Food, Family, & Philanthropy

Ep. 47 - Sherri Divband On Rethinking Education For Kids With Autism And Anxiety

• Michael Nathanson

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What if the way we’ve always done school just isn’t working for a lot of kids?

Michael sits down with Sherri Divband, founder of Aramis Creative Learning Center, to talk about a different path for children with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other developmental differences. Her approach centers on helping kids feel safe, confident, and empowered through animal connection, project based learning, and health and wellness.

They explore how traditional education can leave kids behind, especially those who don’t fit the standard mold, and why anxiety in children has become such a growing concern. Sherri shares how her own daughter’s experience led her to question everything and ultimately build a new model that gives kids more choice, creativity, and real world connection in how they learn.

The conversation also touches on parenting unique children, the impact of COVID on kids’ social development, biofeedback and holistic healing, and why helping children understand themselves emotionally can change their entire future. Sherri also shares details about launching the first Aramis center in Palm Beach and how the community can support the mission through events and donations.

Contact Michael Nathanson:
Email: Michael@soldbythebros.com
Website: https://soldbythebros.com/

SPEAKER_00

Hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Food, Family, and Philanthropy. Today's guest is someone who is truly redefining what's possible for children and families and doing it in a way that's both innovative and deeply human. I'm excited to welcome Sherry Divband, the founder of Aramis Creating Learning, a one-of-a-kind organization dedicated to helping children with autism and developmental differences unlock their full potential. Now, as a dad and someone who's around families all the time through the YMCA and our community, I know how powerful it is when you find the right environment for a child to thrive. And what really stands out about what Sherry has built is that it's not just a program, it's a philosophy built around three incredible pillars: animal connection, conscious learning, and health and wellness. That means kids aren't just sitting in a classroom, they're engaging, connecting, building confidence, and growing in ways that feel natural and empowering. And Sherry's impact doesn't stop there. She's also an author, an educator, and a thought leader in this space, someone who has dedicated her life to challenging traditional approaches and creating new paths for children who deserve every opportunity to succeed. This is going to be one of those conversations that makes you think differently, not just about education, but about potential, possibility, and what happens when someone refuses to accept limitations. So let's get into it. Sherry, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00

My pleasure. How did we do on the intro?

SPEAKER_01

I think uh you said it better than I could have said it.

SPEAKER_00

Really? Awesome. So I just want to tell the people real quick. We kind of talked about this before the show started, but a lot of times people ask to send me their bio, or maybe more than asked, tell me they're sending me their bio. And I don't want it. I like to do my own research and put together something because what you tell me is great and obviously true, but I want to find out for myself who you are and what you are. And it's really cool selfishly when I hit it on the hit the nail on the head. And right, so that was good.

SPEAKER_01

You hit it right on the nail, I'll tell you.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Well, I am very excited to get into what you do, but we're not gonna do that yet. So we're gonna start just real quickly. I'm gonna do a very quick uh update on the real estate market, very quick. It has picked up a little bit. Last few weeks, up to a month, it has picked up some of these listings that have been sitting there for a long time, starting to move a little bit. Is this a blip? Is it a change? Well, we don't know, but we'll find out. One thing I do know is the condo market is not good and it's going to get worse. A lot of uh things have changed in the financing for condos, and uh it will go into effect fully in August. And a lot of banks have already started changing, and it's just gonna make it harder to finance condos. So if you have questions, as I always say, reach out, let's grab a coffee, lunch on you, and uh we will chat about it. So uh, Sherry, now let's jump into one of my favorite things on the planet, which is food.

SPEAKER_01

Me too.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you like food?

SPEAKER_01

I love food. You love food. I'm a foodie.

SPEAKER_00

I call myself a foodie too. I and uh one, I think one guest I've had, I think you're number, I think it's like 47 or something like that. Yeah. One guest was like, I don't care about food. I'm like, what are we gonna talk about? I don't know. It's life. I pulled some stuff out of her, but it just wasn't good. So we gotta talk about food. I um I've said this before and I think it's really funny. My mother always used to say that I would go to bed asking what was for breakfast and wake up asking what was for dinner ever since I was a little kid. And by the way, I still think about it all the time.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so do you have a favorite local restaurant?

SPEAKER_01

I do. I actually, it's not what you would think because it's not the type of food that I normally eat, but I love the environment. So I'm a vibe type of a person and I love ER Bradley's um right off the water in Palm Beach. Uh, they have actually really great tuna tacos, uh, but my children and I love to go there because they always have live music. Yes. It's right on the water. And one of our favorite things to do is watch the boats go by, the yachts, and we play um, they have uh pickleball and uh they have hammocks you can lay on. And it's just the environment is a lot of fun. I love uh clematis, and so that's where we go probably the most.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. I um my I've been together with my wife now. This year is gonna be 21 years. So we've been together for for quite a while. And when we first started dating, yeah, there was this guy that you used to hang out with, and they used to go to E.R. Bradley. So I don't like that foot. I'm over it kind of, honey. Yeah, uh, or hey who. Um yeah, it was weird. I used to be like jealous of I've grown into I don't I don't do the jealousy thing anymore. It's it's ugly. It's ugly, and uh but it just brought that up that memory for me. Thanks so much, Sherry. No, I'm gonna so tuna tacos, though.

SPEAKER_01

I love tuna tacos.

SPEAKER_00

So that's really cool. So yeah, Bradley's is a cool spot, that's a whole cool area. So I'm a Boca boy, I live in Boca, but my older son, who's actually about to graduate high school, goes to school in West Palm. So we have to go up there for concerts and stuff like that. So we get around that that area a little bit. He goes to to Dreyfus up there, which is uh an amazing school, by the way. But um, so do you have a favorite local dish? It doesn't have to be from your Bradley's, doesn't have to be the Tuna Tacos. Is there like, I'm having a day, I need blank?

SPEAKER_01

I like comfort food. So I'm gonna be honest with you. Even though I'm Italian background, I love Italian food, I like steak.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So if I if I'm having one of those days, I would I like a nice fillet uh and a baked potato or mashed potatoes, and that is like really my favorite meal.

SPEAKER_00

How do you take the filet? How do you how do you like it cooked medium? Yeah, and it is there a place where you're like, oh my gosh, that's the best one.

SPEAKER_01

I love meat market.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah?

SPEAKER_01

Yep. Awesome. I've been there tons of times and I love their steak, but you know, they're not the only ones. There's a lot of great steakhouses, but they're they're one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Yeah, I we've talked about it many times on the show. I love a good steak, I cook a great steak. So my wife is Brazilian, and soon after we got together, almost 21 years ago, her family taught me the ways. And I th that now that I look back, I think it was a trick because I'm the one barbecuing at every freaking barbecue now. Yeah, which I don't mind doing, but sometimes you want to take it off. But uh, I love steak as well. I mean, I love everything. There's almost nothing that I don't eat. It's funny, last night my my older son just randomly, he's like, I don't even know where this came from. I didn't even ask him. He goes, Hey, have you ever eaten chicken feet before? I'm like, I have not. He's like, Would you? I was like, I thought about for a second. I'm like, honestly, I think I could be talked into it. I don't think I want to, but I could be talked into it to at least try. I'm not scared to try it, it's just weird.

SPEAKER_01

It's an interesting thing to ask.

SPEAKER_00

I don't even know where that came from. I gotta ask him. I gotta make note to ask him.

SPEAKER_01

I have never had chicken feet, I will admit that I have never tried.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. See, my wife has. I was surprised, but then I shouldn't be. She's again, she's from Brazil. They grew up extremely poor, so you eat whatever you can.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Right? Whatever you can afford. And uh, so she's like, Oh yeah. She's like, I don't like it, but I had it growing up. And yeah, but yeah, it's kind of weird.

SPEAKER_01

Gonna have to try it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um, so steak. I love there's a million steakhouses in Boca. We're very fortunate for that. I like Meat Market, I think it's pretty good. New York Prime is my favorite, but it's mostly because of the atmosphere. My wife and I will go on there, uh, go there for uh date night every now and then, sit at the bar. They have a guy like playing the keyboard and singing. We'll grab a drink. I don't drink very much, but I'll have like half of one when I'm there. We get the crab cocktail, which is so freaking good there. And then we split a steak.

SPEAKER_01

You're making me hungry.

SPEAKER_00

And uh it's so good. Uh I always kind of joke on this podcast. We talk about food. I try not to eat before because it kind of like gets me going, ready to eat for the day. Uh I love a good steak. And it's weird, I never was a fillet guy until the last few years. I always used to think it tasted like livery.

SPEAKER_01

Really?

SPEAKER_00

But I guess my my taste buds have changed, and now it's probably my favorite.

SPEAKER_01

Ribeye's really good too. That's my second favorite.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. See, I it's weird. I've always been like chubby, but I hate fat on my food. Like I, and I've ever since I was a little kid and I'm still the same way. I cut it off, line it up around the side of my plate, and throw it out. I it's the consistency, I guess. I just I've never liked the fat. So ribeye is not my favorite because of that. If you can get pieces without fat in it, delicious. Yeah. So I usually go towards like the fillet or the sirloin, stuff like that. But uh, love me a good steak. Yes. I think, oh, I made burgers. I mean, it's not the same thing, but I I make really good burgers too. I made them Saturday night, Sunday night. I don't remember, something like that. I love burgers. I make good burgers. My kids love them. My kids absolutely love them.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Do you travel at all?

SPEAKER_01

I do. Well, I travel only when I'm doing conferences or retreats. So I just came back from Sedona about three weeks ago. Yeah. Actually, it was my first time. I'd never been.

SPEAKER_00

It's cool, right? Other than everything's like gray and light brown.

SPEAKER_01

It's yeah, you stay everything gets stained red. So don't bring anything white. Um, that I learned my lesson. Uh, it was a beautiful place. Uh so I really I have three children, so I try to only travel if it's not a family vacation uh for work, uh just three, four times a year. And that's I kind of keep it to custom. So I do conferences around the country.

SPEAKER_00

Well, your husband appreciates that. Yes. I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01

Yes. And so uh I travel only when I'm working.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's cool. I I kind of used to be that way, although I I used to do uh speaking around the country. I mean, this is a long time ago at this point. I stopped doing it because I was missing stuff at home and uh the money wasn't worth it for me. Now, my wife and I, we instilled in our relationship a long time ago. We believe it's very important to spend time together. And we also feel it's very important to spend time apart with friends and stuff like that. So she goes on a girls' trip every year, which I think is so freaking cool. They've done like they did a cruise this past year. She went to Nashville, Toronto, Vegas. Like she's done all these really cool places. And I love that she does that. I don't do it as often because I work too much, to be honest with you. So usually every few years, uh, I'll do uh a little bit of a guy's trip, but I'm yeah, I'm boring. I don't drink a lot. I I mean, I can stay up, but my friends like to drink more than I do. So they stay up late drinking, and I just stay up and hang out. And then I'm like, all right, I'm yeah, ready to go. But I still have a good time. But uh I think it's very important to do those together and apart time. So we actually every other weekend, it's on the calendar. Mike's timeout, Lydia's time out. And the difference is is my wife loves sleep. So she'll go to happy hour and be home by seven. I'll go out at eight or nine and come back later. So it's a little different, but um, I think that's cool. So when you're out traveling, is there an out-of-town restaurant that you look forward to? Like a someplace that you go?

SPEAKER_01

You know, I like steak houses, uh, but I love Thai food. So when I'm out of town, I generally will always somehow find the Thai restaurants. I love Thai food.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. What's your what's your go-to at a Thai place?

SPEAKER_01

I love Pad Sayu. I'm probably not saying that right. Um Pad Thai. Um, uh if they have sushi, you know, I love a good sushi.

SPEAKER_00

What's your go-to sushi roll?

SPEAKER_01

You know, I'm simple. I'm a simpleton, so I just love spicy tuna rolls.

SPEAKER_00

That's my favorite.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Everywhere I go. Yeah. When we get sushi, I'm like, I don't care what else we get, we have to get a spicy tuna.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I love spicy tuna. I like cream cheese and all that extra stuff in it. I just like the you know, the spicy tuna and keep it simple. Uh, but yeah, I love Thai food.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Yeah, there's uh I I talked about it on the podcast. I got invited and went to this place. It was in Fort Lauderdale, and now I can't remember the name of it. It was unbelievable. It was like a simple name too. It was like Mr. Thai or like it was something like that. I'm gonna have to look it up. I'll I'll look it up and let you know where it was. I know it's far for you. I'm telling you it was good enough that it's it's worth a drive for that. Um, I mean, your son may not eat anything there.

SPEAKER_01

No, he will not eat it.

SPEAKER_00

But um he would not. It's all good. Um, so again, food I could talk about all day long. I absolutely love it. I think about it often. I've talked about on the podcast before I've had food issues my entire life where it's a everyday struggle on not eating stuff. Luckily, I think I've finally trained myself 95 to 98 percent of the time to not do what I want.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Uh, but it's an everyday struggle. But I love food. I love and just about everything. There's nothing I really dislike that much.

SPEAKER_02

That's good.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Um sports. Let's talk sports. So I could tell by your face, you're this is gonna be your favorite part of the show.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, uh, yeah, it's my favorite part. I I'm I'm not a big sports fan. That's okay. I played soccer for about six years. Uh in when I was uh in junior high school in high school, I was heavily into soccer. Uh and then over time I just outgrew it. And my husband's a huge football and basketball fan. So he's he there, he's always watching some game.

SPEAKER_00

Who does he like?

SPEAKER_01

Um, he loves the Raiders. Really?

SPEAKER_00

He's the one?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, he's the one, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

Please tell him. I'm so sorry. They're so bad.

SPEAKER_01

They're so bad. Um, he's just a diehard fan, you know. Like once he's a fan, he's a fan forever. Uh the Bulls and the Lakers are and the Lakers are actually my favorite because I grew up in LA.

SPEAKER_00

We could just end this now.

SPEAKER_01

I know. I'm sorry. I'm from Boston.

SPEAKER_00

But see, we're like natural enemies.

SPEAKER_01

I know. But I don't really watch sports, so I can't really give you an opinion because I don't really watch it anymore.

SPEAKER_00

That's okay. Um but you you so you grew up in LA though?

SPEAKER_01

I did. Well, yes.

SPEAKER_00

So what does that mean outside of LA?

SPEAKER_01

Well, I moved a lot. So I moved a significant amount of my childhood, but Los Angeles is where I'm from and my home base, and I've been back and forth many times. So, in essence, LA is is where I feel is my home.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, that's cool. So, my um my parents and brothers before I was born lived out in uh Hollywood area. My uncle still lives out there, he's in La Crescenta, uh, which is outside of the city. He's uh in the the movie business, and so he kind of has to be out there. Yeah, uh my family moved here a few months before I was born, and uh they actually drove through you're young, so you don't know. There was a giant blizzard, the blizzard of 78. Uh-huh. I was born in 79. Okay. They drove here through that blizzard across country and moved to Sharon, Massachusetts, where I uh where I grew up. So husband likes the Raiders, who's his basketball team?

SPEAKER_01

He's he well, he's a diehard Chicago Bulls fan. Oh, you said Bulls, I'm sorry. But he is also the Lakers, you know, even though they're not doing very well, he's a Kobe Bryant fan, you know.

SPEAKER_00

How could you not be? Listen, as a diehard Celtics fan, yeah, he's one of those guys, I don't like him, but I respect the heck out of him. And what an the more you hear about him after he passed, what a uh dedicated human being. If if a small percentage of people dedicated themselves to whatever it is they're passionate about, like he does.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, that guy, the stories about Kobe where his team would go out partying and they'd be coming back from the club and he was already at practice when they were coming home to go to bed for his first of like four practices throughout the day. And uh he's just like, Look, I want it. Obviously, it's not as important to you. This is what I want. I want to be the best. I'm gonna put in the work.

SPEAKER_01

I admire that because I am the exact same way.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think that's awesome. And uh, you know, we're not gonna get we're not gonna talk about anything crazy, but I don't know if you saw with the Bulls, you said your husband's a big fan. They just released a very good player last week because of some comments he made. And uh it's kind of crazy how life works. So this young man, he's I think maybe a third or fourth year player in the NBA, really good, not like top-level superstar, but a really good basketball player. He was on Detroit, he got traded to Chicago, and then he made some comments he didn't like that the NBA was doing. The team cut him, okay, and now the league has basically blackballed him. Um and he just kept going. He like went on Instagram live for an hour after he got cut, uh talking about how wrong it is and it sucks. I mean, I think it's great that he stands up for himself and he probably cost himself a hundred million dollars or more because he was a good player and he would have got paid. So I actually I don't agree with what he said. However, I respect that he stands for what he believes in, even though it could c not, even though it did cost him a lot. You never know where that will bring him other ways. I mean, it's uh it's crazy. It's it's crazy how a few words can change your entire life, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01

Yep, it absolutely works that way.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. So we've talked about sports, which I know you were super excited about.

SPEAKER_01

Favorite part.

SPEAKER_00

I want to touch real quick uh Michigan, University of Michigan did win the national championship last night. And uh congratulations to them. So I'm a diehard Florida Atlantic. I'm from Boston, so I like all Boston teams and Florida Atlantic University. My brother, my younger son, and I have season tickets to men's and women's basketball. We go to almost every single game. And uh the coach who just won at Michigan last night was at FAU, Dusty May. He was here for a few years. He brought them to the Final Four. It was magical, unbelievable. We were so hurt when he left, but understood because I think they paid him a lot of money to go to Michigan and he went and won a championship. And uh, Dusty, congratulations. I think that's really cool. And uh, I just have to say again about basketball, and I know you don't care about this, but I need to get it out there. Larda Atlantic, I'm so disappointed, man. Our top four players now have just declared for the portal. So it sucks. I don't blame them, I blame the system. It needs to get fixed. College sports is absolutely ruined. There is no chance for a smaller mid-market to small market team to win or to sustain. It sucks and it needs to be changed. Our top four players are leaving. Top four so far.

SPEAKER_01

And my son goes to FAU. So I've heard some of some of this I've heard, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Have I seen him at games?

SPEAKER_01

No, probably not.

SPEAKER_00

No, no, that's okay.

SPEAKER_01

He's working at Meat Market. Oh, yeah?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, that's awesome. Very cool. By the way, I'm a firm believer everybody should have to work at a restaurant.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah, I did. It's great training.

SPEAKER_00

It teaches you so much about organization, working together, working fast paced. I think everyone, because from someone who worked in the restaurant business for a long time, you see these people, how they treat you, like expectations that are unrealistic. They never worked in restaurants. Yeah, right?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I I I think it would be that's so cool that he's doing that. Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. So, speaking of family, so you're married. How long have you been married for?

SPEAKER_01

I've been married, yeah. 14 years, but we've been together 24.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Wow. You waited, you waited quite a while. You weren't sure he was the one? Well, I'm gonna give it 10 years and see.

SPEAKER_01

We literally got married on our 10-year anniversary, and because we we had we we struggled a lot, you know, we were both young parents. We moved to California right after our son was born from Maryland, and it there was a lot. I mean, there was just marriage to us wasn't like the priority at the time. We were in survival mode, yeah, and we were like, if we can make it through all of this, then we we're we're solid, and we did, and then we were like, well, let's do this. Let's just do it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's awesome. That's funny. So you got married on your anniversary? Soterno?

SPEAKER_01

Close to it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I got married some I got married on the anniversary of our first date.

SPEAKER_01

Wow, that's specific.

SPEAKER_00

So our first date was October 9th, 2005, and we got married on October 9th, 2008, 10, 9, 8. Um so literally three years to the day. I it it's crazy. I knew after the first date. I called my friend Danny Zuckerberg, who I haven't spoken to in a long time. I should probably reach out to her. I know they moved away to Philly, her and she married my buddy Rob and moved away. But uh, I called my friend Danny after the first date and I said, I'm gonna marry her. She's the one, she's the one. And uh it was amazing, and it's so cool, right? It's your 24 years. I'm at almost 21 years. We still laugh together every day. We have been through some shit.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And made it through. And uh, I mean, listen, everybody goes through stuff, but it's it's how you come out on the other side. Well, and that's the important part, really, is yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So you want to hear something crazy? Uh, the second night I met my husband now, I told my friend at the time, uh, I'm gonna marry him one day.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, and like 10 years or so.

SPEAKER_01

We we do we eventually did, but I was but I knew I knew it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's cool when you know it's that yeah, I'm a firm believer in the energies and and all that stuff, and it was just it clicked because when I met her, she wasn't very nice, and I still pursue. It's a crazy story. I don't know if I've told this on her before. I'll I'll tell it very quickly. For some reason, I called my brother one night and said, Hey, I'm hungry. Will you come with me? Let's go to the Olive Garden. And I hate the Olive Garden, the food is disgusting. Like I like the soup and the salad and breadsticks, of course. I think their food is disgusting. Any Italian restaurant that can't cook pasta should not be called an Italian restaurant. And for some reason I said, Let's go to Olive Garden. So we went and we had the server, and she was not very nice, not very good at what she did. And uh, I still talked to her, anyways. And I'd mentioned something at that point. I was working at the Cheesecake Factory in Boca Raton. I said something about working there, and all of a sudden she goes, Oh, I start working there tomorrow. So it turns out, if you don't believe in fate, I believe in fate, this will change it. I met her the night before. We started working together. Had I not met her that night, I probably wouldn't have spoken to her Cheesecake Factory. We had like 30 servers on at a time. I was one of the seasoned ones, so I was in the good station. The new ones are literally all the way on the other side of the restaurant. I might have seen her, but we wouldn't have, you know, necessarily spoken or really gotten to know each other. So fate. Fate. I decided to go to a shitty restaurant and I met with the love of my life. Isn't that crazy?

SPEAKER_01

That is a beautiful story.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. I love that. Um, so you have three kids?

SPEAKER_01

I have three children, yes.

SPEAKER_00

How old?

SPEAKER_01

21, about to be 14 and 12.

SPEAKER_00

Wow, that's crazy, right? It's uh I don't care how many books you read. It's uh it doesn't matter. It's different than what you read.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

Are they similar, different?

SPEAKER_01

Nope. Uh they are all three completely different. It's like they need their own instruction manuals.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And so actually, I think that is the best lesson I've learned throughout my, you know, parenthood experience is allowing your children to be who they are and parenting them as individuals. And that has expanded my perception so wide that I think it's part of why I do what I do today because I have three very different uh independent thinking children that require uh a very different parenting style. And not many parents have the patience or the bandwidth to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Oh, I agree. Listen, there's times I'm in the same boat, I only have two. They're very different. You have to parent them both very differently. They might not like it, they bring it up to each other, but it you have to do what you have to do to take care of them and help prepare them for the real world, real world. You have one out in the real world. I've got one who's getting ready to go out into the real world. And it's uh one thing I've learned over all these years is you do the best you can, and they're gonna do whatever they choose, right? You hope that they listen to you, you hope that they took in the good, and you hope that they make the right decisions, and uh it's up to them. It's it's really weird discovering that as they get older, because right? I have a kid who just turned 18 two weeks ago, so he's now officially a man, Michael Jr. And uh today's Tuesday, so Thursday, we're going to Gainesville to do the tour of University of Florida that he got into, which and then he's gonna sign. And it's uh it's unreal. I don't feel old enough, I don't feel emotionally, physically ready for this change that's coming. It's gonna blow up our household because he's gonna be gone. I mean, it's only five hours away, but he's not gonna be there every morning giving us our attitude and you know, and laughs and just just being there. It's uh I don't know if I'm ready for it, but it doesn't really matter if I'm ready.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know if anyone's ever ready. When my son moved out, he was only an hour away in Boca a couple years ago, and I cried every day for like six months. I I I was so used to him being home, I would call him for dinner every night. And then I'm like, oh my god, he's not here.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it was so hard. I get it. I um I get it. And my mother was always uh very emotional about her family, and uh, I've kind of picked it up. My wife, my wife yells at me the other day. I'm like, I've already started to go through my my emotions about him leaving. He's not leaving until August. I'm already going through my emotions. I'm trying to get to this acceptance so I can just enjoy the rest. And she's like, Would you just cut the crap? Like, he's not gone, he's down the hall. Like, yeah, like you know, it's uh it's tough. So I think I'm more nervous than anyone. Anxious, maybe not nervous, anxious for this trip to Gainesville. I've actually never even big been to a giant uh university before. Florida Atlantic's the biggest. And I I went to a commuter, like I commuted to school growing up. I lived at home, worked my butt off, and yeah, just tried to get through school so I could work. And uh he's on a very different path. He's a lot smarter than I am. He is he knows what he wants to do. I still don't know what I want. Well, actually, I know what I want to do, but it hasn't happened yet. I keep hoping, again, I want to play in the NBA. I know I'm almost 47, but I can shoot. Give me a 10-day contract. Celtics, obviously, I would only go to the Celtics. Um uh he wants to be a dermatologist. He's decided. And it's really interesting how it came about. So Michael uh we grew up with the Y. Like he started with the YMCA when he was about five years old, and we kind of stuck with them. I joined the board in 2020. I am now the chairman of the board for this year and next year, and I just uh I'm very passionate about the YMCA and the children. And my son grew up around, he went to camp aftercare. Both my kids they learned how to swim, played sports. And my older one, when he was going through to do LIT, which is leader in training, just basically like a camp free camp counselor for them over the summer where you can learn. They put him with the special needs kids. It's a place called Chase's Place. And uh it like clicked. It was amazing. He found this passion. He uh is so great with them, they love him. They he still talks to kids that have left a couple years ago. The families call him, like, hey, we're in town, can you grab pizza with us? Like it is so amazing. So I'm like, oh my god, this is this is his future, this is what he wants to do. And then, which again is completely his choice, and there's nothing wrong with it, he's decided that he likes money, he wants to do stuff, he wants to travel and have things, and with that type of career, it's very hard to get to make that kind of money. I'm like, look, it's great, it's very self-fulfilling. You're helping others if you're not going on trips to Europe and driving your Porsche, like it's it's not gonna happen on that, uh, most likely. And so he kind of rethought it and he he decided to find something, not necessarily the least amount of work, but kind of the easiest to make the most. And he fell on dermatology. And so that's what he wants to do. So he's gonna go what pre-med, biology, you know, whatever. It's too smart for me. Um, and I'm so glad that he was able to find something that he's passionate about. Now, will it change? I don't know. He's only 18, yeah, but I think it's really cool. And then my younger one, I meant he wants to go to the NBA. That's his goal. He puts in the work, trains seven days a week, loves it. He's become such a great player, a leader. It's so cool to watch. He still lets me coach him on one team, and it is the best. It is absolutely the best. And so uh it's really cool. I don't even remember how I got on this, but I don't either. I'm so sorry. I just need to talk about my boys.

SPEAKER_01

That's okay. You talk about your boys.

SPEAKER_00

Uh, so it's really cool. So, family, do you have other family close by?

SPEAKER_01

No, we're kind of uh we moved here to open up our learning center, and we don't have any family around. My dad's in Texas, my mom's in California, and my husband's family mostly are in Maryland andor California. So we are we're here by ourselves.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it's tough. It's tough, but you do it. You do what you do. You do it. You don't have a choice. So now can we go and talk about what you do? Yeah, we've had all this fun stuff. Um we had a call last week where you kind of briefly told me about what you do, and I was just blown away. Absolutely blown away. What you're doing and what the future holds is absolutely amazing. It is going to change our world for the better. Uh, and I just think it's absolutely amazing. So tell the world a little bit about Aramis Creating Learning, please.

SPEAKER_01

Ah, wow, thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Or start wherever you'd like, but you have to talk about that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Well, Aramis Creative Learning Center is a conscious educational approach to learning. So, what what we're trying to create is an environment where children feel like they are safe to explore their passions and and and have more of a voice. Um, so in public school, children generally have to follow a specific curriculum. Uh, and there are not a lot of resources for the children that are struggling, those that are struggling with anxiety, which uh it it really, in my opinion, is a pandemic right now. There are, yeah, I don't know how you feel about it, but anxiety across the board, no matter what age, has increased significantly. And there are a lot of reasons for that. Um, and so we have the children that are labeled with ADHD, with with autism, neurodivergent, uh, and there are not a lot of resources in schools for these children. And so they're not thriving and they're feeling very uh shut out and they are placed in different classrooms or separated from the other children, and they don't they lack the confidence and validation uh as a result of that.

SPEAKER_00

Not only are they not thriving, they're being pushed to the side because the schools get bonuses and and and money based on how test results are. So if if they can kind of push aside the ones that maybe aren't doing as well in the test, it makes them look better and they're getting left behind. And it's not just the the special needs, whether it's ADHD, autism, neurodivergent, whatever it is, it's kids who have trouble with reading that maybe didn't get the the schooling when they were younger. I had an amazing guest on here who worked for the school system in Palm Beach County, saw these kids getting left behind, and decided to quit and open her own school to help those children.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Right. So I mean, so please, I'm sorry to cut you off. I just I just wanted to make sure to put that point in, but please go on.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, I think the public school sector, you know, it it hasn't changed in in many generations. So the curriculum is pretty much the same. It's just a standard memorization, regurgitation, a lot of testing. And so it's not really a pursuit of knowledge.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

To me, it's more of this indoctrination into what uh society has deemed that we should know. And then when we go to the workforce, we're prepared for that. Um, but our children are are very are born with this beautiful light and so much creativity. Yeah. And they're an innovative and imaginative. And when you're in a public school environment that limits that capacity and tells you what to think, tells you how to think, tells you when you can go to the bathroom, what is what what is right, what is wrong. Uh, and who decides that? And so that it diminishes their confidence and their self-worth. And so my daughter, uh, off the bat really struggled with anxiety. So my two boys have really done well in school. They're very smart, never been in trouble, never had really any issues in school. My my middle son did have struggle reading. He was two years behind for a long time. So reading was really hard for him. But my daughter had anxiety in preschool, and we could never understand what was going on. She would, she wouldn't, she didn't want to be there, she would cry, she would have like these panic attacks and social anxiety. And I never dealt with that before. It was not my specialty. And I didn't really understand what was going on, but it was just the environment. She was energetically sensitive to just the emotions of everybody, the competition, uh, you know, the nervousness of comparing herself to what the children around her were capable of doing versus what she could do. And it was very stressful for her. And so it really opened my eyes. And during COVID, and when everybody was homeschooled at that point and virtual learning, you know, I really started to pay attention because I worked from home. So my office was in the same room as their learning environment.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I started to, I really paid attention. And I was, and I thought, thought to myself, gosh, there has to be a better way for these children to grow, to learn, and to explore. And I was complaining a lot about it. And uh it's a funny story. So the school or no, no, to my to my husband.

SPEAKER_00

And the school doesn't care.

SPEAKER_01

No, no, they don't care. So at that time I had a wellness center. So we're wine. I I'm actually a registered veterinary technician. So I'm an animal nurse and I did that for over 20 years. So I worked in ICU, general practice, and then I worked at the National Zoo in DC for over 10 years.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01

Uh, in project management, conservation, and then at the hospital. And I really wanted to do more and help people. And so I opened up a wellness center in Bethesda, Maryland, when I lived there. And I was I was soul coaching. So I was coaching families on how to work through anxiety, how to navigate their emotions, how to what is the root cause of your illness? You know, we're not, we don't get diabetes or autoimmune disease or you know, irritable bowel or things like that for no reason. Like there, it's it's it's not just our diet. You know, a lot of it's there's a the root cause is emotional and our spiritual wellness. And so I started coaching a lot of people and and children, started people started bringing their children to me. And around that time is when COVID, uh, children were struggling with so much anxiety with COVID and virtual learning. And so I was come, I was complaining to, you know, with the parents, and we were agreeing with each other. And then I started my own podcast on my own YouTube channel.

SPEAKER_00

And then it's a call, by the way, give a plug.

SPEAKER_01

It's Sherry Div Band. It's just under my name. Um, and I started getting invited to podcasts and radio shows all over the, I mean, internationally, I was being invited to speak because uh suddenly I was it hit, you know, it was uh the parents were resonating deeply with what I was saying, and they were like, Yeah, she's right. And they're they're they're not look, they're looking at my child with autism as there, you're you know, there's something wrong with them. Or my child who has behavioral issues because he has ADHD and can't sit still. Well, there's actually nothing wrong with them, they just have a lot of energy and they're forced to sit in these chairs for six hours a day under the fluorescent lighting, being lectured at. And I'm our human bodies actually are not designed to sit still all day at a desk. And so our children innately know they need to move around. You have a lot of energy, and so they need to explore, they need to go outside. So all of this stuff started coming together for me uh in a beautiful way. And so I created the Aramis Creative Learning Center concept around that time. And one day my husband came into the room and he said, Sherry, you've been complaining about this for years now. Uh, I didn't know that you were going to be the person to be the change. And I said, you know what? I didn't either. Because at that point, having gone on, you know, hundreds of podcasts and and doing my own and working with families locally and advocating for something better and a conscious approach to learning, uh, I realized I think I just started a movement and I didn't even realize like that was the point. I just wanted to speak about it and get the conversation going and let parents know you're not alone. And they and we if we want to make change, we need to be part of the change. And so I am an innovator, I'm a visionary. So I started my own online platform.

SPEAKER_00

That's so cool. I I I mean, there there was a lot there, folks. Um I think it's so cool that you had you you witnessed, you thought about it, you talked about it, and you put into action, right? I mean, it's huge because a lot of people witness and complain. And it kind of stops there.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Right? Because I mean, if you've been out in the real world, you see a lot of times everybody wants stuff done and nobody wants to do anything, for the most part, right? I mean you I see it in little little things. I mean, uh even like I'm in a networking group, right? I'm in this this networking group. I'm not gonna say which one because I'm in a few. And like something needed to be done. And every Yeah, we need to do it, we need to do it. Nobody will step up. Nobody. So, who does it? Me and my bro. Me and my brother, because if we don't do it, it's not gonna get done. Right? So you it it's really important, and everything you're talking about is so true. I mean, our entire generation of kids changed in COVID. They're different than they were before. They is so different. I look at my 18-year-old and my 13-year-old, and I just think about when I was a kid, I'm like, they don't hang out with others as much. It's like phone, online. I was out with my friends every day growing up. Every day we'd be out playing sports, going to the mall, just hanging out, like whatever. And it's just so different now. It is so different. And kids are, you know, they need the help. They need the help because it's a downward spiral. Like we're gonna have a really weird world when they become adults if they don't see it, recognize it, and make some sort of change. Exactly. Right? Um, so what you're doing is amazing. So talk about the three pillars because it's really cool, like I said, where you start with the witnessing and the thinking and the talking and then putting it in. How did you come up with oh, three, these three pillars is gonna be it?

SPEAKER_01

Yes. Well, I and the reason I mentioned my RBT background is because that's how I came up with the first pillar of learning. So again, I am uh I'm an innovator, a visionary, and I like to create solutions to problems. And that's what makes me a great manager. When I throughout my career, I always was the boss. I was always managing groups of people because I'm I'm a good leader.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And I I and I'm like, all right, if there's a problem, we got to figure out what's the solution. And I always tell my employees, if you have a problem, don't come with me with a problem. Um the first thing I ask is, well, what do you think we should do?

SPEAKER_00

That's what a true leader does.

SPEAKER_01

Most people don't have the answer to that. And I'm like, well, let's do it.

SPEAKER_00

Well, they might, but they don't want to put in the work to fix it.

SPEAKER_01

Sure.

SPEAKER_00

They want you to fix it for them.

SPEAKER_01

They want me to figure it out. And and and that's okay. Uh we'll what we what I do is I expand their mind and I and we we work through it together. And so the solution that I came up with for the learning center was okay, what this is these are the issues. The children are need to be outside. Um, they need a choice, they need to not be lumped into one box of of capabilities and learning styles and uh um what's the word I'm trying to think of? Like standards. You know, like if you're in fourth grade, you should be able to do this. And if you can't, then something is actually wrong with you. I don't believe in that. I think that some people are just in their own learning journeys and some are slower, some are faster.

SPEAKER_00

Same as adults.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00

It's so weird that you have to be this way as a kid, but as an adult, right? It's just okay.

SPEAKER_01

And so these. And so they would they they develop these impossible standards and pressure that they put on these children at such young developmental critical periods in their life, and then they develop this low self-confidence, this feeling of lack of self-worth. And then they just they just crumble and then they become introverts and they don't want to go and they're shy and they won't go out and be assertive, and they're not independent. They're very dependent on their parents or somebody else to tell them what to do. The work ethic has changed significantly since I, you know, I'm an 80s child. Um, so even when when I, you know, was growing up. And so uh I developed a very specific approach to learning. So we have the three pillars. So animal, animals are incorporated because I believe in my 20 years of working with animals as an RBT and just my greatest love for animals because can you say what RBT is for those who may not know exactly what it means? Registered veterinary technician. So essentially what that means is an animal nurse. I also grew up as an only child. I moved around a lot, I was bullied a lot, I didn't have a lot of friends, and so I was that weirdo with the animal. It's okay. It made me who I am today. I'm a better version of myself as a result of the struggles that I've gone through, and that's okay. Um, but animals were my best friends. And so uh I want I want the future generations to respect the animal kingdom and and understand the bond that we can share with them. And so animal therapy, conservation, veterinary sciences, and just being immersed with animals while you're learning, I believe, opens children up to feeling more comfortable. Because in public school, they're they they they're honestly treated like prisoners in a lot of these schools.

SPEAKER_00

And Belle, hurry up, hurry up. You got a minute, hurry up, get to your next class, hurry up, hurry up. Oh, you're late. Detention.

SPEAKER_01

Right. And animals actually calm your nervous system down for the most part, and they they make you feel safe and and they're and happy. And they're happy.

SPEAKER_00

It's really hard to be upset and angry when you have a beautiful little puppy sitting on your lap staring at you like pet me, pet me, right?

SPEAKER_01

Exactly. So for the emotional component, but also uh to teach uh children husbandry and animal conservation is really important to me, obviously, because of my background. So that was you know, a very strong pillar. The second pillar of learning is project-based learning and conscious education. So the approach really is about this. It's about let's learn something where you feel like you have like there's an endpoint, there's a reason. So project-based learning is really based on the concept of let's have a project so you understand what we're doing. We have kind of a vision and we work towards it together. But while we're doing it, we might learn some English and math and science and social studies.

SPEAKER_00

That is so they it's Where were you when I was growing up?

SPEAKER_01

Right? It's like real life relatability because not born yet. I'm sure the number one question that you receive from your children, and certainly mine, is mom, why do I have to do this? Why am I learning this? They don't understand. When you just get held math sheets and you just have to do math sheet after math sheet after math sheet, children don't really exactly they don't they don't understand. Well, when am I going to use this in life? And so the same goes for reading and writing and and and history and all sorts of subjects. So if they have a project that they're working towards and they learn all of those components, then it makes sense. They're like, oh, and then they become they can become the visionaries and the creators.

SPEAKER_00

So cool. Man, I crave everything you're talking about. And it's awesome. Because, yeah, I mean, for me, I struggled big time. With that. I give me a piece of paper, memorize this. Unless it's something I love, my brain doesn't do it. Me neither.

SPEAKER_01

I was like, it just doesn't have Saker.

SPEAKER_00

It doesn't do it. And uh it would have been cool, like, hey, let's build this and work in what we're supposed to be learning into that. Like, how freaking cool is that, man? Yeah. I mean, that's so cool.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think it's pretty cool. I mean, and so that's just a few hours of the day. And then the rest of the day is about choice. And this is my favorite part. So we have a life skills department, a STEM, a STEM program, uh, arts and crafts. And so the rest of the day, get this. The children get to choose what they want to do. Do you want to do yoga outside? Do you want to go into the STEM, uh, the STEM room and work on robotics? Uh, or maybe you really love math. And so you want to take some math classes. Do you want to go out and do art? Do you want to do animal therapy? So you get to choose. Every week there is a variety of classes, and the parents sit down with their children and they decide, what do we want to do this week? So they're never bored because they're always doing something different. And I think that that is the that's how you develop your passions. Let the children explore. Don't make them follow a curriculum. We also don't believe in testing hierarchies or grades. We like the children to be in developmental stages, but also the young ones can teach the older ones and the older and older children can also teach the young ones. It teaches respect of ages. Like, you know, you remember when it was like when you were a kid, like, oh, the younger kids were, you know, there, you don't want their dorks and you don't want to be around them because you're so cool now because you're in an older grade. And then the younger kids were afraid of the older kids because they gave off that vibe. I don't want that. I want to create a community where the young children feel safe and protected by the older children, like brothers and sisters. And they, but then also the young minds, you would be surprised if you just let them speak for a minute what they can teach you. Yeah. So they can also feel innovative and confident by teaching their peers. Uh, so that's the second pillar of learning. And then the third is health and wellness. Now, because I'm an energy healer, a big part of my background, I had a wellness center, uh, is health and wellness. So every single Eremis Creative Learning Center will have a state-of-the-art health and wellness center on every campus. So biofeedback, red light therapy, put that down. I wanted to talk about it, biomets, copper pyramids, sound healing, anything that you can think of that's natural uh and holistic. We want children to know what that is and how it works from the ages of five years old. That way these children grow up and they know that when they have a headache or a stomach ache, you know, maybe there's something going on emotionally. Maybe there's something else going on that they need to search and they can learn.

SPEAKER_00

But maybe it is.

SPEAKER_01

Well, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I learned a million years ago, I think it was 2005 or 2006, I was blessed to get tickets to a Tony Robbins event, Unleash the Power Within. And whether you like them or not, that's a different story. It doesn't matter. But I got to go to this event, and I can say with 100% honesty, that event changed my life for the positive because of a choice that I made at that event. But there's one thing that I mean, there were a lot of things that stood out, but one thing that stood out that I still think about all the time. One of the speakers there said something like, When you get a headache, it's not your body having an aspirin deficiency. Nope. It's like you don't need Tylenol. You gotta figure out what's causing the headache. What's the root, right? Is it food? Is it environment? Is it whatever it is? Exactly. That has always stuck with me. And I really stopped taking a lot of medication after that because it doesn't fix anything, it just masks it and covers it, and yeah, it'll go away or whatever. That's okay.

SPEAKER_01

Well, yeah, we just we just take the pill and then the symptoms go away, but the root cause is never addressed. So if we teach children from a young age, let's discover the root cause together and then utilize these natural healing techniques and modalities, we will have a completely different world in a couple of generations from now because they will have access to that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh, and then they can go home and teach their parents about it. So those are the three pillars. And the most important part about what I'm creating that people should know is that this is humanitarian and philanthropic only. So there is no profit in involved in this. This is a hundred percent humanitarian funded. So every single one of these centers that we open around the world. So if Palm Beach is this the first, we will open it at least a few in every state. Uh, and and then we're gonna go worldwide. So there will be Aramis centers all over the world.

SPEAKER_00

Where'd the name come from, by the way?

SPEAKER_01

My daughter's name is Aramis.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01

I named it after her. Yes, thank you for asking that.

SPEAKER_00

That's beautiful. What a beautiful name.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you. Yeah, she's my inspiration. I did this for her and obviously for all the children of the world, but she was my inspiration. That's cool. Uh, so we rely, we rely heavily on donors and sponsors and the and the help from the community. And so that's why we are, I'm out speaking publicly to explain the what I call the Aramis initiative, because this isn't a this isn't just a learning center. This is a movement and it's an initiative towards shifting the trajectory of education in the future so that our children thrive, so that they believe in themselves, so they develop their passions. And so they are allowed to be innovative and they are not told how to learn and what to do, and they can follow their own learning path and not feel the pressure of having to take this test and fit in with this in this age and in this time frame, because to me it's unrealistic.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I love it. Um, I would love to touch base on one of the things you said before, if that's okay, because I have some experience with this as well, which is biofeedback. Uh, I never knew what it was until a few years ago. Um my wife came to me one day and said, Hey, uh, this person told me about this. It's kind of like therapy, it's called biofeedback. I don't know exactly what it is, but you're gonna go first. I'm like, Oh, I'm the guinea pig. Awesome. Okay. Okay. So I went in, I'm like, all right, let me just open my mind. I don't know what it is. I've I've done therapy. Actually, I started doing therapy right before my older son was born because I was freaking out. Gonna be a dad, how the hell are we gonna do this? And somebody suggested, I'm like, okay, because you know, you grow up as a man, men shouldn't talk to therapists. That's uh you're means you're weak. I am not your typical man. I cry all the time. Men don't cry. I cry all the time. All the time, right? Um, and so I started therapy then. But so I I went to this woman, her name is Beatrice. So I go and she's very nice. She's a older lady, she's kind of quiet, got an accent, just what's going on? And then she puts this thing on my head, she puts one on each wrist and one around each ankle. She's like, sit here. I'm just gonna do something. She goes over to her computer through this, she can tell me about my past. I didn't answer any questions. Um, she starts telling me about the injuries I've had in my life and about how old I was when I had them. And then she's like, Yeah, no, you know, your your elbow, we gotta take care of that. I'm like, what are you talking about? She's like, Yeah, you have like it's like tendinitis or something. I'm like, Yeah, which elbow? She's like, You're left. I'm like, How the hell could you know that? I didn't tell you that. I didn't wince when I moved. She told me about this, and she's very connected to spirits, and uh she always talks about our spirit guides, she talks to our spirit guides, and I've got to tell you, I I don't know exactly how it works. I just know that every time I go see her, I'm better.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it works.

SPEAKER_00

And this woman, I mean, if you want even a connection with her, because it's probably good to connect with people that are in the same realm, she is I call her a magician. Like everybody in this planet needs a Beatrice. Um because what she's doing is it's just I I have sent her probably 30, 40 people.

SPEAKER_02

Good for you.

SPEAKER_00

Because I'll talk to someone who's like, oh my blah, blah, blah just passed away. Oh, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, you're hurting, right? Like, this is Beatrice. If you don't call her, I'm gonna do a three-way call. You have to make uh an appointment. And every single person that's gone to her goes, wow, thank you. I feel so much better. Yeah. And it is amazing. Again, I don't know exactly how it works.

SPEAKER_01

I'll tell you how it works.

SPEAKER_00

Tell me, please. Tell the world. Yeah, because amazing.

SPEAKER_01

I I have a biofeedback machine at myself, and I have been using it for years. And my my husband is the biggest critic about these things, and he is like, I don't know what you did, I don't know how it works, but you it's it's this is incredible. So uh just think about everything as energy. So emotions have an energy associated with it, colors have an energy associated with it, which which is really a frequency. So it's it's a number. We're all it's all algorithms in the quantum field. Everything is life is math. It's it's all math. I'm terrible at math, but the I get the concept. So, you know, if we have anger, there's a frequency associated with that anger. If we have dis-ease, a headache, uh, an injury in our arm, there's a frequency associated with that. So when you're working with these quantum um, these devices, what it does is it scans your body and it will pick up the frequencies that are not normal. So it'll it'll come back and it'll it'll basically print out this is what's wrong with your body. These are all the frequencies that you are uh that that are causing dis-ease or disbalance in your body. And then it'll say, This is what you need to balance it out. And then it will send the correct frequencies to balance out the frequencies that are in disbalance and disharmony in your body. And you don't need somebody like a psychic to tell you where the pain is. The the machine will pick it up all on its own. And it and it can go be as specific as go back to the age of zero through whatever age you put in, and it'll tell you at seven weeks gestation, at 10 years old, at 21 years old, and it'll tell you marker points of when you had traumas and things like that. And it's absolutely correct, all correct. And I'm telling you, it's the future of medicine. And I and I'm an intuitive healer and I have thousands of clients. I work with people worldwide and I do soul readings and spiritual readings for people and life coaching.

SPEAKER_00

We're gonna talk then. I want to do one. Yeah, I'm scared, but I want to do it.

SPEAKER_01

And uh it's uh and I've helped so many people uh using biofeedback and a combination of like I'm a big fan of integrative medicine. So it's a combination of the biofeedback machine, but it can't you can't just rely just like with Reiki or just like with Advil. If you keep taking Advil, your headache's gonna come back if you don't go to the root cause of why you're getting headaches. Same thing with biofeedback. You could go see that Beatrice, wonderful woman monthly, but if you don't resolve the issue, like anxiety, anxiety is just an ambiguous term that really just means that there are alarms in your body, just like a fire alarm in your home. When the fires, there's smoke and there's fire, it starts ringing. And anxiety is your mental, uh, your neural synapses telling your mind something's not right. Alert, alert, alert. You need to make a change. Either it's fear, emotional based, it could be, it could be physical based, it could be you hate your job, you hate your life, you're not confident, a myriad of reasons. But anxiety is just a blanket term for your body is trying to talk to you. Our bodies talk to us through headaches, through heart palpitations. They're all signs. And I I have five books and I explain all of this to people that when you you listen to what your body is telling you. And if you don't make the changes, you're gonna have to go see Beatrice a lot because you're if you don't make the changes, then the body is not gonna remain in balance. She's a tool, exactly. Not the fun. Exactly. And that's why I want to teach children we have all these amazing things, but what is your the root cause of your emotional imbalance right now? Are you afraid? Do you not feel safe? Do you do we need to work through some self-confidence? Um, are you are you are do you feel like you're awkward and weird compared to other children? Because that's the biggest issue I think our children are dealing with with the Instagram, TikTok, and social media era. Everybody is comparing themselves to what they feel that they should look like, what they should like, what music they should be listening to. And if they don't resonate with it, then they believe there's something wrong with them and they and they they really go through this period of, I don't love myself. I don't feel comfortable in who I am because I'm not like everyone else. And I am the I feel the opposite of that. And I work with children on a daily basis and I explain to them, you are beautiful and unique just the way you are, and you're not supposed to be like everyone else. Society is trying to program us into feeling like we need to be like everyone else so that we just we it's just a flow. But it's actually better to be unique and your own person so that you can really like it be like this peacock and spread your wing. Your true self.

SPEAKER_00

Be your true self-kids are so I mean, everybody, most things we do in this life, would you agree, is because of out of insecurities.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

Kids going through that hormonal stage, they're vulnerable and insecure and going through these hormones. So it's a very, very touchy time. You have to be careful, right? Because they're so pressured by their peers. And you know, at that point, like our kids, right? We don't know anything, it's their friends and anyone else, basically. So it's very important to instill that it's okay to not be like everyone else. I mean, it's why would you want to be beat you? Be you. Listen, I know I'm I know I my family makes fun of me all the time that I'm a weirdo. But I am who I am. Listen, yeah, as long as I make you laugh, keep you fed, I'm good. Um, so for those at home who who take Xanax or take pain pills and all this stuff, as much as you know that's good for you, I know that this biofeedback and other stuff is also good for you. So as much as you know that, how about you just open up and try it?

SPEAKER_01

Just try it.

SPEAKER_00

What's the worst that happened? The worst thing that could happen.

SPEAKER_01

It doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00

You waste a couple of bucks.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

The worst thing that could happen. You waste money on coffee and trips and meals all the time. Waste a couple of bucks on something that could make your life a lot better. Exactly. So we're gonna talk in just a minute about how people can help and maybe if you have any events coming up or anything. But first, I want to do what is a great, great segment here called the Book of Awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

So what you're gonna do is open up to a random page, you're gonna read the bold line at the top, and I'm hoping it's gonna spark some sort of memory, thought, good feeling. And we do allow a mulligan because there's some that are kind of weird. So if you find one that's weird, feel free to pick another one and just kind of read it to the to the world and tell us something that that pops up.

SPEAKER_01

I love this. Okay.

SPEAKER_04

I'm sorry, that doesn't make sense to me. Like, can I have that mulligan?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, that didn't even make any sense. Okay. Okay, this is hilarious. Fixing electronics by smacking them. I laugh at this because uh my husband gets frustrated and he's he'll smack the electronics. Uh, did you want me to read the whole passage or just okay? Um, I I that actually is in tune with exactly what we're talking about. It's it's it's like we feel like we need to uh what's that that term, square uh round peg, square square hole. Yeah. Is that is that right? Are we saying it is that right? Um we feel like we need to fit ourselves into the society's box of of of normalcy, right? And so we're we're literally metaphorically smacking ourselves on the head and our body to like fit in, dress this way, look this way, act this way, so you're normal. Be normal, Sherry. Don't be weird, don't act funny, don't stick out. Uh, and and we're perfect just the way we are. And so sometimes our electronics malfunction and maybe they need a break. Maybe you're overworking them, maybe they overheat. And it's our body's way of saying just relax. Sometimes we just need to take a moment and you need to give your electronics a minute to reboot and and take a break and walk away. Uh, and and that metaphor is actually relatable to to us as humans in life in general.

SPEAKER_00

How cool is it how this book works? I love that, right? Isn't this cool? I can't tell you how many times it's somebody's open up to something and it like fits perfectly.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So I think that's awesome. So while we were sitting here, I kind of thought of something that I'm gonna be adding to the podcast, and you're gonna be the first. Ooh, cool. It just hit me because I don't know, I don't know if remember if we talked about we were on the phone, but obviously it's very important what you do, but I want the people to know who you are too, right? Because who you are is important. It's it's there's a lot of companies and schools, and why you, why Sherry? Because people want to see that you're a person, you're a human, you have struggles, you have conquests, you have whatever it is. So who's your favorite musical group ever?

SPEAKER_01

Thievery Corporation.

SPEAKER_00

Who thievery Corporation?

SPEAKER_01

I'm a I'm a lounge music type of person. So um it's uh their lounge music, it's relaxing. I like electronic music and music that you got ultra because music is very healing. Um so you need to be uh specific about the music you listen to because it can really alter your vibration and your emotional state of being. So Thievery Corporation is a band that plays more lounge music, not like ounce uns trans music. I do like electronic music and of all styles, that's more house. Uh but thievery, everybody, if you've never heard I'm gonna pull it up on spot later. Pull it up.

SPEAKER_00

So do you have a favorite song when you're down, when you're feeling kind of down?

SPEAKER_01

Uh not a particular one. I generally will put on relaxing music like thievery, because I mean, all it just puts you, you know, music, it will always put you in that space. Um music has memory. So it'll bring you so crazy. And so it's just, I think that band in general has always been my go-to. So like when I'm feeling down, I just put them on and I just it brings me back up.

SPEAKER_00

How about something when you're happy? Is there like, I'm feeling great, I gotta listen to blah.

SPEAKER_01

Uh, that's when I put on the house music and then the dance, and then I'm like dancing outside. Um, so I don't have a particular band, but I like music where you can dance. I I actually I'll be honest with you, I love reggaeton and Spanish music too. Now don't I don't want to embarrass myself and try to come up with some bands because I don't know what they are, but I will just put random Spanish music on and I love it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's got such a cool beat. Yeah, I'm with you. Uh it I love music. And it like I said, I was sitting here and it just kind of hit me. I'm like, that's a really cool way to learn something about people because I wouldn't look at you and think, you know, do you uh house music stuff like that? Uh right, because you judge based on looks a lot of times, right? So uh I think that's super great. I love it, absolutely love it. So your organization, you kind of touched on it. I would imagine you need money that probably helps, right? Um, is there opportunity for any volunteering with your organization yet?

SPEAKER_01

I have a lot of volunteers at this time that are helping me spread the word uh and market our events and things like that. So I think we have the volunteers we need. Uh when we open our learning center, we will be looking for a lot more volunteers at that point. We have little for the volunteers to do right now. Uh so what we're really looking for are the donors and the sponsors uh and the visionaries that maybe want to collaborate uh and to help us market our charity events coming up.

SPEAKER_00

I believe when I went to your website, like it pops up donate here, right? That was like the first thing that pops up. I love that. So we'll make sure that that's in the show notes as well so people can go. Um and I would imagine you'll take five bucks, five million bucks, anything in between?

SPEAKER_01

Any amount, any amount is is is uh is um we are grateful for any amount.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and so for the people at home, again, I know you've got a passion. You probably know what it is, you may not know what it is. My goal is that someone out there listening, hopefully multiple people, hear this, hear what Sherry is doing, and go, oh my god, my kids needed something like that, or I've got a kid who needs something like that. Or wow, that will really make a positive change in this world. I've got to do something. So it's really important because listen, for tax purposes, anyways, you gotta donate money, anyways. So just do it. Throw some cash again, five bucks, five million bucks, whatever you can do, every dollar helps. And just think about a change that can make in one child's life, in a dozen child's life, in hundreds, thousands, whatever it is, it's gonna make a positive impact. So please find it in your heart and donate some money. Now, I want to hear about this event you have coming up. Tell tell tell the world about it, please.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you know, it's funny you said that because my slogan is be part of the change, because uh, you know, I'm a big uh visionary, like I said. Uh, but it takes, it takes the community, it takes humanity to want this so we can co-create this together. So um the more of us that believe in it, I believe the faster we can create it. Uh, we are looking to open our first learning center in Loxahatchie or Wellington this fall. So this is right around the corner. And I will make this happen even if we have to rent something and and I'm working there by myself. We're gonna do this. Uh, we have two of I just actually had a really successful virtual event a week ago that passed. That was on my YouTube channel. And I highly recommend you guys go check it out and and and see how that went. It was a Of fun. We have a bingo event coming up on April 21st. If anyone likes to play bingo at the Madison Green Mar Bar Grill in Royal Palm, they are hosting for our charity a bingo night. So the proceeds uh go to our charity. And so if you like bingo, it's it's it's gonna be a small event. It's nothing, there's nothing big. Our big event, the one I'm really excited about, is uh on May 16th. This is Saturday at the Belvidere. I don't know if those of you in Palm Beach know about the Belvedere yet, but it just opened up. It's the first uh comedy club in Palm Beach County that has been open for um from what I heard for a while. So they've already opened and there are comedy shows, you know, a couple times a week. And it's become the new comedy spot for Palm Beach County, which is really great. I love, I love to laugh. So uh comics, um sorry, uh the Belvedere Comedy Club. Um what's her organization? Cancer comedy crushing cancer. Jen Hellman is the owner of the of the location, and she's offered to host a fundraiser for us. So on that night, we have Carl Reamy coming, and we're gonna have a huge buffet and we have silent auction, we have raffle prizes, we have an aerial performance, we have a DJ. We are gonna have so much fun that night. We we're hoping to attract about a couple hundred people, and we are really looking to raise uh upwards of$500,000. And I believe that we can. We have some of the coolest uh raffle prizes and uh silent auction items, uh, original Beatles albums, uh$10,000 Michael Jordan rookie card.

SPEAKER_00

What? I'm a huge sports card collector, so my dad is into memorabilia.

SPEAKER_01

He's he's sending me he's well known actually in the industry. Uh he's sending me a crate of stuff.

SPEAKER_00

And so if it gets stuck at my house by accident, it's okay.

SPEAKER_01

My husband said the same thing. He's like, I am such a nerd. Um my god, he's been oh my god, that is so freaking.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, he has everything.

SPEAKER_01

He had babe original Babe Ruth cards.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, my dad, like this is my passion.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Like sports cards in memorabilia. That's my dad.

SPEAKER_01

That's he, he's vintage collectibles. He's he's been around for 30 years. He's actually very well known in that industry. Um, he'll be at the event. He's flying out just to help me with the silent auction. So um please come out. It's gonna be it's it's it's it's uh comedy for a cause. So it's gonna be a fun night of laughter. I'll give a speech. We have lots of great prizes. Carl Reemy is an incredible and and funny comedian. He'll be out and uh and making people laugh, and it'll be a great night.

SPEAKER_00

Awesome. Well, obviously, we'll make sure to promote that as well. And you're all set on comedians. You don't need I have a good buddy who is a great stand-up comedian. He uh was one of the finalists for Florida's funniest comedian. And you know, I could never give away his time, but he has done some some uh uh stand-up for nonprofits before uh to help them out. Wow, just so you know. So Eric, Eric, I'm probably giving away your time, but it's good for you anyways.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, well, maybe he can help us with because we'll do another one probably in the fall.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean, I'll be more than happy to make a connection. Obviously, you gotta work out those those details, but uh more than happy to make that connection. So we talked about a lot of stuff today. We actually went longer than than normal, and we could go for so much longer, but uh my producer isn't gonna let us um give me the eye. No, I'm joking. Uh this has been absolutely awesome, and I am so glad. And shout out to Kirby for introducing us.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, thank you. Thank you, Kirby.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, uh, and now I'm gonna tell her that I mentioned her on the podcast, but not tell her when, so she has to listen.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00

Um and I am so glad we met. I want to stay connected, I wanna know how things are going, what's going on, and uh and listen, I might I might even hit you up for uh one of your spiritual reading type things because uh I think it's really interesting and cool. Um so what you're doing again is amazing. So we have Sherry Divan of the Aramis Creating Learning Center soon to be opened this year.

SPEAKER_01

I'm gonna make it happen.

SPEAKER_00

It's gonna go worldwide. So get in and you can say, I was there when. So awesome, amazing, so fantastic. Thank you for what you're doing, helping make a positive impact in our world. Uh, and that's the point of this podcast is to help make the world a better place. And you are fantastic, Sherry. So to everyone at home, thank you for listening. Make sure you like, share, subscribe, leave a five-star review. And of course, we'll put all of her contact info in the show notes so you can reach out and get involved with Sherry as well. And uh, I just want to say to everyone, thank you again for watching another episode of Food, Family, and Philanthropy.