| The Art that Cheryl Richardson Shares by Lindsey Graham |
What a successful woman. What an inspirational woman. What a real woman.
Although her words and advice have helped millions of people change their lives in positive ways, Cheryl Richardson does not pretend to be perfect as she
honestly shares her life-experiences and strategies. That may precisely be why she empowers so many people and has become such a huge success as a life-
coach.
“What you see is what you get and I’ve always been that way,” says Cheryl in an interview with Applaud. “I believe very much in walking your talk and in being
transparent—and when you’re transparent, you’ve got nothing to hide.”
The pages of her most recent book, The Art of Extreme Self-Care, demonstrate how open and truthful the New York Times best-selling author is. Serving as a
roadmap over a yearlong period in which every chapter details how the reader can develop a new aspect of practicing Extreme Self-Care each month, the book
contains many resources and exercises to aid in that process. Maybe due to the fact her training as a writer consists of writing in a journal since she was twelve
years old, this book—as with all her books—is very self-disclosing, conversational, and easy to read. “When writing is more personal, it connects with the reader’
s heart more easily,” says Cheryl.
Members of her large Web community could not agree more. “It’s like the book is speaking exactly to me,” writes Trine, a reader from Oklahoma who posted
about Cheryl’s work. From taking the advice Cheryl gives in her most recent book, another reader writes, “I feel free!”
“We all have a lot of different stresses in our life so this helps you to return to center as quickly as possible,” says Cheryl about the strategies found in The Art of
Extreme Self-Care. She says she knows the strategies work because she had to use them herself in the middle of a crisis.
The notion of The Art of Extreme Self-Care was already in existence when her husband, Michael, became very sick. “When faced with a challenging time in our life,
most of us will revert right back to the coping strategies that kept us safe as kids or got us through as adults—for me, it was to just put my nose to the grindstone,
suck it up and work harder.” says Cheryl. “ But it didn’t work.”
With the responsibilities of running her own company, hosting her own radio show, coordinating employees, traveling to speaking engagements, building a
home, managing hundreds of e-mails and writing to beat her next book deadline, it makes sense to hear her say that she had too much going on when the health
crisis of the person she loved more than anything fell into her lap.
“I was suddenly faced with the fact that I was writing a book about Extreme Self-Care and my life was reading like a book about extreme disrepair!” she says. “I
knew if I didn’t take good care of myself I couldn’t be there for my husband, so I made my self-care a priority first and then made his self-care a second priority.”
This realization ultimately made her book better, she says, because her book became a more affective tool for people who are dealing with hardship.
One strategy Cheryl used was to eliminate more than 25% of what she was working on that was not an “absolute yes” for her. In her book Take Time for Your Life,
she suggests readers identify what seven priorities most need their immediate attention and create an Absolute Yes List that would ensure their precious time
and energy would first and foremost be devoted to the things that mattered most. Then, in The Art of Extreme Self-Care, she uses the exercise in another way by
encouraging her readers to raise their standards for what they will and will not tolerate in their life in order to create an Absolute No List as well.
One question Cheryl gets asked frequently by clients is if there is anything they can do to fix their life right away. Though she says there are no quick fixes, she
shares specific things people can do to at least shift their perspective. One good source is found in the last chapter of The Art of Extreme Self-Care, which
contains an Extreme Self-Care First Aid Kit—a well-prepared plan of action put in place for her readers to refer to when faced with a big life challenge.
Besides the ideas given in her book such as formulating a list of ten things one can do to take good care of themselves when going through a tough time, Cheryl
also advises to stand up and shake your head and arms while making funny faces. “If you’re sitting reading this article and you’re feeling depressed or finding
yourself in this chronic place of worry, get up and move your body!” says Cheryl. “You can’t be depressed and do that at the same time and if you shift your
physiology, it shifts your state of mind.”
Cheryl also feels it is important to recognize the impact your home or office has on your emotional and physical health, your energy levels, your self-esteem and
your spiritual well-being. Since the beauty of nature inspires her, she enjoys a quiet environment without the sounds of phones ringing or having Internet access.
She also savors the view of wildlife through her window with her grey cat, Poupon, by her side.
Although she was practicing the techniques of Extreme Self-Care to some degree, Cheryl started being a life-coach fifteen years ago when she was introduced to
Thomas Leonard, founder of the training organization Coach University. She was impressed with the curriculum he developed and enrolled in his training
program to continue her work in that capacity. From that point on, she has published five books, created two special card decks and released three audio
programs.
After participating in the successful Lifestyle Makeover Series on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, Cheryl was then even invited by Oprah to join her “Live Your Best Life”
nationwide tour. Besides enjoying the unexpected opportunity of being around such a great person who made her laugh, Cheryl was touched by those who
sought help from them. “It was really great to see thousands of people come out from all over the country to learn the kind of strategies that we were talking about
to help them improve their lives,” Cheryl says. “It was really a wonderful experience.”
Being a fan of talk radio, Cheryl was also happy to start bringing self-help and personal development conversations to the airwaves four years ago when asked by
HayHouse Radio to host her own show, “Coach on Call”. Still today, she can be heard all over the world every Monday at 5pm ET on the Internet radio show that
she airs from the studio in her home. “What feels good is to be able to talk to people directly,” says Cheryl. “I like the intimacy in that and the thought of being able
to help more than one person at a time.”
Another way she helps more than one person at a time is through her website, www.cherylrichardson.com, that is rich with great tools and resources. One such
resource is a listing of all Life Makeover Groups around the world. If readers are interested, they can find one in their local area and join. The groups are
designed so that readers have the opportunity to meet with others who want to make positive changes in their lives and who can provide mutual support.
“Ninety-five percent of people who try to make changes on their own, end up failing,” says Cheryl. “The two things that assure you’re going to take the actions you
need to take in order to improve the quality of your life are accountability and support.” The groups are free of charge and there are approximately 4,000 active
groups meeting on a regular basis.
Another unique tool on her website is the Touch of Grace feature. It requires you to contemplate a challenge in life and click on a twinkling star that calls to you.
When you do, a Grace Card appears that you then reflect on before reading what it has to say. There is now even an application available for iPhones that provide
you with Cheryl’s Grace Cards and Self-Care Cards that is similar to the Touch of Grace online-feature.
She has been writing a weekly newsletter for the past ten years, which can also be found online. To top it off, she even posts a message of the week. “So much
of what happens in life I see as a learning opportunity,” says Cheryl. “It will often inspire some kind of a written piece.”
Luckily, success has given her the opportunity to share what she has learned with the rest of the world. “If I died tomorrow, I would have no regrets—I would feel
very good about the life I have lived,” says Cheryl. “Committing your life to being of service connects you to that place of fulfillment and meaning, and that’s the
greatest gift of all.”
Although her words and advice have helped millions of people change their lives in positive ways, Cheryl Richardson does not pretend to be perfect as she
honestly shares her life-experiences and strategies. That may precisely be why she empowers so many people and has become such a huge success as a life-
coach.
“What you see is what you get and I’ve always been that way,” says Cheryl in an interview with Applaud. “I believe very much in walking your talk and in being
transparent—and when you’re transparent, you’ve got nothing to hide.”
The pages of her most recent book, The Art of Extreme Self-Care, demonstrate how open and truthful the New York Times best-selling author is. Serving as a
roadmap over a yearlong period in which every chapter details how the reader can develop a new aspect of practicing Extreme Self-Care each month, the book
contains many resources and exercises to aid in that process. Maybe due to the fact her training as a writer consists of writing in a journal since she was twelve
years old, this book—as with all her books—is very self-disclosing, conversational, and easy to read. “When writing is more personal, it connects with the reader’
s heart more easily,” says Cheryl.
Members of her large Web community could not agree more. “It’s like the book is speaking exactly to me,” writes Trine, a reader from Oklahoma who posted
about Cheryl’s work. From taking the advice Cheryl gives in her most recent book, another reader writes, “I feel free!”
“We all have a lot of different stresses in our life so this helps you to return to center as quickly as possible,” says Cheryl about the strategies found in The Art of
Extreme Self-Care. She says she knows the strategies work because she had to use them herself in the middle of a crisis.
The notion of The Art of Extreme Self-Care was already in existence when her husband, Michael, became very sick. “When faced with a challenging time in our life,
most of us will revert right back to the coping strategies that kept us safe as kids or got us through as adults—for me, it was to just put my nose to the grindstone,
suck it up and work harder.” says Cheryl. “ But it didn’t work.”
With the responsibilities of running her own company, hosting her own radio show, coordinating employees, traveling to speaking engagements, building a
home, managing hundreds of e-mails and writing to beat her next book deadline, it makes sense to hear her say that she had too much going on when the health
crisis of the person she loved more than anything fell into her lap.
“I was suddenly faced with the fact that I was writing a book about Extreme Self-Care and my life was reading like a book about extreme disrepair!” she says. “I
knew if I didn’t take good care of myself I couldn’t be there for my husband, so I made my self-care a priority first and then made his self-care a second priority.”
This realization ultimately made her book better, she says, because her book became a more affective tool for people who are dealing with hardship.
One strategy Cheryl used was to eliminate more than 25% of what she was working on that was not an “absolute yes” for her. In her book Take Time for Your Life,
she suggests readers identify what seven priorities most need their immediate attention and create an Absolute Yes List that would ensure their precious time
and energy would first and foremost be devoted to the things that mattered most. Then, in The Art of Extreme Self-Care, she uses the exercise in another way by
encouraging her readers to raise their standards for what they will and will not tolerate in their life in order to create an Absolute No List as well.
One question Cheryl gets asked frequently by clients is if there is anything they can do to fix their life right away. Though she says there are no quick fixes, she
shares specific things people can do to at least shift their perspective. One good source is found in the last chapter of The Art of Extreme Self-Care, which
contains an Extreme Self-Care First Aid Kit—a well-prepared plan of action put in place for her readers to refer to when faced with a big life challenge.
Besides the ideas given in her book such as formulating a list of ten things one can do to take good care of themselves when going through a tough time, Cheryl
also advises to stand up and shake your head and arms while making funny faces. “If you’re sitting reading this article and you’re feeling depressed or finding
yourself in this chronic place of worry, get up and move your body!” says Cheryl. “You can’t be depressed and do that at the same time and if you shift your
physiology, it shifts your state of mind.”
Cheryl also feels it is important to recognize the impact your home or office has on your emotional and physical health, your energy levels, your self-esteem and
your spiritual well-being. Since the beauty of nature inspires her, she enjoys a quiet environment without the sounds of phones ringing or having Internet access.
She also savors the view of wildlife through her window with her grey cat, Poupon, by her side.
Although she was practicing the techniques of Extreme Self-Care to some degree, Cheryl started being a life-coach fifteen years ago when she was introduced to
Thomas Leonard, founder of the training organization Coach University. She was impressed with the curriculum he developed and enrolled in his training
program to continue her work in that capacity. From that point on, she has published five books, created two special card decks and released three audio
programs.
After participating in the successful Lifestyle Makeover Series on “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, Cheryl was then even invited by Oprah to join her “Live Your Best Life”
nationwide tour. Besides enjoying the unexpected opportunity of being around such a great person who made her laugh, Cheryl was touched by those who
sought help from them. “It was really great to see thousands of people come out from all over the country to learn the kind of strategies that we were talking about
to help them improve their lives,” Cheryl says. “It was really a wonderful experience.”
Being a fan of talk radio, Cheryl was also happy to start bringing self-help and personal development conversations to the airwaves four years ago when asked by
HayHouse Radio to host her own show, “Coach on Call”. Still today, she can be heard all over the world every Monday at 5pm ET on the Internet radio show that
she airs from the studio in her home. “What feels good is to be able to talk to people directly,” says Cheryl. “I like the intimacy in that and the thought of being able
to help more than one person at a time.”
Another way she helps more than one person at a time is through her website, www.cherylrichardson.com, that is rich with great tools and resources. One such
resource is a listing of all Life Makeover Groups around the world. If readers are interested, they can find one in their local area and join. The groups are
designed so that readers have the opportunity to meet with others who want to make positive changes in their lives and who can provide mutual support.
“Ninety-five percent of people who try to make changes on their own, end up failing,” says Cheryl. “The two things that assure you’re going to take the actions you
need to take in order to improve the quality of your life are accountability and support.” The groups are free of charge and there are approximately 4,000 active
groups meeting on a regular basis.
Another unique tool on her website is the Touch of Grace feature. It requires you to contemplate a challenge in life and click on a twinkling star that calls to you.
When you do, a Grace Card appears that you then reflect on before reading what it has to say. There is now even an application available for iPhones that provide
you with Cheryl’s Grace Cards and Self-Care Cards that is similar to the Touch of Grace online-feature.
She has been writing a weekly newsletter for the past ten years, which can also be found online. To top it off, she even posts a message of the week. “So much
of what happens in life I see as a learning opportunity,” says Cheryl. “It will often inspire some kind of a written piece.”
Luckily, success has given her the opportunity to share what she has learned with the rest of the world. “If I died tomorrow, I would have no regrets—I would feel
very good about the life I have lived,” says Cheryl. “Committing your life to being of service connects you to that place of fulfillment and meaning, and that’s the
greatest gift of all.”
The Applaud Women publication is dedicated to women in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. It's purpose is to inspire, inform, and
applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
The opinions and information provided within the Applaud Women publication or on the Applaud Women website are not necessarily those of Applaud Women, it's officers, staff or
contributing writers. Nor does inclusion on ApplaudWomen.com constitute endorsement of the views, products, services or informational content contained within the publication, advertising
on found anywhere on the website. Applaud Women values accuracy; however, Applaud Women does not warranty the accuracy of material provided by it's writers, advertisers or any
information provided by other sources included on the website.
No reproduction of any part of this page or any other page on the website is permitted without the express permission of Applaud Women.
contributing writers. Nor does inclusion on ApplaudWomen.com constitute endorsement of the views, products, services or informational content contained within the publication, advertising
on found anywhere on the website. Applaud Women values accuracy; however, Applaud Women does not warranty the accuracy of material provided by it's writers, advertisers or any
information provided by other sources included on the website.
No reproduction of any part of this page or any other page on the website is permitted without the express permission of Applaud Women.
The Applaud Women publication is dedicated to women in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. It's purpose is to inspire, inform, and
applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
applaud local women. The core of the magazine is our inspirational women's articles, most of which feature local women but occasionally we are
able to interview national women who we feel provide a unique inspiration for our readers. Our other articles cover topics of interest such as food
recipes, home, garden, beauty, health, fashion, dating, parenting, seniors, finance, business, hair care, skin care, advice, real estate, insurance,
weddings etc. Each issue has a feature section as well. Many of our articles are written by local business people who provide information
relevant to their business expertise. The Applaud Women website is also a resource center for local women including the most comprehensive
listings of Restaurants, Weddings, Female doctors and Hotels. It also includes a number of informational pages with links, articles and RSS feeds
to both local and national websites of interest to women in NH & n. MA.
The opinions and information provided within the Applaud Women publication or on the Applaud Women website are not necessarily those of Applaud Women, it's officers, staff or
contributing writers. Nor does inclusion on ApplaudWomen.com constitute endorsement of the views, products, services or informational content contained within the publication, advertising
on found anywhere on the website. Applaud Women values accuracy; however, Applaud Women does not warranty the accuracy of material provided by it's writers, advertisers or any
information provided by other sources included on the website.
No reproduction of any part of this page or any other page on the website is permitted without the express permission of Applaud Women.
contributing writers. Nor does inclusion on ApplaudWomen.com constitute endorsement of the views, products, services or informational content contained within the publication, advertising
on found anywhere on the website. Applaud Women values accuracy; however, Applaud Women does not warranty the accuracy of material provided by it's writers, advertisers or any
information provided by other sources included on the website.
No reproduction of any part of this page or any other page on the website is permitted without the express permission of Applaud Women.