Sheridon ‘Donna’ Palmer – Motivating through life’s challenges

SHERIDON “Donna” Palmer always knew that she was a go-getter. While growing up in Darliston, Westmoreland, she was curious to find out what awaited her beyond the quiet landscape and lush vegetation. This curiosity would lead her to move to Kingston after she graduated Manning’s School, and then to Miami, USA. Her ability to press on despite the many obstacles that life has thrown at her through the years eventually led her to realise her purpose —t o inspire those around her. Her passion and persistence bear fruit in the form of her first motivational book, Life… You Can Do It.

“I chose to write about life because I’m a lover of life and people,” the petite, stylish author told All Woman last week.

“I have observed that people are experts at handling the positives of life such as births, graduations, marriages, promotions, wellness, wealth and growth; however, when the challenges of life present themselves, such as natural disasters, sickness, rejection, deception, demotion, divorce, poverty, peer pressure and death, people tend to lose hope.”

She added: “They might turn to drugs, promiscuity, depression, self-pity, overindulgence, violence and even suicidal thoughts. Life… You Can Do It is designed to give hope and provide practical tips on how to deal with the surprises of life.”

Motivating others is nothing new to Palmer. At 12 years old she formed a girls’ club in her community and set about encouraging her peers, building their self-esteem and teaching them practical skills such as crocheting and making craft items.

“While at school I was the ringleader,” she laughed. “I was always trying to empower others and build them up. I knew I was a born leader and I always found myself in leadership roles, even in my career. My jobs have always been managerial positions.”

After moving to Kingston, where she lived, studied and worked in her early 20s, Palmer was no longer satisfied with moving into a larger swimming pool — she wanted to swim in the ocean.

“I wanted something bigger than me. I wanted to explore and to touch more lives,” she said justifying her decision to move to Miami at 26 years old. “I decided, then moved at 26 to work in local government. I obtained my master’s in public administration at Florida International University and I have been working in local government since. I like this area because it looks out for small businesses and that is just in line with what I love to do, which is looking out for the small people.”

The theme of her novel is simple — never give up. This is a message she has had to break down to many people around her on an individual level when they didn’t feel as if they were strong enough to continue living.

“I have spent hours talking to friends, family, and even sometimes strangers who felt like giving up. I have spent nights talking down people who were considering taking their own lives. I know the book will be able to reach many more people than I can ever reach on an individual level,” she reasoned.

She was also motivated by her personal challenges that she had to push through and encourage herself to keep going. She gives advice on overcoming heartbreak after a failed relationship in the fifth chapter of her book — something that she has had to go through.

“There’s no need to entertain senseless dialogue with your ex, trying to amend the inevitable past. Truth be told, if there was enough substance to sustain a relationship it would be striving today. Remember, nothing lost was meant for you,” she wrote.

“This book highlights the benefits of maintaining a healthy self-esteem, appreciating family, embracing friends, having faith in God, enjoying nature, unearthing your gifts and talents and persevering to make the best of your life,” she said.

Palmer hopes the book, which was launched on July 31, will motivate readers worldwide to colour their lives regardless of the different challenges they may face. While she is now focused on marketing the book, and her career in local government, she continues to write and plans to focus on it exclusively after retirement, which she says isn’t long in coming.

“I’m writing a self-esteem book for children ages five to ten,” she divulged excitedly. “My goal is to have that one published by early next year. I have about seven topics of books that I want to write as I go along, and that’s what I want to do after I retire in two years. They’re all about life because once you can breathe you can relate to life, and there are challenges at every step of the way.”

Though she still resides in Miami, Palmer returns to Jamaica every year to catch up with friends and family and also to host her annual ‘give back’, where she targets a charity or needy individual or group each year and provides them with whatever supplies they need to navigate life.

She is now wrapping up her promotional book tour where she has been giving talks based on the contents of her book — from corporate team-building workshops to high school students.

“If you do what you love you will never work a day in your life and this is what I love,” she smiled.

“I love going out and changing lives. I’m not only a motivational speaker, but I’m also a people person. My purpose in life is to help people — from babies to the elderly — and that is what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.”