cheri britton: the perfection of imperfection
by melissa stanz

Professional speaker, facilitator, coach, HIV trainer and counselor, mom, wife… not in priority order. That depends on the moment. Cheri Britton is all of these and at least one more. She is one of the warmest, funniest women to grace this planet.

Not too long ago she was doing her professional thing from her home office when her four-year-old son Noah appeared. He was coated from head to toe with a slick, greasy substance that smelled suspiciously like motor oil. “Look, mom,” he exclaimed. “It feels soooo good!”

Cheri dissolved into laughter when she discovered that Noah was only emulating what he had seen her do, rubbing lotion on her body. But Noah’s “lotion” was used motor oil, kept in what she and her husband Chris thought was a safe container for recycling. Noah discovered the container, and decided to have a great time rubbing it all over himself. It took some time to degrease him, but Cheri stills laughs about it.

It’s all in a day for Cheri Britton, and she approaches her life much like she approached Noah’s “discovery”—with laughter, a sense of wonder, and a good dose of common sense.

Cheri’s life experience has led her to a rather unusual occupation—one that she is building today. She’s a professional motivational speaker, trainer and consultant, and she draws on years of teaching and training in the healthcare industry and her own vibrant personal life to connect with people in humorous and wise ways. She speaks to groups of business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs to help them recharge their batteries, to look at life a bit less seriously. She also conducts workshops with titles such as How to Get Your WOO (winning others over) On, From Burned-out to Fired-Up, and It Takes a Village to Raise Yourself. (Find out more at cheribritton.com.)

“I found that business people were just like me, trying to keep all the balls in the air, with no time for self care,” she commented. “I realized I had a gift for connecting with them in a humorous way, and I found I was comfortable showing my vulnerable side.”
A case in point—one of Cheri’s most important goals in life is to find ways she can be helpful. She knew she could help people by speaking professionally, but she had made up a story about herself that stopped her from doing just that. “My story was that I could not be a professional speaker because I was too fat, not attractive enough, very disorganized, simply NOT perfect…heck, I wouldn’t even wear pantyhose unless someone died. But I realized, thank God, that I could do it. I’m just a real person doing real things in real time, and my motto now is that imperfection is perfection!”

“My goal is to share that message with the world, especially women. It’s ok, no, it’s great to ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’—you don’t have to wait for things to be perfect. To me, the notion of balance is crap; I certainly don’t seem to have much in my life! It’s more important to inspire people, and I think it’s my imperfections that do that, along with humor, honesty, and authenticity. After all, who really wants to listen to people who are perfect…how boring! Give me someone with vices and a few skeletons in their closet any day.”

Many groups and organizations resonate with Cheri’s style. She was the keynote speaker at Asheville’s first Empower Me! Conference, and has spoken to large groups at the North Carolina Public Health Association Conference and the Clemson University Women’s Professional Development Conference. People who hear her speak are struck by her easy, conversational tone—it’s like she’s sitting in their den talking directly to them. Her audiences frequently describe her as “real”.

One very special program she facilitates is called the Em-Power-Me™ Experience. A full day, this program is for people who are ready to embrace new ideas, budding entrepreneurs or those ready to take their business to the next level. Cheri works with her client and about a dozen of that person’s friends, colleagues and mentors, hand picked by her client. The entire day is spent as one large focus group, using group exercises, journaling, and breakout groups totally focused on helping her client get clarity and a plan. People who have experienced this program rave about it, and many have used it as a catalyst for remarkable personal and professional growth.
“I feel very passionate about people who are trying to realize their visions, especially within community. This Em-Power-Me Experience really gives people a way to do that,” said Cheri.

There’s another side to this professional woman; a career that spans more than 18 years. Cheri provides the HIV Counseling, Testing, and Referral training for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services HIV/STD Prevention and Care Branch. She conducts this training through a subsidiary company she established called Whetstone Consultations. The training focuses on health care providers, social workers, outreach workers and administrators working in HIV/AIDS using a client-centered counseling model. She travels extensively throughout North Carolina to deliver these trainings.

Cheri's career began to take shape when she was in high school. After a family crisis, she started working with the rape crisis center. Then in college, she held an internship with Planned Parenthood followed by her first job at the Knox County Health Department. “HIV was new then, but they asked me to do counseling as part of my job,” Cheri recalled.

Shortly after getting married, she moved to North Carolina where she continued as an HIV Counselor in Charlotte. She did this for several years, but became burned out dealing with people who already had the virus. While working in Charlotte she attended graduate school so she could teach prevention, and after graduation became the Director of Education and Training for Planned Parenthood in Charlotte. In this position, she implemented a statewide training program to help professionals such as teachers, social workers, and nurses provide better services to their clients.

Although there may not appear to be much in common between the two businesses Cheri juggles so gracefully, she says her training in the healthcare field is invaluable to her professional speaking engagements. “All the things I’ve learned in healthcare are universal. Being able to talk about sensitive issues, and making sure people are seen and heard, those are the really essential things,” she reflected.

In case you’re counting, that’s two fulltime businesses, extensive travel, mom to a four-year-old son Noah and a nine-year-old daughter Sawyer, and wife to husband Chris. She is also the Vice President of Membership for the NSA Carolinas Chapter and soon to be on the board of the YWCA. Add that to chief cook, bottle washer, maid, and yard woman. And, just for good measure, Cheri also participates in a professional and personal woman’s group called GELT Girls, a group she treasures. So how does she do it?

“I ask for help… I pay, I trade—I know it takes a village to do it all. Then there are the things that I simply don’t do.” she laughed. “Like Scaaaaarlet says, Tomorrow is another day (hand on forehead for affect!)”

She uses an analogy to help her. She imagines she’s an air traffic controller at an airport, she gets to decide who lands next, in what order, focusing on the landing at hand. She is also grateful her children have a two-parent home and grateful for her husband Chris, knowing it takes both of them to keep things afloat. She also plays a lot, and covers things up.

“I’ve really lowered my housekeeping standards, and I think Erma Bombeck was a wise and insightful goddess,” she quipped. “I just try my best to stay present, to be in the moment.”

Part of being in the moment for Cheri is appreciating simple things, things that are joyful. For instance, she loves the way her kids smell after a bath (this lasts at least five minutes!), a great pee-in-your-pants laugh, good honest talks with women (and the occasional man), big dogs, and having someone fix meals for her. She also loves the “cover up.” “There is nothing more wonderful than new mulch, fresh paint, and a new Rubbermaid container—what you don’t see ain’t there,” she noted.

An extroverted extrovert, Cheri understands that to most fully experience her life, she must tell people about it. That’s why she loves to share her stories, why she speaks professionally, and why she loves her work.

“Every day is a choice, for all of us. Some days I want to be whiny and some days I want to change the world. You know, there’s always a cup of spoiled milk in my car, I haven’t seen the bottom of my laundry pile in years, and I make reservations better than I make dinner. All of that is just fine. My responsibility is to be true, honest, and help others see the beauty in themselves. My gift and my release is laughter (and occasionally tears)…it works for me!” she concluded.

Melissa Stanz, MA, is a freelance writer, editor, and marketing communications professional in Asheville, NC. She creates communications plans, and writes copy for newsletters, web sites, brochures, press releases, ads and other print and broadcast materials for a variety of local and national clients. She loves to write feature stories, and satisfies her natural curiosity about the world by connecting deeply with people to tell their stories. When she’s not writing, she’s most often found outside walking with her husband, her chocolate lab, or riding her horse in the magical WNC mountains.
[ melissastanz@bellsouth.net ]