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

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

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

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

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The Quiet Gift: A Journey of Self Worth and Resilience is now available for download as an audible.  Check it out!

Transcript

Hosts Introduce The Journey Ahead

SPEAKER_00 0:06

All of us reach a point in time where we are depleted and need to somehow find a way to reignite the fire within. But how do we spark that flame? Welcome to Reignite Resilience, where we will venture into the heart of the human spirit. We'll discuss the art of reigniting our passion and strategies to stoke our enthusiasm. And now here are your hosts, Natalie Davis and Pamela Katz.

SPEAKER_03 0:41

Welcome back to another episode of Reignite Resilience. I am your co-host, Natalie Davis, and I'm so excited to be back with you all today. And joining me, of course, is your co-host, Pam Katz. Hello, Pam. How are you? Hello, I am fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 0:55

You and I just got to meet in person today, which we don't get to do very often because we're too busy. But we were just sharing that we were meeting at the uh event center that our event, Casa Sagrada, that our event's gonna be at next week. So it's fun to like walk around to see where the table and the stage and the food and the goodies are gonna be. And so it was just kind of fun seeing it come to fruition. And we're only a week out.

SPEAKER_03 1:21

So it's getting I know we are a week away from an event. And I've event planning was in my past life. It's not something that I do currently. I take part in events, but I'm not really on that planning side of it much anymore. But today was like it's when it's real. You know, you have that moment where like we could visualize where everyone was sitting and where our vendors are and our sponsors are going. And I had that moment like standing there, and I thought, oh wow, this is it. This is happening. Let's let's make it happen. So I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be great. It's gonna be fun. Yeah, it is gonna be fun. Yeah, it is gonna be fun.

Meeting Sherry And Why She Matters

Sherry’s Bio And Mission To Pivot

The Teenage Accident That Changed Everything

SPEAKER_02 1:56

So Casa Sagrana is a magical place because you met our guests there. You know, I'm such a believer that people and I and I think even more so since we started this podcast. We have these people that enter in our lives for a reason. And when I met the guest that's with us today, it's like I had this instant attraction to her whole thing, her soul, her energy, her vibe, just everything. And I think we met, I think Sherry was saying that we met like in the first five minutes, and it was just an easy connection. And so so honored that she's joining us today. So let me read her bio. With her life plan upended, after serving over 25 years as an educator, Sherry's determination to never give up and navigate the unexpected challenges of multiple sclerosis illuminates the power of resilience. Sherry Warshelik-Lowry is the international best-selling author of Powered by the Pivot and the picture book, Cleo the Caterpillar Can Pivot. Her mission, both in life and through her writing, is raw, real, and relatable, highlighting her personal strategy to pause, breathe, and pivot. Her third book, coming February 2026, I Am Cleo, is rhythmically told and shares her life with illness, including the mental, emotional, and physical challenges, concluding with unexpected mindfulness. I am Clio Dave views her visual interpretation, revealing an intimate look inside heart with art. Her illustrations convey her very personal, creative and symbolic journey through life's pivots. Welcome. We're so grateful that you are joining us today. And it's so wonderful to see your beautiful face. Thank you. You're very welcome. You are meant to be. It's meant to be. So now, when you and I first spoke, you shared the story of a pretty significant event that happened when you were a teenager. Would you share that story? Because I think that that was, and correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like that was the first major event that required you to have a pretty significant pivot that is kind of like you've carried throughout the rest of your life. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

Yes. I may be a little emotional when I retell it because it really takes me back. I was 18 years old. I had just finished my first semester of college. I was very much a checklist person. My day planner was filled, and I loved checking off all the valve boxes. I had, you know, had a boyfriend. I had joints Worthy. I had already completed my first shadowing experience in the career that I thought that was going to be my life career. And my mom and I were visiting my sister. She was just 21 at the time, but had graduated early, already had her first job. So we were just making sure that she was settled. So Friday I did the shadowing experience. Saturday, we were going to brunch to meet our in-laws, and then getting on the road three hours back to my hometown, which is also the college town that I lived in when I had class starting on Monday. So I was in that mode. But of course, this was 1990. So back when we cared what we looked like everywhere we went. Yes. So my hair was big, the phones were still attached to the wall. And I wanted to make sure that my outfit was on point because you never know who you're gonna see. Yeah. Right? So I still remember what I was wearing, like down to the teal linen, pleated pants that I just purchased the week before at the casual corner. This is how much of a memory burn that this day was. So at the conclusion of brunch, the weather turns bad. And I'm like, okay, we have three hours. We gotta get moving. So my sister is like, you know, she's gonna drive us back to her apartment because she needs to get back to the apartment, and then we would pack up and get on the road. Well, have you ever played Mario Kart? Yes. Or like old school style merry-go-round when you're like whipped off. This is what it felt like our car going down the road. Thankfully, no other traffic was coming. And next thing you know, we're like in the ditch, like submarine style. So I'm like climbing out the back passenger door. My sister's down in the ditch. My mom's like dangling from her seatbelt. We were fine, but you know, it's 1990. We didn't have a phone. So I'm like, I will run to the nearest house and cough her tow truck. And here's my 18-year-old mind. The tow truck is coming. They're gonna pull us out, and I'm getting on the road. We should be home before sunset.

SPEAKER_03 8:05

Right? Reasonable. Reasonable 18-year-old mind. Yes, that's typically how it works.

Reframing A Life Upended

SPEAKER_01 8:12

And on top of this, I will just be right back. So do I bother grabbing my coat even though it's a blizzard? No, still in the car. So, like get to the nearest house, pacing back and forth. No one answers. I hear like a truck, it sounded like a truck door slam. While I look back, and thankfully a man had stopped. Big truck. I mean, I can still see it, like a gray pen stripe down the side. I remember going up to his window and the heat went blowing. And I'm like, okay, it's gonna be alright. A helpless here. A couple other cars stopped. They pulled on the side of the road that they should have stopped on. You know, we should have been on that side across the street. So they came across the road helping us. My mom had multiple sclerosis. So it's like we have to get her out of the car. But, you know, we need some help. My sister's like down in the ditch. So we get her out of the car, and probably six or eight of us on the side of the road, and then another car comes out of control over the hill. So it turns chaotic. Like you are yelling, the guy who stopped to put out the flares. He runs back toward his truck. Other people are running across the road. There's one man like right in front of me, and my sister, my mom, my sister and I almost in unison grab my mom's arms because, you know, she wasn't walking with a cane or anything, but it was challenging. She was a trap hazard for sure, a fall risk. So we each in unison, like take hold of our arm, and we're scampering as quickly as we can down the side of the road. And the last thing I remember is just turning, and he was like right on top of us. So it's like quick prayer, like, oh god. And um, he clips my right leg and I'm thrown back over the car. My mom and sister go down with the car over the hill. Thankfully, my mom's coat caught on the underside of the of the car, which prevented her from going under the back tire. And then my sister's hair was actually caught in the front wheel well, and she still has the dent from the bumper hitting her backside. So I'm like in shock. Like life is just up-ended. Like I'm thinking of going back to school, and meanwhile, I'm like laying on the cold, frozen, snow-covered ground without my coat, pressing my femur bone back into my leg. You know, it was just like, you know, dealing with like the unexpected of, okay, what now? This was before online classes, and you know, I still remember the phone call from my best friend who was like, Cher, it's the last day to withdraw before feeling. And meanwhile, I'm in traction in the hospital. The hospital was overcrowded, so we were actually on the maternity floor. So, which ended up being a blessing, but that's a whole other story. So it was definitely like the boyfriend that I had was no longer after that. You know, I changed my major, I didn't get to graduate the same time as the rest of my friends and Sroti sisters. So it's just like life just unfolded a way differently. But then, you know, I met my husband and college sweetheart, and you know, that's how life was supposed to unfold. And I changed my major and was an educator then, and you know.

Diagnosis Story: From Triathlon To MS

SPEAKER_02 12:58

Wow, you know, it's a testament because you know, when we're 18, we think we're invincible. And that what I plan to happen is absolutely gonna happen, exactly the way I meant it to happen. And it just and we know that that's just not life. And so here you have this significant event that happens that completely altered the trajectory of your life, but ended up but ended up in this place where you met your husband, which you probably wouldn't have met, you became an educator, which you may not have become, and you are on our screen doing a podcast with us, which would not have happened because we would not have met. And so everything is a beautiful plan, even if we don't understand in the moment. I love it. Okay, so let's fast forward. So then you were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and your mother had it. Did your grandmother have it as well?

SPEAKER_01 14:02

Was this something no? So my mom had it, but then unfortunately, same year I was on maternity leave with my daughter, I had my son. I call chapter four of my book Life, Death, and Diagnosis, because both of my kids were born in the same decade. Both of my parents passed in the same decade, and I was diagnosed. So to honor the life of my mother, I did an event. It was called Bike MS. It was a 150-mile bike ride. It was like 75 miles day one, 75 miles day two, and let's just say that the bike seat definitely greets you on day two. Yes, in a different way. Oh my god. Or compromised. So then when my father passed in 2008, I was like, I need to do something for my dad. So I convinced a couple friends, hey, let's sign up for this triathlon sprint. Now, we're not, you know, we're moms. We're moms, friends, you know, we're purple people, we're not triathletes at this point in our lives. So they looked at me like, um, are you crazy? But yeah. So we trained, and the swim was fine, and the bike was fine. And near the end of the run, I don't know what happened, but the left side of my body kind of gave out, and my foot scuffed, and next thing you know, I'm on the pavement, and I'm just like, self-talk comes in. Get it together, share.

unknown 16:22

Yeah.

Grief, Marriage, And Choosing Joy Now

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Like, get up, I look up, the sun is shining. I'm almost to the end. I can do it. I can do it. And so I walked for a little bit and then started jogging, and then I came in the last run, like near the finish line where the flags are up, and you know, the big timing sign or and the guy working. The thing starts coming toward me, and then out of the crowd, my husband and my two kids, they're approaching, and I'm like, what the hell? Like, what is going on? So I'm not sure exactly what I look like, but they let me cross and then made me sit down. And a dear friend of mine, her mother worked for a chiropractor, and she just kept insisting, there's something wrong with Sherry. There's something wrong with Sherry, and then that's what it started. The whole, you know, going to doctors and finally uncovering a year later. So I'm like, how do I go from training for a triathlon? I used to teach spinning, you know, in my free time. Yeah. Like every mom. Yes, yes. And so I got really quiet. I got diagnosed. A few of my friends knew, a few people where I worked, but largely I was very quiet. I was not sharing what was going on because I was the checklist. I mean, I had the color coded board hanging in my kitchen. So each family member had a different color, and this is how it went. So I didn't know how to do this other life. Because I worked full-time, work part-time, and you know, kids, husband, busy. Yeah. This wasn't part of the plan. This was not. Part of my plan. And I wasn't really fond of this idea.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

And well, and you had gone through it with your mother, so you saw what she went through. And so I imagine that came up when you got that diagnosis.

Writing As Healing And Purpose

SPEAKER_01 19:02

Yeah, so I knew a little bit of what to expect. But I do remember coming home from getting the diagnosis. And you know, when you're in the room and they're giving you the diagnosis, it's like it could have been Charlie Brown's teacher talking. You know, like I blur. I'm looking out the window, quiet on the way home. And our kids at the time are eight and ten. And I remember like putting them to bed and then coming down the stairs. And, you know, my husband just shutting off the TV and like going across the great room and sitting on his lap and just like. Rocking me and saying we're gonna figure it out together. And and so instead of waiting for retirement to take our trips, that became the plan. So my husband's like, okay, we're just gonna do what we can and the kids are gonna go with us. And so that's what we did. So that ends up being like part two of my book. That's where I breathe. And now we just figured life out differently. You know, if I couldn't walk and we were on vacation, he'd run a golf cart. Just figured it out. You pivoted.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Yeah. There were many pivots. Yes. I love that. So talk to us a little bit about the book and what inspired you to write the book and then go on to write a children's book. And because that's a writing a book is I know a lot of people have that as a goal, but few do it. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So I'd love to hear that story.

Building The Books: Pause, Breathe, Begin

Audiobook Therapy And Family Healing

SPEAKER_01 22:06

So just working in education for so many years, people would say, Are you published? And I was like, No, I didn't really, I didn't really think about it. And it it started in 2022, where I was literally like awakened to write. And so my career ended in 2020, right before the pandemic, or right at the start of it. And it was like, all right, what am I doing with myself? What am I doing with my life? And there was really that reflection of looking at quotes and really doing the dark introspective work because it was like, I don't know what I'm doing. You know, I'm 49 years old at the time. There has to be more to my life than, you know, like I'm not just here to be an observer. Like, there's more. There's more. There has to be more. And so I started filming through quotes. Clara Barton said she remembered who she was, and the game changed. And Maya Angela was really the one that resonated and I adopted her. My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. So being a former like fitness instructor, like that was always important. Fashion was always important to me. Like I still needed an identity. And then I was literally awakened and the word started pouring out of me. I can just tell you, I set I created a space, and I started writing like 10 to 12 pages a day. I would type until my left hand would fail because my MS is really my left hand side. And then I would just like peck with my right. And then I was like, okay, it's time to rest. And it just flowed organically. I started telling my friends, I'm writing a book. Well, it was just coming out of my mouth. I'm writing a book. I'm writing a book. And then I felt like I would know someone who knew someone to publish. Because I started looking up, like finding a self-publisher, regular publisher, you know, the time constraints or things like that. And I'm like, I want control over the editing process and everything. So I'm like, okay, I need to find a self-publisher. And then it was a friend of a friend, and I connected with this publisher, and she said, How many words have you written? And I'm like, How do you find how many words? She was like, tools, word count. 74,479 words. She said, Wow, you had a lot to say. And that's how it really began. And everything just unfolded. So my pause is like honoring my family and my ancestry and where I came from and kind of the pre-MS. And then part two is breathe, and that's really how my family and I figured how to navigate the changes as they were evolving. And then part three is really where it began. So part three reads more like a novel. And it's the my feedback has been, so I did the audiobook recording also. And I've had friends say, Oh my gosh, I had to pull over. Or my aunt was like, I was under the covers. I knew what was happening, but I was under the covers. But just having the opportunity to use my own voice and to also share it with my brother. He was the audio engineer. And at the time of the accident, it was so therapeutic because we were able to have conversations. He was five years younger. And I didn't realize he was displaced. He had to go live with my aunt because his mom and his sister were in the hospital. And then my dad was traveling back and forth. He moved in with my aunt. And then reading the play-by-play of what happened. And, you know, it's heartbreaking to talk about what happened to my mom and my sister. And you know, I felt bad, you know, sharing that in front of him. So but it oh, it's also therapeutic. So out of the most difficult things, I think, you know, we can reframe them into I didn't know him initially. I thought I was writing for me, then I thought I was writing for my kids, things that I wanted them to know. And then reflecting and having a few friends read, then I realized the value that was in it for you know what inspired me is inspiring to others too.

SPEAKER_02 28:38

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

And then I was like, oh, this is how I belong in the world still. Like this is what I'm called to do.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Wow. Now, so you don't only write a book, you decide to write a children's book and illustrate it. So, how long after that book did the children's book come out?

Closing Thanks And Listener Actions

SPEAKER_01 29:01

So in 2023, I published Powered by the Pivot. In 2024, I recorded the audio with my brother, and that came out the beginning of 2025. But in the meantime, my daughter graduated from college, and that's what happened. Cleo the caterpillar can pivot. My daughter like broke my heart after college. I thought she was coming home to her mom. And she started her life. I thought she was moving back home, and she accepted a job 18 hours from home. Oh wow. So I handled it very maturely. Dropped to my knees and I sobbed. And then wrote a book. And I wrote a book. And so as I'm adjusting to this, I don't know, it just starts coming rhythmically. I'm like, it's a it's a story I'm just sharing with my daughter. And so it starts very rhythmically. My doctor has said, it's like you downloaded Doctor's suit.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Thank you for joining us today on the Reignite Resilience podcast. We hope you had some aha moments and learned a few new real life ideas to fuel the flames of passion. Please subscribe on your favorite streaming platform, like or download your favorite episodes, and of course, share with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you again next time on Reignite Resilience.