We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sheryl Green. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sheryl below.

Alright, Sheryl thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

For many years, I ran a content writing company. When COVID hit, all of my clients disappeared on the same day! I pivoted, becoming a full-time employee of the animal rescue where I’d volunteered and been a board member. As the world began to open back up, my writing clients returned. Even though I worked well over 40 hours per week at the rescue, I wasn’t making enough money to keep a roof over my head and kibble in my dog’s bowl.
I took all of my clients back and added as many more as I could find. I was making ends meet, but I was also losing my mind.
After months of working 60+ hours a week at the rescue, serving my clients, caring for my aging parents, and holding multiple volunteer positions, I cracked. I was resentful of my responsibilities, my clients, and anyone who put demands on my time. I wasn’t sleeping; I started drinking (not heavily, but heavily for me), and I could barely get a sentence out without crying.
One evening, I was running an errand for the rescue when I became absolutely mesmerized by the headlights of the oncoming cars. I had this split-second thought that if I just crossed over the median, this would all be over in a second.
Thankfully, the thought terrified me. I pulled over to the side and realized that if I didn’t take care of myself, I wasn’t going to be around to take care of anyone else.
This incident kicked off my journey to find healthy boundaries. A few months later, I realized that I needed to not only learn them but also teach others. I wrote my book and began leading workshops and giving keynotes on the topic. My life’s mission is now to make the world a better place – one boundary at a time.

Sheryl, 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?

I’ve always been interested in psychology and mental health. I earned a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology but never ended up working in the capacity I’d imagined. A few months after my defining moment, I began slipping back into old patterns and spreading myself too thin. This realization sparked the idea for my latest book, “You Had Me At No: How Setting Healthy Boundaries Helps Banish Burnout, Repair Relationships, and Save Your Sanity.”
I set out to create a suite of tools that anyone (including me!) could use to challenge their beliefs around boundaries, self-worth, and assertiveness and then to set, communicate, and uphold their newly erected boundaries.
With the book under my belt, I created workshops and other opportunities for women to be empowered to speak their minds, stand up for themselves, and make their priorities a priority. I also added an adult coloring book called “You Had Me At No: Color Your Way to Healthy Boundaries” so women could relax and reinforce the concepts from the book.
When my clients come to me, they are stressed out, overwhelmed, resentful of their “responsibilities,” and without hope for a light at the end of the tunnel. I work with them to understand that they have the right to say “No” when they want to, and that this actually helps them to be more loving, caring, and available for the people who matter most.
What am I most proud of? The “warm fuzzies!” That’s what I call the random emails, messages, and notes that people send me, sharing about how they’ve implemented my tools and made significant changes in their lives.
And don’t worry, while I don’t work in animal rescue anymore, I’ll never stop providing a voice for animals. I donate a portion of my sales to local rescues and always have information about an adoptable pup whenever I speak, send out my newsletter, do a book signing, etc.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

As challenging as this road has been, I’m where I am because of the choices I’ve made in the past. If I didn’t make those choices, I wouldn’t have the knowledge (and the scars) that led me to my chosen business. If I hadn’t struggled with boundaries for so long, I wouldn’t have the real-world experience I share with my clients.

Of course, the obvious question is, “Should I have gone for a degree in Counseling so I would have been a therapist?”

Truthfully, learning about clinical depression didn’t help me one bit when it came to having it. Reading about the symptoms didn’t prepare me in the least for experiencing it. I suspect learning about boundaries from a textbook would’ve had just as little benefit.

I’m actually thankful that I don’t speak like a therapist (nothing against you all; I love therapists!). Not having clinical terms to fall back on allows me to explain things in a way that the average person can understand. It makes me more relatable and makes my content more digestible.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was brought up to believe that I was on this planet to take care of others. My purpose was to make other people happy, put their needs ahead of mine, and keep the peace around me, even at the expense of the peace within me. For years, I held myself responsible for the emotions of my family, friends, and even relative strangers. My needs were addressed last (if at all), and I didn’t believe I was worthy of having needs, never mind having those needs met. In fact, it never even entered my thoughts!
One day, I was talking to my therapist, and she asked me, “What do you need?”
I must’ve looked like a deer in headlights. I had no freaking clue. The conversation prompted some soul-searching, for sure.
After quite a bit of inner work, I realized that the only person I’m responsible for on this planet is me. Not only wasn’t i responsible for others, but I also had no control over their emotions. It was incredibly freeing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SherylGreenSpeaks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherylgreenspeaks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youhadmeatno
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylgreen/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZw0-6tqTOapMT-QAf70esA
• Other: https://amzn.to/45hPv0i

Image Credits
Melanie Rose