I write poetry and help people unleash their best selves.
Unleashing My Best Self
As a single mother and nontraditional student, I earned my BFA at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and my MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. With fifteen years in restaurant hospitality, ten years as a web designer and small business owner, and eighteen+ years in the study of writing, I bring creative perseverance to my work. I’m also hopelessly optimistic, a big-picture thinker, and energized by introspection.
Certified Coach
I decided to become a coach while working with a web client who wanted to explore personal stories to better understand herself as a professional artist and new solopreneur. To help her, I brought all my skills to the table in a way I hadn’t done before, but I needed to learn more. Once I discovered that coaching was my next growth opportunity, I became a Certified Life Coach (CLC) in the Life Purpose Institute (LPI) coach training program. LPI’s training programs are accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
As a coach, I help clients use their skills and knowledge to create a life more aligned to their values. I guide them through a process where they teach themselves about themselves. Self-exploration is an important part of my personal and professional life; it’s a strength I bring to each session. Addressing personal challenges built me a strong foundation from which to grow. I want to help others do the same.
Teacher and Speaker
I’m available for workshops, writing festivals, speaking, and poetry readings. I’m just starting to promote myself in this area, so more details to come soon. In the meantime, please connect with me through the online form, and let’s talk.
As an artist, I reinvent myself all the time. I know what it’s like to feel unmoored in a career, passionate about a vocation that doesn’t pay the bills, and determined to live a meaningful life. All of this while changing diapers, caretaking for a dying parent, hiking a mountainside, and dancing in the kitchen. Let’s connect and see how I can help you, your group, organization, or students unleash their best selves!
Author Bio
Cheryl Wilder’s collection, Anything That Happens, a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection (Press 53, 2021), was named Second Finalist in the Poetry Society of Virginia North American Book Award and received Honorable Mention in the Brockman-Campbell Book Award. Her forthcoming poetry collection (Press 53, 2024)—companion to her first full-length collection—is being supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and local grants administrator, Durham Arts Council. Her work appears in Crossing the Rift: North Carolina Poets on 9/11 & Its Aftermath (Press 53), Barely South Review, Verse Daily, Cream City Review, and Architects + Artisans, among other publications. Author of the chapbook, What Binds Us (Finishing Line Press, 2017), co-founder of Waterwheel Review, and 2022-24 president of the Burlington Writers Club, Cheryl earned her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, served as writer-in-residence at SistaWRITE, and held a residency at SAFTA.
