Cheryl Magazine | Winter 2021 | Tanya Turner by cherylmagazine

WINTER 2021

Cheryl

Meet

New York Times

Best-Selling Author

POLOTE-WILLIAMSON™

Kimberla Lawson One of Roby USA Today’s

MAGAZINE

CHOOSE YOU!

100 Black Novelists You Should Read

TANYA TURNER

The Power To Change The Course of History Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard National President of The Links, Inc. and Creative Consultant on the movie Soul

the

female founder

RACHEL SIPPERLEY TECH ROCK STAR Turns Simple Idea Into $4 Million Brand

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FROM THE DESK OF CHERYL POLOTE WILLIAMSON

IT’S A NEW DAY! I

’ve never been shy about my purpose. Whether or not I will serve my calling in excellence has never been in question or under fire. If you know me at all, you know that I’m a fearless leader. That’s not to brag, but then again, yeah, it is. I am bold in my pursuits. There has never been a NO that has swayed me. I radically and emphatically believe in and trust God (with respect to anyone else’s fueling power or whatever gets them through the day. Not here to battle, just here to say, GOD is MY source). I cast vision. I pray. I speak affirmations daily. I project outcomes. I give generously and religiously. I win. The end. This is my thought life, belief system, and proven activity. But somehow, beyond the conviction on which I stand and the confidence in which I walk, something new is dawning. There’s a really dope version of me emerging. There is another level with my name on it. And not only am I committed to seizing this new day, but I am also dedicated to bringing other phenomenally made, like-minded women along with me. We celebrate this inaugural printed version of Cheryl Magazine by bringing you the grace, class, style, and power of this country’s far-most leading yet unsung women. Some of them you know, some you will come to know, but all of them, gifts to their perspective fields of endeavor. I am excited about our move to a print publication and look forward to delivering quality content and a fresh look on a familiar model. But mostly, I am excited about the work of Cheryl Magazine—lifting the voices of capable, daring, inspiring women who spark change on the local, national, and international level, and the equally amazing women we serve. It’s a new day. There’s excitement in the air. Cheryl Magazine: the lifestyle and women’s empowerment magazine is here! I feel invincible. I feel on top of the world! I’m excited about what lies before us and the stories that we will tell along this journey. As the song goes, “I’m a bad girl and my friends bad too.” You’re about to find out exactly how true that is. Enjoy the ride! Love,

Cheryl EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Williamson Media Group, LLC 6101 Long Prairie Road Box 744 #269 Flower Mound, TX 75028 info@cherylmagazine.com Please include your name, mailing and email addresses, and telephone number with any correspondence. Cheryl Magazine is not responsible for returning unsolicited manuscripts.

Editorial Email

editorials@cherylmagazine.com TO SELL CHERYL MAGAZINE IN YOUR STORE info@cherylmagazine.com ISSN: 2766-6360 (Digital) Cheryl Magazine a lifestyle and women’s empowerment publication, is a Cheryl Polote Williamson, LLC (CPW) quarterly produced by Williamson Media Group, LLC (WMG) 6101 Long Prairie Road, Box 744 #269, Flower Mound, TX 75028. Periodicals postage paid at Flower Mound, TX and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send changes of address to Cheryl Magazine 6101 Long Prairie Road, Box 744 #269, Flower Mound, TX 75028. Subscribers allow 4-6 weeks for change of address to become effective. Subscriptions ordered are non-cancellable and non-refundable unless otherwise promoted. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited materials. All rights in letters sent to Cheryl Magazine will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as subject to unrestricted right to edit and to comment editorially. Request for permission to reprint should be sent to The Permissions and Reprints Department by emailing info@cherylmagazine.com and placing “Request for permission to reprint” in the subject line. The title Cheryl Magazine is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Contents copyright © 2020 by Williamson Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Nothing can be reprinted in whole or in part without express written permission from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. P. 4 | Cheryl MAGAZINE

CHERYL MAGAZINE

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Keaira English Michelle Franklin Mark Paul Gregory Kimberly Lee

OPERATIONS Creative Director | Shannon Skipper-Green Business and Media Director | Kymberli Williams media@cherylmagazine.com Sales & Marketing Director | Tammy Woodard sales@cherylmagazine.com Project Director | Danette Brown

WILLIAMSON MEDIA GROUP, LLC EXECUTIVE President | Russell Williamson Chief Executive Officer | Cheryl Polote Williamson Chief Information Officer | Traci Henderson Smith

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 Year (4 Quarterly Issues) US $80 Canada $101.58 CAD | International (Digital only) 1 Year (4 Digital Downloads) US $20

Cheryl

CONTENTS faith edition WINTER 2021 | ISSUE #6

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COVER STORY: Choose You!

COVER STORY: Bee Good to Yourself

CEO and Founder of TANYA & CO. Luxe Designs Tanya Turner shares her story of living a life of abundance and how to reach your highest self!

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The Power to Change The Course of History Dr. Kimberly Jeffries Leonard

National President of The Links, Inc. and Creative Consultant on the movie Soul

Meet CEO, public service enthusiast, woman of faith, wisdom walker, and God-inspired entrepreneur Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.

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Tech Rock Star Turns Simple Idea into a $4 Million Brand

Author, One of USA Today’s 100 Black Novelists You Should Read

Rachel Sipperley The Female Founder

LIFESTYLE

Kimberla Lawson Roby Meet New York Times Best-Selling

FEATURED ARTICLES

From Family to Finances, get insight that will help strengthen and empower your life!

Interviews, Tips, and the Latest in Entertainment

P.20 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Building on the Promised Land Cheryl “Action” Jackson

P.36 OMG! Faith, Food, & Purpose

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Daddy Issues with Tess Alexandria

Loyalty can be Blinding

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The Gentleman’s Voice

What Women Should Know

with Mark Paul Gregory

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Foxxy Wizdom with Charmaine Roots Castillo

You’re More than a Bird

Felicia Guimont

P.38 May I have Your Ticket? Thriving in a Pandemic Dr. Madge L. Barnes, MD P.42 Tips for Engaging with the Media Keaira English

P.46 NEW MUSIC REVIEW:

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Why Investing in Your Wardrobe Is Important

Simone Bridges Inspires

The Good Person Leaves an Inheritance

Style Matters with Keri Henderson

#GIRLPOWER! Money Talk with Traci Henderson Smith with Roni M. Benjamin

KORYN HAWTHORN Kimberly Lee

P.50 Author’s Corner P.54 Leadership Development and the Broken Bridge Michelle Franklin

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CHOOSE TanyaTurner

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COVER STORY

anya M Turner, The Redesign Your Life Strategist, Founder, and CEO of TANYA & CO. Luxe Designs, is, among other things, dedicated to helping women foster self-awareness. As the founder of The Mending Center, LLC, her focus is on amplifying women’s gift(s) and assisting them with relieving emotional baggage. According to Turner, The Mending Center is where women can transform and learn to live a better life. She shares with the damaged, hurting, or burdened the same tools she used to reshuffle, refocus, rearrange, and redesign her life. Surviving a personal battle with depression, Turner has a passion for guiding women bound by their past towards fruitful, productive journeys where they gain a greater appreciation for the best versions of themselves. “That is my purpose,” she says. Author of Reshuffle the Deck, co-author of Boss’d Up on Purpose, and the best-selling Soulful Prayers, Tanya Turner has also dubbed herself The Luxury Lifestyle Influencer. Inner healing and self-care go hand-in-hand. Turner has masterfully woven together the two premises to create the luxury lifestyle brand, TANYA & CO. Luxe Designs featuring The Queen Collection and premium quality products that exude elegance, richness, comfort, décor, fragrance, and style fit for a Queen. When asked why she went into business for herself, Turner’s reply may sound familiar to entrepreneurs who decided to turn pain into purpose, and too, discovered how to make money doing what they love. “I started my business because I wanted to equip myself with financial freedom, wealth, and build a legacy.

By Traci Henderson Smith Managing Editor

It’s my goal to be a multi-generational wealth builder. I want to give [my family] an opportunity to have freedom in every area of their life. I got the idea to start my business because I wanted to make money doing something I love to do while having a meaningful impact on others. I want to supply women with the tools they need to choose themselves, adjust their crown, and know their worth. I understand the struggle personally. I have gone through painful experiences and deep hurts. I grew up feeling unloved, abandoned, and rejected by my parents, which caused me to carry emotional baggage— feelings of rage, resentment, rejection, abandonment, and low self-esteem for the majority of my life. I learned how to live beyond the past by fostering self-awareness, alleviating emotional baggage, amplifying my gifts, and appreciating the woman I am today. Above all else, I CHOSE ME! I am now passionate about teaching others to choose them—their P. 7 | Cheryl MAGAZINE

“My mother was a giver, I learned from her.” - Cheryl “Action” Jackson

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Building on the

PROMISEDLAND

A n E XC LU S I V E S t o r y w i t h C h e r y l “A c t i o n” J a c k s o n

By Traci Henderson Smith Manag ing Editor

hen you are Oprah’s favorite, there is no question about your influence and impact. Dr. Cheryl “Action” Jackson has become a household name among the powerful, including businesspersons, celebrities, professional athletes, sports franchise owners, and has won the heart of talk show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. Jackson, keynote speaker, award-winning social entrepreneur, author, television host, and producer, is nicknamed for being a woman of ACTION! She has persevered from experiencing hunger to providing for children and families through her awardwinning organization, Minnie’s Food Pantry, a charity she founded to honor her mother, the late Dr. Minnie Hawthorne Ewing. “My mother was a giver,” Jackson told Cheryl Magazine. “I learned from her. My grandmother owned a corner store. She was the ice cream lady, except she never sold any ice cream. She would always give it away. She would tell me all the time that if you give, it will come back to you. I’d say, that’s great granny, but we’re never going to be rich if you don’t sell something. Before she died, my mom promised my granny that the world would know her name. After her passing, my mother founded Helen’s House. For years she ran the non-profit bearing her mother’s name and fed children and families

in honor of her mother. I used to be the voice of Helen’s House. I helped my mom serve and care for families. Then, one day, I decided I wanted to do for my mother what she had done for hers. I wanted the world to know her and how hard she worked. I wanted the world to know her name. My mother would not hear of it. She didn’t want her name out front. She expressed her love for her mother and how she just wanted to keep honoring her. I told her I wanted to do the same thing. My grandmother passed without seeing the work my mother would go on to do in her name. I didn’t want that. I started Minnie’s Food Pantry. My mother was furious. She was so mad at me. I ended up telling her to go pray. I told her to pray about it and then tell me what God said. She prayed about it and then told me God said for her to take her hands off me. She told me that God was going to bless me, and people would know me all over the world. She said that billionaires were going to give to me and support me. She lived long enough to see parts of her prophecy come to pass. God is good!” Under Jackson’s leadership, Minnie’s has distributed over 15 million meals to children and families in need. “I started out with two cans of corn,” said Jackson. “Now we have four locations in three states.” Minnie’s Food Pantry has expanded its headquarters from a 500 square foot building to a 28,000 square foot building complete with a Learning Lab

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