Dr. Sharilyn Ray: From Homeless Teen to CEO Leading Child Welfare Reform in Kansas

[0:16]  Welcome back. Our next guest says, "I went over a year without a paycheck paycheck funding the agency out of my own pocket. Why? Because when God says fill the gap, you move even it breaks you first." So, Dr. Sheron, thank you so much. Do I got to call you doctor? By the way,

[0:30]  you do not have to call me doctor.

[0:33]  That's only in spaces where I have to demand that respect.

[0:37]  I got it. I got it. No, I appreciate you. Uh, so you walked away, let's talk about it. You walked away from a secure clinical career to start this agency from scratch. What was the moment you knew this was more than a job? It was actually a calling.

[0:49]  Well, um, I like I was in private practice and I was doing that work. I had already been in child welfare and honestly I was like I'm not really making the impact that I want to. I was telling my husband every day, "Honey, I think I'm going to get fired today because in the name of what's right when it comes to the kids and advocacy, I would say whatever to whoever um regardless of title and um when you're working for somebody else, that's not always the best policy for them. Um and so when I went into private practice, my mind was set on that. poured in a lot of money getting that clinic going with other clinicians. And then maybe about three months in, I got a call on my personal phone and the person was like, I heard that you got you were starting a child placing agency. I want to be one of your first homes. And then I was like, okay, I know I talked about this. I prayed about this. Um, but one home really isn't enough. So, I was like, that was my excuse of not being obedient.

[2:08]  And then I got

[2:10]  more calls. And then it was like, okay, God, I hear you. It's time to just doesn't matter about the how I'm going to, who's going to help, any of that. It was God is telling me what I need to do. It doesn't get any clearer than multiple people calling you when you don't even have an agency started don't know how they got your number or anything. Let's let's just do this. So with a lot of prayer, family supports and I had some friend supports and that just got going submitted the application. Um came back when got approved. I ended up having to move out of a clinical practice spot and find a office space. I was able to locate very reasonable office space considering I was starting with zero funds as far as the agency goes. And God provided

[3:12]  and it wasn't like the floodgates open, right? There was still there was still those having to go up them steps like he showed you it was possible.

[3:19]  But you talk about you were you didn't pay yourself a whole year. you're making sure everybody else gets paid. I mean, where's your mindset there? I can only imagine that's a little difficult.

[3:27]  So, the thing was I just continued to believe that if God tells me to do it, he's going to provide. I don't have anything to worry about. So, I kept doing private practice in that space and along with racking up some credit card bills on me and my twins um personal cards and God was providing. So, even though we racked all that up, he figured out a way, well, he made a way

[3:58]  to get all that paid off. Um, I knew that I couldn't do the entire agency by myself and people are only going to work so long on this is God's will when they have a family to take care of themselves. And so I hired I want to say there was at least three or four paid employees before I even got a first paycheck from the agency.

[4:29]  And God is so good cuz he would definitely do that to you. You're talking about the uh racking up on those those credit cards and just doing whatever it takes really to just have faith and and show God that you're you're invested into this like whatever it takes. Those moments ain't easy. I I remember the same. Okay. having to max out a credit card and be like, "God, all right, this card is maxed out now. Which one do I use now? There's no others." And really, the door just started to open. But when you um have faith, when you believe, when you make those sacrifices, God will definitely uh um you know, gift you for all those things. And clearly, you're here today. How many years have you been in business now doing this?

[5:04]  We we created the b the business was created in 2017, got we got licensed in 2018, so about Eight years.

[5:17]  Eight. Eight years now. Seven. Still another eight years to go. 10 12 years. Who knows? Um I love this. And you're very special place. Most people don't even last that long, right? Um what what do you think got you through it other than God? You you talked about is it the mindset? Is it uh really just dropping some friends? Sometimes you got to just kind of step away and really own in. What does that look like for those that say, "I want to do this, but how do I get started?" Cuz people think it's just do it. There's a lot that goes to it.

[5:48]  Definitely outside of the prayer and the just being obedient, there is a lot of recognizing when God is opening a door and when God is closing a door. There are people that are there for just a season. There are people that are there meant to be there for maybe even longer than I'm at this agency. But being willing to trust your discernment, recognize intentions and who has that spirit that they want to be a part of helping famil family's lives, part of helping children, part of just restoring our community. And if they don't have that, being willing to let go and and walk away from those relationships if needed.

[6:48]  Really important to walk away from friendships, relationships if needed. Um talk to people less. I've experienced those as well. It's like, wait, you're kind of dimming my light a little bit. Sometimes people say things and and I don't think they purposely say it, but God would even use those closest to you to go against you, right? And that was how I had to realize, okay, you know what? let me start talking to this person less. And you can really see the increases when you start to do those things. Is it hard? 100%. But you got to do what's best for you, right? And best for the mission in this case.

[7:15]  Um, and what's Go ahead. You have something to say.

[7:18]  No, I was just agreeing with you.

[7:19]  I I was going to say you're really into this. And for those that don't know, your whole family fosters you, your daughter, your twin. How has living the work changed the way you lead? Well, it definitely helps when it comes to advocating because it's easy to make decisions from a high horse or without actually experiencing it for yourself. And we all find ourselves, especially when we're interacting with professionals in the field. Yes, I know I'm a professional in the field, but at times I'm they don't necessarily know that. So, I'm a foster parent. And

[7:55]  my thing whether I'm talking as a foster parent or as a professional is

[8:01]  do something about it. If you say that you're in this and you want change to happen, it's up to you to step up and be a part of that change. Not just try to get other people to to do the changing. Um God wants us to be his the hands and the feet, the body of Christ. And the body should be moving at all times unless it's resting

[8:24]  to get the mission fulfilled. And if if not then we're we're failing

[8:33]  at everything really because it's just void because it's not based on the founder, the creator, the the helper, the healer, the everything. I um it's not for everybody. What you do in this entrepreneurship road and and starting something from ground zero is not for everybody. But would you go back and do it again? And if so, what would you do differently?

[8:56]  I definitely would do it again because I was able to see that when I had to turn and say, "God, how?" and those doors open and it's like this is how because I told you to do this

[9:13]  got I got you. Um I that is I I think that that even in the struggle when you look back it's like look at God and look at what he can do and if he can do this and with me how much more and how much further and so I definitely would do it again different what I would do different I think I would watch who I invite in the circle from the beginning

[9:46]  because

[9:47]  I think that a lot of us forget that even those Christians that people that proclaim to be Christians may not always walk in the light of God in Jesus. And so

[10:03]  I I think that I would definitely pray more on that level and use discernment because as I've matured and grown in the the mission of this agency, I'm the person that if you want me to pray when we do agency prayer as a team because we try to do that daily. I'm the person that says, "Are you sure you want me to pray?" Because I'm going to pray that anybody in this room right now or that steps in this room that doesn't have the spirit of God that doesn't isn't for this mission that isn't cut out for this that God moves them where they can be effective and brings in who we need to have in this space so that we can continue running as a a full body and not everybody trying to be the head or the the hands or we have our place and we know where our strengths and where God places us and when we work together in unity, it works out just right.

[11:01]  Okay. All right. I like that. I like that. Do you feel like there was any um I like to call them L's. Some people would say losses, but they're really lessons. What was the biggest lessons you've learned um in doing this? other than getting the right people that that are actually in line with the vision.

[11:20]  The biggest lessons I think when we we first came in that saying that of the bulls running down, the young buck running down really fast and the older bull saying slow and steady like go down. I think that when we first came in it was just like boom trying to we're going to make change happen. were going to make change happen. And for people that aren't ready for change to happen, all I did was build up a bunch of walls that then I had to overcome versus

[11:59]  making those good relationships in those spaces, pulling them alongside me, and then we all we all go for that change. I feel like that's that's been a huge lesson because now it's trying our hardest to make a as many relationships as possible because we're all in this together for the same reason. And

[12:22]  yeah,

[12:23]  we got to work together.

[12:26]  If the Heart and Hustle podcast has ever sparked any idea or made you think differently, do us a favor. Make sure you guys share this, post it on LinkedIn, or even text that nonprofit friend that you just have. Whatever works. This is what keeps the conversation going and allows us to just grow this community together. Seriously, we appreciate you. Relationship matter, especially when you're in the giving space and the nonprofit space and the community building spaces. One of the best things I've heard from a leader that was able to scale to about $400 million um when he took over the organization at 70 million was exactly that is partnerships is making sure people at the table h are of value not just somebody's friend not people that really bring something to the table and me leading this organization I always tell every board member everyone wants to bring somebody on right what value do they bring I don't want someone to take up a seat I I need you to actually have passion for what it is that you do not because you think it's it's cute know that you're in it, you know. So, I love that that's what you've kind of um embedded from a very, you know, start. And then the faithled business, one of the best things that I've heard another leader say was a faithled business would teach you more than hustle ever will. And of course, it's teaching you more than hustle ever will, right? Um and I ask you, what does actually the Christlike service mean in practice when we're working with foster families and kids in crisis? Because I can imagine that becomes a little bit difficult. Well, again, we start we try to start every day in prayer together as as a collective whole. Those that are in the office, if somebody's available and they can call in because we have an agency group chat, that's what we do. We contact each other. We're all in because where two or three are joined together. There he is. And so we take that time to pray for each other, to pray for the agency, to pray for our homes, the staff, the other organizations that we're we're working with. Um even our leaders of our country and stuff because they directly impact our work in some kind of way whether they know it or not. And so I think starting with and finishing with is is a huge piece. But also making for sure that when we interact with somebody, it's not oh you have this lifestyle or you have this lifestyle. God is against that. but walking in a place of love because feel like we're going to love more people to Christ than condemn more people to Christ. And so we are always asking our staff, does this home or does this family or this child feel like when they interact with you? This is what it would be like when they if they were to interact with Jesus. Would they know that the light is there in conversation, in advocacy, in support? If not, then we're doing something wrong. Where does this all start for you having the faith? Um, God, was this early on mom and dad taking you to church Sunday mornings, Saturday mornings for those that go to church on the Saturdays?

[15:44]  I used to go to I used to attend church. I'm going to go to church, I guess, whatever as a kid. But that's all it was. I think that we it wasn't really a spiritual aspect more than a that's where people go and they show up and they wear their hats and see who can dress the fanciest and you better not wear pants because you're a girl. Um, and so that kind of I mean that turned me off a long time ago on that. But at some point I have experienced almost any type of abuse that you can think of. Homelessness, poverty, all of this different stuff. And somewhere in my teens, cuz I think I was like 17 when I was home without a home. Um, I was given a Bible and I remember when we were younger reading just the little the New Testament with Psalm and Proverbs and I remember we had dived into it and we were so silly then. Um, but it relit something some a fire of this is who God is and this is what he's about. And when I felt alone and like I had nobody at all, I was able to see that and know that I had God. that God was there. With every tear I I cried, with every broken heart, with every thing that somebody did to me, he was always there. And it could have been worse.

[17:33]  And I could not be alive today. And so with that, thank God, I'mma use all of that to help whoever else needs the help. And I don't know, like I said, I'm a firm believer in unity. Like, we get so much more done together. God created us not just one person. He created Eve because Adam was alone. And so with that, we need people. And how much more beautiful and special is it and Christlike for us to be in unison as one, the true body of Christ, regardless of what race or any of that that we are one body.

[18:22]  You know, it's really, you mentioned this a little bit earlier as well, is that um showing what God has been able to do for you. And I'm in a point right now where you know that I was adopted. I think we talked about that the first time and mom had 10 kids. All 10 kids have been stripped away from her. And as I spoke to someone, she had to really put that back into, you know, in light and say, "Hey, how would you feel if your kids were taken away? I would be broken, right?" And a lot of times when people are broken, what do they do? They go to find a form of substance, right? So here she is. She's been an addict for all these years. She's homeless. And I'm at the space where I help people change the mindset. And I was like, why don't I have that conversation? There's been a lot of resentment, right? Obviously, I'm 35 years old asking the wise and and just never really there. But it's if I can just let her know kind of what you mentioned, look what God did for me. I understand life happened to you, but that doesn't need to be where you stay. You pick yourself back up. You have worth. You have a purpose. And if you don't believe that God is real, like I don't know what to tell you. And that's not to see her to say that I could physically change her life. But if I can share that story and she can see that one of her 10 kids came back and this is what God was able to do, she has to believe, right?

[19:37]  Yeah.

[19:38]  You know, and put the ball on her court for her to sit here and say like, "Okay, this is all I needed." I don't know. But I don't want to die with the whatifs, you know. So I I hear everything that you're saying, doctor. It's like we we really been put through life. And I always say God uses the strong ones because it's not for everybody, you know. I still have brothers and sisters that still kind of, you know, um, fortunately are are unfortunately kind of stuck in that that moment, you know, of of this happened to me, so everybody needs to kind of bow down to me. And it's like, that's that's not it. Take those things that have hurt you. Take those things and and fuel them into becoming something better, breaking the cycle. Uh, and it is not easy. It's not easy. I remember a doctor at 30 years old. That's my first time seeking therapy cuz I was just and I just became a parent. But as a parent, I always knew I just I just needed to break the cycle. I I I'm going to be there for my kids. And I remember before even having kids, telling my wife, I don't care what happens in our relationship if we have kids that we do this together, whether it's in the same home, whether it's separate, but we do this and don't don't ever because I understood what that felt like. You know what I mean? I I felt that hurt. And I wouldn't want someone to feel that. So, we're in a space that it's not about us. It's about the next generation. It's about those that look like us, male or female. And I think that's what's so cool, Dr. Shaylin, that you're in this space as a black woman that you have representation and it matters. Not a lot of people can say they're in a seat where representation actually makes sense. Right. So, how important is that for you being not just a woman, a woman of color? Well,

[21:18]  a mom,

[21:20]  it's important for me. I think when I grew up, I grew up in a predominantly white school slash community overall.

[21:33]  And I felt the other very early. and we've adopted. But before we adopted my biological kids, my biggest thing was I want them to have the best education. Well, I got to take him to this predominantly white area to have the best education. But as my biological youngest got into middle school, she was a different kind of resilient than my others. My other kids, they were they they went through the being called the n-word and all of the different things that you go through sometimes in those environments.

[22:24]  But for her, she was just like, I can't deal with it. It just it was breaking her and I found myself at the school every single week about an assignment, about a security guard, about a staff member asking why she's in America, all of this. And she taught me that it's not about the best education because if you're mentally not in the spa head space, you're not going to get that education anyway. She needed mirrors. She needed people that looked like her. She needed to be surrounded by an at least a few adults that look like her that can say, "Listen, honey. This is what it's like. This is what it can be like." And so when we adopted the three, we did move areas, but we still ended up in a predominantly white comm schooling. But my kids have and I know how to have those conversations of when you hit middle school because that's usually where it starts. If you don't if you need to move into another district and since Kansas has open like enrollment, you let me know and I'm I'm getting you enrolled in whatever school that floats your boat. as long as you're trying and you're doing your part, um I'm okay with pushing and making for sure that my kids have those mirrors and making for sure that I'm I'm a mirror for those that need me to be one for them. That they can see that just because you started here, you don't have to stay there. That doesn't get to define who you become. And education is one thing that I've learned, nobody can take away from me. They can take away your innocence, your life for that matter, but they cannot take away your education. And so I made a point to become as educated as I can and to encourage those behind me to do the same.

[24:29]  Such a good conversation. It doesn't stop here. you you started an agency eight nine years ago, but then you kind of broke some news to me quite, you know, just throwing in there a little bit like a little seasoning that you're also running for governor in 2026. Why step into politics and and how does that tie into the mission you've always led with?

[24:46]  Well, I feel like I've always looked at it like how much higher can you go so that you can make change happen? And you have to be in certain positions. Like at first it's like well as a CEO I can I can do this as the person that's over this agency I'll have this much and it's not really power but more of a voice then I realize it's further up our systems are created by the people that are making policies. We want change to happen. We need to be in those seats. Those are the seats we need to be in. And so yes, share for governor and our thing our thing is to focus my um logo or slogan is ray of unity is really pushing unity and not about who's a Republican or Democrat, who's this or that. Because we all have so many labels, it's about who we are as people and as believers. And if we believe that Jesus Christ died for us and ra was raised again, we're saved. And so we all need to be working together, not apart.

[26:03]  And I love that you say we have to have people in the uh in those seats that really actually understand that lived it. A lot of times people are making policies and they've never even experienced any of it. So if yeah, if you're at that seat, I can only imagine the fight that you're going to, you know, have. Um, but listen, we talked about you are one of those strong ones. You are the ones that we need at that table. Uh, and then with Dr. Cherylyn, listen, that gives you even more credibility. I'm pretty sure that's why you did it, right?

[26:29]  Yes.

[26:30]  Credibility. You think you think I'm just a black woman? No, I am an educated black woman. Yes.

[26:35]  Right. And it it it's sad that we have to do that, but we got to do what we got to do.

[26:41]  And um I'm rooting for you. 2026, let's go. All right. Cool. Cool. I'm pretty sure you're learning a lot of stuff there. like if you're not already busy, you're extra busy nowadays. U let's talk about unity. You mentioned that a couple of times. You said unity is the real platform. What does that actually mean when it comes to child welfare, broken systems, and and rebuilding trust?

[27:00]  So, I'm a firm believer that regardless of whether parents have been the worst parents in the world or the greatest, the majority of parents love their kids.

[27:13]  They should not be segregated away and cut out terminated from their children. Like it's a game system that you could just terminate when you're ready.

[27:26]  Yeah.

[27:27]  We're always a product and of who created us in the flesh in the spir not in spiritual world. Um but our mom and dad that that's our DNA makeup. And I feel like a lot of people are like, I want to adopt, but I don't I want to cut this family out. And adoption shouldn't be that. Adoption should be a family reunion, a celebration, a uniting of the past and the present and the loving on this kid. My do my kids that I adopted all have access to their birth parents? Not in that capacity. But when they're ready, if they tell me they are, we're going at this together. Because as a united front versus you running behind my back and then ending up hurt, that does nothing no good for anybody. But together and me developing that relationship with their birth mom who I need to be I need to be grateful that she created my kids, her kids, our kids. Um, and that's unity. It's not a division. If I'm working in this and you're working in this and we unite and come together, how many more families can we help? How many more families can we impact? We have agencies out here that specialize in things, but we're so siloed that we're doing less impacting than what we could do. Sorry.

[29:06]  Don't worry. Got a little dog with a big dogs bark at anything.

[29:10]  She's like three less than three pounds by the way.

[29:14]  I love it. I have two little ones and I swear that they anything that just moves there are barking at it. Um so it's all good. All good.

[29:23]  And so anyway, the unity is just that we can impact more together than apart. And just to stand in a gap means we're filling in that. And we can't do that if one person wants to be over here, one person way over here. And we're not linking arms and creating that bridge that somebody can get across.

[29:46]  My so my b I was adopted by my aunt. So she was very upset with her sister, right? That her sister couldn't but rightfully so. So, as I grew older and I did have that one conversation with my biological mother, she was like, "I tried to be in your life, but your mom said no." And when I told my mom that adopted me, she was livid. She said no. The reason I said no was cuz I was not going to have your mom continue to make promises she couldn't keep. And I was like, "Get it. I got it." You know what I mean? Like, rightfully so, right? Is we if we're going to do this, we got to be on the same page. you are not going to make these empty promises that you can't keep because you'll hurt him more than you think you're helping. And those are things I didn't notice at that moment, right? Um I just thought that that's just what life was. But it's kind of to what you say, if if we're not in this together, I don't want to do this at all because I'm not going to sit here and continue to um hurt this child, right? Like this child's already hurt and there's a rebuilding that I have to do there. There's trauma they're experiencing. We don't want to continue to add to the trauma. And really kind of to what you're saying, right? Hey, I I don't mind having those conversations with the biological parents, but you got to make sure you showing up because one time I see you out here like, yes, I'm showing up, you don't show up.

[31:02]  Like, wait a minute. I I'm not going to put my kids through that when you're really trying to break the cycle. So, I love that you kind of spoke to that and things that we've had to I've had to learn. I'm 35 years old. Learning it as, you know, as a kind of adult in this world. Um, adulting is fun, huh? Like, you just learn so much as an adult. No, I um I I I appreciate that you having this conversation. Um what would you say to someone who actually feels called to foster, but maybe they're scared of the unknown? I think that's a probably a lot of people's I even tell my brother, my brother right now in the situation, he's 40 years old and he can't have kids. I said, "Adopt kids." But I think people are a little scared of the unknown. What is your words to them?

[31:39]  Well, parenting, having your own kids is scary. I mean, kids, I mean, you're you're over a a a a being a person. So, I mean, that doesn't stop us from having kids. So, I mean, if you're willing, kids just need people to show up. The impact of you knowing especially what a kid is going through and can sit down and have that conversation and be that support is more important than being experienced being having 20 million kids. My 25 yearear-old, she just I have a seven she has a seven-month-old, but she's been fostering for some years now for I want to say three or four. She was like, I'm not taking any teenagers. I'm just not going to do it. They're close to my age. And I said, watch. And she took one and then she took another one. And then she was like, "I'm not taking little kids, man. I got these these teenagers." She was like, "I know what it is. They don't need they don't always just need a parent. They need a mentor. They just need somebody to be there to show up to have their back to celebrate them.

[33:00]  And if she can figure that out at the age that she is,

[33:06]  our 30, 40 year olds, they got this in the bag. They just need to just do it. It's just a matter of jumping in there because we can make a difference. And if you can't foster, if you won't foster, there's so many other ways that you can help and foster parents.

[33:22]  Yeah. And as parents, we're never ready, right? We think we're ready, but then we start having kids and realize everything we prepared for goes out the window. And it's just like adoption, right? I I I haven't done it myself, but I've been in the system of what that looks like. Uh my mom adopted three of us. Um as I mentioned bological mom with 10 kids were all adopted father all adopted and uh so I've experienced what it looks like had friends in the same space you know so completely understand that it's not an easy thing but as you mentioned all they need is someone to just believe in them someone to um just care for them and it's sad I have a friend now that uh her only she has lots of family but the only person that she was very close to which was her her younger brother when they got into the foster system they got separated and they would be able to see each other um maybe once a month right at a park for a couple of hours. That's just what they were able to do. Her brother passes away, you know, uh early 30 years old and now she's kind of going through life when it comes to Thanksgiving. She she has to find somewhere to go. And it's so sad that we have kids in our country that feel like that. like they don't have nowhere to go because they were in the system and the system ideally didn't care enough. Now, she had family so close that it was just an hour away and she had to go find this family via Facebook and doing her own research because no one would tell her. So, kind of to what you mentioned, right? They just kind of stripped her away from everything. And I I so I'm just so happy that we're just having this conversation and we're shedding some light on this because people don't have this conversation. And it it is just if you're thinking about fostering, look into it. Do the research. Call the organizations that would give you more insight. Call those people that have done it. If you know friends, families that are fostering kids, talk to them. What does that look like? Take these classes. What does that look like? Um and just know you're never going to be ready because as parents, we're just never ready. I'm still trying to figure things out. I mean my my daughter and son recently I had my my son running slip his front tooth goes up his gum he's bleeding. No one prepares us for that. All right we're at the ER now and and they say no it happens to kids all the time. Okay. Well why no one told me that right? Like that just life. Um how can listeners partner with with or support the mission of restoration family services if they wanted to just either just know more, give more. What does that look like? Well, they can contact us on our website. We have a website that's at www.rfscanansas.org. And then they can also go on social media and find us. We try to post on there. And then of course our email info@rfscanansas.org or they can call 3167798185.

[36:27]  Love it. What's your final word to any leader out there trying to walk in obedience but they keep getting hit with resistance.

[36:34]  God didn't say it was going to be easy.

[36:37]  Oh, come on now.

[36:37]  But he said he was going to be there with us. Yeah.

[36:40]  And if he's with us and he's for us, what can win that's against us? So keep on keeping on because in the end God already proclaimed we have the victory and so victory it is. I love it. You ready for this hot question? Last question. You said yes to a call in that cost you comfort, security, and peace of mind. But what was the moment you almost walked away and what pulled you back in?

[37:12]  Well, it weirdly enough it has to do with our adopted kids. We were in a church and this family got licensed with our agency actually was my best friend at the time. They we originally had the kids. The kids ended up transitioning to them because they wanted to be the adoptive resource. They ended up getting having the elder to leave the home and they only wanted to adopt the youngest one, which was the only biracial one. And we asked the oldest what he wanted. He said, "I want my brother." I said, "You know, when we get into this fight, we're going to lose everything." and we lost our church home, our community, friends, um everything. And then on top of that, they began making allegations against the agency. And so then we became we got under investigation by the Licensing of Kansas, DCF.

[38:26]  And it was like, how much more how much more can you take? you're trying to do what's right by these three kids and it's like you're getting just plummeted and it's like God I I know that's another space where we said you do what's best for them whether that's us whether that's apart whether that's with somebody else together just move on behalf of these kids and we still felt like we were the ones that were made out to be terrible people and that the agency He only cares about race and a lot of other stuff that just wasn't factual.

[39:09]  Wow. Yeah. Going through those tough times.

[39:12]  What pulled me back in?

[39:14]  Go. Yeah. Yeah. So, go ahead. Go ahead. And I'll tell you. Go ahead.

[39:16]  What pulled me back in was prayer. Not just by me. I had to have people step in and intervene because sometimes when you're in those emotions, you you you need that extra God support. And so

[39:32]  I think prayer and then just knowing that he called me into this space and I can't allow

[39:39]  myself to be moved by what I see, feel, or hear because he didn't pull me here or take me this far for me to just get dropped on my head and him to say goodbye. So yeah,

[39:53]  it's one of those things. It's kind of part of the journey, I would like to say. Um, and you know because you've been in here sometimes you have those dark moments and you see the light at the end of the tunnel but you're like how far God do I got to go you know like I hear you and I see it but this is a lot overwhelming right the imposter syndrome there's no way that I can do this like why am I even doing this you know and those are just real things that we as people and people look at us I can only imagine Dr. Cherylyn, you know, she she's a a doctor. She must have it all together. And it's be far from the truth. You know, we wake up every single day and really have to fight. And especially in what you're doing for life, you know, that's you have to fight every single day and you're still fighting because that's why you want to s take it to the politics because you realize, you know what, I actually need to make even bigger impact. This is great and all. How do I scale this even bigger? And that's just the mindset that you're in. So kudos to you for just never giving up, for showing up even when those closest to you try to tear you down. It is part of the journey. For anyone that's watching right now, you want to know what success looks like? It looks like Dr. Shayon, right? The ups and the downs. I always say life is like a roller coaster. And if you ain't on one, are you really living? You know what I mean? So Dr. Shayon, I really appreciate the time that I've had with you today. um thank you so much for doing the work that you did do and and hopefully that I can be just a little bit of inspiration because there's someone just like me um that is out there and that's why I do the work is because I want to be for others what I wish I had and I can imagine that's why you're doing it as well. Um and there's other people like me that just thank you for just never giving up on them and I thank you for never giving up on the work that you do on God's work. So guys this is another great conversation with a authentic real leader as we love to say. Make sure you guys go ahead and follow them on social media. Make sure you guys go check out the website as well. And Dr. Sherlin, I can't wait to see what happens in 2026. I mean, Fra, this is Dr. Shayon. We'll catch you on the next one.