Career Coach & Strategist: Sherry Smalls owner of "Reinvented Destiny"
Career Coach & Strategist: Sherry Smalls owner of "Reinvented Destiny"
Sherry Smalls is a career coach, small business strategist, and owner of Reinvented Destiny. This Maryland web-based company was created as a result of years in workforce development both professionally and personally and countless hours spent helping friends, family, and co-workers tap into their passions and find their voices to articulate what they really wanted from a career and to discover marketable ways to relay this to employers. My strong passion for human services coupled with my background in Psychology always led me to listen and want to help. However, after years of school and experience I realized I was still lost trying to find my career title…who was I and what did I want to “become”. Instead of listening to the inner voice that told me to pursue what I loved. Which was being in control of my own career, I hid behind the decision that I needed more degrees to arrive at this pinnacle of success. Two master’s degrees later and I was still lost, working aimlessly and denying myself true freedom. I feared entrepreneurship because I was afraid to fail, afraid to take a risk on myself, and afraid that no one would “get it”. But after becoming a mother something inside of me switched; having to be accountable to three beautiful black boys I did not want to look at them and pass on any of my fears. I knew that I had something great to offer to not only friends and family but also my community. This community includes mothers, individuals with disabilities, those whose story may include incarceration but are now looking for a second chance, the lost college student who was taught to just go to school but has absolutely no clue what the next steps are for this thing called life, and to the small business owners who have a dream but little resources. I believe people have the innate gifts and talents they need in order to achieve their goals but most often need guidance and permission to locate those gifts within themselves. Reinvented Destiny means deciding to change your course and make an individualized path, regardless of the obstacles or stage a person is in. We each have the ability to consciously control our future. I seek to be an impelling force in that journey to success.
Since Reinvented Destiny’s inception, I have worked with several individual clients, and small groups. Partnered with a local premiere online gospel radio station to execute their vision by securing national sponsorship. Assist in creating pertinent business and community relationships for additional resources and support. Successfully co-created and promoted local events to engage listening audience and increase awareness of the station. Additionally, I have maintained ongoing relationships with startup businesses such as Hanover, Maryland based holistic wellness company to provide strategic goals, establish foundational structure of business model, offer advice on social media visibility, as well as, promotional and marketing ventures to increase capital.
As a career coach and business strategist I enjoy working with young and/or future entrepreneurs and understand the complexities that come with stepping out to pursue a dream. We live in a society where there is so much education and talent in our communities that ownership should be highly regarded and emphasized. Several pieces of advice I would love to pass on to this population include taking the time to learn what you are passionate about, what your skill sets are and how it translates into a marketable source of income. A good place to start is looking at what you naturally gravitate toward, discover what a career in that field would look like. Be realistic with where you are and what you can commit to; be sure that you are invested in pursuing a business and not creating just a hobby. You have to make your business venture the priority which often means leaving your comfort zone and being in a place of vulnerability. DO NOT look for validation or ask permission to be great…realize you are great. Access what your strengths and weaknesses are, and be open to utilize your community for help whether it’s a career coach to keep you on task and accountable, a web designer etc., realize getting help does not equal failure. Let your voice have authority, use that voice to make connections, to engage your community, and to network. Multiple streams of income are beneficial. No matter what stage you are in with your business you can be a help to someone and someone can be a help to you. Lastly life happens, it is okay to take a step back, re-evaluate, refocus, “reinvent” and continue on your path toward greatness.
Sherry C. Smalls M.H.A., M.B.A.
(443) 256-3637
http://www.reinventeddestiny.com/
Multi-Dimensional Musician Jasmin "Jazzo" Walters
Musician Jasmin "Jazzo" Walters Baltimore, MD
Jasmin "Jazzo" Walters. Intoxicating. Electric. Hypnotic. Contagious. These are just a few words used to describe the Jazzo experience. This Massachusetts born, Maryland raised artist was exposed to creativity at a very young age. She wrote her first mixtape at twelve years old using a karaoke machine and cassette tapes. She went on to pursue acting and dance before deciding to return to music. Jazzo is not limited to her sound. She is a professional dancer and choreographer, writer, poet, and producer. She aspires to direct and act again, she enjoys painting and crafts and she has a knack for marketing, branding and advertising. Her drive and imagination is unmatchable. Jazzo has so much more to show you. Keep listening.
Inspiration:
Experience. Adversity. Observation. Jazzo has a unique way of transforming adversity and experience into masterpieces. She is her most vulnerable while creating. She has learned to use art as safe, therapeutic space through the observation and emulation of her multi-talented family members/friends and iconic legends such as Erykah Badu, Sade, Dido, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott.
Advice:
"We spend so much time thinking through decisions. Valuable, valuable time that we waste because of our fear. Every second we spend debating whether or not we are good enough or whether or not we will succeed, someone else is using to build. Hesitation will leave you without your aspirations. Talent does not succeed without hard work. And hard work supersedes talent when the talented do not take initiative." -Jasmin "Jazzo" Walters