Meet SheriLynn Alcala | Author/Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with SheriLynn Alcala and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi SheriLynn, what role has risk played in your life or career?
One thing I have learned in my life is that everything is a risk. In fact, I believe that the biggest risk is not taking any risk.

When we are kids we are encouraged to dream big, crazy, uninhibited dreams. Imagination is encouraged. However, as we get older all of a sudden we are told to scale back, be practical and realistic. It is like there is this box we are supped to fit into and heaven forbid we dream outside of the box.

I am not sure when I stopped dreaming but I did. I will never forget being a couple of years into my marriage with 2 small babies both in diapers. My husband and I did everything we were told to do, went to college, got our degrees, yet we were living this life so far from the American dream. I was staying home with our two young daughters and he was working full time. I felt like my days all ran together and I was just running on this hamster wheel of life. We were living paycheck to paycheck and I had let go of any and every dream I once had for my life. At this moment, I was just drifting.

Not long after I saw a girl on social media sharing about a health and wellness company with a business opportunity. I was intrigued, I wanted to get back in shape, I wanted to be able to bring in a second stream of income for my family, but I was scared. I doubted my ability, I was fearful of what other people might think & I didn’t want to put myself out there and fail. But you know what, I was even more scared to live a life wondering “what if?”. So I mustered up the 5 seconds of courage to let go of fear and say yes. That story ends with me going to the top of the company, building a multi-million dollar business, but most importantly getting to lead a team of tens of thousands of women and encourage them to keep dreaming big for their life! When I took the risk it seemed so impossible but I love what Nelson Mandela once said, “ It always seems impossible, until it’s done.”

A couple of years ago I had a dream to write a book. I wanted to share some of my stories and encourage women to take their dreams off of the back burner and bring them to the forefront but I was scared and had insecurities. As a child, I couldn’t read until my second time in 3rd grade at 10 years old, I have numerous learning disabilities and if I am going to be honest I felt dumb for most of my life. Although I knew without a shadow of a doubt the Lord put this book on my heart I was terrified to potentially waste time I didn’t have and then have it be a flop. But once again I had to make a decision. Do I want to live a safe life in my comfort zone or do I want to take a risk by sharing my story and hopefully have it impact other peoples’ lives? I had to try. I opened up my laptop and chicken pecked a 50,000-word manuscript. Through a series of events, I ended up being signed by the Fedd Agency, and my book “You Can Do Hard Things” was published and released in August of 2020. Thousands of copies of my book have been sold both hard copy and on audible and I am actually working on a second book now. The girl who struggled to learn to read is now an author… but God!

So what is my point in all of this? It is simply, no risk, no story. I could also share story after story of times I risked and failed but you know what? I failed forward. I learned, I grew, I gained a testimony and I tried again. Many of my setbacks became my greatest setups! So why not just go for it? Start that business, begin the blog or book, pursue that passion & stop saying tomorrow. I believe you are reading this, right now for such a time as this.

Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” That verse tells me that there is so much more for my life and your life than we can even imagine. We were not created to stay inside a box and live small. We each have a world that only we can change and impact so let’s all decide to take risks and pursue those dreams we have pushed to the back burner. Let this be your sign that the time is now. We only have one life to live so let’s make the most of it. I truly believe that the future belongs to risk-takers!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the DFW area. I think the Dallas Arboretum is a hidden gem! We go there during the fall to see the pumpkin display, during Christmas to walk through the 12 days of Christmas, during the spring to see the tulip blooms and you can not forget the summer evening concerts on the lawn. I love eating at the Star District in Frisco. Heirloom Haul for brunch with my girlfriends, Trophy Park for bowling/dinner with the kids and Dee Lincolns for a date night with my husband. Legacy West in Plano is also a fun one stop shop! Tons of eateries, shopping and even one of the 3 Starbucks Reserves in Texas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My children are my WHY! Because of them I chose to dream again. They make me want to be better, worker harder & live a life with no regrets. I want them to grow up knowing they truly can do all things through Christ who gives them strength.

Website: SheriAlcala.com

Instagram: @SheriAlcala

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherilynn.couvdosalcala