MEET CHERIE
Cherie Kephart is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, editor, and writing coach. A graduate of the University of Auckland, New Zealand with an MA in Medical and Cultural Anthropology with First Class Honors, Cherie also holds a BA in Communications from UCSD, and a Certification in Scientific and Technical Writing. She is also a Reiki Master, Breath Facilitator, and Certified Laughter Yoga Leader. She is passionate about inspiring people on their personal transformation, wellness, and writing journeys.
You’ll find Cherie near her home in San Diego walk-dancing on the beach, laughing for absolutely no reason, meditating and practicing yoga with her cat Jade, and expressing gratitude for every breath.
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR
Raised in Venice, California, Cherie longed to travel and experience the way other people lived. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia on a water sanitation and health education project, Cherie returned to the United States with an African souvenir she didn’t expect:
a mysterious illness. She fell severely ill and almost died, leaving her with symptoms that went undiagnosed for many years. This inspired Cherie to write her memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing, taking the reader on a powerful and entertaining journey through her adventures and search for life-saving answers.
Her memoir has won several awards and received an outpouring of heartfelt responses, motivating Cherie to write a companion book, The Healing 100: A Practical Guide to Transforming Your Body, Mind, and Spirit. Her third book, Poetry of Peace, is a rare and poignant collection of poems that celebrate the decadence and darkness of life.
Her essays, stories, and poems have appeared in publications and events such as the A Year in Ink, San Diego Writers Ink Anthology, the SDMWA Memoir Showcase Anthology, the San Diego Poetry Annual, the Magee Park Poets Anthology, the Oceanside Literary Art Walk, the Wild Lemon Project, and the Transform Your Life classes.
COFOUNDER - TRANSFORMATIONAL AUTHORS
OF SAN DIEGO
Cherie is a cofounder of the Transformational Authors of San Diego, a collective of authors whose books focus on all aspects of well-being, guiding readers on a journey toward deeper personal growth and evolution. You can read their most recent article, Nurturing Intimacy in Relationships.
INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER & PRESENTER
Cherie’s personal life is a testimony to the power of the human spirit. She exemplifies perseverance, passion, and personal growth and has a unique and powerful style of engaging and uplifting her audiences. Cherie has had the opportunity to speak in many capacities and venues including: author events, book clubs, book festivals, bookstores, commencement ceremonies, conferences, corporations, healing and wellness groups, high schools, libraries, museums, street fairs, writers’ conferences, and writing clubs/groups.
For the past five years, Cherie is on staff at the Southern California Writers’ Conference in San Diego and Irvine. The topics of her workshops and talks include: Healing through Writing Memoir, Invisible Ink, Non-fiction Read & Critique, Soul Therapy: The Spirit of Writing, and her most recent, Slice of Life: Shaping Your Memoir’s Story.
In 2019, Cherie was honored to give the commencement speech at her alma mater, UCSD Eleanor Roosevelt College, in which she inspired more than 15,000 people on how to transform the way they encounter fear. In that same year, she was invited to attend and speak at a Renaissance Weekend in Ojai, California lead by Ambassador Philip & Linda Lader. Cherie presented in several sessions including First Person, Great Journeys: Insights into Remarkable Lives and Get Well Done: Vital Ingredients for Younger, Healthier Tomorrows.
EDITOR & WRITING COACH
Whatever you are creating, Cherie will guide you on your writing path, illuminating what you cannot see while elevating your words to match your deepest and truest intent. Her expertise is grounded in her ability to help you clarify your message and connect you better with your writing process, which she believes is the art of mastering writing from your soul.
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