Sheri Riley

High-Performance Strategist, Empowerment Speaker, Award-Winning Author, & Former Head of Marketing for LaFace Records

Sheri Riley

High-Performance Strategist, Empowerment Speaker, Award-Winning Author, & Former Head of Marketing for LaFace Records

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Biography

A former Sr. Director of Marketing for LaFace Records, Sheri helped introduce the world to some of the most influential, multi-platinum artists of the 90’s including, Usher, TLC, and Toni Braxton. She currently serves as Founder and President of GLUE®, where she has spent over 22 years “developing profitable partnerships” and providing consultation to corporations, personalities, products, sports brands, foundations and national cable networks like CVS, BMW, The Atlanta Hawks, NBA Entertainment, Alonzo Mourning Charities, BET Networks, The Ludacris Foundation, TNT, NIKE, Converse and many more.

As a trendsetter in the entertainment industry, Sheri spent 20-years creating innovative marketing strategies at Trevel Productions, a management and production company, in addition to working in Marketing for LaFace Records.

She rose to the top of her field, yet she was miserable. Sure, she was successful, but something was missing. She couldn’t buy peace, and material possessions didn’t bring her clarity or joy. She came to the conclusion that she didn’t really have a life beyond her career and she felt like she was losing the connection to family and friends because she was putting work before them. Sheri was spending 100% of her time on 10% of who she was.

She resigned from her dream job at LaFace Records, at the height of her career, to pursue her mission of finding peace, clarity, and a well-balanced and courageous life. Her family and friends thought she had lost her mind. But Sheri knew something had to change. This is what inspired her to create the 9 Principles of Exponential Living®, which is the hallmark of her award-winning book, Exponential Living® - Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are (Penguin Random House). It’s the ultimate guide to help high achievers learn how to integrate their personal desires into their life, without detriment to their professional achievement, and teaches them how to make choices, that lead to less stress, better clarity, and more fulfilling lives. The book has garnered several Self Help “Book of the Year” awards, it was an NAACP Image Award nominee and made it on Porchlight Books Business Bestsellers for June 2019.

Sheri’s motivational keynote presentations are based on the 9 Principles of Exponential Living®. These principles will ultimately teach businesses how to create company cultures for their highest performers, which will help eliminate employee burnout, an issue that can jeopardize productivity and impact retention. She speaks around the world, sharing her message of "Peace is the New Success®”.

She’s a founding member of the global John Maxwell Team and has given empowerment speeches and facilitated transformational workshops for; JP Morgan Chase, Delta Air Lines, Prudential, The Coca-Cola Company, Humana, ThinkAtion (Nigeria), Atlanta Hawks, Steve Harvey’s Act Like A Success Conference, PECO/Exelon, CVS Health, Turner Sports, CNN, Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage, National Basketball Wives Association Conference, University of Georgia Women’s Basketball Team, the NAACP, and many more. She serves on the National Arts & Letters Commission for her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the University of Louisville Alumni Board of Directors, and the GPA Board for her daughter’s middle school.

Sheri is a wife, mother, daughter, empowerment speaker, life strategist, award-winning author, founder and an entrepreneur.

Speaker Videos

On Steve Harvey Show

The Slingshot Effect

on Exponential Living

The Key to Leadership is Personal Development

Live in Your P.O.W.E.R

Give Permission to be Yourself

Broaden Our Definition of Success

What Will You Give Up to Go Up?

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Speech Topics

Increased Engagement & Productivity: 5 Keys to Live in Your P.O.W.E.R.®

Are you ready to stop spending 100% of your time on 10% of who you are?

Are you ready to expand your personal and professional growth, increase your productivity, while creating more bandwidth and margin in your life?

Are you ready to not only reach your goals but live in a constant state of peace and power while doing it?

Has drive taken you to levels of success and your confidence has been lost along the way?

Companies and individuals are recognizing that “Health and Wellness” are not limited to nutrition and exercise. It also includes emotional and mental health. My 9 Principles of Exponential Living® focuses on personal development and how it fuels our professional growth. What we do between 6pm - 9am directly effects how productive we are from 9am to 6pm.

With life moving at warp speed, increased distractions and higher expectations, it’s so easy to wake up and go to sleep feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and like you are always trying to catch up. Many of us are feeling more and more disconnected from who we are.

This session will provide practical and applicable solutions to resolve these issues by teaching the 5 Keys to Live in Your P.O.W.E.R. ©. Your Teams will be empowered with the tools needed for enhanced engagement and increased productivity.

Perspective -Adopt a point of view that empowers you
Ownership - Own what is important to you
Wisdom - Identify your one or two next best steps
Engagement - Commit to the implementation of those steps
Reward - Stay consistently engaged with the process to experience the positive outcomes

Attendees will get clear on the following:

Determine and/or fine tune their vision
Clarify what they should focus on to increase productivity
Identify which opportunities are distractions
Remove the barriers/challenges that minimize their implementation
Identify the triggers that hinder their forward movement

Creating a Diverse Workforce & Culture

There’s power in our unique voices, perspectives, backgrounds, experiences, but in order to truly maximize our collective strength we must first learn the tools to live in our personal power.   Sheri Riley’s 5 Keys to “Live In Your P.O.W.E.R” provides the strategies to increased engagement and productivity for a diverse workforce. Her presentation is the blueprint that leads to better clarity, enhanced joy, healthier choices, and most importantly, belonging.  Her 5 keys help leaders learn how to better create a sense of belonging and employees learn how to tap into themselves to find their place within the organization to maximize their growth. Many times we have to dive into our deepest fears, to elevate to your highest perspective, to accomplish our greatest achievements.  

Work/Life Balance: Stop Working, Start Maximizing: A Woman’s Guide to Having What She Wants

Are you running on empty?

Are you in transition with no clear plan?

Are you burned out?

Are you ready to get out of your own way?

Do you have it all...and feel empty?

Are you ready to believe in yourself not just your skills?

Do you want a good night’s sleep?

I am a wife, mother, daughter, entrepreneur, and I’ve been a corporate executive. I was a Sr. Level executive at a high-powered record company, making six-figures, unlimited expense account, traveling the world, and I was miserable.

Not because I didn’t love my job, I did, but I didn’t have a good life. I didn’t know how to effectively manage the stress. I didn’t spend quality time with my family without feeling guilty. I rarely had a good night’s sleep. I was spending 100% of my time on 10% of who I was…. AND SOMETHING…NO EVERYTHING had to change.

And the game changer for me was when I realized I had to STOP WORKING and START MAXIMIZING.

What I now know for sure is whether we have everything or nothing, what we really need is PEACE. Understanding this truth, empowered me to answer the question, “What do I Want?” and make the most important decision of my life; to make choices from my place of power and not from my place of brokenness.

I am empowered now to have the life and career that I want and I will help YOU to not only have career success but a good life.

Health & Wellness is More Than Just Diet & Exercise

For many high performers their skills and talents have taken them to a level of success they haven’t been equipped to maintain. You cannot fire a cannon from a canoe. This is why building a culture that fosters personal development at all levels of career cycles is essential. Personal development fuels our professional growth. Companies and individuals are recognizing that “Health and Wellness” are not limited to diet and exercise. It is driven by emotional and mental health, many times in fact diet choices is a consequence of emotional/mental health. What high performers are dealing with in their lives between 6pm - 9am directly effects how productive they are from 9am to 6pm. With life moving at warp speed, increased distractions and higher expectations, it’s so easy to wake up and go to sleep feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and like you are always trying to catch up. Many of us are feeling more and more disconnected from who we are. During this presentation, your highest performers will leave with measurable, applicable, and practical actions steps that empower them to stop spending 100% of their time on 10% of who they are. Organizations will walk away with more insights into the lives of their highest performers and be better equipped to support them going forward after Sheri’s presentation.

The College Students’ Playbook for Achieving Success on Your Terms

Even with technological advancements moving at the speed of light, college students are still struggling with the traditional issues of achieving success, which are time allocation, effective studying skills, building healthy relationships, and learning to focus on what’s most important.

Sheri Riley is a small-town girl from Kentucky whose dreams seemed impossible to achieve. But she knew with resilience and being prepared when opportunities presented themselves, she could achieve everything she dreamed about and more. Her journey taught her how to achieve success on her own terms. From building the careers of world-renown recording artists like Usher, to creating innovative marketing strategies for global brands like Converse, she knows how to identify and cultivate passion, develop the tools and resources needed for success, and how to avoid the pitfalls that come with pursuing your dreams. But none of this would have been possible without the skills, training, and tenacity she developed during her time in college. Students will leave Sheri’s presentations informed, inspired, motivated, and educated on how to achieve their success.

Testimonials

“By challenging us to redirect our energy to focus on what truly matters, Sheri offered our senior leaders a roadmap for a more fulfilling life. We came away with deeper insights on steps we could take to be more intentional and productive in achieving our goals.”

- Chief Executive Officer, Chase Consumer Banking

"Sheri Riley is a powerhouse!! Her engaging delivery captivates audiences and her words empower them. I've partnered John Maxwell, Les Brown, Zig Ziglar, and Brian Tracy. They all have an energy that connects from the stage and Sheri shares that special quality."

- The John Maxwell Team

"I had the opportunity to experience Sheri when she presented to my team and it was dynamic. Relevant, easy application that is sure to make a difference with you professionally and personally."

- General Manager, Supplier Diversity, Delta Airlines, Inc.

"The idea that 'peace is the new success’ brought to us by Sheri Riley was especially meaningful to me. As we each balance the ups and downs of life and work to make a living, Sheri helps us put things into perspective by encouraging us to redefine what we mean by success - that success doesn’t only mean material accomplishments, but that it’s a state of mind full of happiness, joy, confidence, courage and ultimately peace. She taught us that success can mean the ability to spend time with your friends and family, or even enjoy a good book. Sheri Riley’s presentation ‘Live in your Power’ was not only engaging, interactive and moving – it will also help me live a more enriched and fulfilled life – with peace as the constant north-star."

- Multicultural Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company

“Sheri Riley was a guest speaker for our leadership program for one hour. I would’ve really enjoyed more time with Sheri. Her message and delivery were very insightful and inspiring. I think folks in all levels of their career development would benefit from some quality time with her."

- Attendee / The Coca-Cola Company Annual Leadership Development Series

"Sheri Riley encouraged our attendees to 'Stop spending 100% of your time on 10% of who you are' and helped us understand 9 basic principles to achieving inner peace which will ultimately help us enhance our creative edge, sales, productivity, and innovative thinking."

- SVP, Community and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Atlanta Hawks & Philips Arena

“In my nearly 9 years of being involved with IWL conferences, Sheri is one of the most impactful speakers I have seen on our mainstage. Her energy, real-life pearls of wisdom, authenticity, and passion to help others, is incredible! Sheri beautifully walks her own talk. She was “present” with us from beginning to end of the entire conference experience starting with the prep call even a few weeks out. She genuinely cared about contributing in a meaningful way to what we wanted to deliver to our sold-out audience. People noticed how Sheri attended our VIP reception the night before, stayed the entire conference day and was engaged in genuine conversations with attendees and other key stakeholders. We feel so fortunate to have her as part of our IWL community and are already thinking of ways to engage her in 2020.”

- CEO, Integrating Women Leaders (IWL)

“It is one thing to be a speaker within a community, but it is another thing to be a speaker that can speak to a global audience. When we invited Sheri to speak at THINKATION2019 in Nigeria, we thought we would have to prepare the crowd for her but no...4500 young entrepreneurs could not sit down while she spoke. She reached inside all of us with her points on Exponential Living® and many left crying, finding themselves, and making commitments to win. Sheri lives her message and we were happy to have her grace the soil of Nigeria.”

- Founder, Ubong King Foundation, Lagos, Nigeria

“Sheri Riley is the most inspiring and motivational speaker we’ve hosted so far at our Women’s Network Resource Group (WNRG) events. Be ready to step out of your comfort zone and face what’s been holding you back from “Exponential Living”. Since hearing Sheri speak, I’ve personally taken her advice to shorten my to-do list. I now focus on 3 goals, which has alleviated the mountain of anxiety from having a long and never-ending list of things to accomplish. Buy the book. Live exponentially. You won’t regret it.”

- Humana WNRG Speaker Series Committee Chair

“Sheri’s insights, affirmations and advice are unparalleled. Whether you are a young professional looking for direction or a seasoned veteran searching for organization and inspiration, she covers finding your path and passions from A to Z. Exponential Living is exponentially the handbook on living your best life and creating your best you.”

- VP, Talent Relations and Special Projects, Turner Sports

“I heard Sheri speak during her book signing at U of L in 2017 and her words ignited a fire in me! Hearing about her successes in her career and still wanting to make a shift in her life even with all her accomplishments was so powerful. It was an eye opener for me to tap into and get moving on what I really want out of life and removing barriers holding back. I knew my peers and colleagues at Humana would be so inspired by her words and I’m just so honored she came to speak and share her tools with them.”

- Senior Associate Well-Being Experience Professional |Associate Well-being Experience and Insights / Humana

“Sheri Riley’s talk at CVS Health made me really think about what my priorities are and what I have been wasting time on. It helped me feel okay saying no to things that were not on my value/priority list. I spoke with a number of colleagues that also listened and they couldn’t stop saying how powerful the talk was and how much they learned from it. No longer am I going to say 'I don’t know' to those important questions. I am going to force myself to answer truthfully, thoughtfully, to help myself move forward in the right direction.”

- CPA, CGMA , Director, External Reporting, CVS Health

"The Business Excellence Forum and Awards brought together more than 700 business leaders from across the United States and the Caribbean. Ms Riley’s engaging and dynamic presence captivated the audience. Her motivating style and down-to-earth delivery really connected and resonated. Sheri’s message of living an authentic life that she teaches in her book, Exponential Living, made an immediate impact on their mindset. She demonstrated an ease and confidence that made her immediately credible. Her ability to communicate her philosophy is clear, concise and full of energy and humor. And the feedback we received tells us she made an impact."

- Founder, CEO ActionCOACH®

"I was immediately impressed with Ms. Sheri Riley's poise, her professionalism, and yet her realness. Sheri exuded confidence and authenticity. She was warm and engaging and it is clear that she lives her life according to the philosophy of her book, Exponential Living. She made me laugh and even made me choke up a bit as she recounts her story. As a successful entrepreneur she serves as a powerful women’s voice in the community. Sitting next to her at dinner, Sheri demonstrated her depth of humanity and it is clear that her stage persona is genuine. I was so impressed with how she connected with people and how she gave of herself in the process."

- Chief Marketing Officer, ActionCOACH®

"Sheri--You delivered your message with such a refreshing level of authenticity and sincerity. I was blown away, not because it was unexpected, but because what you said touched each one of us in a very real and personal way. I love my family and my job but am struggling to find peace. And in all honesty, I’ve been feeling guilty because you included my story as a shining example of exponential living in your book! You know me, so you know part of that comes from my humble nature—I do not like talking about myself or being “put out there” publicly. Instead, I try to lead by example, but often get distracted, which interferes with my ability to find peace. Your challenge to “broaden my definition of success” hit close to home. I needed to hear it and now realize it’s ok to wander off the “course,” especially since there is no right or wrong way to find peace--It’s all part of the journey! Thank you for inspiring my team and me to make peace our power."

- Vice President of Communications & Recognition, Compass One Healthcare