Co-Creative Mentoring Sheryl Harrell, MAA.B.S.; BCC
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Meet Sheryl

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So What?


How will reading this bio help you? Maybe you'll

see something of yourself in these words

and remember we're kindred spirits. Maybe you'll

know that you're not alone. Maybe you'll be

curious to find out what I've learned and how

I use my unique talents, gifts and life experiences

to support your journey. Maybe you'll trust that I

will help you remember that you're not broken,

you don't need to be fixed, that you are whole

and complete, perfect just the way you are. I'm

drawn to work with people who are tired of

listening to the inner, critical voice that tries to convince them that they aren't brilliant, sensitive,

whole, complete, and amazing.




Finding My Voice. Speaking My Truth. 


Finding my voice and speaking my truth has been a challenging, lifelong adventure. Maybe

that's true for you as well.  Authentically speaking my truth matters to me. So, where to begin?

When in doubt, I lean into gratitude. I love my life, my family, my friends, my garden, and this

time of life when I'm willing to listen to the wisdom that life experience has given me. I'm grateful

for the changes and challenges that have shaped my current reality. I'm grateful that I have the

privilege and honor of supporting clients along their path toward finding their voice and speaking

their truth. 
 I hope what I've written will be helpful to you.




Practical Spirituality. 


For the past four-plus decades I’ve looked for (and found) ways to live, thrive, and make a

difference in the world.
Hope for my future and the future of the planet defined my twenties. I felt

optimistic about my life, my place in the world, and the future of the planet. I was passionate

about causes: the Environment, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and the Peace Movement. 
I was

ignorantly blissful and naïve and believed in our potential as humans to be good and do good

in the world. I didn’t have a clue about the complexities of the personal and global problems we

faced. I loved that people came together united in a common purpose. We were connecting to

something that was greater than we were individually. In retrospect, I realize how in tune we

were to an unseen and deeply felt collective consciousness.



Even though there were only a few spiritual teachers and very limited publications or self-help

sections in bookstores, I found ways to stay centered in the midst of chaos. I feel fortunate that I

learned Transcendental Meditation (TM), a practice that has been part of my daily routine for

nearly five decades. I think of this practice as "practical" spirituality. The ritual of meditating and

the benefit it brings to daily life are more important than following rules or dogma that sometime

accompany spiritual paths. I tend toward irreverence and I'm a bit rebellious. Because of these

traits, I have a very eclectic approach to personal growth.  When I'm exploring a particular

path, I ask myself: Is the approach practical? Does it feel good in my body?  Does it help me

find and stay true to my inner knowing? Does it lead to feeling calm, relaxed, and peaceful?




Balancing Self-care and Service.

 


While my peers were going to college, earning degrees, and choosing careers, I was less

focused on the world of work and more interested in self-development, believing that by

following a spiritual path I was making a positive contribution to the planet.
 
Inspired by the idea

that enlightenment was a possibility (even if I wasn't quite sure what enlightenment was, I knew

it was something I wanted to experience), I made choices that put spiritual practices at

the center of my life. From 1975 until 1980, I lived and worked at retreat centers in northern

California and Washington state. 
Daily TM practice, along with yoga and personal retreats, and

immersion in a culture that focused on the evolution of consciousness taught me the importance

of being grounded in self-care. The time invested in living in an intentional community softened

most of the hard edges that defined who I was. Although, I've remained, what my friends

lovingly call "feisty". I also experienced how deeply fulfilling and joyful it is to be of service to

travelers on their paths to enlightenment. During my years of living in retreat centers I set an

intention  to act from the heart of service in everything I do. This deep desire to change the

world through service is at the center of all the personal and professional choices I make.




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Lifelong Seeker. 


I'm a lifelong seeker who is insatiably curious. I'm also practical. Over time,  I came to realize

the importance of finding balance between attending to my inner life and earning a living.
When

I was 35, I enrolled in college, earned a bachelor’s degree at 38 and a masters in Applied

Behavioral Sciences (the MA/A.B.S. behind my name) just before my 40th birthday. I didn't have

a clear vision or plan for my future, I simply sensed the importance of pursuing formal

education. Over the years,  I've attended many workshops and devoted countless hours to

personal and professional development opportunities, including completing EFT-Advanced

Certificate of Completion and EFT-CERTIFICATION-Level 1, Dave Ellis's
Falling Awake

Coaching Program, and  Rebecca McLean's Circle of Life Health and Wellness Coaching

Certification. I've also studied with Byron Katie, who developed
The Work
.
I continue to take

advanced coaching and energy modality courses whenever I can.



My choice to be a lifelong learner has led to several opportunities to apply my knowledge and

skills as a helping professional including director of a non-profit, organizational development

consultant, management coach, trainer, counselor, academic advisor, and health/wellbeing/life

coach.

 

While attending college, I discovered that I have a

natural talent for teaching. Over the years I

deepened and refined my abilities. Currently, I teach

Meridian Acupoint Tapping Techniques

(Emotional Freedom Techniques--EFT) in an

Integrative and Holistic Health Professions program at

a community college in Fort Collins, Colorado.





A Zig-Zag Path to Enlightenment. 


Fast forward…I’m now in my late-60s. I’ve lived a few lifetimes in this life.  I've made mistakes.

Often, I learned from them. Sometimes it took more than one mistake to "get it". I've made wise

and not-so-wise choices. As I look over the landscape of my life journey I see peaks, valleys,

scenic routes, and both intentional and unforeseen detours. It looks like a zig-zag, spiral path.

Life has been a process of elimination...I didn't always know what I wanted, but eventually I

figured out what didn't work for me and adjusted my course accordingly. Sometimes it felt like I

was waiting for happiness to come from outside of myself. That's a painful space to be in. The

life I envisioned and believed to be possible four decades ago is still evolving. The changes and

challenges that shape my current reality include a painful divorce, deep depression, chronic

illness, and weight issues. I've learned to embrace
disappointment and discouragement and see

the "shadow side" as a very important, and necessary, part of my journey. 



I’m grateful for clarity and contentment. I realize that enlightenment isn't a destination, it's an

unfolding journey that occurs everyday in every encounter, experience, thought, and feeling.

Sometimes the unfolding appears to be "positive" and sometimes it appears to be

"negative". I've learned that they both contain insights that support my next steps along the

path. I've discovered, and continue to find,  ways to tap into inner and outer resources that

remind me that, no matter what it looks like "out there", I can choose to respond with ease,

harmony, and grace "in here". 


Life Happens.


When life throws the unexpected at me, I’m sometimes

surprised that “life happened”. Sometimes I hear  an inner,

 critical voice that says...“That’s not supposed to happen,” or

“I should know better,” or “How come I didn’t see I was out of

balance?” or “What did I do to bring this on?” and I stop and

breathe. In those moments I know that I’m beating up on

myself for “attracting this” into my life, so it's my fault. Like

many of us, I sometimes have an active “spiritual tyrant”. It's

the voice that is neither kind or gentle when it tells me that

when life happens I'm not spiritual enough, or my karma is

bad or it's my fault that life isn't “perfect”.


And then I say: There has to be another way to be...


I hold the belief that there are no accidents.  Believing that

nothing is random brings with it a need to take responsibility

for what’s going on in my life without judging myself.
With

fresh eyes, I see that there’s a gift in everything that happens

if I choose to look for it. When something’s not working, I can

judge myself or I can ask: “What’s the gift in this?” or

“What’s this event, person, or circumstance trying to tell me?”

or “What’s the old story I’ve been telling myself, and listening

to?” or “What can I do differently so that I don’t have to get

this message in such a painful way?”



I delight in thanking the universe for the awesome way it

works and in remembering that it’s all good. We’re not meant

to suffer, although I can choose to…and that’s okay, too.

Getting the message, seeing my choices reflected back from

"out there" offers opportunities to love myself anyway, choose

again, and live a life of outrageous joy!


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We have within us a miraculous power,

and if we live our daily lives in mindfulness, 

if we take steps mindfully, with love and care,

we can produce the miracle 

and transform our world

into a miraculous place to live.

Thich Nhat Hanh (Cultivating the Mind of Love):          

I know in my heart that the world needs each of us and all parts of us...our intentions, our

passions, our dreams, our humanness, our spirituality and our practicality.

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Connect With Sheryl:

Phone: 970-221-3898

Location:



1101 E. Elizabeth St.

Fort Collins CO 80524

Serving Northern Colorado and
Southern Wyoming, including Cheyenne
and Laramie.

Click Location for directions and map.


    Questions? Comments? Contact Sheryl and she will get back to you, pronto!

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