Interview with Shera Cantrell,Contact: cbfmemphis@gmail.com (Memphis Children's Business Fairs or bookit4life@gmail.com (BookIt4Life Children's Book and Social Club)Facebook:@bookit4life and @cbfmemphisInstagram @bookit4life and @memphiscbfSummary: Shera Cantrell is a wife, mother, entrepreneur, literacy advocate, and community leader dedicated to empowering youth through literacy, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Alongside her twins, she co-founded BookIt4Life and helped transform a childhood book club into a nonprofit movement that creates opportunities for young people across Memphis.Keywords#generationallovecycle #SheraCantrell, #parentingtwins,#youthliteracy, #MemphisChildren #BusinessFairs, #BookIt4forLife, #children #entrepreneurship #motherhood #community #leadership #breakthecycleKey TopicsShera describes Book It for Life, founded by her twins at age eight in 2017, growing from a library book club meetup into a nonprofit focused on literacy, leadership, and youth development.The Memphis Children's Business Fairs give young entrepreneurs a chance to develop business ideas and present them to their community.Shera explains how her mother's example and the support of her aunts shaped her parenting after her mother died before Shera turned 30.Her guiding lesson: wanting something means pairing desire with action, while staying grateful for unexpected opportunities and open doors.As the twins’ projects grew, Shera learned to adapt in real time, vet opportunities, and support their ideas without taking ownership away from them.A utility-company sponsorship request led Shera to quickly create sponsorship packages, then let her children present their case to company representatives.Shera advises mothers to avoid comparing their household or children with what they see on social media; guidance must fit each family’scircumstances.Travel and unstructured time alone help Shera recharge beyond her roles as mother, wife, and community leader.With her twins preparing for college, BookIt4Life is transitioning toward literacy resources, including the Marcus and Maya Learning Coloring Books, and continued pop-up fairs.Takeaways There is no limit to what you can do if you want to do it.Want is not just the desire. Want is the desire plus applying everything that needs to be done to go along with it.You have to be thankful for where you are, what has happened, and what other door may have opened.You don't have to be famous or wealthy; you don't have to have a big platform just to make an impact on someone.Sometimes it just starts right in your own home with your own kids.We grew with what was occurring.Everyone's plan is not your plan.Comparison is a thief of joy.You have to do what is right for your child and your household.Just let me be me.Sound Bites "We're in real time growing""Everyone's plan is not your plan.""Comparison is a thief of joy."Chapters 00:00 Why this season centers on mothers building loving legacies02:26 Meet Shera Cantrell: family, service, and youth advocacy 04:17 How an eight-year-old’s book club became BookIt4Life05:13 Literacy, business fairs, and hands-on youth opportunity09:24 Sharing resources and making an impact close to home12:13 Parenting lessons shaped by her mother and aunts15:29 Pairing ambition with action and gratitude18:23 From a library meetup to five clubs across Memphis22:17 Letting the twins lead and pitch a corporate sponsor26:41 Travel, solitude, and recharging outside of family roles28:39 Why mothers should resist comparison on social media37:12 What's next for Book It for Life and the business fairsThank you for listening, sharing, and following!TimikaTransformational Guide and Coach & Study Strategist for Your NCLEX Prephttps://timikaschambers.com/