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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

Articles

The Resilience Workbook for Teens

Television

Podcasts and Radio

How to Like Yourself

Television

Radio and Podcasts

General Articles and Features

Book Reviews