We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sherelle Reed a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sherelle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

As a child I was always taught to go to school, get a degree, get a job and work at least 20-30 years until retirement. That was the goal and I pursued it with everything I had! I have always been a person who loves to serve people in some capacity. I began my career as a Corporate Instructor at a Fortune 500 Company, and I loved my job! I had the amazing opportunity to give new hires a head start in their new careers. I perfected my performance and fostered great relationships with the Leadership and those in my classes. 18 years later, I decided to step out on Faith and become a full-time entrepreneur doing what I love to do which is Empowering, Educating and Encouraging others. I walked away from what was comfortable and safe and I took a risk on ME!!! I have not regretted it for one second! If I am honest things have been difficult at times and the work actually seems harder, but this risk has absolutely been worth it! I have learned firsthand, that my life’s trajectory is totally up to me and not left for others to determine my worth. This has been one of the BEST decisions of my life!

I TOOK A RISK AND MY SUCCESS IT TOTALLY UP TO ME!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an individual that is called to the Empowerment, Education and Encouragement of others. I am the CEO of Sherelle A Reed Enterprises LLC where I am a Speaker, Instructor, Author, and Bloom Strategist who is the founder of The Blooming Effect. We encourage others to BLOOM…..that is to overcome life’s adversities and show as your Best Self in the world. This is accomplished through various programs, workshops, conferences and events. I am also the founder and visionary of Find Your Resilience Inc which is a non-profit organization that empowers females to Learn from the Past, Live Today and Pursue Purpose.

I have experienced much adversity and I have made many mistakes in life. As a result of my experiences there were many people who did not see any value in me and that hurt me greatly and made me feel inadequate. But there were a few that took out time to get to know me and made the decision to mentor me. My life was transformed as a direct result of the grace and compassion extended to me. I have dedicated my life to paying that same grace and compassion forward to others. I did not allow my bad experiences to prevent me for a purpose filled life. I learned the lessons from my adversity and used them to build character in me and push me into purpose.

I recognize how life’s bad experiences can leave you feeling disqualified from living a purpose filled life.
I am most proud of the impact I am successfully making in the world with The Blooming Effect, and I am dedicated to intentionally continuing my work. I teach my clients that Blooming is a choice that must be accomplished intentionally. We may still make mistakes, but we have the power to correct them and get right back on track. It is my prayer that we Live, Love and BLOOM!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I work in the Empowerment and Education space so therefore a person’s Mentality is impacted. I have built my reputation within my marketing by exercising integrity and transparency.

Integrity is important! Having integrity does not mean that mistakes are not made. It is more about the manner in which the mistakes are handled. Maya Angelou says, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”. Integrity impacts how they feel.

Transparency has also built my reputation. In my market, the best way to encourage others is through real testimonies. The impact of my actual stories meets others heart to heart. They began to glean hope from hearing what I have actually experienced and overcame. This lets them know that it is possible for them to do it as well.

Both integrity and transparency create an atmosphere conducive to empowerment, education and encouragement.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team and maintaining high morale can be challenging but is totally doable.

It is important that the team feels that their contributions are valued and appreciated. So often, managers feel that their position is one of power and they could not be further from the truth. Management is a position of servitude and example. Our job as managers is to encourage the team to be their best. This involves being aware of the team members strengths and creating opportunities for them to shine.

Also, maintaining high morale happens when activities and events are crafted with the experience of the team in mind. So often the goals of a team are front and center and everything done is to aid in the accomplishment of those goals. If we want to maintain high morale, we must make the experience of the team the focal point and we will find that they will be more motivated to achieve the goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: sherelleareed.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherellereed/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherelle.a.reed
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherellereed/