and I am going to become very successful!"
I was the everything to everyone Hardworking woman!
I am a mother of seven children, a wife, a real estate broker, a registered nurse, a CNA instructor, an entrepreneur, and a certified life coach. Going into life coaching, I thought that I would be able to fix everything for everyone. I felt that life coaching would allow me to give my clients solutions to their problems. Shortly after starting my certification program, I realized that coaching is not about what I can do for someone. Coaching is about being there for support, giving my clients the space to help themselves.
The hardest thing about getting my certification was getting to know myself and realizing that I was making excuses for not honoring me. I discovered that I wasn't taking care of myself. I wasn't getting enough sleep; I wasn't paying attention to my needs, and I no longer knew who Sheryl was.
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PARTS OF ME
I was an "illegal alien" for almost ten years. I met my husband in 1991, we got married in 1995, and I return to Jamaica for the first time in December 1996.
By 2007 my husband and I had 7 children, one of which we adopted (my handsome nephew).
Today I am enjoying the journey of Becoming SHE (Successful, Happy and Empowered.) and I am looking forward to supporting other women on their journey.
I had an insecurity with life
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Coaching taught me that I had an insecurity with life; I felt responsible for keeping everything together. I never wanted to get to a point where I couldn't take care of something or someone. I put a net over my life so that nothing would fall through. I had to keep everyone afloat until there was time for me. I told myself that I could come later. I was the wife, I was the mother, I was the realtor, I was the nurse, I was everything to everyone else but myself.
Life coaching taught me that it was okay to think about me. It was okay for me to pull that net and have things fall through because it doesn't define who I am. I am still a wife; I am still a mother, I am still a realtor and I am still a nurse. Most importantly, I AM Sheryl Smikle-Russell and my breakthrough is Becoming S.H.E and living a life filled with passion and purpose. Life coaching gave me the courage and the support to face the mirror with an awareness of who I am, and this gift is what I hope to bring to my clients!
If this is you, you're not alone!
I can relate and I am here to support you!
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Are you the Hardworking Selfless woman who is caring for everyone and trying to hold everything together?
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Are you tired of struggling and having to work hard to make ends meet?
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Do you feel guilty about neglecting yourself and not taking the time you need to focus on doing the things that only you can do for yourself?