Episode 43 - Cheryl Wood

Speaker A: Hey, friends. Welcome to the Angie Ambrosetti Show. Let her out to play. I'm Angie, your host, a teenage mom turned multi six figure earner married to the same man for nearly 40 years. I'm a homeschooling mom of seven and totally unqualified, at least on paper, but wildly called by God. Remember, he doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called. Here we are going to talk about it all. Healing from the hard stuff, uh, building a business with heart, raising a big family, walking in faith, and finally breaking free from the lies that said we weren't enough. So if you're ready to stop playing small, shake off the doubt and the shame, and step fully into who you were created to be, girl, you are in the right place. Let's go. Hey, everyone. Welcome back today to the Angie Ambrosetti show. Guys. You know, I get so excited about my guests that come on the show, and today is no different. My sweet friend, Dr. Cheryl Wood. I met her, um, in, uh, January of this past year. She was speaking on a stage and, and some of the words that she spoke, they just really connected with me. And so I'm like, I have got to have her as a guest on my podcast. So I'm going to introduce you to her and then I want you to just sit back and drink it all in. I'm drinking my pink drink. You might be drinking coffee, whatever that looks like for you. But let me tell you a little bit about my friend, Dr. Cheryl Wood. She is a globally recognized keynote speaker, a two time TEDx speaker, a best selling author, a, uh, communication expert who has spoken in over 18 countries. She's worked with organizations like NASA, the FBI and the United Nations. And Dr. Cheryl is passionate about helping entrepreneurs step into their highest level of confidence, find their voice and boldly share their message. And if you know me, you know that's why I need this. She's helped hundreds of people become published authors. She's, uh, landed paid speaking gigs and helped others do the same. And she builds platforms that expand both their impact as well as their income. She's also the founder of Global Speakers University and the publisher of Voices of Change magazine. Her work has been featured in major outlets like Forbes, abc, cbs, and Fox. And she's received multiple awards for her leadership and impact. And at the heart of everything, she does this with belief that your voice could be the very thing that someone else needs for their breakthrough. So welcome Dr. Cheryl to the show today.

Speaker B: I love the way you introduce me. I need to take you with me everywhere. I go, I'm so excited and so happy and honored, uh, to be here and have this conversation with you today.

Speaker A: Oh, I, I'm just beyond, beyond grateful. And I know that my audience is going to love you as much as I do, so I just want to get right into it and I just want you to just tell us your story. How did you get started? What does this all look like for Dr. Cherwood?

Speaker B: Oh, wow. Okay. So that's a, that's a really big question. Um, let's see. You know, I'm going to go back to 2009 because that's when I first started my very first business. That was kind of like my big toe getting wet as an entrepreneur. At the time, I was a mom. My kids were 2, 3 and 5. I was working a full time corporate job as a legal secretary in corporate America. That's how I paid the bills. That's what I knew how to do. I did it well. Um, but I got to a space where I wanted more. And I just think every one of us gets to a space where we know one season is coming to a conclusion and it's time to go into a new season. And I didn't know what that really looked like, the new season, but I just knew there was something inside of me that desired more. More freedom, time freedom, financial freedom, creative freedom. I wanted to be able to make a greater impact in the world. And I didn't feel like I was going to be able to. I was. Felt like I was going to be limited doing that, working for someone else. So I need to figure out what was my vision in the world, what was my purpose, my divine assignment in the world that would allow me to make impact on others, to show my kids what it looked like to have a big dream and pursue the big dream, um, and just do all the things to be the very best version of Cheryl that I possibly could be. And so for me, it was kind of a guessing game. I didn't quite know what to do, where to start, who to go to. So I read a lot of books, a ton of books. And I read all these stories about people who were very similar to me. They had a dream, they started somewhere, they stumbled through it, they kept going and ultimately manifested what they wanted. So I'm like, okay, well, that gives me permission to do a whole lot of failing and falling on this journey, but I'm going to do it anyway. So in 2009, I started a T shirt business which was called Moms are the Best Now, Angie. It wasn't that I thought selling T shirts was going to make me a millionaire. Um, I just didn't want to chase money. I wanted to be in pursuit of something that I really love that pulled at my heart and my spirit. And at the time, I had struggled with so, like years and years of infertility. So to be blessed with three beautiful, healthy children was indeed that. It was a blessing. Um, and so that's what I made my business about. About motherhood. And I would have T shirts that were celebratory as it related to moms and all that we give to our families and to our communities and the world. And I would go on the weekends. I kept my full time job as a legal secretary, but I would go on the weekends and I would sell T shirts at events and conferences and trade shows. And sometimes I would sell and sometimes I would come back home with everything I left with in the morning. Um, but there was something inside of me. It didn't matter how many times, it didn't go the way that I wanted it to go. I can't explain what it was. A tenacity inside of me. Get up and go again. Get up and go to another event. Get up and go to another one and keep doing it until you figure out what the formula is to make this thing work. I did that for 18 months while still working a full time job. And 18 months in, I get this unexpected phone call. And the person on the other end says, um, is this Cheryl Wood? I was like, Yes, I wasn't Dr. Cheryl Wood yet. And they said, well, we heard about your T shirt business. Moms are the best. We love what you're doing as a mompreneur. I was like, mompreneur? Like, I just love the title. I was like, oh, I'm going to use that. And they said, well, we have this annual women's conference up here at Morgan State University in Baltimore, and we would love to have you come in as one of our speakers to teach other moms in the community how to start their own businesses. And I paused and then I laughed and I said, well, clearly you've dialed the wrong number, because I knew you're not looking for me. There's no way you're calling me to be a speaker. I had no speaker experience. We talked about this behind the scenes a little. I felt totally unqualified. Why in the heck would you want me? Someone who's trying to figure it out, someone who in my own mind was failing miserably to come and teach anyone anything and What I realized is that sometimes God has a bigger plan that you don't even know about yet. And your job is to say yes. Your job is not to know the whole blueprint, every step. It's just to say yes to the next step. This was my next step, so I said yes. That was September 18, 2010. I went to that event. I was a nervous wreck. I was a hot mess. My palms were sweaty. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. And then all of a sudden, I found myself about to be called to the stage, and I wanted to take my yes back. I'm like, oh, why did I say yes?

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And I like, Cheryl, just be you. Just be authentically you. You don't have to be perfect. You can be flawed. Just be you. Don't try to be anybody else other than you. And that's what I did. And when I got on that stage, it. It was like something just started flowing out of me. I was just able to be real, raw, relatable, authentic, open, vulnerable. It was all. It was like this. This. The roller coaster of emotions that I went through. And I took the audience with me, and I didn't even know what it was called or what I was doing at the time.

Speaker A: And.

Speaker B: And I remember midway through the speech, I paused kind of for a minute, and I just looked out the room, and I could see these women, hundreds of women, taking notes. I'm like, okay, wait, are they taking notes from my session? Like, what's happening here? And then I could see some women wiping their eyes because tears were trickling down their face from my story. And I'm saying, my God, I mean, I clearly am leaving these women feeling more hopeful about their own possibilities because I'm sharing, vulnerably sharing my story and my journey and what I'm going through to get to where I want to be. And, uh, that's when I knew. That was the day I knew that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. Because I wanted to make women feel more hopeful for the rest of my life. And if I could be the. The model of that, the example of what it looks like to have a dream fail, fall flat on your face, do it the wrong way, be flawed, but get back up and keep trying to, well, then dark on it, that's what I'm going to be. Because I loved the way it made me feel because of the way that it made the women feel.

Speaker A: I love the vulnerability in that. Because there have been times when, for me, I call it like crossing the threshold. So when I'm on this side of like entering a room or speaking on stage or whatever it is. And my, my speaking engagements have been, you know, very small, but I always think I'm so nervous. But then like when I cross a threshold, I just know that I don't work well by like, uh, prearranged speeches or even like my podcast. Like, like I said to you before we started, it's just like we're sitting down, having a cup of coffee because I work better when I just, it's in my heart and it comes out and I know it's there. And so I know that's going to be so, um, impactful for the women and maybe even the men that listen to this to just know that like be your authentic self, speak about what you know. And that's exactly what you did. And you essentially won the, of that audience.

Speaker B: Yeah, I love that. And talk about this is how you become a six figure earner. Because I wasn't a six figure earner. Like no figure earner. Like I was brand new learning and stumbling along the way and figuring it out. But, but that gave them in the room permission to do the same. That you don't have to have all the answers to get started. I mean, Les Brown says it beautifully, you don't have to be great to get started, but you got to get started to be great. And that's what I was giving them permission to do. And so it was beautiful to find power in the season that I was in, even though it wasn't about teaching them how to have a thriving business because I didn't have one yet. So I can't teach you that or how to have be generating a certain amount of money. It was, I'm teaching you how to give yourself permission to do it anyway. To feel the fear, to feel like there's imposter syndrome or you're not qualified. But you do it anyway because there's this other part of you that is unleashed and unveiled every time you say yes when it terrifies you. There's something that you're going to discover about who you are, who you're meant to be, and the impact you're meant to make in the world when you give your.

Speaker A: Yes, yes, absolutely. Well, it's reminding me. Well, first of all, let me just say that like your tenacity to just. And your consistency, even when you said I would come home, and I remember you saying this on stage, is that you would go home and your husband be like, you Got all those shirts that you left with.

Speaker B: Basically, how you doing this much did you make today? And I'll just bust out crying and run to the back of the room because it's like I made nothing. Yeah.

Speaker A: Uh, and I think today a lot of people don't realize that you just have to stay with it and keep doing the next things. For me in my network marketing business, it took me nine years to get to the top rank of the company, but I kept going. And sometimes people make it way. I mean, a lot of times people make it way faster. But I was just determined that I was going, uh, to do it whether it took me five years or nine years. Years. And.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: So I, I didn't even know you then, but I followed that. And I just think that consistency in anything we do is so, so important.

Speaker B: I agree. Absolutely. And I, I agree with what you, everything you just said because some people have gotten there much quicker than me. Some, some women have gotten to the big, big stages. Some women started after me and they surpassed me. But this is my journey. Yeah, but it doesn't have to mimic anybody else's. Like, I'm an original. I'm, I'm not a carbon copy of anyone else. Which means I've got to do it the way God says is meant. My journey. This is my path. And I'm okay with that. Because what I know is I'm not throwing in the towel. I'm not quitting. I mean, what else is there for me to go back to? Once you know what your gift is, once you know what your passion and your purpose is and what you're meant to, to share with the world, to leave your undeniable mark, what else am I going to do? What else am I going to go back to? I'm. I'm not going back to what, uh, the life that I, I was living, that didn't even feel like living. It felt like existing. So I've got to stay. And, and sometimes there are bumps in the road and there are unexpected challenges, and it's just, okay, well, this is an opportunity for you to strengthen a muscle, some muscle that you need to strengthen or to build a new characteristic that you didn't even know that you needed. Because there's something else greater that's coming, and you're going to need that muscle or that characteristic for the greater that's coming. So I feel like everything that you go through is meant to be a part of the process, to prepare you for what's next. And we don't always Love it. Because it's not always easy. It's challenging, it's difficult, it's painful sometimes, but we don't want to go through it. We just want to kind of, you know, coast on, on the good times and the, the wins. But if, if, uh, this is what I share with my clients. If you ain't been through nothing, you can't teach me nothing. Yeah. And that's reality. So you got to go through, everything you go through that's challenging becomes a part of bigger part of your bigger story, which means you become that much more valuable to the people who you're called to serve. Because I, if I can't share anything with you about failure, am I really the best coach I can be if I can't talk to you about building your resilience muscle and getting back up after you've gotten knocked down? Because I've gotten knocked down, I had to get back up. You know, what's the real value that I bring to your life or your business?

Speaker A: Mhm. My husband says success is a terrible teacher. Failure is the best teacher. And I'm like, I should have coined that phrase myself. But it's so true. Even in light of like, you know, raising a big family, like, we have our kids, we are constantly telling them, like, when they get down on themselves for their failures were like, this is a good lesson. Because now you know, oh, hey, I'm not going to do it that way next time.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And you've learned if you always have success in what you're doing, where's the, where's the learned moment in that? Right.

Speaker B: There's no information learned, there's no data. Uh, there's no, you have nothing. And which means you can't grow.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Because if everything always goes right and you have nothing to improve, there is no growth. And I function on the belief that the quote that says the thing that is not growing is dying.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: If there's a plant in a pot and if it's not growing, it's probably wiltering, wilting and dying over the course of time. So I always want to be on the side of growth, uh, which means I have to always be on the side that's stretching me, expanding me into new spaces, challenging me. And that comes typically from the failures or the things where you're like, I did that, but I could have done that better. And here's how. And here's how I will improve the next time, the next go round.

Speaker A: Right. Well, I want to be on that side too, friend, but I do have to ask you, did you sell any T shirts that day?

Speaker B: I did sell T shirts that day.

Speaker A: Um, okay.

Speaker B: Or did. And, and it's. And then I got to a point where when I knew for sure I wanted to stand firmly in the lane of being a communication and public speaking expert. The business, the T shirt business, I was done. And it's so funny. People, there are people who have followed me for my entire 15 years and they're like, do you still sell T shirts? Uh, no. No, I do not. I am not hard now, right? Hard. No. And even if you see me out and about, typically I'm not a fan of standing behind a table to sell something.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Um, you know, if people are buying a. Coming to buy a book or whatever, you know, I'll stand there and sign a few books. But I am just not that. Ironically, I did years of standing behind the table. I don't want to stand behind a table anymore. I want to be with the people. I. I want to talk with them. I want to hug, I want to meet, I want to share inspiring words. That's who I was born to be. So, you know, but again, that was a season. And then you go into the next season.

Speaker A: Yeah. So, okay, tell us what happened after that speaking engagement. Like, and you, you put the T shirt business aside. What was the next thing like? Like, you, you've said, you know, there's people who've gotten on some bigger stages than me and they've done better all this, but I mean, come on, Fox, CBS, ABC, NASA, United Nations. 18 countries. I haven't even been to 18 countries, let alone spoken on stages.

Speaker B: Tell us about that. Yeah, so I, after that speaking engagement for the next year, I decided, I made a decision that that's what I wanted to do full time with my life. Like, I wanted to make that my career because remember, at the time I still had my full time job. And so for, uh, an entire year after that, you know what I did? I spoke on every stage I could get on at no cost. I didn't charge anybody a penny because for me, and I know people hate this idea of speaking on stage for exposure, but I needed that. I wanted to have a full year of speaker experience and exposure. Exposure not just to different stages, but different audience types. Do I. Can I handle myself in front of an audience where, you know, there are mathematicians and people with PhDs and these big degrees? Because I didn't. I don't have a degree, so I wanted to make sure. Can I handle myself? Well, can I still communicate Effectively, Can I still approach this stage with the same level of confidence in what I bring to the room? Not comparing myself to what the people in the audience have? Can I still add value? I needed to know I could do that with. With an audience that's very, very highly educated. I need to do. No, I could do that with an audience with. With mostly males, uh, mostly females, women. I could do it for corporations. I could do it for associations. I could do it right. I wanted to really test the waters. And so after that speaking engagement, that next full year was just anybody. I mean, I went to so many networking events, and I started introducing myself as I'm Cheryl wood. I wasn't Dr. Cheryl Wood. Still, I'm Cheryl Wood, international speaker, International keynote speaker. I hadn't even left Baltimore yet. I'd never been outside of the walls.

Speaker A: You were speaking it, girl.

Speaker B: I was speaking that thing. And. And the more you introduce yourself with a level of conviction, because I knew who I was becoming. I love the quote by Zig Ziglar. He says, in order to achieve a. You've got to see the reaching in your own mind before you ever get to the goal. So I was seeing it visually in my mind what it was going to look like when I was on the big stages, what it was going to look like when I was being able to really meet and greet people and encourage them and inspire them and sell the book. I could see that before it ever happened and before it manifested tangibly. Um, and so I wanted to make sure that I was more equipped than I was when I first did the first engagement. I want to make sure a year later I was much more equipped to say yes to many more opportunities because I had that full year of practice. I call it on the job training. I had on the job training. Um, and so that's what I did. And then after that year, I realized I really wanted to take it seriously. Like, this is not just something that's fun. It's not just something that I enjoy doing. It's something I'm called to do.

Speaker A: Yeah. Ah.

Speaker B: And when I knew that was a calling based on how I felt every time I took a stage, and it didn't matter the size of the stage, it could be 10 people in the room. It could have been. It could be a thousand people in the room. I always got the same. It evoked the same emotion and feeling that I felt like I was walking in purpose, that I felt like I was creating legacy. I felt like I was leaving my fingerprint in the room to Help somebody else live a better life, a more fulfilled life. And so I decided that next year, following year, I wanted to do that for the rest of my life. And that's when I started seeking out coaches. And I'm like, okay, well, I can't just rely on the fact that, oh, I speak good. I don't want to just be good. I want to be unforgettable. I want to be transformational. I want people to still think about something I said 45 days after the 45 minute speech. And that's when I started saving my coins and hiring the best of the best. I believe in order to be great, you have to be trained by the greats, because success includes. So over time, I started coaching with amazing coaches who taught me things about what I was doing that I didn't even know what the name of it was. Some of the things I was doing naturally, but I didn't know what it was called. And. And then they start helping me tweak things and. And adjust your tone here and your volume here, and pull the story in and show the story, don't tell the story. And I wanted to be a master communicator and a master when I was on stage and coaching with Lisa Nichols and Les Brown and under Tony Robbins. And, I mean, the. The list goes on and on. So many amazing coaches I've had in my life, um, putting up those investments, even though they were scary, they were big investments. But I just learned that I. I'm worth it. I'm worth every investment that I make in who I am becoming and the impact that I know I'm meant to make in the world. And. And one thing started leading to the next, and I started getting more invitations. And then it was like, okay, wait, now I'm going to charge for this. And my first speaking engagement, I think I made, like, $250. And I was like, yes, mama. I made it because somebody paid me $250 to speak on their stage for a, uh, 20 minutes or 30 minutes. And then it started growing. And again, I was learning from my coaches how to start really pricing and positioning and packaging what I was offering. And so my confidence started growing. The more stages I got on and the more people were actually investing in me being a speaker on their stage, my confidence increased. And now I had a little more confidence to ask for a little bit more. And when I. When I invested more and I learned more and I grew more, I could ask for a little bit more. And the more experienced I became, and literally that led Me to the stages I've been able to grace, you know, to this day. NASA, Prudential Capital One, Verizon Export Import bank of the United States. I mean, the list just goes on. And sometimes I just look at it and it gives me goosebumps and it brings tears to my eyes because I remember being the girl in the room who was looking at the other speakers saying, that chokes me up, saying, one day, one day that's going to be me. And then you're in the dream, living the dream. Uh, and you realize the work, the time, the energy, the effort, the risk that you've put in and all the things you've given up to get there, and you stand a little bit differently. Like, your posture is a little different because you realize you belong there. Yeah.

Speaker A: Well, you said at the beginning the divine assignment. And so of course, of course you're meant to be there, because it indeed has been, always was. You just didn't know that it was your divine assignment.

Speaker B: Absolutely.

Speaker A: And what you said about, you know, you want people to remember what you said, like, 45 days out or whatever. And I've shared with this with you before, but the most. I would say the thing that I remember the most about what you said on that stage and in, uh, San Diego, I think that's where we were. And you said, and I promise you, you were looking at me even though you didn't know me. And you said, your story is about you, but it is not for you. And even saying it now, I'm covered in goosebumps. My husband looked at me when you said that, and he's like, did you hear what she just said? M. And I was like, oh, my. She's looking right at me. She knows me. She doesn't know me, but she knows me.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: And I needed that. And so, gosh, it's been at least longer than 45 days since that. But I have shared that with so many people since I heard you say that, because it just gave me more confidence, more confirmation of things in my own life and that my story is for someone else. The Lord just divinely gave it to me for a purpose.

Speaker B: Absolutely. Because otherwise, if you don't share it, you just went through some tough stuff. Like, really? Okay, I just went through some tough stuff. And I didn't. I didn't do anything with it. I didn't create anything meaningful with it. I didn't impact anybody else's life with it. So I don't know about you, I don't want to just go through Hard stuff. I don't want to just go through messy parts of life. I want to bring that back and extract the wisdom from, um, those wounds and share it with someone else so that they know they're not alone if it's something that they're going through right now that I've already been through. So, number one, there's, there's, um, there's solace in knowing that you're not going through something alone, that somebody else has been there. And, and, and then secondly, that if the other person has made it out on the other side, that you can too. So that there's possibility, if you keep pressing, if you're consistent, that you won't be stuck in that space forever. It's not indefinite. It's just a temporary moment and everything changes. So to have that, that's a lot of power. To know that you can, through your voice, reach someone, to let them know you're not alone. And secondly, you got this. You will make it through. That's. That's, uh, very powerful for you to own using your voice in that way.

Speaker A: Yeah. What would you say to someone? Me? Uh, let's just say, hypothetically speaking, what would you say to someone? So in my growing up, um, like, I was taught, like, you don't talk about. You don't talk about things. You don't talk about money, you don't talk about sex, you don't talk about things that happen to you or anything like that. And so that's one of the things that I've been. It's been holding me back. And so I'm just telling the world, right. That I struggle with that a little bit because that's how I was brought up. Like, what. What do you have to say about that?

Speaker B: I was brought up the same way. I mean, come on. I come from a. From an African American household. We don't tell our business. We don't take our business out here and tell other people. Um, I just, I think. I think we have just so outgrown that space. Like, I'm 52, my mom's 74. I mean, that's. You know, I consider that old school thinking. Like, we don't think that way anymore. Like, we have to. You know, everything in this world grows and evolves and changes, and that's one of those things that has evolved and I believe will continue to evolve. Because when you do share your story, I call it the messy middle. Because a lot of times people will tell you, oh, this is where I was. And now this is where I Am, Yeah. I'm so unsuccessful now. I'm just massively successful. Okay, well what happened in the middle? Like, I need to know the messy middle parts that you. Where you got scrapes and bruises and cuts and you didn't know if you were going to be able to get back up. Because that is what I can hold on to for hope that if you can do it, so can I. Um, and so everything grows and changes and evolves and that's just. We live in a space now where first of all, you talk about artificial intelligence and AI and I don't know about you, how many times you've looked at a video online, like, okay, wait, is that real? And you go back and watch it four times and see is it really real or is that. Yeah, you know, I was just looking at one the other day and I was like, I burst out laughing because I was like, well, this guy is standing at the gas pump, his car, his dog is in the car, the ground opens up and then when it, when it, when the ground drops because it's a sinkhole, there's an alligator there waiting for. I'm just like, okay, what? And my daughter watched it probably six times. Like, okay, well maybe they put. A part of it was real and a part of it was fake. All ah, that to say, you know, trust to develop. No, like, and trust.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker B: If you don't pull on transparency and vulnerability, what else are you going to pull on in this time that we're living in? And so that comes from you speaking from your heart, speaking from your soul, unveiling things that people will be like, wow, she was so brave and bold to share that. And I think sometimes, especially people, leaders, women leaders, think that it's going to discredit them when they share the messy parts, but it doesn't. It gives you so much more credibility than not sharing it. Because anything you can teach me, Angie, anything I can teach someone, they can go and get from chat.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And they can get it like that instantly. So what's the real value that I bring if I'm not peeling back the layers of my real, raw, authentic truth? And the stuff that I've really been through, some of it, you know, is messy, some of it was difficult, some of it still makes me cry. But if I'm not willing to share that, how do I really develop the know like and trust factor with you? For you to then entrust your story with me, to entrust your pain with me, to say, hey, I want to, I want you to partner with Me to help me get out of this pain and get to this end result. If I'm going to trust somebody like that to be on a journey with me and to hold my hand through a journey, I got to really, really develop a level of trust. And that's going to be from how much you are willing to be transparent and vulnerable.

Speaker A: Yeah. Well, I like what Brody Pearson says is that. Well, I don't know if I like it, but I'm going to repeat what he says is that we are in a trust recession basically because of AI, because of all the, that aren't real. You know, it's, it is harder for people to trust when we're on social media. I built my network marketing business to six figures on uh, social media. And so I've worked really hard over the past 11 years to um, you know, build that to, for people to know like, and trust me and through social media. How do they know you? But sometimes I feel like I'm closer with people on social media than I am like in person because I, I have tried to exemplify that, that vulnerability and, and things. Not that I've never used AI because I certainly do it. You know, CHAT is a good friend of mine and he helps me a lot.

Speaker B: Uh, but yeah, it's a tool. Yeah, it's just a tool. But it doesn't replace you. It doesn't. Your lived experience. Chat, GPT and AI could never, it could never replace you because it can never have your lived experiences.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: It could never have your perspective based on your lived experiences and your story and all the things that you've pressed through, been through, overcome, triumph through. ChatGPT can't replicate that. All it can do is it can give you some information based on the learning that it's doing as well, based on what people are typing and putting in. But it can't replace your story. And that is what, that's why storytelling has to be such a vital part of your brand, your brand development, your brand growth and developing the know like. And trust factor. Mhm.

Speaker A: Yeah, for sure. Well, one of the things that used um, to hold me back so much was that I don't have a college degree. So in light of, you know, like what you said, like you go in these rooms and Everybody had the Ph.D. or whatever they had, you know. And when I started homeschooling my children, we've been homeschooling. Now this is year 26 and people would be like, well, how are you gonna homeschool your kids? You don't even Have a college degree. Or I would hear other people say, oh, they have a college degree. Oh, they have a doctor. Oh, they have this. Oh, they have that. And it, like, it would shrink me.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: Um, and so in light of that, it. It would always hold me back. I was a little bit afraid to be too vulnerable. And in the last couple of years, I've got some great coaching, and it doesn't hold me back now. Like, I have a big voice and I'm not shy about talking about things, and I've been super vulnerable about certain things in my past. But I would love to hear from you because you said, like, in the beginning you didn't have your doctorate. And I know there's an amazing story behind how you did get that. I would love for you to share that, um, with our audience.

Speaker B: Yeah. So the first thing I'll say is, this is what I had to learn. Um, that education and intelligence don't. It's. It's two different things. I know a lot of highly educated people who have no intelligence. They have no common sense. Right. But I know a lot of people who don't have the degree but are highly intelligent.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: So that freed me in such a big way when I first started, because I used to struggle with that as well, going into these rooms that God was placing me in with extremely educated, highly educated people. But education and intelligence are two completely different things. Right. Um, so I started there, and then, yes, behind me are on the wall are these degrees that say Dr. Cheryl Wood. And I love the story because for me, it is confirmation of what God will do in you, for you and through you, so that you can make the impact that you are destined to make. So for a long time, I counted myself out because I didn't have a degree. I didn't go to Ivy League, you know, college, university, education, all the things. And I was like, well, do I really belong in that room? Are they going to get me? Are they going to think that I'm smart enough to be on the stage or that I should be the one that's speaking life into them or pouring into them? And God kept putting me on the stages, but I still was questioning him and kind of like debating, like, no, there should be somebody.

Speaker A: What are you doing?

Speaker B: Right. Exactly. And. But I kept pressing forward because I don't ever want anything that I feel I'm lacking to keep me hostage from what I'm intended to accomplish and the impact I'm intended to make. So I just kept pushing forward. And every stage, God positioned me For I would get on the stage, and I would do what I was called to do. Sure enough, in 2019, someone approaches me at an event, a speaking event, and it says, you know, I love the work that you've been doing. I follow everything that you do, all the things. Um, how would you like to add doctor to your name? And I said, well, it sounds wonderful, as long as I have to go back to school. Like, I was a mom. I had, like, a full life. And the person was like, no, I represent this XYZ University. And we have been watching you. And that's confirmation that with or without a degree, somebody's watching you and being inspired by the work that you're doing. And it's the consistency that caused them to say, we would like to present you with an honorary doctorate. I had to be vetted. I had to have a decade of. Of body of work. It wasn't just a, oh, hey, I gave you a piece of paper. No, I was fully vetted. Um, I had to provide proof of the work that I've been doing in addition to what they already knew about me. I had to have these interviews with the dean and the chancellor and all these people, and it was a big deal. And when I finally got that stamp of approval that, yes, we're going to move forward with honoring you, I broke down in tears, because this is what my husband said to me. He said, look at that. He said, look, look, Just. Just look at that. Like, really examine that for a few minutes. Like, you got the degree. No, you didn't get it in the classroom, but you got it. You earned it through your body of work and how you've impacted lives. For a decade, Cheryl. He said, for a decade, he said, and God positioned you where you got it without the big price tag that other people had to pay for it. Um, mic drop. He said, look at that. Look at how God will bless you when you just say yes to the assignment, when you honor the calling on your life and you don't back up and you don't back down, and you do it even when you question, am I enough? You do it anyway. He said, you deserve it. And I will never forget that. And it just. And so I love when people ask me, they'll say, oh, Dr. Sherwood, what's your doctorate in? And I think they think it's going to be some other story. And I'm like, let me tell you the story. And I love that. And I don't shy away from sharing it. You know, I don't shy away from saying, this is how I didn't earn in the classroom, but I earned it through my body of work. And let me tell you, I've put in the work over the past now 15 years. So I, I, I take ownership of that very, very proudly. Yeah.

Speaker A: Yes. Well, and you should. I love how God is so in the midst of everything that you're talking about. Um, because I, like, I totally believe God is 100 sovereign, and yet man is responsible. And so you holding on and saying yes to that divine assignment, and just like he showed up and showed off in such a way that you couldn't even imagine.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And he keeps doing it.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: He's not even done yet. And I'm just like, okay, because, and I always say, you know, you'll hear people say, you know, faith without works is dead.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Um, and, and that's biblical. And I, uh, so I always tell people, you got to give God something to work with. You can't just sit at home and think he's going to bless you. But you're not putting, you're not putting nothing in. You're not making any deposits into the life you say you want to create. The legacy, the impact, come on, all of us, at some point, we are, our physical bodies are no longer going to be here. Like, that's just the reality. Right. And, and we hope we live a really long, rich, wonderful life. Um, but, you know, I lost my nephew at 19. I lost my father. He was 59. I just lost an uncle this past week. His funeral is this week coming. Uh, and, and he was 61. Uh, and I'm, like, gone in the blink of an eye. And so you had better believe every day that I wake up and I have life and breath in my body, I am going to do the thing I'm called to do. I am not going to take the best parts of me and my untapped potential to the grave. And that's what I want people to understand that you want people, if you talk about legacy, you want to leave something that people are going to be able to say. You changed my life because of how you showed up, how consistently you showed up, how honorably you showed up, um, the way that you made people feel. Maya Angelou said, people will forget what you said and did, but they'll never forget how you made them feel. And so I make sure that how I connect with people when I'm on stage is a feeling. It's not just words. It's not just the words I say, it's how I make you feel that if I can, you can. And that now is your time to share your voice. Yeah, my voice is important, but it's not more important than yours. Yours is equally as important. So are you going to sit on it? Are you going to just keep holding it to yourself, or are you going to share it so that you can change somebody else's life? And that's a feeling that's evoked.

Speaker A: Right.

Speaker B: It's not just head to head, it's heart to heart.

Speaker A: Yeah. Uh, that's so powerful. Just like, because we know when we're in rooms and someone's speaking or, you know, we're listening to something. Even. Even for me, like when I'm listening to a podcast or I'm listening to an audible or whatever, and I hear the words, it just has so much more of an impact when I know that they're on the other side of it. But I get the feeling, yes, and it stays with me. Like what you said on stage. Stuck it, like, right there in the chest, and I wasn't going to forget it because I felt like it was so divinely for me. I like one of the things that Brooke Hemingway says, uh, she says, because this kind of goes back to something that you said, is that you have to make deposits before you can make withdrawals.

Speaker B: Yes.

Speaker A: And so you're so right in. In what you were saying that, like,

Speaker B: look, I. I am, um. We are 100, uh, 100 in alignment. Because that's exactly what it is. I. In fact, I share with people there are four things that you have to do. You always have to put something in. You always. And this is consistently over and over for the, For. For the longevity of how long you're pursuing your passion. You already got to put something in. You always will have to give something up. You will always have to get back up from something that knocks you down. And you always have to finish something.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And that's, uh, I mean, over and over. And then when you finish, you go through the next cycle, the next season of, okay, here's the next dream. And guess what you got to do for that dream? You got to put something in. You got to give something up. You got to get back from something that knocks you down. You got to finish. Okay, now let's go to the next room. And that's just over and over. And when you know that, when you come into it, knowing that that's the expectation, nobody's going to give it to you. I always say success is never free, easy, quick, or convenient. And when you know that you. You. You position your mindset to know what you're coming into fully and realizing, like you said, that there have to be way more deposits if you're ever going to take out a withdrawal. On the big dream.

Speaker A: I'm writing that down. Convenient success is neither free easy quick, or convenient quick. I couldn't even read my own handwriting. Quick or convenient. I love that. It's so. Yeah, okay, I have to have those notes, even though I'm gonna have the recording here. Wow, this has been so good. I. I just love everything that you shared, and I. I just know it was just providential for you to be here today. Now, I would like to ask you this. So I know that you're an amazing speaker, but tell our audience, what are you involved in now? Like, you're doing some great speaking, but you have other things that you're doing. And so I'd like for them to hear that as well.

Speaker B: So I am, um, I'm big on producing, uh, books because two things it allows me to do. I believe that being an author, you know, authorship is a thing that enhances authority. And so I don't want to just be a person who speaks my message. I also want to have it in writing. So I just published my 28th book,

Speaker A: Girl Girl 28,

Speaker B: turning unlikely into Undeniable. The Blueprint for Bravery, Belief, and Breakthrough. Um, and that's near and dear to my heart. It's a little bit about. More about my story of being the person who grew up in poverty. And everybody said, you'll be another statistic, you'll be another thing. And I'm like, you know what? You don't get to dictate my destiny. Just like the person in corporate America who said, you'll always just be the secretary because you don't have a degree. You don't get to dictate my destiny. And I always remind myself I'm in control of my destiny, and I get to choose that I'm going to be undeniable in the world, that my imprint is going to be undeniable. And I've done the work to do that, and I will continue to do that work. So that's one of the things that I'm consistently doing. Um, just published that a couple months ago in December. So excited on a current book tour, and it's just been amazing. And the response and the feedback has been amazing. And then the big thing I'm really excited about this year, I am producing my very first documentary, what Girl?

Speaker A: I didn't even know this.

Speaker B: So excited. Okay, so the name of the documentary is Imprint.

Speaker A: Okay.

Speaker B: Women leaving their undeniable mark. And it's the story of 10amazing women who are pursuing purpose very intentionally, very strategically, but who have to face the things that we talked about today. Fear imposter syndrome. Wondering if they're qualified or they're good enough. How do I keep pressing through when I do get knocked down? How do I get back up? How do I find the strength and the courage? How do I get in proximity to the people who can help me get to the next level? It's those stories. And so that documentary, we'll be doing the filming the first week of June, but the actual red carpet documentary premiere will be hosted on September 27th of this year. And so all of me is wrapped into that because, number one, it's new. I've never been an executive producer and director. Um, and I love it because it's stretching me while I stretch my clients. Isn't that beautiful that we get stretched at the same time? And I get to show them what it looks like to dream bigger than what you've already accomplished and to always be looking for the next. How do I go to. What's the next thing? How do I remain curious and stretch out into something new that I've never done before so that I can learn more about me and my abilities and I can be creative, as creative of a being as I've been as I can be.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: And so I'm working on that. I have a full production company doing the product. I mean, I am so energized and fired up, and I am learning because when, uh, I tell you I've had to do more research so that I can flow with the. The lingo and the language that the production company and the cinematographer, when they're talking, I don't, you know, I don't feel like I don't know exactly what they're saying. I'm like, okay, I know that means, yeah. And so that is my big, big project of, of. Of this year that I'm super excited about.

Speaker A: That's so exciting. Well, congratulations. Kudos. You know, I was thinking, oh, I want to come to the red carpet. However, I'm going to be in Italy, uh, on September 27th, so I'm looking forward to that. But that is just amazing. I'm so excited for you.

Speaker B: Thank you. It's another way that I get to continue the work that I do. So I curate stages for women leaders who want to share their voice and their Story. I facilitate these book projects. I've done 22 book anthology projects where other women write their stories. I've, I've helped over 700, uh, leaders to write their stories and become authors. And so I'm always like, okay, what else, what else can I do for them to share their voice? So I publish my own magazine which is called Voices of Change magazine. I am the editor and publisher of that that comes out quarterly. It's a quarterly print magazine where we feature women and men leaders who are making positive impact in the world. Um, and now this year I'm doing the documentary and I'm also doing a coffee table book. So I'm just always looking at how do I stretch myself, but how do I also expose the world to these amazing men and women who are doing good work in the world, who are really touching lives, who are reminding people that you don't have to be helpless. You can be hopeful and you can have possibility and turn that into reality. And when we find those people, we've got to start shining the bright, a brighter spotlight on them. Yeah. Their stories and their impact. And that is, that's my mission in the world.

Speaker A: Yeah. I love it. Oh my gosh, this has been so powerful today. I'm like so many of these things. I just obviously I didn't know and uh, I thank you so much for coming on sharing. I know you were just running crazy with other in person podcast today and, and little old me. Like you made time for me and I appreciate that. I know my audience is just going to love, love hearing the words of wisdom and the encouragement and just the uplifting. Like I feel like I could go run a marathon right now. I probably can run a marathon, but I'm like, girl, she just gave me what I needed. And I know we talked about before we started recording that I, you know, I'm getting ready to, uh. I'm in the process of writing a book and just the words that you spoke just gave me more confidence even just remembering that my story is not for me, it's just about me.

Speaker B: Yep, that's it. And so run with that. And I cannot wait to see the launch of the book and I will be one of the first people going over and purchasing my copy. Because your story matters. And, and if you don't tell your story though, there are only two other things that happen. Either the story doesn't get told or it gets told from somebody's, somebody else's perspective when you're long gone.

Speaker A: Yeah. Ah.

Speaker B: And I don't think that that's fair. I don't think that's fair to any, any person that you don't tell your story from your truth and from your perspective. So, yeah, write the book and tell your story and don't ever leave it where it doesn't get told or somebody else has to tell it for you. Yeah. Okay.

Speaker A: Well, thank you so much again. Thank you for being on today. I'm just super excited about this. So listen, guests, I want you to go follow Ms. Cheryl. What? Dr. Cheryl Wood here. And I'm going to put all of the information in the show notes so you can find out how to follow her, grab her book, be on the cusp of your seat for this new document, uh, documentary that's coming out. You are going to love her as much as I do. So thank you so much for listening in. Tuning in once again to the Angie Ambrazetti Show. That's it for today, friends. Thanks for tuning in with me today. I hope today's episode stirred your soul, sparked your faith, reminded you that your story is far from over. Keep walking in freedom. Keep showing up, uh, bowls and and never forget, God doesn't call the qualified. He qualifies the called. Be sure to leave a review, subscribe or share this podcast with a friend who needs to hear it as well. Until next time, keep letting her out to play because the world needs your fire.