Finding Strength When Life Pivots + Resiliency with Cheri Warcholak Lohrey (Part 1)

Need a spark when your plans fall apart? We sit down with author and former educator Sherry Warshelik-Lowry to trace how a teenage car crash, a hard-won recovery, and an MS diagnosis shaped a life anchored in three simple words: pause, breathe, pivot. Her story isn’t a highlight reel; it’s a toolkit for real people navigating real change, from shifting careers to parenting through uncertainty to honoring a body that sometimes says “not today.”

Sherry takes us back to the blizzard day that upended her college checklists and rerouted her future. That early detour taught her how loss and luck often arrive together—and how meaning can appear in the aftermath. Years later, when MS entered the picture, she and her family chose presence over postponement. They reimagined trips, schedules, and expectations, proving that resilience can be gentle, resourceful, and practical: rent the golf cart, slow the pace, keep the joy. Along the way, Sherry found a voice as an international bestselling author, shaping her experiences into Powered by the Pivot and the children’s book Cleo the Caterpillar Can Pivot, with an audiobook crafted alongside her brother that turned storytelling into shared healing.

We unpack the structure that guides her work—honor what was, experiment with what is, and build what could be—and translate it into everyday steps you can try now. If you’re facing a diagnosis, a career shift, or a family change that hurts in all the tender places, this conversation offers language, perspective, and practical ideas to help you move without forcing a sprint. Press play for a warm, candid reminder that you don’t have to leap the chasm; you can turn, one steady pivot at a time.

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Chapters

• 0:06 Setting The Theme: Reigniting Resilience
• 0:18 Hosts Introduce The Journey Ahead
• 0:41 Casa Sagrada Event Anticipation
• 1:59 Meeting Sherry And Why She Matters
• 2:34 Sherry’s Bio And Mission To Pivot
• 4:11 The Teenage Accident That Changed Everything
• 9:41 Reframing A Life Upended
• 13:55 Diagnosis Story: From Triathlon To MS
• 18:37 Grief, Marriage, And Choosing Joy Now
• 20:25 Writing As Healing And Purpose
• 25:58 Building The Books: Pause, Breathe, Begin
• 28:37 Audiobook Therapy And Family Healing
• 30:35 Closing Thanks And Listener Actions