We were lucky to catch up with Cheryl Sullivan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cheryl , appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, what’s an important lesson you learned at a prior job?
With my pretty much lifelong career as a front line social worker I could tell you stories for days. During my time on the front lines, I worked directly with families in emergency situations, who were experiencing some of the most traumatic situations within their own lives which brought them to the attention of state Social Services. As part of my role, I would have direct responsibility for making decisions that could have a major impact on these families lives, All this coupled with a system that doesn’t necessarily have the funding, direct support or understanding of what is really needed for the unique needs of people that are in the thick of these troubling times.
Looking back at it now, that time was so overwhelming and I was literally living day to day with no light at the end of the tunnel. At times, I was pouring so much of myself into people that didn’t have the same level of investment into their own future, for whatever reason. Plus, remember I was working in a system where in most cases it was a “one size fits all” mentality, that at times was completely inflexible to people’s real needs.
Oh yeah, can I tell you that in the 5 years with that agency I was there I had 9 supervisors! Some were great, their guidance was on point, heck we are still friends to this day, while I found the others to be.. Let’s say inconsistent.
All of this ended up having its own direct impact on both my own physical and mental health. Each day became a blur and it felt like I was just moving from one fire to another at work. I was going to the doctor and specialists regularly, no one could give me an answer of what was wrong with me and chalked my symptoms up to “stress”. But for me I knew it was more than stress, and my physical and mental health didn’t have the bandwidth to sustain at that pace any longer. Remember, I was working within a system where in most cases it was that “one size fits all” mentality and I was not fitting in the box.
There came the day that I knew that I needed to pivot in my life if I wanted to see change. I needed to take action to make these changes, even if I didn’t know what the future held. I stepped away from the crisis part of social work and became the program manager of an Independent Living Program for adults, which was a huge change. This enabled me to still remain in the social worker field, which was clearly in my heart after 20+ years, and recalibrate my life with a sense of respect for my time and value.
If you asked me at that time, I had no idea I was going to be a business owner, however the universe planted a seed which has continued to blossom each year. I fell in love with the healing modality of Reiki, and the benefits that came with it. This led me to becoming a certified Reiki Master and I am also attuned in the healing modalities of Kaleidoscope and Illumination, which are both powerful healing and grounding offerings.
To be honest, I believe that Reiki was a huge part in saving my sanity in a time when there were already so many unknowns. Fast forward to owning a business, although those 20+ years were some of the most demanding times in life, they were also some of the most formative times on so many levels. Yeah, I made a lot of mistakes but I also learned that all of those things do not define you. You have the ability to change your life situation if you have that deep desire. There are people out there who are there to support you and go on that journey with you. The biggest lesson that anyone can learn is acceptance and to just hold space for people, wherever they are at, right at that moment. Life is not a made for TV movie, people are really going through stuff and everyone has different needs. As a Reiki Master, the goals of each one of my sessions are tailored towards the person’s needs for that day. Recognizing that what a person is going through now can be a whole lot different from what they were going through their last session. It is important that my client feels the safety and security of the surroundings during our session for maximum results.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am Cheryl and the proud owner of Red Cardinal Healing Reiki and Energetic Coaching. I am a Reiki Master, Energetic Coach and Social Worker. I have worked directly with children and families for 20+ years during some of their most traumatic times they have endured. During most of these times, I have seen that these families did not have any knowledge of what services may be available to best suite them, or even how to access any of these services prior to this life changing situation. Although this work was exhausting on so many levels social work has always remained deep in my heart, but knew I needed to pivot to maintain my sanity while best remaining in a supporting role.
I became certified as a Reiki Master under a respected Master and Shaman based in the Boston area. In 2022, I started Red Cardinal Healing from the basement of my daughter and son in laws house as a dream! From this time, I have continued to expand my healing modalities to include Kaleidoscope and Illumination which are both powerful grounding and healing modalities that can be done either in person or virtually.
As a Reiki Master, I offer sessions for both adults and children! My In Person sessions are in the Northern Virginia/DMV area and my Distance Reiki sessions are offered from my home studio and you can access from anywhere in the world! Like really you can, energy has no barriers and will travel to where it needs to go within a person, no matter the distance. Fun fact – I have shared Reiki with others outside the US on multiple occasions, and all have reported the feeling of the transference of the healing energy.
I also provide virtual Energetic Coaching sessions for Single and Co-parents who are looking for support as they navigate those sometimes muddy waters. Not only do I use my Social Work background, I also share some my own experiences (and mistakes) of single parenting my own children for years, to help you incorporate a sustainable family environment in your new family dynamic. Remember, not one size fits all here. Each session is tailored to what you or your family need specifically, at this time. I offer both “one off” sessions for bumps in the parenting road along with 4 week sessions that are conducted weekly through Google Meet.
I believe in a holistic approach to healing your mind, body and soul in order for you to be able to show up as your most authentic being for both yourself and your children. I also firmly believe that the changes you make now in life will have a positive impact for future generations. I am living proof of this!
My question to you is – Are you ready to move towards EMPOWERMENT in your life? Let’s do this together as you leave all that extra baggage behind.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Being a business owner takes so much resilience! I told you this all started in a basement right? We have since moved a couple of times since then, but that could be a story on its own. – Really I can’t make some of this up!
Red Cardinal Healing was started with absolutely no following or entourage behind it and its growth has been 100% organic. I have gained 100’s of followers through connections, along with on social media including my YouTube channel. I have had to, and continue to learn so many new things daily along this journey. I knew nothing about making a website or how to do any of that, but guess what? I sat down, watched videos, read articles, cried a whole bunch and created my own website! I knew that my lack of funds could not hold me back from securing my own piece of real estate on the internet and if I wanted it, I needed to go after it. Have I updated it so many times since it first became live? Absolutely yes! I can tell you with certainty that each time I update it, I feel a great sense of pride in knowing I did that! It is also a sense of pride that those people who need my services can access it 24/7 to get more info or book their session directly from it. When I tell you I am a one woman show over here, I’m not joking. I have had to learn so many little things, what they are, how they connect with each other… the list goes on. But you know what, even in those slower months where you just want to give up and throw in the towel, you just keep going. Not to sound all “woo-woo” on ya, but the universe already has a plan laid out for each one of us. I firmly believe I am traveling on my path and sharing my gifts with the world, literally.
My advice to you is whatever is holding you back, give it a second look. This may be the time it all starts to align in your favor! Don’t give up.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
To be honest that has been difficult at times and I used to let this occupy a lot of space in my head. OK, maybe sometimes I still do if we are being honest here, but I’m continuously working on it.
Everything can be so overwhelming when you have so many people telling you what to do and how to do it. Yes, most people share this information with you with good intentions, however the marketing for their business can be totally different that what your ideal clientele looks like.
I remember initially saying that I was never going to put my face out on my business IG or FB page, but soon realized that was not going to work. I learned that people want to make direct connections with providers and envision themselves working with this person. I mean would you purchase healing or coaching services from a person that you didn’t know what they looked like? Maybe some people would, but I wanted that more intimate connections with people and for them to feel that I really do get what they were going through, along with being here to support them.
From there one day, I randomly started a YouTube channel, again didn’t really know what I was doing and had maybe 2 subscribers. I became overwhelmed with all the marketing responsibilities it was taking to connect with others for my business and let that sit dormant for a couple of months. As my confidence in front of the camera continued to grow, I decided that I needed to put more energy back into my YT channel. Since then I have steadily gained more followers and now provide more free education information to the community.
I have joined some networking groups, which one has recently led to my latest beautiful In Person space where I share Reiki outside of Washington DC! I will be honest, some networking groups have been more helpful than others, not shade to anyone, but we are all a rainbow of our own needs and don’t have time to hold onto things that don’t work for us in this fast paced world. I have also spoken at retreats, I have been vetted and also listed as a trusted provider within a curated family focused network of providers that supports families and their children ages 0-12 in the Northern Virginia area.
And also, word of mouth! If you have met with a great provider in the past, share their info with others. Some people struggle to pinpoint what they really need, but when you talk about your great experience you had when dealing with your own pain point, you just planted the seed for others to look more into something new, and it costs zero dollars to you! Personal experiences can be your best referrals! The people who are meant to find you will find you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.redcardinalhealing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redcardinalhealing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088152903153
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RedCardinalHealing
Image Credits
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