We recently connected with CJ Charles and have shared our conversation below.

CJ, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I hope to leave a legacy of gratitude and joy!

If my life ended tomorrow, then I want people to know that I was someone who was grateful for where they were in life and for everything that they had. I find that the world is full of sad people because they don’t have gratitude. Taking time to really appreciate life is undervalued in modern society. I have found the joy in being present in my life and the positive revelations that come from being grateful for the everyday things.

CJ, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is CJ Charles! I am an educator, entrepreneur and a bilingual children’s author.

I am a native of Los Angeles, California and a proud child of the 80’s and 90’s! I am an educator and also the author of the children’s book, My Mother is a Supehero/Mi Mama es una superheroina.

I began my teaching career just over 17 years ago. I have always taught the Spanish language throughout Southern California. As a young learner. I enjoyed attending school and reading. I was blessed to have wonderful teachers at every age. My teachers encouraged me to be articulate, creative, disciplined, and to always push myself. Education has always been a theme in my life. When my fourth-grade teacher realized that our class was bright, he began including classic novels into our daily reading time. I read and understood Charles Dickens and Jack London in the 4th grade. I had a fifth-grade teacher who was a lover of the arts. She taught us how to appreciate art and writing in a way that I never knew before. I fell in love with colors, poetry, and music during her class. And so, it was natural for me to become a teacher because I had such amazing experience.

I learned to speak Spanish and English at the same time. My baby sister was Spanish speaking only. Maria and her family took excellent care of me. She taught me to speak Spanish as I was developing language skills. I spoke English with my mother in the evenings and Spanish during the daytime at my daycare. While in college, I had the divine opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica with an amazing family. These unique opportunities helped to define my language background.

I have always been an author. I can remember creating stories as early as 1st grade. I would take my weekly vocabulary words and create the most detailed stories. As my Spanish language abilities improved so did my stories. Today, I write stories in both English and Spanish.

My debut children’s book is entitled My Mother is a Superhero/Mi mama es una superheroina and it is about a little girl named Justine. She is in the 1st grade, and she believes that her mother, Alice, is a Superhero. Justine tries to get her sister, Shayla to realize that their mother is not ordinary, but Shayla doesn’t quite believe her. My Mother is a Superhero is my love letter to motherhood.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

We reach many new readers throughout the year in person. We love to go to festivals and pop ups. I also use social media to introduce myself to new readers.

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

My Mother is a Superhero is more than one book. It is a book series, with three more books to be released in the next 1.5 years. We have supplemental merchandise like coloring and activity books, stickers, t-shirts, buttons, keychains, and a doll.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.mymotherisasuperhero.com
• Instagram: my_mother_is_a_superhero
• Facebook: My Mother is a Superhero