Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Lacey Donovan.
A mother and a wife by age 18; abused, separated and a single mom by 20, Cheryl Lacey Donovan knows a little about being an unstoppable woman. Despite the obstacles in her way, Cheryl chose to take these life lessons and use them to pave the way to a better future.
Cheryl’s journey has not been perfect, but it has been blessed. Cheryl chose to look at herself, not in light of what society said she would become, a welfare recipient with children who were dropouts, drug dealers, and in jail, but instead as God viewed her as an awesome, fearfully and wonderfully made virtuous woman.
Resilience and tenacity in the face of disappointment helped Cheryl to look inside herself for the change she wanted to see.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nothing worth having is ever easy. There are always obstacles. It’s how you face the obstacles that make the difference. Being a single mother for several years had its challenges.
I look back now and know I was definitely favored because when I went to get food stamps, I was turned down because of my parent’s income. Disheartened by the outcome because I didn’t understand why I was discarded, I now know it was the best thing that could’ve happened because it made me more determined to succeed in spite of the circumstances.
My desire to be more available for me, in fact, led me to my first business which was a non-profit mobile health care organization. We received a grant to provide preventive health care services to underserved populations. As a result, I was able to have a more flexible schedule and be there for my children when they needed me.
I guess I would say it’s up to each of us to find a way to confront our challenges head-on and move forward. I could have become a statistic like many other teen mothers. But failure was not an option. I had a great support system, and a never quit attitude. Both propelled my forward and are the reason I am where I am now.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
As recently as 2014, Director Ava DuVernay was overlooked for an Oscar nomination for her movie Selma. In fact, the titles of network owner, producer or CEO are almost nonexistent when they are attached to a black woman in show business.
While we may be familiar with Shonda Rhimes, executive producer, writer and creator of “Scandal;” Debra L. Lee chairman and CEO of BET and Oprah Winfrey who owns Harpo Productions and the OWN network it becomes more difficult to name other women of color executives in the business.
Best-selling author, speaker, mentor, and entrepreneur Cheryl Lacey Donovan is paving a new road for others to showcase their stories of success, triumph over adversity, and empowerment on a national platform. As the founder and CEO of Real Life Real Faith Media, she provides an online radio show, digital magazine, and television programming for those persons interested in content that uplifts empowers and inspires others to live their lives on purpose.
Donovan and President of Real Life Real Faith Media, Elissa Gabrielle, are building the brand around Cheryl’s desire to create, produce and promote worthwhile projects. Cheryl has been traveling across the U.S. for several years educating others on how to create the lives they deserve and desire and is working on her newest endeavor as Publisher with Imani Faith Publishing an imprint of Peace in the Storm Publishing.
Through the use of media, publishing, speaking and coaching though Cheryl Lacey Donovan, LLC and a desire for true transparency, Real Life Real Faith Media, Imani Faith Publishing, and Cheryl Lacey Donovan, LLC are creating three powerful brands. Cheryl is currently connecting with people around the world, and she and Elissa are setting a course that will make them global media leaders in the years to come.
Everything Cheryl does flows from her talk shows on radio and television. Her broadcasts move away from sensational topics. She wants them to be more responsible; benefiting people rather than belittling them.
“My primary mission is to help people create lives of authenticity and purpose. Personal growth and development, awareness of their life assignment and a clear path to get there will allow them to do just that,” says Donovan.
Although there have been broadcasts where Cheryl interviewed celebrities like Jan Gaye and Moniece Slaughter of Love and Hip Hop Hollywood fame, she plans to focus more on issues of personal importance.
Real Life Real Faith is a media group devoted to Empowering You to Empower Yourself through radio, TV, digital, online, and print media. Real Life Real Faith offers content for every palate. The official mission statement for Real Life Real Faith Media says its goal is “to be a transformation agent in people’s lives, creating legacies one person at a time.”
“We really want to provide quality programming that inspires others to take responsibility for their lives. We expect to be the catalyst that causes people to become more accountable for their situations and to do the work necessary to live better lives.
When people are able to be introspective, the choices they make are better able to lead them to their authentic self. We want to help people connect to their authentic self and live out their life assignments,” says Cheryl Cheryl Lacey Donovan, LLC, is the coaching, training, and mentoring arm of Cheryl’s group of companies.
This is where Cheryl gets a hands-on connection with the public. Cheryl equips others through mentoring and coaching that get’s them to a place where they too can effectuate positive change in the world. Cheryl hopes to inspire others to take control of their lives to create the lives they deserve and desire.
What were you like growing up?
I am a “PK” (Preacher’s Kid) so, obviously according to everyone else I was destined to be the worse. Contrary to popular belief, I was the one who always tried to do the right thing. “Pollyanna” to some.
But I was far from perfect. I remember teachers calling my mother because I was disrupting the classroom. Well, the reality was I was trying to help everyone else complete their work so we could move on to something else. (maybe that’s why I’ve been an educator for the last 20+ years) Anyway, my mother’s solution was to send me to the library. Thus my love for books and reading which lead to my becoming an award-winning best-selling author.
Nonetheless, I can also remember being an entrepreneur at heart. In the fifth grade, I sold blow pops and other popular candies. In middle school, I mad pom poms out of yarn for the girls to wear on their tennis shoes. It went over big.
In High School, I was the Sophomore class president. So, I guess it only makes sense that I became a serial entrepreneur as an adult. I am grateful for my upbringing. While it wasn’t perfect, my parents divorced when I was four, it was blessed.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.cherylspeaks.org
- Phone: 800-772-0193
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cherylspeaksnow
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cheryl.donovan
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cherylspeaksnow
- Other: http://www.realliferealfaithmagazine.com
Image Credit:
Brice Donovan and Racquel Charles
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