Dr. Cheryl Robinson, an international speaker, the founder of Ready 2 Roar, a leadership coach, and a regular contributor to ForbesWomen, where she writes about businesswomen who have successfully pivoted through their careers, is the clear example of a woman who does not give up in the face of any inconvenience. Because as she says, “when you get knocked down, you get yourself back up, dust off and you keep going.”
After imagining herself in a variety of different job positions when she was younger and trying out a few, she realized her interest in sports was even greater; so, she went back East, worked in sports for 15 years from collegiate level all the way up to the professional level and that’s when she decided to open her own business. After starting her own business, Dr. Robinson decided to get a doctorate degree, making her a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, to give her validity and credibility for the books that she writes and the workshops she hosts. After going through all of these different paths and accomplishing a variety of goals, she set out to become a commercial print model. “I set out to become a model, which is something I’ve always wanted to be, and that’s what I’m currently working on.” So, now at the age of 40 she signed with a modeling agency.
Dr. Cheryl has been writing since the age of 14–15 for local newspapers and journals, and continued writing in college and even after graduating. “Still to this day my goal is to be a New York Times best-selling author, and to do that you have to write.” After starting her own company she made a commitment to herself that 80% of her time would be spent on her writing and the other 20% would be on her business.
“Three months after I made that commitment to myself, I was attending an event and I saw a woman speaking on a panel saying she was a contributor at Forbes, and I sat there thinking ‘if she can do it, I can do it,’ so after the panel, I went right up to her and asked her how she got there. I then spoke to her about my background and who I am. And what I didn’t know was that the former editor was in the room with her, so I then got introduced to the editor who told me to send her my portfolio; and three days later she invited me for a mini-interview process, then a week later she called me and said ‘welcome aboard.’”
Dr. Robinson always dreamt of becoming a commercial print model, and after interviewing over 500 individuals for her column, she realized “it does not matter how old you are, as we grow up, we think that because society tells us, we have to reach certain milestones by certain ages, and it’s just not realistic sometimes. So, you have to give yourself the permission to be okay with not hitting certain milestones as quickly as you imagined.”
Dr. Robinson has always wanted to see her face on a billboard somewhere, and as she got older, she gained more self-confidence every year and at the age of 40 she said “it is now or never.” And through networking she met a model agent with whom she talked, did her photos and her potential got noticed to the point where she got signed with that modeling agency; and has now booked her first gig.
With all of what Dr. Robinson has already accomplished, she still has her head on plans for this near future, since her new leadership book is coming out at the end of this year. With this new book she wrote she wants readers to understand that pivoting or transitioning in a career doesn’t have to be scary, that people might get fired, get laid off, they move, and then be obligated to find something else which can seem scary, but if they see it as a positive experience, it is not; it is an opportunity to develop a strategy to get to where they want to be.
Dr. Cheryl Robinson, an international speaker, the founder of Ready 2 Roar, a leadership coach, and a regular contributor to ForbesWomen, where she writes about businesswomen who have successfully pivoted through their careers, is the clear example of a woman who does not give up in the face of any inconvenience. Because as she says, “when you get knocked down, you get yourself back up, dust off and you keep going.”
After imagining herself in a variety of different job positions when she was younger and trying out a few, she realized her interest in sports was even greater; so, she went back East, worked in sports for 15 years from collegiate level all the way up to the professional level and that’s when she decided to open her own business. After starting her own business, Dr. Robinson decided to get a doctorate degree, making her a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, to give her validity and credibility for the books that she writes and the workshops she hosts. After going through all of these different paths and accomplishing a variety of goals, she set out to become a commercial print model. “I set out to become a model, which is something I’ve always wanted to be, and that’s what I’m currently working on.” So, now at the age of 40 she signed with a modeling agency.
Dr. Cheryl has been writing since the age of 14–15 for local newspapers and journals, and continued writing in college and even after graduating. “Still to this day my goal is to be a New York Times best-selling author, and to do that you have to write.” After starting her own company she made a commitment to herself that 80% of her time would be spent on her writing and the other 20% would be on her business.
“Three months after I made that commitment to myself, I was attending an event and I saw a woman speaking on a panel saying she was a contributor at Forbes, and I sat there thinking ‘if she can do it, I can do it,’ so after the panel, I went right up to her and asked her how she got there. I then spoke to her about my background and who I am. And what I didn’t know was that the former editor was in the room with her, so I then got introduced to the editor who told me to send her my portfolio; and three days later she invited me for a mini-interview process, then a week later she called me and said ‘welcome aboard.’”
Dr. Robinson always dreamt of becoming a commercial print model, and after interviewing over 500 individuals for her column, she realized “it does not matter how old you are, as we grow up, we think that because society tells us, we have to reach certain milestones by certain ages, and it’s just not realistic sometimes. So, you have to give yourself the permission to be okay with not hitting certain milestones as quickly as you imagined.”
Dr. Robinson has always wanted to see her face on a billboard somewhere, and as she got older, she gained more self-confidence every year and at the age of 40 she said “it is now or never.” And through networking she met a model agent with whom she talked, did her photos and her potential got noticed to the point where she got signed with that modeling agency; and has now booked her first gig.
With all of what Dr. Robinson has already accomplished, she still has her head on plans for this near future, since her new leadership book is coming out at the end of this year. With this new book she wrote she wants readers to understand that pivoting or transitioning in a career doesn’t have to be scary, that people might get fired, get laid off, they move, and then be obligated to find something else which can seem scary, but if they see it as a positive experience, it is not; it is an opportunity to develop a strategy to get to where they want to be.