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About the Author
Welcome! I'm so excited that all three of my books, How to Like Yourself, The Resilience Workbook for Teens, and Real Talk About Sex and Consent are now available, published by New Harbinger! I had a blast writing each of them. I hope you get something out of them that can help you be whoever you want to be, and achieve whatever you want to achieve! The books go great together, or can be worked through separately, too.
My writing journey started with How to Like Yourself. I wrote this book when I was trying to find a good book to refer the students to on the topic of how to like yourself, I noticed something missing in the current self-help book selection – all the books that talk about this kind of stuff talked about LOVE. That's a big step to take when starting off any relationship. How to Like Yourself starts off where YOU start – at the beginning. Everyone knows that “like” comes before “love!” So I started writing some material to get students started on this idea, and it eventually turned into a book. I hope it helps people bridge the gap as they learn more about their relationship with themselves. As you read through it, you will learn about many of the most commonly misunderstood concepts in our modern world: forgiveness, confidence, rejection, and more. These building blocks are the keys to the most important relationship you will ever have - your relationship with yourself!
For my second book, The Resilience Workbook for Teens, I wanted to add a little something extra to the ideas and activities found in How to Like Yourself . I realized how hard it is for many young people to come in to counselling sessions or receive help (for so many different reasons!), so I wanted to do what I could to help make some of the ideas and exercises that I work through with people available on an even bigger scale. The more people that can get this kind of help, the better! Many of these exercises are step-by-step, word for word, what I work on with young people (and people of all ages) in one-on-one sessions. I wanted as many people to benefit as I could reach, as I know I can only see so many people one-on-one in my practice (and I am so often full or on a waiting list), so hopefully this can help reach and help even more people. When you put these two books together, you have a beautiful start to your self-growth journey.
Lastly, Real Talk About Sex and Consent is is topic I am personally invested in, for myself and for all the (too many) students and individuals I have seen through my office over the years with stories of their own. It was by far the hardest book of the three to write, but, possibly also the most important in its own right too. This book truly needs to become common reading in every household. I have also created a FREE online course to go with it (or on its own), and I have done a TEDx talk on consent (see above!).
Besides writing, I am a new Mom! Our daughter was born in May 2020, and our son was born in February 2023. We also have two rescue dogs, our golden retriever Baxter and his older sister Kiara, an Australian Shepherd and Keeshond mix. When I say “we,” I mean my husband Andrew and I. Andrew and I were married in the summer of 2013. He’s an amazing guy :) We met in high school and now live together near Waterdown, Ontario. I also spend time at the barn riding, when I get a chance. On weekends and evenings, I love hanging out with friends and family, particularly when it involves sushi or nachos. Prior to focusing solely on my private practice and my writing/speaking, I also worked as a counsellor/therapist at the University of Guelph for three years, and previously I worked as a counsellor at Sheridan College for almost four years prior to that, with a background in teaching, too. I have more book ideas on the back burner, hopefully in the near future I can get back to writing again soon!
I’m so glad you stopped by this page and I would love to hear more from you! You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram, or email me at cherylmbradshaw@gmail.com.
Cheers,
Cheryl M. Bradshaw
P.S. Don't forget to check out my blog, including Surviving Self Help Books: 5 Tips!
In the News:
Awards
Real Talk About Sex and Consent
Book Reviews
School Library Journal - “A truly vital and nuanced guide that is as empowering as it is educational.” (Starred review)
Kirkus Reviews - “Everyone learning to navigate sexual relationships should read this manual for total consent.”
CM Reviews - Canadian Review of Materials - 5 star review: “I highly recommend this book because it is comprehensive, current, engaging and the additional resources listed at the end are excellent.” (Highly recommended review)
Television
Global News Morning Show - Interview, 7 minutes
Articles
HuffPost - Books About Consent And Bodily Autonomy For Kids And Teens
Toronto.com - Waterdown Psychotherapist Gets Real About Sex and Consent in Book for Teens
TOTS - Thinking Outside The Sandbox - Having “The Consent Talk” With Your Kids
New Harbinger Blog - Why Quarantine is the Perfect Time to Teach Consent
Women’s Health Magazine - How to Reject Someone When You’re Not Interested
Book Time - Q&A on Real Talk About Sex and Consent
The Resilience Workbook for Teens
Television
Think Millenial - Roger’s TV - 15 minute interview on The Resilience Workbook for Teens
Podcasts and Radio
That Got Me Thinking - Podcast with Ellie Newman - 54 minute interview and discussion
Psych Up Live - with Dr. Suzanne Phillips - 55 minute radio interview
How to Like Yourself
Television
BT Breakfast Television, Calgary - Interview, 3 minutes
Global's The Morning Show - Interview, 3 mins
CogecoTV @Home Clip 1 - Interview and conversation (part 1), 6 minutes
CogecoTV @Home Clip 2 - Interview and conversation (part 2), 8 minutes
Radio and Podcasts
CBC Radio Fresh Air - with Mary Ito, 13 mins
Relationships 2.0 with Dr. Michelle Skeen, Radio/Podcast - 50 mins
Youth Empowerment Podcast with Daniel Bielak - 31 minutes on SoundCloud
PsychUP Podcast - with Dr. Suzanne Phillips, 55 minutes
General Articles and Features
New Harbinger Blog - Goals to Help Your Teen Clients Build Real-Life Resilience Skills
Today's Parent - How to help your kids like themselves more now
The Hamilton Spectator (this article also featured on TheRecord.com and Guelph Mercury Tribune)
The Flamborough Review - Interview and article (also featured in OurWindsor.ca)
New Harbinger Blog - Creating Trust in the Process of Self-Esteem Work
New Harbinger Blog - How to Tell If a Client Needs to Work on Her Relationship with Herself
The Flamborough Review - Teens face unprecedented challenges, pressures due to social media, say Waterdown youth workers
Bustle - 11 Habits of People in Healthy Relationships, According to Experts
Wear Your Label - Blog Post 1 - How to Like Yourself, Q&A with Cheryl Bradshaw
Wear Your Label - Blog Post 2 - Role Model, Cheryl Bradshaw
OCC - Ontario College Counsellors - Book Release Announcement
Sage Magazine: Secrets of Self-Care - Magazine Article Quoting Cheryl M. Bradshaw
Book Reviews
A Mighty Girl - New Release Round-up: 25 New Mighty Girl Books for Early Spring
6 Best YA Books of Summer 2016 - Foreword Reviews
Publishers Weekly - Book Review
School Library Journal - Book Review
Foreword Review - Book Review