The Reluctant Ninja Strikes Again!

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Uncategorized.

This March marks the 4th year anniversary of the release of my second book, “The Reluctant Ninja: How a Middle-Aged Princess Became a Warrior Queen.” Being an author is exciting, rewarding, and terrifying. Putting yourself out there for all the world to read (and judge) your work is incredibly intimidating, and vulnerable. Sometimes you wonder if it was worth all the hard work and effort. Or if anyone is even paying attention. And then you get an email like this: Hello Cheryl, Our community gathers twice a year for The Book Feast, yet the real momentum builds beforehand through live reader conversations, podcast features, and coordinated engagement around selected titles. When I came across The Reluctant Ninja, it immediately stood out as a story that blends discipline, humor,...

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Celebrating Small Victories

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

Ahh, small victories! They might not seem like much, and far too often we shrug them off as no big deal. Sometimes even simply getting out of bed in the morning is a victory. But is it worth celebrating? Even before my husband and I moved from Denver to a small town in Missouri, I joined a local writers group and enjoyed vibrant email exchanges with the group leader. But after we arrived, I just couldn’t bring myself to attend the monthly meetings, and kept finding excuses why I couldn’t attend. I was unpacking, I was too busy, I was exhausted, I had to do the laundry, walk the dogs, etc. Any excuse would suffice. It took 4 months before I finally put on my big girl pants and drove the 3 short minutes to the coffee shop downtown where the meetings are held. It’s no surprise...

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New Year, New Look, & the Path of Least Resistance

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

I’m delighted to announce that Cheryl Ilov International is celebrating the new year with a new name and a new look. Honestly, I never felt comfortable with the name, for several reasons. First of all, it felt pretentious. Next, it certainly didn’t represent the type of work I do. Finally, I wasn’t the one who chose it. Several years ago, in 2017, I had started working with a highly sought after and well known business coach in Denver, who recommended the change to elevate my profile to a higher level. After much convincing, I reluctantly agreed. Then I discovered that all of his clients had the same template; Their Name International. It felt weird, and for several years I thought about changing it. The opportunity came as a blessing in disguise. When I moved to Missouri...

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Ring in the New Year Without the Resolutions

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

I am not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions, because I believe it sets the stage for high expectations, unrealistic results, and ultimately the feeling of failure. What a terrible way to start a new year! I have a better idea. Many years ago, I heard that what you do on New Year’s Day is what you will do for the rest of the year. I’m not sure if that is true or just a superstition, but isn’t it interesting that our actions on New Year’s Day might set the tone for the rest of the year? It’s an interesting concept, and it made me start thinking. What if, instead of making lofty (and often unrealistic) New Year’s Resolutions, why not flip the script, and focus on the present day, the first day of another New Year, and set the scene for the best year...

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Man Plans, God Laughs

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

As I was saying in my previous post, I was living large and loving life, working full time as the day shift supervisor in the Respiratory Therapy department of a local hospital, thoroughly enjoying my single life after swearing off of men and dating forever. Our department was full of young, single women. It was also full of therapists from other hospitals moonlighting at ours, since we had a reputation for paying well and not over-working our employees. As a result, there was a steady flow of applicants showing up for interviews. A lot of those applicants happened to be male, much to the delight of the women in the department. As I was making my rounds one afternoon, my pager went off with a message from the secretary to call the department STAT. STAT….if you’ve ever watched...

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Home Sweet Home

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

As I was saying in my previous post, I was living large and loving life in Colorado. It was my home now, and there was no going back. I was in my early 20s, had a good job, a lovely little apartment in a great neighborhood, and access to the best skiing on the planet. Life was great! Then along came boyfriend #2. He was a nice looking guy and fun to be around. At first. Unfortunately, he was also very needy and clingy. Where as boyfriend #1 was controlling and manipulative, this one was trying to smother me to death. Being around him felt like having a python wrapped around my chest. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t go anywhere without him, and if I did, he would whine about it for days on end. As a side note here, a grown man whining is not very attractive or appealing. And definitely...

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Time to Say Good-Bye

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's View.

We have all heard that there is a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. I’d like to add that there is also a time to leave, and timing is everything. In 1978, just 3 days after graduating college, I left my childhood home, my friends, my family, and the only life I had known in a small steel town in Western Pennsylvania to move to Denver, Colorado. I was 21 years young. Full disclosure, there was a man involved in my decision. One who had my entire life planned out for me without my knowledge, or my consent. He was my first boyfriend. After that relationship I’m surprised he was not my last. He was 4 years older than me, and was constantly telling me what (and what not) to do, as well as how to behave around his friends. Needless to say, I did not...

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Garden Grown Tomato Soup

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

It’s September, and if you have a garden, you are fortunate enough to enjoy a healthy harvest of fresh vegetables, including my personal favorite, home grown garden tomatoes. My garden was able to grow some spectacular tomatoes this year, in spite of the relentlessly hot, dry weather we experienced all summer. There is nothing better than home grown tomatoes, as well as the many options for enjoying them. This year I was compelled to try something new with my incredibly sweet, mouth watering, and delicious tomatoes. After all these years, I tried my hand at fresh tomato soup with a recipe I came across in the first cookbook I ever bought right after I moved to Denver after graduating college. I had no idea if the recipe was any good, or if I was wasting perfectly good tomatoes by trying...

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Cheryl’s Colorful One Pot Pasta Toss

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Cheryl's Kitchen.

I really don’t love to cook. I used to, but I’m just kind of “over it” right now. But, I do like to eat, and don’t like to eat out or order take out, either. Not only is it outrageously expensive these days, but I want to be the one in charge of the ingredients that go into my meals. I’m a control freak, and wear it as a badge of honor. Recently my husband was out of town for a few days and I had the luxury of either cooking or having a nice meal of cheese and crackers for dinner. Scrounging through my pantry, I was inspired by a bag of tortellini, punctuated by  the basil plant sitting on my window sill perched beside a bunch of fresh tomatoes I bought the day before. My creative juices started to flow and my brain went into overdrive. Using those 3 simple...

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An Epic Martial Arts Movie?

Written by Cheryl on . Posted in Ninja Notes.

I recently posted my less than stellar editorial book review I received last year after my book, “The Reluctant Ninja: How A Middle-Aged Princess Became A Warrior Queen.” was released to the world. Fortunately, that review did not break my spirit. Instead, I was able to shake it off and move on, which is a skill I developed with my martial arts training. I’m glad I didn’t let it get to me, because the second one I received had an entirely different opinion, and here it is. As reviewed by FF of Readers’ Favorite: “Betrayed by a predator hidden in plain sight as a medical practitioner, Cheryl found herself battling PTSD and alone with nobody to talk to and share her traumatic experience with. Fortunately, Cheryl’s acupuncturist convinces her to take...

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