I’m Cher.

After 30+ years in a career I'm proud of, I'm grateful for everything it gave me and equally grateful to be able to step away. Now I'm exploring something new and unknown. I call it My Next Wave.

Throughout my career, I was fortunate to have opportunities that led me in directions I hadn't necessarily planned. I was often drawn to them by the challenge and the chance to learn something new.

Those experiences brought growth and success, but they didn't always bring lasting fulfillment.

This time, I want to approach things differently.

I'm not looking for a quieter or easier life. I still want to be challenged, to learn, and to grow. But I want to be more intentional about what truly fulfills me, how I spend my time, and how I can contribute and make a difference in the world around me.

I didn't begin because I knew what was next. Quite the opposite.

I began by paying closer attention to what made me feel curious, challenged, connected, and fully alive.

I'm not looking to reinvent myself. I like who I am and who I've become. But I also know there's so much more I want to learn, experience, and discover.

I feel most alive near or on the water, behind a camera, learning something new, listening to music too loudly and singing along, moving my body, finding stillness through meditation, or stopping long enough to catch a sunset or moonrise.

So now what?

That's a question I'm still exploring.

Lately, that exploration has looked like surfing, strength training, Pilates, meditation, music theory, voice lessons, photography, videography, and trying things I'm not particularly good at yet.

Trying new things comes with its own lessons.

Being humbled.

Failing.

Trying again.

Slowly getting better, only to discover how much more there is to learn.

It isn't always easy or comfortable. Sometimes I don't feel particularly brave, and sometimes I have to laugh at myself. But I keep coming back to the same thing: the growth, the experience, and the life on the other side of that discomfort are worth it.

I've come to believe that a fulfilling life doesn't simply happen. It takes curiosity, exploration, and work. Challenge has a way of opening life up, sparking growth, deepening connection, shifting perspective, and sometimes revealing possibilities I never would have discovered by staying comfortable.

My Next Wave is where I'm sharing what I notice and what I learn as I go, through my experiences, photography, and now my writing on Substack. Not because I have the answers, but because I think there's something worthwhile about being willing to explore the questions.

Pay attention to what keeps pulling at you. Chances are, there's something worth discovering there.