[00:00:00] Ellington Brown: Welcome to SpeakUP! International with Rita Burke and Elton Brown! 

[00:00:16] Rita Burke: On SpeakUP! International, we travel the world to find community builders. And today is no exception. We're speaking with a woman from Nashville, Tennessee. Her name is Cheryl Polk. Cheryl is a renowned holistic career coach, certified professional resume writer, and recruiter.

As the owner of Excel Resumes and Career Coaching, she has experienced the joy of assisting clients in attaining work slash life balance, life and career satisfaction and successful career transitions. She calls herself an empty nester. And as I said, she lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is active in her church community.

To our listeners, I welcome Cheryl Polk!

[00:01:15] Cheryl Polk: Thank you, Rita and Elton. It's great to be here! 

[00:01:19] Ellington Brown: All the way from Tennessee, I tell ya. I learned how to say all, you all. and all y'all. 

[00:01:29] Cheryl Polk: Yes, yes. 

[00:01:31] Ellington Brown: I'm just really glad that we were able to meet today Cheryl, What inspired you to pursue a career as a life and career coach? 

[00:01:42] Cheryl Polk: Well, I started off as an accountant, as a corporate accountant, and I ended up being the accounting supervisor for a division of a Fortune 500 company. Took a brief sabbatical to a bit stay at home mom, and eventually a homeschool mom. And then in 2013, I decided to start looking for other things.

And when I went online to search for positions, I saw a remote recruiting position. Now, mind you, this is 2013. so before COVID and before the popularity of remote work, but I apply on a Friday and they actually call me and interviewed me on a Monday. And to my surprise, I actually got the position. So I worked as a recruiter and really liked it!

But of what I did not enjoy was the fact that I had so many qualified candidates that I could not pass along because their resumes were awful spelling errors. You know, they were on professional, they were on presentable and so I've often help clients, but this prompted my desire to become a certified professional resume writer and then eventually a certified career coach.

And I started then I, I left that position and started working for the largest resume writing company, not just in the United States, but in the world. And that was a great experience. However, I realized because they were so large, they had cookie cutter resumes. They couldn't really customize and do different strategies for clients who were at different phases and stages.

So I decided to start my own company. I said, Hey, I think I can do this. Better at a better price point. And so that's what I did. So I've helped over 3000 clients and I really enjoy what I do. 

[00:03:32] Rita Burke: It is interesting that you enjoy what you do and that resumes can be cookie cutter. I think. Sometimes I think that we live in a cookie cutter world, but that's for another, another day.

So Cheryl, tell us please, how do you help your clients to achieve work life balance? Talk to us about that, please. 

[00:03:56] Cheryl Polk: Yes. Yes. Well, 1st of all, I think it's great for people to assess their current situation. Think about what they're doing now. If it's something that they like, or really enjoy, does it support their lifestyle helping to have that work life balance?

And is it something that has longevity? And so, as far as. Finding that work life balance, you know, that that's that elusive thing, right? We can't spend, you know, 100 percent of our time in both places. So it is a, you know, a, a shift. It is a, a delicate balance to be made there. So one thing it is, it's about making sure that they prioritize things in their lives and what's truly important to them.

Look about the old look at the overall lifestyle, the relationships that they want to have, and then making sure that they choose a career. That will allow them to have the type of life outside of work that they want. Because we spend more time at work than we do anywhere else, you know, two to three times more time at work than we do with our families and with our friends and with our communities.

So, it's important for us to be whole people. So, that's why we really focus on on holistic coaching, because we do know that your career also affects your physical, mental, emotional, social, financial, and spiritual well being.

[00:05:23] Ellington Brown: Well, you got a point there, Cheryl. I know that people are stressed enough just to , do an interview. That can be very, very trying. And then on top of it, if their resume isn't perfect, they're, you know, they're already at a loss. They've already points have been deducted, even though maybe the recruiter hasn't said that, but, you know, you start running into spelling errors.

The construction of the sentence is faulty, you know, it's like, okay, you know, this person can't work here because, well, the, their right foot is not planned it properly. So they move on to the, to the next person. And I know that I've been guilty of doing that when I worked at Oracle and I'm looking at individuals to bring on board.

And a lot of them, I never even got for past the first paragraph because too many spelling errors, or I didn't even know what they were talking about. So that, you know, that, that was a loss. And so for us as black individuals, it is really important that our resumes are perfect. 

[00:06:38] Cheryl Polk: Absolutely, that that is so true having a good resume. I mean, when you think about that's the 1st thing that someone sees about you, that's a representation of you. So you definitely want to make sure that it is polished.

It is professional and that it is accurate as far as what it contains and truly highlights the value that you can bring. So that's definitely a good point.

[00:07:04] Rita Burke: I've heard the statement before, but you've included it in your bio, so I'd like you to talk to us about the significance of this statement for you and in what you do. It's not how you start, but how you finish that's important. Expand on that for us, please, Cheryl. 

[00:07:24] Cheryl Polk: Yes, absolutely. So, most people change careers at least four to five times within their within their lifetime.

You know, unfortunately, we often are not prepared in high school and to make those lifetime decisions. A lot of times, you know, we're trying to make that decision to 18 of what we want to do when I speak to a lot of people who are 30, 40, 50, and they're still trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up.

So it's okay. If you have to start, you know, at a place where you're unsure of, you know, in a position that you're unsure that you might not necessarily like, but it's okay to regroup at any given time and decide that. Okay. I want to do something else. Life is all about changing. It's all about evolving and growing and getting better every day.

So it's not about how you start. You know, when I started off, I started off as a temporary employee making minimum wage. I did not have the interviewing skills. I didn't have any internships when I left college and those bad interviewing skills just kind of follow me along. And so I had to start off as a temporary employee, but because of my work ethic, networking skills, and that type of thing, I was able to work my way up to be accounting supervisor.

For a division of a fortune 500 company within five years. So, you know, it's, it's yeah. And then the Bible tells us to never despise your hump. Don't despise your humble beginnings, you know? So it's, it's okay. If you have to start off at a place that, that you feel might not be where you want to be.

But as long as you still have that goal, those goals, you still have the, that focus and you can still move forward and, and end up in a place. that helps you have the type of life that you want.

[00:09:17] Ellington Brown: Can you tell me what strategies do you use to assist clients when you're preparing them for a job interview? 

[00:09:27] Cheryl Polk: Okay, so for job interviews, oh, boy, like I said, I used to tank those things, right? I used to be off on it. Part of it was because of the lack of experience that I had. And then also, because of the lack of confidence that I had.

So, the thing is, when people prepare, the more prepared you are for something, the more confident you will feel. So, 1st of all, try to get them to know themselves the value that they bring. A lot of times we do these great resumes and it's on paper, but people are not able to articulate that when they get in there from someone.

And then also to a lot of times they assume that. The hiring manager knows or remembers what's on the actual resume, and sometimes the hiring manager might be coming straight from a meeting into that resume, you know, into that interview, and they may remember very little about what's actually on it. So, just getting them to be able to answer that 1st question that tell me about yourself question, you know, helping them to be able to give a brief career summary and tell why they're passionate about what they do, because we want to make sure they make a connection.

Yeah. Right up front and then also helping them to really refine their storytelling skills because that's the most important thing. You know, generic answers leave hiring managers flat. And that just makes them want to see other people. They don't build that real connection. But build, but really land in that interview is about building that connection, being able to tell that story, being able to clearly articulate the situation, the task, the action taken.

And the results, and so they'll helping clients with those things. Those are the things that really help people to be able to land in that number one spot, as opposed to number two. 

[00:11:18] Rita Burke: I'm hearing from young people these days that it's so challenging even to get an interview, and they've had interviews, and they think they've been successful at the interviews, but yet they don't land the job.

Is that what you're experiencing these days? Is that what you're seeing with the people you're working with? Talk to us a little bit about that, please. 

[00:11:43] Cheryl Polk: Absolutely! So it definitely can be challenging to land interviews. Some areas, some fields, some industries are a lot more competitive than others. And so that's why it is important to be able to get your foot in the door with a great resume.

You know, I don't know if you know about it, but a lot of companies now use applicant tracking systems. And so those systems often rank the candidates. So it's important that they have certain keywords listed. So they are selected for an actual interview. And then once you get that interview, you definitely want to make sure you set yourself apart from the next candidate.

You want to be able to highlight what you bring to the table. And so it is important. So, yes. So, yes, getting the job is just. The first step, but you definitely have to be able to to land that position. And once again, those stories really help you to be able to stand out. You want to be able to have at least three to four stories related to things that you've overcome people that you've helped.

Processes that you've improved clients that you maybe have brought on or ways that you streamlined processes or increase the bottom line, ways that you've brought value, you want to be able to really communicate those stories because you can also communicate that these are the similar results that I want to bring to your organization as well.

[00:13:07] Ellington Brown: I want to move to business success. So what steps did you take to grow your coaching business? I mean, I'm sure everyone has a vision. Everyone should have a plan. What's yours? 

[00:13:26] Cheryl Polk: Well, first you need to develop that, that well, first you need to think about what your niche is. So, for me, I was passionate about coaching and careers because of my background as a recruiter.

So a lot of times you want to consider your background and we also have clients do that as well when we help them with career transitions, because a lot of times our pain can help to dictate our path. And so I consider one of my pain points, which was, you know, being able to not being able to pass along those, those candidates resumes because of, of the issues that, that they were having.

So I considered my pain and then I made it my path. And so for me, that that's what made me really connect with career coaching. And then once I chose that path, just developing that plan and thinking about your overall branding strategy. That's also very important. And then think about the people that you want to serve and think about where they are.

For me, those people were a job seekers. And I have a goal of seeing every active job seeker employee. And so the place where they are is LinkedIn. They're LinkedIn and they're in a lot of industry groups and places like that. And so those are the types of things that you want to target. You want to find out where your customers are and put yourself in front of those customers.

And, and then can make sure you can adequately communicate the value that you can bring to those customers and how you can help people get where they want to go. Because that's really what it's about. It's about me helping someone get where they want to go. 

[00:15:07] Ellington Brown: I have one other question I wanna follow up, and that's, how do you, or what do you see when you are assisting marginalized individuals, blacks, brown people. Do you have to give them extra pointers, extra tips for them to be successful at the interview?

[00:15:34] Cheryl Polk: Oh, that is, that is a great question. It's not necessarily only marginalized groups.

A lot of times it's groups that have a lot of times is economic is socioeconomic and it's about people who might have lack of exposure to certain things. And certain resources, so it's about making sure people have access to the same information, making sure they know how to research the company, make sure they know how to look at the company's website and look at their vision and look at their mission and to see how that is aligned with with their personal values and then making sure that they have the same opportunity.

That everyone else has as far as. Having that leg up, so just making sure that I'm a mentor to those, those people who, yeah, and also people that might have the confidence issues. Sometimes when you see that I had one client who actually made a 40, 000 increase in salary because he had confidence issues and he didn't really think he was worthy of moving up or to that next level.

When he saw his resume, he was like, oh, wow, it helped him see himself in a new light. So he started applying to different positions. And so $40, 000 is a big increase and it can be. Life changing, you know, for a lot of people. And so just being able to have been a part of that was very satisfying for me. And it helped help me to really know that I'm doing a good thing and I'm in the right place.

[00:17:14] Rita Burke: Fantastic! You actually helped one of your clients to increase his salary by $40, 000. Could you and I meet after this interview, please? 

[00:17:26] Cheryl Polk: Absolutely, Rita! 

[00:17:29] Rita Burke: So we're talking business, but I want to get a little personal now. 

[00:17:33] Cheryl Polk: Okay! 

[00:17:34] Rita Burke: Talk to us about Cheryl Polk at age 20. 

[00:17:39] Cheryl Polk: Oh, wow! So Cheryl Polk at age 20 was. Hey, still the fun loving person I am now, but I would actually say just a little less focused.

Like, I mentioned, I didn't really have it was this program that they had when I was in college. It was called In Roads. I don't even know if it's still around now. It'd be interesting to know, but it was an internship program and they would get you interviews. But the only way you could officially be in the program would be to actually land one of the positions.

You had to land the position actually get in the program, but they did. Set up interviews for you and so I went on tons of interviews and I would come in 2nd place, but I never really came in 1st place. And that's because I didn't have the confidence that came along with experience. You know, back then people would just tell you.

Okay, dress in a suit, look them in the eye, smile and shake their hands. And that was pretty much the extent of interview preparation. You know, we, there were two questions that we were prepared to answer, like give me your strength and your weakness, you know, and we all had the same weakness. We would either say public speaking or, oh, we're, you know, a perfectionist and we like to do, you know, those were the two things that pretty much everybody said in every interview.

So, and that, and because I had that challenge and getting started, that's what really that's another thing. It really wanted me to help people in the interview preparation stage because. Yeah, you can have that great resume and you can be a hard worker, but if you can't sell yourself, then it's going to be really hard to beat out other candidates that you might even be more qualified than because you aren't able to you know, adequately convey your values. So, yeah, the 20 year old Cheryl was a little less focused and definitely a lot less polished in an interview. But thankfully, through my research and through my school of hard knocks, I'm able to help others not be in that same position. I was at age 20.

[00:19:50] Ellington Brown: I haven't heard that that phrase in a long time. The hard school of knocks. It brought back so many memories. All good! I can definitely say I can definitely say that. So what do you see as the challenges and the rewards of being in this business? 

[00:20:13] Cheryl Polk: Oh, wow. Well, the challenges I would be, I would say is helping people to know that it's okay to ask for help. Like you mentioned earlier, Elton you mentioned earlier about the black community and the thing is, because of our history in the background, our background, a lot of us have just, you know, We've learned how to be all things, right? We think we can be all things and we can do it all. I said, oh, okay, well, I can do that.

And I can, you know, we think. Okay, let me just do it all myself because historically a lot of times we have not had the money to be able to hire someone to help us. But the good thing is things are changing. And what I tell people now is the average for, and this is just the average for the average person makes between 500 to 1, 500 a week.

So if by hiring a career coach or getting that professional resume done helps you find a job at least one week earlier than you would have found otherwise is definitely worth. Making the investment in yourself. So I would say that's the biggest challenge. Let's see, helping people to see the need and to know that it's okay.

If you need to get someone to help you, then also definitely one of the benefits would be seeing people succeed beyond what they even thought they could do. And so that that's what I enjoy doing, seeing people succeed, move to that next level and seeing people discover careers that they hadn't thought about before.

I love helping people get a new perspective and that's that's I would say the most rewarding thing, helping people get a new perspective and new hope and a new joy about their futures. 

[00:22:03] Rita Burke: Sounds to me as if you help people, your clients in particular, to re curate their lives, to curate new lives through their resumes and preparing for job, job interviews and those kinds of things.

You know, in our family, and I'm from a relatively large family, the younger people came to me in the 80s and 90s to help them with their resumes. Would you believe that? And my source was a book called What Color is Your Parachute? I don't know if that book is still around, but it was amazing teaching people how to write their resumes, how to design their resumes, and how to prepare for interviews.

And you said something earlier about the importance of preparation. I have a friend that says you need to know three things, preparation, preparation, preparation. So I quite agree with you on the importance of that. So I used to help them to do their resumes and to prepare for interviews. I haven't done that for a mighty long time.

So I'm not sure that I'm that current anymore, but I used to enjoy doing that immensely. I used to enjoy doing that. So then! Tell us of a time, Cheryl Polk, when you had to say enough, either personally or professionally.

[00:23:32] Cheryl Polk: That is a great question! I would say that would have been in my earlier career when I had to say enough. And that would pretty much be is enough settling. I knew that I enjoy being an accountant. And this is the thing I always tell people. I love business. But I hate corporate America, and so I had to say, it's enough.

You know, I was one of those people. I would look out like, I don't know if you. Remember, I don't know how the corporate structure is there, how the physical buildings are there in Canada, but in the US, you know, we have a lot of the cubicles and so they're the executive the executives are on the outskirts and they're the only ones.

With the windows and so, you know, occasionally when you walk into the office, you would get a chance to peek out the window and behind our office. It was like, I could see the street and I will see people in the car. It's going along. And I would think, wow, I wonder what they're doing out there. And I just knew that I was meant to do something outside of those four walls.

And I knew I was meant to do something entrepreneurial. And so that's when I had to say enough is enough. And I had to take a look at my life and decide I wanted something different. And so, yes, I made that change. And thankfully, once I started staying home with my kids, that kind of gave me a little reprieve from it, but it also gave me an opportunity to breathe, to reassess, to look at my life in a different way and to see that there are different things that I can do other than being in corporate America.

[00:25:16] Ellington Brown: Well, that was certainly a mouthful if I, if I, if I may say so myself. So what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to start a coaching business?

[00:25:33] Cheryl Polk: I would say to make sure that you really look at what you enjoy doing, and then to also think about the purpose, the purpose of what you're doing. Of why you're doing it, think about your why and let you and, you know, and be guided by the why and then to make sure definitely you do your research, see if there's a need and then make sure you position yourself.

In front of your clients, where they are, find out where they are and make sure you position yourself. So definitely find your niche, decide what you like to do and then think about trying to think about it in a new and innovative way and think about what's going to make you unique and what's going to make you stand out as opposed to other coaches.

In your specific area, 

[00:26:24] Rita Burke: You know, you talked about your why, and there's no question that that should be the North Star understanding your why. And then you could put some things in place to reach that place. Really, really important for anyone. So, Cheryl, tell us, please, who or what would you say is responsible for the person you are today?

[00:26:52] Cheryl Polk: That Oh, wow. Well, I am the sum of my experiences, right? And so, so many people are responsible. Of course, I would say that the two most I would say responsible would be my parents because, you know, They're the ones who first loved me. They're the ones who first took me to church and where I was able to find Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.

They were the ones who first showed me what good work ethic look like. They're the ones who I saw that had integrity and people that I saw value who valued helping people. So they, by far, I would say what the, you know, the greatest earthly influences. Because they gave me that good start in life, and that is very important.

And the thing is, a lot of people don't have that same opportunity. They don't have that same foundation and, you know, they used to say they used to have a saying that says, some things are taught and some things are caught. And if you aren't around people who are doing positive things in life, a lot of times, you aren't able to catch certain things and certain traits and certain hopes and certain dreams.

And I enjoy being able to to be there and walk along with people as they have those aha moments as they're able to catch something that they weren't able to catch before. So that's, that's having good mentorship is just so important. 

[00:28:28] Ellington Brown: Well, you definitely are entitled to many, many experiences, which I'm sure every time you grab one of those or you're introduced to another, it broadens your horizon.

It slightly changes your perspective so that you have all of this Or other people's experiences and you know how to use them in order to propel, individuals that are looking for your help to be able to help them. So I think that that's a wonderful, thing. You mentioned something about being homeschool mom. Is that correct? 

[00:29:10] Cheryl Polk: That's correct. That's correct. 

[00:29:11] Ellington Brown: All right. So how has your experience as a homeschool mom influenced your approach to coaching?

[00:29:20] Cheryl Polk: Oh, wow. Well, I would say it helped me to really understand. Different personality types, and which is why we start with a personality assessment. You know, it's important that people process things in different ways. So I want to make sure that I'm communicating things to people in a way that they will understand best.

And then also it helps them to know that it's okay for them to move throughout their lives and throughout their careers in a way that works best to how they're naturally wired. So I would definitely say appreciating that people are different and people have things that they were naturally good at when they were children.

And a lot of times we weed out things like one thing that children, children don't tend to weed out things as much. We have these built these built in filters now as adults. Right? We've we filter out things because we immediately, sometimes we can get into the cognizant process of immediately shutting down an idea before we've had a chance to fully explore it.

So just so just seeing that process of taking someone through schooling, through their hopes, through their dreams, seeing them learn, seeing them grow. It helps me to really help adults to get into that child like state. We're able to dream again. We're able to think again. We're able to create and be and innovate again and think about what our lives can be.

Thank you And sometimes because of budgets and debt that people have gotten themselves in, they're not able to do that anymore because we have so many responsibilities weighing on us and weighing us down as adults. So just being able to, to get them into that, that space where they can, can hope and dream and imagine what their life can be, that's, I think that's being a homeschool mom has helped me be able to get the adults that I serve in that mind frame once again. 

[00:31:40] Rita Burke: You know, Cheryl, you said quite a few things that have piqued my curiosity. And one of them is good, the term good work ethic. What does that look like? What's good work ethic look like, sound like, feel like. Talk to us about that, please. 

[00:32:00] Cheryl Polk: Good work ethic means showing up consistently and showing up on time and showing up as your best self.

That's, that's what good work ethic means showing up, showing up on time and showing up with your best self, giving 100%. Every time so that that's good work at the end showing up with a good attitude.

[00:32:25] Ellington Brown: I think, you know, having a good attitude is very, very important, especially when you're sitting in front of your potential employer.

I mean, you really have to come off with this, you know, very open kind of person. I'm a team player. You know, I'm always looking for ways to grow. I find your company fascinating. So you have all of these things in the air, which can be challenging. And for you as a coach, it must be, you know, you have one more plate in the air because you know, you have your clients that you work with and you're crossing your fingers, hoping that they get the job and with all this going on, how do you balance your professional life with your, commitments as a coach?

[00:33:20] Cheryl Polk: Well, I would say making sure that I stick to certain schedules. Because the thing is people don't mind infringing on your schedules, right? If you don't have boundaries people, I can have people try to schedule a coaching session at 9 o'clock at night. If I didn't have those boundaries for myself.

Because unfortunately, you know, people care very little about your time and what you have going on. So, if you don't prioritize your life, other people would not prioritize it for you. So, I do have those certain boundaries of certain clients that I won't take in certain topics that we won't talk about.

And then certain, certain things, certain times that we won't have the sessions, because I have to also protect. My mental health, I have to protect my time, my work life balance. And so that that's important for me. So, yes, all of those things help me to have that work life balance having those boundaries as far as time as far as topic as far as people.

So, having boundaries, that's, that's what's really helped me to be able to be a whole person so I can show up as a whole person and help other people bring that balance into their lives. Because if I'm not balanced, if I'm tired, if I'm off my game, you know, people are paying money and they don't want excuses.

They want the best version of me. You know, at all times. And so, yes, I need to be rested. I need to make sure I have the stamina to be able to you know, be physically fit and have the stamina to be able to be there on that hour call and be able to have that that you and be there emotionally. So I can have that emotional intelligence working as well.

So everything works together as far as making sure you make it. So I try to make sure I have certain disciplines in place and certain boundaries so that I can show up 100 percent every day for my client. 

[00:35:30] Rita Burke: Very, very interesting. Very fascinating! Wonderful indeed, because I think as a person who's coaching people.

It's important for you, certainly, to model what you're expecting from them, and it sounds to me as if that's how you do business. And I'm happy to hear that. Cheryl, tell us about the best piece of advice you've ever been given, please. 

[00:35:58] Cheryl Polk: Rita, that is a loaded question for sure. You know, we are Inundated with advice from everywhere nowadays, especially on social media, right?

We get so much good advice, but I'm getting ready to say something that may be a little controversial. So stay stick with me now, because I want to explain it. So the best piece of advice I've gotten is also the worst piece of advice I've gotten and that's to be yourself. And let me explain that, see, you know, sometimes when you, you know, because that be yourself, we can also, you know, interpret that as keep it, keep it real, right?

Be yourself. Keep it real. And so the thing is being yourself. I may not want to go to work today. Right? So if I'm being myself. I'm staying home or maybe I don't feel being myself might be showing up in sweats when the situation just dictates something else. Being myself might be being cranky whenever I feel like being cranky.

That might be being myself. So what I like to tell people is to be true to yourself. Be true to the core of who the essence of who you are and your core values as appropriate for the situation. So you can still be yourself and make sure you're just being true to yourself and making sure that you are bringing the version that's best for the situation at hand.

[00:37:28] Ellington Brown: Okay, I'm going to switch to another topic. And I don't ask this question all the time, but you're in Tennessee, so I have to ask, are you a cook? And if you enjoy cooking, and if so, what is your specialty? 

[00:37:49] Cheryl Polk: Oh, wow. Oh, Elton. That, that's an interesting question. Okay. Well, am I a cook? I cook because we have to live and we have to eat.

Am I a good cook? I'm a decent cook. I'm a decent cook. Now, right now, I kind of laugh and say I'm on, I'm on a cooking sabbatical. You know, when I was a, when I was a stay at home mom, a homeschool mom, I had to cook every day. So I did that for years. So now we kind of make, quick meals and that type of thing.

And I'm a sweets person. So I love sweet things. So I think I like baking a little bit more than cooking, but so, you know, my, my favorite thing I would say to cook would be something to bake and that would be my two favorites and that would be sweet potato pie and banana pudding. Good old Southern favorites.

[00:38:42] Ellington Brown: Yeah! Tried and true! 

[00:38:45] Cheryl Polk: Yes. 

[00:38:46] Rita Burke: The mouth is watering! My mouth is watering! Thank you so very much! And I have another playful question for you, Cheryl. 

[00:38:58] Cheryl Polk: Yeah. 

[00:38:58] Rita Burke: And that question is what brings you joy? 

[00:39:02] Cheryl Polk: Ooh, let's see. There's so many things that bring me joy. I would say a nice hot bath brings me joy, sitting by the fireplace while eating ice cream. That brings me joy and helping people brings me joy.

[00:39:23] Ellington Brown: Well, yeah, I have to admit, though, you come across as being. Joyful you throughout the art conversation. You have had a smile on your face and I can feel the warmth from you and I'm really sure that you probably bring a lot to the table for the students that are looking for you to guide them to help them navigate themselves from point A to point B. So, how do you tailor your services for individuals going through significant career transitions? 

[00:40:07] Cheryl Polk: Okay, so I help both students and adults. So, you know, people are at different stages in life, and so I definitely take that into account, but I usually take them through a four step process.

Okay, And the first step would be discovery phase, and that's more about the who and the why. So that's helping them to dig. That's when we do the personality assessment and for them to find out a little bit more about their strengths and their skills. And then a little bit more about behind the why they like what they like, and why they want to do something.

And so that's the discovery phase. The next would be the investigation phase. And that's more about the what. What would you like to do? That's what we explore different careers and different career paths. And then that's also where we talk about whether someone wants to take that side hustle and turn it into a business, that type of thing.

And that's what we investigate all of those different, different paths. And then also next, it would be the planning stage. And that's when we discuss the when and the where that's where we really develop that road map. Those actionable strategies, those next steps. That's when we develop the overall plan and then lastly would be the execution phase and that's the how we really begin executing and then looking re, evaluating some of the things that they've done that they've started implementing and then reassessing and making adjustments as needed.

So that four step process of Discovery, Investigation, Planning and Execution, we get through those that they usually have a very good idea of what their future holds. 

[00:41:53] Rita Burke: So, Cheryl, is there anything that you want to share with our listeners that we haven't asked you? This is your moment. 

[00:42:02] Cheryl Polk: Sure. So, I would just say that for them to remember that mindset determines movement.

You know, the way we think our thoughts are so important, and we cannot hold two thoughts in our minds at at the same time. And so just being able to really examine what we're thinking about and making sure that those things are positive. Those things add value to our lives and add value to others and to the community.

But that's very important. So just, just making sure that they, they know that having, you know, it all starts with, with that mindset.

[00:42:45] Ellington Brown: Speaking of mindset, when you are Introducing yourself to your client. What mindset are you in?

[00:42:58] Cheryl Polk: Well, when I'm introducing myself, I'm in the mindset of letting them know my perspective and how I can help. I'm really in an open mindset. It's less about me and it's more about hearing about them and their goals and what they're looking for to see if we are a good fit for each other. So it's really more of a synergistic mindset of knowing that I'm trying to see if our goals are aligned to see what they need and to see if I'm able to, to help them.

[00:43:37] Rita Burke: I want to so much, Cheryl. For joining us on SpeakUP! International today. It's been very inspiring. It's been informative. It's been encouraging. And I say if you need to share anything else with us, feel free to get in touch with us because That's the purpose of SpeakUP! International, we we aim to inspire to educate into inform and your story certainly helps us to meet those particular goals.

So I thank you. I thank you. I thank you. 

[00:44:13] Cheryl Polk: Thank you so much. Rita Elson for having me. It's been fun. I've I've thoroughly enjoyed it. 

[00:44:19] Ellington Brown: Well, so have I. I have to agree with the both of you. I mean, we covered your Coaching expertise and your basic career, how to use define what business success is. your personal journey, talk a little bit about even about your specializations.

And I think our audience really got a complete overview of who you are and what you do. And I'm hoping that in the future, when you add to your portfolio, that you'll come to us and yet again, have another conversation with us on SpeakUP! International. 

[00:45:09] Cheryl Polk: Absolutely. I surely will. I look forward to that.

Maybe a book will come next. 

[00:45:14] Ellington Brown: Hey, there you go!

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