An Army of Normal Folks - Cheri Garcia: Hustling for Second Chances (And Cornbread) (Pt 3)

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

Cheri used to be gripped by meth and alcohol. Even during her own struggles with addiction, she helped formerly incarcerated Americans get jobs. Today, Cheri’s been sober for 4.5 years and her second chance staffing agency Cornbread Hustle hired more than 1,000 returning citizens last year. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, it's Bill Courtney again with an Army of Normal Fokes. Let's continue with part three of our conversation with Sherry Garcia of Cornbread Hustle, right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. We now return to Sherry on our volunteer work that led to Cornbread Hustle. So I became Oprah and I was going from transition, you became Oprah. You became Oprah. You became Oprah. You get a job, you get a job. So you just were going to transition houses,

making people get jobs. Yeah. But you're not being paid for this. No, because it was so fun. But what are you getting paid to do at this time? At that time, I was just doing PR and barely making it. So you're basically starving and spending all your time helping all these expelling and at this point,

I was a true alcoholic at this point. Oh, and this time you're drinking all day every day, but giving people jobs. I was very fun. I was still like, do you not think these guys smell alcohol? Oh, they knew I was drinking. They didn't care. I was hoping them. Yeah, I guess not. They thought I was a funny girl, you know, so they didn't care. Plus, they were sick of the sushi. Like anybody would think. Yeah, I will tell you, well, you know what?

Both of them, both guys that I'm thinking of right now that we had sushi, they still to this day do love sushi. Mangy and Vinnie, I'm talking to you., but anyway they grew to like it, but yeah at first It was Benny you can tell of the truth now. Benny hates sushi. Trust me So you start going to halfway house I was just helping I was like so what's your dream? What's your dream? What's your dream? Google and so one morning I woke up and I was just laying in my bed hungover, which was every morning. And I was just like, oh, I don't have money.

I'm broke. And I was like, I need a job. And I was like, why don't I give myself a job if I can give all these other people their dream jobs. And so since I was so fulfilled by it and so passionate, I was like, this, I need to figure out a way to monetize this. Now a lot of people ask, why didn't you make it a nonprofit? I would not know how to run a nonprofit.

I can sell. That's not how you, that's not how to be a, it's not, I can sell ketchup to a lady wearing white. But what's wrong with having a profitable entity that also helps people nothing nothing nothing. So I would be completely on a ballad jacket about that. That's just how you roll so fun.

I couldn't like, I don't know how to ask somebody for money and not say, here's something in return. I just mean, you did it. You made the tacos and that made no money. So maybe you learned from that. So you're laying in bed, you're broke, you've been helping all these people and you say, I guess where your head is a staff company. So I said, how do I monetize this? And I went to Google just like I suggested to all these other

guys and girls. And I typed in how to start a staffing agency. And I literally read the steps that Wiki Hell said. That's it. And I started there. And I, You started a staffing company from what the top Google search told you today. Wiki Hell. Wiki Hell.

Yeah, of course. Yeah. You're hitting me right. No, I'm not. And everybody that comes to me and says, Hey, can I pick your brain or how do I do this? And I tell them the wiki how. And I'm sure that they're like, that's rude.

No, I did it. You can do it. Read the wiki how. That's how you even say it, wiki how? So when what you now underneath this is six years ago. And every step on the wiki how by the way, I had to Google again. Like it said step one,

you're gonna need a factoring company. You can't afford this. And I was like, Google, what's a factoring company? And then I was reading blogs on what factoring even means. I'm like, oh, so they front you money. You know, like I had to think like in drug dealing terms, like you're just being fronted with your need. I can't help it. Until you get paid and can pay it back.

Okay. So. This is six years ago. That was six years ago. Okay. So six years ago, you start a staffing company for I guess specifically to help people that have been incarcerated.

A second chance staffing agency. A second chance staffing agency that you wiki held to get started. And you first year, how many people do you place? So I don't remember how many people I placed my first year. I know I made several placements, but it was kind of like the luminous envy thing. I was trying to, like, I was the first person to come out and be like, Hey, you want to hire somebody with a felony conviction and pay me money? People were like, how about I just do you a favor and hire somebody with a felony conviction, isn't that enough?

So I was doing it for free for the first year and trying to prove the model. Yeah, prove it out and try to like, and you remember I'm a PR person. So I had to get some people working to use those success stories to get on the news. Okay, that's that's seed money. I don't know what you call it in the math world, but I get it. But basically my first few years of growing cornbread hustle, I didn't make a dime because I was spending it on alcohol, even if I did make the money. And I wasn't running the business the way I wasn't, I don't know if you've ever struggled with anything that had you in its grips. I know you're a business owner. If you've ever dealt with something that's really, really, really difficult in your life

and you're just like, I just, you're just not at, I was operating at like 20% sherry. I get it. I'm what a, we're some staffing agencies provide workers at a 40% markup. Yes, I do that. Okay. And some provide people for a fee to hire. I do both of those. So you're both a head hunter and a staffing agent. Yes.

Right. Yes. So at first, were you head hunting or staffing or both? Both. And you were proving the model, but not really worried about profits because you had to have story to tell. And it was so hard because workmen's

think about the insurance on a business like this. Yeah, that's why I was asking head hunting. You don't have to have workers come. Exactly. Here's another big, I wish we could have like a ding tip for entrepreneurs. What? For my mistakes.

Here it is. My ego, I go big or go home. I wanted to do it all big. I wanted to have the workman's comp. I wanted to have the insurance. I wanted to do it all big. I wanted to have the workman's comp. I wanted to have the insurance. I wanted to be the big staffing agency. So I tell anybody wanting to get into this business. Be a headhunter. Have no overhead. Get some money in the bank. Have a nest. And then do the staffing. Come on. But no, my ego every single time. So I was in debt to my workman's comp insurance just about every month. I imagine.

Going and what kind of markup were you putting on the staffing at first? It's 40. You're doing 40. 40 makes sense. Why weren't you able to make money? You didn't have enough volume. I didn't have enough volume. You got to have enough volume to all the cost. Yeah. And now looking so I did it. My very first go at it. My first couple of hires now that you're reminding me. I bet the guys that said yes and signed the contract, but they were like, what does steel? I was just charging a couple of dollars more. Yeah. And hour. And then which barely covered your expenses on workers Well, I didn't even have workman's comp yet. So I ended up learning that I could end up losing everything if I don't get workman's comp

So I was like crap. Well, I got to get workman's comp and then after you literally were rolling the dice I was I didn't know I know I get it. Yeah, and then happened to wiki. Whatever called, they didn't tell you about that part. They probably did. And I probably said, well, it's not, it wasn't against the law in Texas, not have ordinance comp. So I was like live on the edge. Wow, child, right? Now I will pay my biggest expenses insurance. My biggest expense in my company is insurance just so I can sleep at night so I get the first year. Yep. Tell me about the growth so I End up in

2017 Getting that DWI as the founder and CEO of cornbread Hustle. That is second year business, third. That would be the second year in business. And that's not good for your business plan. You know, I was in the back seat of the cop car and I was like, bad PR. This isn't good. Like, I don't know how to spin this one.

It's not what I would have been thinking about, but I get that now, having been with you for an hour. Bad PR. Yeah. What about the fact that you are going to jail? Oh, I've been so many times, I knew the process. Well, and you might be able to recruit while you're there. And honestly, I felt invincible.

I felt like because I had a DWI before, and I was under 21. I blew over and I took it to trial and I won. So I just had it in my mind. That's probably a bad thing, frankly. I know. It emboldened you. I know. But the judge was trying to do a good thing. He didn't want to, he knew I wanted to be a news reporter and he didn't want it to hold me back. I was, I wasn't even 21 yet. He was like, all right. So this one, then your second year of quenbret hustle, you're in the back of a cop car. Would you blow there?

I don't remember what exactly I blew, but it was enough to make it a misdemeanor A instead of a misdemeanor B. Meaning bad. Bad. Yeah. So did you spend time in jail? Oh, I was out pretty quick. Just I got bailed out really fast. But what was your the penalty? I did get convicted even though I was just sure that I wanted until I saw the video. I was like my even my attorney was like, yeah, we're not going to take this to trial. I was like, yeah, who's that bad? Yeah. You're wasted.

Yeah. So I was like, okay, let's take a plea. So I ended up taking a plea that brought it down to a misdemeanor B, which made the punishment less, which is breathalyzer. What does that mean? The thing you, I had to blow into my car, just started. Don't act like everybody listened to us as any idea what you're talking about.

How does the whole world not know what a breath of Lizer is? Because the whole world is not an alcoholic and better methodics since they were junior in high school. Sure. Okay. A breath of Lizer is a device, a deep lung device. No, when you hear breath of Lizer, most people think that's what cops make you blow in if you

get pulled over. Oh, well, they make you have one to start your car. Right. So this thing, they hook up to your car and you got to blow in it. And if you blow high enough, you can't even start your car. And you go to jail. Because they know. Yeah.

It records. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And now they've added cameras because they knew people would just have someone else blow for them. So this thing's in your car. So now, if you're going to get around and even try to run your business, you can't drink. Is that what made you quit?

It was so hard. Well, I did not quit for a whole year. So the breathalyzer, I am a huge fan of breathalyzers as inconvenient as they are, especially in the heat of the summer where you got to sit there and huff and puff and try, and it's not easy to get that thing to go off. You're sweating in your car, trying to blow into that deep lung device. Or in the cold, every second counts whenever it's 110 degrees in Texas. But I'm a big fan of it because what it made me, I wasn't willing to quit drinking. I still didn't think I had a problem. I didn't tell anyone I got the arrest. It didn't get out. Nobody knew. I felt like, I don't know, I wasn't ever gonna tell anybody.

And I was like, well, everyone drinks and drives, I just got caught. And it's unfortunate that I'm CEO of Cornbread Hustle, that's not good, but let's just do it. Yeah, bad PR. Yeah, let's just sweep this under the rug and hope, you know, I live happily ever after. But having that breathalyzer in my car

and trying to make alcohol work for me and I was timing my drinks like, I mean, man, I was using science to try to figure out how many drinks I could have and how long I had to sleep until I could get up and blow into the breathalyzer. There were times that I drink a little too much the night before and have to get an Uber, even though my card declined, and I couldn't even get an Uber to get to a meeting. So I was really starting to realize how alcohol was dominating every piece of your life. Every piece in my life. I was trying to find a way to make it work. And so there were, I have a, in my journal, There were, I have a, in my journal, there's many times that I attempted to quit drinking publicly, not even like forever though.

I, you know me, I'm a PR person, so I tried to coin the hashtag, sobriety90, and I was trying to say like, okay, 90 days of sobriety. And that was me not acknowledging or admitting I'm an alcoholic yet, but truly on the inside wanting to quit. And so, same thing with meth. I'd go a little while without alcohol and then drink and then it was horrible. Or I'd have some consequence, rather it be. I do have a friend that was an alcoholic and he would quit. But then when he would start back up, it was one drink and that turned into a hundred. Yeah.

Is that how it was? Yeah. Yeah. One is too many and a thousand isn't enough is basically how it is for an alcoholic. That's got to be a torment. It is. Thanks for the reminder. alcoholic. That's got to be a torment. It is. Thanks for the reminder. Sorry.

It's okay. But I'm hearing your story and I mean, I'm starting to empathize with how hard that must have been for you. Think about how hard it is for like happy hours and working in a company, especially for people who remain anonymous and who suffer in silence. I shared my story out loud to be free of it. But there's a lot of people suffering in silence like I was. I was successful. I'm using air quotes because you know, you knew my float didn't make any money. But I was on the Steve Harvey show. I invented a

product. I was in the newsroom. I was vice president of a PR firm. Yeah, you were figuring it out. You were successful. Yeah. I lived in a high rise. I had a CTSB Cadillac room room around the city. I was a socialite. But a Cadillac had this gold broth laser in it,

especially on. That sucked. Yeah, but yes, you know what really sucked? Where I really knew that I had a problem. My car with the breath looser every single month was about to get repode and if my car got repode then I'm going to jail because they're went my breath loiser. Wow. Yeah, so I just I had really not come to a point where I just um, I was on probation, trying to pay probation fees, had no money, trying to run this company. I remember once going to a recovery meeting air quotes to support someone else who

was trying to be sober because I was holier than that. So looking back like me starting this company was just me trying to fix other people to avoid fixing myself and to feel better about my own situation. It was easy for me to help people who were lower than me coming out of prison. I was like, I'll help you. I'm awesome. But and it was too avoid my own problems. And so having that breathalyzer and being on probation and trying to get sober made me realize that I had done this all wrong. And the only way to really do this is to change on the inside out, not from the outside in, not to seek validation. I was like a piggy bank with a little bit of money. I made a lot of noise. I really had nothing. All I was doing was making noise. Christmas comes along and my family, they drink during Christmas.

We always have. And so they're like, Sherry, you've had a hard year. Like I blamed everything on entrepreneurship. I was at that recovery meeting and I was sharing with everyone. Like I have nothing because I've tried to help all these people and build this company. All my money's gone to this company. I have nothing. And they're like, and I was like, I gave up everything

for my company as an entrepreneur. You guys know how it is. And one person was like, I gave up everything for my company as an entrepreneur. You guys know how it is. And one person was like, you gave up everything, huh? And they're like, what about alcohol? And that was like one of those little seeds. Like, even though I was like, psh, whatever. That stuck with me. I even remember getting in my car and driving home

and looking in the passenger seat. I'm homeless at this point, by the way. And when I say homeless, like I never had to deal with real homelessness, I always had friends that let me stay on their couches. So I was couch surfing, but I did not have a place in my own and all my items were in my car. And I look in my passenger seat and I see a little four pack of the little wines. And I was like, I really have given up everything,

but alcohol. And so, but I didn't stop there. Um, I was like, I really have given up everything but alcohol. And so, but I didn't stop there. Um, I was like, oh well, and kept going on with my life, but on Christmas, my family was like, you've had a hard year, just park your car, because I had the breathalyzer still. They're like park your car down the street, just enjoy yourself, kick back. I remember something was different that day. I knew I was trying to control my alcohol, like desperately wanted to drink like a normal person. So I got a 12 pack of Topo Chico,

and I got to handle latitos. And I was like, I'm gonna drink Topo Chico and in between my Titos. And so I did that. And at the end of the night, everyone in the family was pretty drunk, and I felt that. And at the end of the night, everyone in the family was pretty drunk and I felt sober. And I drank all 12 bottles of the Topo Chico.

I felt so in control. I was on cloud nine. And I remember I got this, you know, those Chinese gift exchanges that people play. So I got this jellyfish thing. It's like a lava lamp, but there's jellyfish in it instead. And I was by myself. It was like three in the morning, I was the last one to go to sleep.

I looked at them and I named them, Kirby and Oscar. I said, Kirby, Oscar, if I wake up tomorrow and I remember your names and I'm not hungover, I beat it, I don't have a problem. So I went to bed, I woke up, and the second I opened my eyes, I had anxiety, and I was like, what the heck? So of course I'm like, well maybe alcohol is just not good. Maybe I have a chemical imbalance. It's just not good for me. Like I just didn't understand why it was giving me anxiety.

And so I was just tired of it. I was tired of making it fit for my life. I was tired of trying to get around the breathalyzer. I was tired of making it fit for my life. I was tired of trying to get around the breathalyzer. I was tired of it running my life. And now it's given me anxiety. Like it stopped doing what it's supposed to be doing. It was supposed to make me relax. Now it gives me anxiety. And that's usually what happens with any drug or substances.

It works until it doesn't. And so I was the first one awake, and I shuffled out into the kitchen and I sat down and I looked at that jellyfish thing and I said Kirby Oscar. I think I'm done drinking. And you know I told the family that morning that I thought and they've seen my sobriety 90 and all that they were like cool good for you. Yeah. You want to mimosa? And I really didn't know that morning that I wouldn't drink again

Because if I would have I would have got drunk on I would have at least went in I would have like took shots and not went to bed sober if I knew it was gonna be my last time but about a week goes by and New Year's Eve comes around. I'm the girl, you know, non-traditional. So of all my alcoholism, I never drank on New Year's Eve because I was like, pff, amateurs. You know, like it was the one day that I was gonna set my year with intention.

But because I hadn't drank since Christmas day, hard day for me. And because I felt like I couldn't drank since Christmas day, hard day for me. And because I felt like I couldn't but wanted it. So I decided to go to church. I had no interest in church whatsoever. I just needed to not be in the house. I had a really hard time when I first got sober. Those hours from 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

What am I gonna do? So I was like church, they won't servem. and 9 p.m. what am I gonna do? so I was like church they won't serve alcohol they're boring so I'll go to church they'll have music maybe they'll have food it's New Year's Eve I was just going for free entertainment and free food and so I go into the church and I never I didn't understand warship I felt like man these, first of all, I drove into the parking lot and the parking lot was full. It was absolutely full.

And I was like, why does this many people want to come to church on New Year's Eve? Like, I'm here because I have a problem. How do people want to be here? And so. Hey, let's share a news flash. Everybody has problems. That's another news flash for today. Yeah, so I I go and I stand there and everyone has their hands in the air

their worshiping and I was like man these people must really like need something to believe in bad because I didn't understand worship You just didn't get it. I knew that there was probably a god. Really, there was a god for me if it was convenient for me. If I was hanging out with an atheist, I'd be like, yeah, probably not. If I'm hanging out with a believer, I'm like, yeah, probably. That's how I was about the god thing. In different unless I was desperate. So, um, a song comes on though and it was come alive dry bones. A song comes on though, and it was come alive dry bones. And it was talking about dry bones. And I always hear, I always heard people talk about the Holy Spirit, but I experienced it.

Tears just came down my face and I felt this feeling inside like I'm dead inside. I'm, I have dry bones. Like I didn't even realize it. And just something happened that night. I have dry bones like I didn't even realize it and Just something happened that night and the pastor gets up and he was like hey everyone This is really random and my wife is gonna kill me and my staff is gonna kill me But the Holy Spirit just led me to say something crazy Let's have church every day for the next seven days to really set the year off right. And so I was like, that is crazy. That's a bit much. But I said to myself,

but that's seven more days sober. And so I went to church every day for seven days and somebody gifted me a Bible. And I guess there was another Holy Spirit moment where I was up doing my hair getting ready for work and something told me to go look in my Bible and it was like a serious tug to go look in the Bible and I was like I literally was about to start like googling like hearing things after alcoholism. I get it was very powerful. And I walked into my bedroom and saw that my bible wasn't there and then I walked back into the bathroom because I was like I'm not going downstairs but the voice got louder and it was more aggressive and so I was like fine I walked downstairs literally in my towel my my hair half wet. And I said, God, if you're there,

because I felt like I felt like a crazy person. I said, if I, I did the whole new Christian thing, if I open up this Bible and whatever I point to, if you're talking to me, I'm going to know it. And let's just settle this once and for all. Show me that you're real. And so I opened up the Bible and I closed my eyes and I pointed my finger and I looked down and it was Proverbs 20. And it said, wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler and whoever is led by it is a stray. And I was so angry. I threw my Bible at the wall and I started crying and it was like help me then help me just help me then because I was crying in gas station parking lots trying not to go in and drink and of course it was hard it was hard to stay sober but God carried me since then and I never Messed a Sunday of church unless I'm sick of course or whatever

But I never mess to Sunday of church since then I've been in the word every morning since then And God just like it says in Romans 12 completely Transform my mind and my heart like in my sleep every single night would go in and like do surgery in my heart and my brain and I'd wake up a different person every single day and it's unexplainable and I started leading people the way I needed to be led. What I needed and I kept I was telling people sorry and I've I've set the path the wrong way like it's not about success it's not about money it's about the inside it's about who you are on the inside it's

about finding that piece it's about healing these wounds it's about um recognizing your triggers and toxic relationships and so cornbread hustle I was about a year sober, hard year, like just because you get sober doesn't mean the consequences go away. One day I walked out in the church parking lot and I was, I started crying so hard because I was like, how was my car gonna get repowed from church?

Like I was so upset. And I get repowed from church dude I got on the phone I'm crying to to my friend I'm like my car from church how do I get I get this is how God thinks me my car gets repote and then I walked around the corner I just forgot where I parked part. That's funny. So I was like, woohoo, it's not real hard. But yeah, I still had to face the consequences of not having money and getting my life together

while trying to get sober while navigating all these feelings while trying to get this business going. While trying to keep the business alive and get it going, yes. Horrible. Again, like, would I change anything? No. Would I go live it again? Kill me. I don't want to live it again. We'll be right back. So I was one year sober. It was, uh, let's see, 2019, because I got sober, Christmas day.

I got sober Christmas day of 2018. So it was 2020. I was one year sober. Remember what happened in 2020? COVID. Oh, huh. So. Where everybody's sitting around in their house drinking

because they got nothing else to do. Yeah. How about that? That was fun for you. So much fun. But it actually, I got to use my thrive in chaos, resilience, skills and traits that I have. Because when I kept hearing on the news that everyone's gonna lose their jobs and I just finally made it to break even,

I probably had 20 employees, I just made it to break even. I was like, there's no way. The disease of alcoholism and addiction almost took me out. I'm not letting a virus take me out. Uh-uh, not after I got one year sober. So I went to Google, you know my friend Google. And I looked up every single thing that I possibly could about killing the coronavirus. And what type of disinfectant, I know everything about disinfectant is wild. Like which like if you you should get lice

all instead of chlorox and I got electro, what was it? Electro-instatic. Yeah, electrostatic, yeah. Yeah, machines. I bought those, like I was in a hurry to get everything that I needed. I bought hazmat suits and I put out an email blast to all 20 of my employees and I was like, fear not, we are gonna work.

Are y'all in? And they're like, yeah, I was like, we have to. We got to figure it out. And I wasn't gonna turn around. If y'all don't work, my car is getting repotent church. We got to work. We're gonna work. And so, um, work or making you all ate sushi. So, yeah, we won't be able to. So I created CBH disinfecting.com and just use the people that I was placing for the staffing agency to be available. I train them like everything. We had OSHA come in. We did everything to like really.

So use your staffing agency to then go do disinfectant on companies. Yes. And because because everybody was so afraid of coronavirus, like definitely afraid of it, like it's in the air and if it touches you, you might like evaporate. Like, remember how scared people were of it? Yeah, we weren't. We're like, oh well, we're going to die if we don't have jobs like I had been through so much like whatever like all where the hazmat suit I was literally cleaning toilets in a hazmat suit to get cornbread hustle to where it's at today. I want the joys of ownership and

the the the If you are 85% of startups in the United States are bankrupt within the first 36 months. The success rate of businesses is in the 15 to 20% sustained businesses. And in my book, I talk about the value of hard work and the difficulty of starting a business. But what you just said, I've done the same thing here. I, in my business, I have done whatever I had to do. Legally, morally, ethically, but beyond that,

whatever I had to do. And we're gonna find out in a second how many people you have on the payroll this year. But only two years ago, you were cleaning toilets in a hazmat suit in somebody else's office just to keep your business afloat. Two years ago. And how many people did you place this year? We're at about a thousand people a year now. Yeah. Do you know how phenomenal that story is?

Do you really get it? I know you're living it. I am. We easily live here. You had 20 people in Hasmat suit, washing toilets two years ago. And these thousand people are 100% ex-fellows. Most of them, we don't discriminate, we don't tell you go rob a bank and come back and see it.

Okay. But the vast majority of them are and your entire start came from everything what I just told you I laid it all out. Yeah. Came from helping Benny. Uh-huh. Yeah So guess what happened during the month of like during that first month of us doing disinfecting What we made a hundred thousand dollars because essential businesses were so afraid to not be in production

That they were gonna do whatever it took and we were in high demand and nobody else was crazy enough to risk their life like my family they were like sherry you don't need to risk your damn life over money and i was like it's not for money is for my business is for the people that i gave hope to and gave jobs to i have to do this if i die i die i die what I love. I'm gonna die regardless because if I, I knew that if COVID took me out after that hard first year of getting sober, I don't know if I would have stayed sober. I would have been like, you know what? This is for the birds.

So I just knew I had to do what I had to do. So we made a hundred K. And how many months? In that one month. One month. Yeah. Yeah, we made a hundred K in how many months in that one month one month. Yeah. Yeah. We generated a hundred K. So it was made an oil filled paid us a lot of money to go all the way out to Midland to keep the oil filled going because they were quote essential. Yeah. Yeah. And an oil filled can afford to pay whatever to some people and ask my suits

clean the toilet. Yeah. And we did it. Because everybody knows that COVID was living in the toilets. Well, the toilets were one of the areas we had to clean. I got to clean desks too, but toilets was the more traumatizing. I imagine. But that $100,000 with that did was allow me to stop doing side PR gigs. I was straddling like I was trying. You were able to walk away and put your whole time in the house. All my time and then Cornbread Houseful.

And then this is the part that I wish I could take credit for and that I wish that it was strategic on my part, but I was just as surprised as anybody else in my company. But our phone started ringing off the hook. This is where I almost start to cry again because it's all God. Our phones were ringing off the hook and cornbread hustle became the staffing agency that every company needed to come to because everybody was on unemployment and guess who is not eligible for unemployment.

People coming out of prison because they have no work history. Wow. Yeah. So my company did a million dollars that year. Yeah. And now you're off to the races. And then five million the next year. Yeah. That is a phenomenal story. I'm not as profitable as I'd like to be, but the profit margins are better than the taco. Sherry, I mean, I'm honestly, every single time I sit down across the table from someone and we start talking about an army of normal folks and we

we dive into people's lives and what they've done. The stories are always phenomenal but yours is crazy. You were a I mean it seems like a B movie that was done for less than a million dollars, but like the meth cheerleader, check movie. I mean, you kicked meth, you kicked alcohol, you overcame your demons about not going to college and being successful and all of that. And in the middle of all of it,

you decided you were gonna volunteer to help some felons. And a guy named Benny, who you don't know from Adam, you googled up, he now owns his own son company and is making six figures. And in the middle of all of it, you found faith, you kicked a meth habit, you kicked an alcohol habit, and now you employ a thousand people in a business doing $5 million. This year we only did three, we had a bad year, but just for transparency reasons. It doesn't matter. It's still a phenomenal, amazing story in Howard, are you?

36, 36. 36. 36. 36. Yeah, I just turned 36. We'll be right back. We can do next year. Please don't say more tacos because that's not- No more tacos, but I did develop a 12 week starting over program where it's me talking directly across from a camera for literally seven hours and I'm talk- it's like I am sitting right there with you sharing my pain and my vulnerability

so you can work through your stuff at the same time. And right now. For a guy getting out of, a lady or a man getting out of jail, this is a 12 step program to get yourself employable. Yeah, 12 week. 12 weeks, sorry, 12 week. Not only to get yourself employable, that's the last week.

That's like, oh, by the way, you might need a job because I wanted to undo everything that I had started with, which was, here's a job, you'll find some worth in having a job and everything will follow. That doesn't work. It didn't work for me. So I do the whole first nine weeks at least of learning how to love yourself and recognize toxicity and recognize

your own triggers and how you can find your higher power. So that's kind of how I, I guess in my own way, it helped me process a lot. And it's literally, it's me saying, hey, it's week two, I know it was really hard. Like I tell them I'm doing this. So it is currently in nine different prisons right now on tablets. And it's a pilot program. And the results have been so good that I'm flying out to Phoenix next week to meet all the inmates who have completed it. So that's, I'm not selling it yet. I wanted to collect all the data because I want to believe in what I'm selling and set the price and an inmate will never pay for it, by the way. I'm actually not.

Okay, so there's plenty of organizations that can definitely afford to put this program in prisons because I can't just sit around and make hot. Most poor job is the government does, quote, rehabbing. Maybe they can come up to some funds for something like that. That's a great story. Thank you. So, yeah, it's in there. And just last Monday, I did a three hour workshop for 200 men in a prison gym.

So there's not like, that's where the future is taking me a lot more in prison stuff, a lot more 12 week starting over program. And it's really, so I have a client in Arizona that hires from us direct hire. And our 12 week starting over program is in the Arizona prisons. As a pilot right now.

We keep having people call us to get a job. That aren't in prison because of the word of the word of mouth of everyone in prison calling their friends outside of prison saying, cornbread hustle has jobs. So so it's been like it's also a lead magnet for us to bring us qualified Applicants so a lot of staffing agencies have to use indeed we don't Because we're literally inside all of the prisons helping them Develop some soft skills and love themselves and

Have hope Before they get out they know who to call Call corn, but you can call your drug dealer and have hope before they get out. They know who to call. Call Cornbread. You can call your drug dealer, you can call your dope dealer and get back in the game, or you can call Cornbread Hustle. It's up to you, but you will know about Cornbread Hustle

before you get out of prison. And if we don't have a job for you, we can help you, just like I helped Benny, we know how to help you find a job, we can help you. It's hard to scale. That's been my biggest challenge, and you know that growing the big company that you've grown, I don't know

what your biggest challenges have been, but for me, I would start enough was the hardest thing ever. I don't wanna go back to that, but I would start- It's starting up, it's always the hardest. It's so hard, it's so hard, but scaling second hardest.

Like, I didn't realize like when I was starting up, a dream of the day that I was doing a million a year. Like I couldn't even fathom it. But, you know, it's more money, more problems, and I don't have a problem getting business in the door. I have to make sure I'm leading my internal team, right? And that I'm scaling this right in operations and filing taxes and all that stuff

that a cheerleader meth dealer probably doesn't have a lot of experience in, right? So yeah, that's the, I'm gonna do more of consulting and just be in inside the prisons and God keeps changing me every single day. One thing that really, really God literally, I know God didn't break my heart. My heart broke and God made it softer. So my dad, I did get to, he was sober the last year of his life because he had an open heart surgery and I was taking care of him a lot and I'd go to my dad's house every

single night and just talk with him and sit with my dad was funny he was a funny guy and I loved him so much and he lived his mom lived with him because she has some special needs and she has dementia. And so I'd go there and eat with them every evening. They did live in a house hoarding pretty much. But I didn't care. That's, it's like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. All she wanted to do was like hang out with her crazy, inventive dad.

That was me. I want to read books and hang out with my inventive dad. And just one morning he died and I had to go and do the whole deal. Like I showed up and the cops were there to tell me that he's gone and I guess he had had a heart attack. And, um, wow, like, that was crazy because I had just... I literally, because I didn't know how to face all that, I worked harder that day than I ever worked. I was doing a Zoom call while my dad's body was willing behind me, closing

a deal. That was your coping mechanism. It was. I even went and did a speech that night to people who had just got out of prison. I'd looking back like, come on, why? Like I could have canceled that speech, but I needed to do something. I didn't know how to do.. I mean my dad was my and I still cry all the time over my dad's death. It I always told people if I ever relapse it will be because my dad dies and then my dad died and then I didn't relapse it. It did make me stronger because I lost like the love of my life. And so I know now that I can do anything but I

became instantly a caregiver and I had this house now to to make livable and so for a whole year I was a caregiver while growing this business with my grandma We have a whole bunch of funny videos we made together and I made the best of it the best that I could but here's this heart and heart, workaholic that doesn't know

vulnerability put in a caregiver role so that that was difficult but it really just changed my life even more and I know that God has a plan and I started I did start living you know I I went to my dad's house every single day after work like I wasn't I wasn't living my life because I was just wanted to spend time with my dad and my dad wasn't healthy mentally or physically. So I was holding on to somebody that wasn't there anymore because he just, he just changed. He just wasn't there anymore but I was hanging. And I always had this dream that he'd hold a sign that said one year sober and mine said like three year sober,

but he just didn't make it. But everything really worked out. Are you, are you more proud of your company or your sobriety? My sobriety. Because it was harder. It is harder. Is it still hard? Mm-hmm.

What do you say to people that are listening to us today that are struggling with the group? So I know a lot of people who are struggling because they reach out to me for the past several years and keep trying and trying and trying. I would say the common denominator of all of these people is not willing to let strangers pour into their like the surrender part like. Pour into their like the surrender part like And I never like I'm just now learning a fully surrender and I still don't do it perfect But me so I was six months sober with so much pride It took me to be in six months sober and I became suicidal. I almost killed myself because too much It's up you told me earlier you were here in voices. I mean Clearly the the withdrawals were killing you.

It was because I was unwilling to go into a recovery group. Yeah. I thought that I was different. I was unique. My situation is different. Every day is like a recovery group. The job I work. I work with addicts every day.

Why do I need these people to help me stay sober? So pride, I would say, is the common denominator of people that I'm working with right now that keep having a hard time getting it. Not just, just, and that's what I had to do was get humble and sit down and listen to people and take suggestions. And the other thing that was very hard, when I first got sober, I couldn't hang out with anybody.

I was hanging out with anymore because I had zero interest in church people or people who didn't drink or do drugs because they seem so boring. So I was lonely for a long time. So it took now, I don't have a single person I hang around that drinks. And if they do, it's shocking. I'm like, oh, wow. Oh, alcohol. That's weird. So my whole life has changed and it does get better. My life is the best it's ever been ever. Like my life today is the best it's ever been.

I hear from other people who have 10 years sober that it keeps getting better. So I hope it keeps getting better. But I have peace that surpasses all understanding. I talk with God every single more. I don't just talk with God. I listen to God. That's how I've run my visit. God

gave me the idea for the disinfecting thing. God gives me that God gave me every the 12 week starting over program. I completely ad libbed every eight hours of it in front of the camera. I didn't use a script and I didn't read it anything. It was just straight from my heart straight from heaven. And so I've run my business through the Bible period. And without Bible thumping, you know what I mean? Like I don't go to work every day, telling people scripture. You know, I just let people see me. You don't have to tell anybody anything.

You just let them see it in you. Yeah. In the way you operate. So yeah, that's it. That's my story. And I've never shared all of that. So I'm not going to do. Well, we got it on tape. A single other podcast. Because I'm just going to tell anybody that wants to do a podcast. Just just go to this podcast, pull the audio, put your voice in the front of it and at the end of it. That's illegal. We won't let them do that. My contact information, Alex, the producers contact information and every guess we have, have given our

listeners contact information because there may be somebody out there that says, I would love to be hired back on bread hustle or I would love to work for color bread hustle or I would like to talk about doing something in my community or even tell me about this prison archipelago program, something that they've heard might and sent them to get involved in their own unique way. And if they want to understand more of that, what's the best way to reach out to you and your organization so you'll see it. So obviously simple cornbread hustle.com, but I'm happy to give my email.

It's Sherry C H E R I at cornbread hustle.com. Or if you want to continue to see content or connect with me, LinkedIn is where I share a lot, a lot of videos weekly. And what is just your name? Yeah, just Sherry Garcia. That we didn't get into that, but that whenever I finally came out about my sobriety, I got on LinkedIn and I shared with LinkedIn to professional people that I had a breathalyzer in my car. This from a PR person, whatever.

It's not surprising at all. You did that. That's pretty amazing. Yeah. Yeah. So there it is. If you want to contact her or her organization, that's how you get touched with Share Garcia. Share Garcia from a method-dicted high school cheerleader to a business owner, a borning in Christian, and somebody who's found a way to make a living while helping others.

That is an amazing story, and there's no way that you cannot be included in the army of normal folks, just a normal girl with all kinds of struggles who's overcome them to make an amazing life for herself and those in our orbit. And I am very impressed by you, and I can't thank you enough for sharing your story with us. Thank you. I have one request. Yeah, what is it? When you all put all these ads out, can you not make it so myth cheerleader? Yeah, we're not, we're not, we don't, we don't do,

can you not sense this? This is not a date line. We're not going to do the sensationalized VR. So okay, we didn't name this, uh, meth cheerleader episode out of respect for sharey's request, uh, but I had a blast with her. She was a lot of fun and most importantly, she is one incredible inspirational human being and I hope she's inspired you. And if she or another Gus has inspired you to take action, please let us know. I want to hear about it. You can write me anytime at billatnormalfokes.us. And if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast, rate it, review it, share it with friends and on social, all the things that will help us grow,

an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney, look forward to seeing you next week. .