#259: Building Self-Trust Through Journaling with Cheryl Sutherland

In this episode of *The Everything ECE Podcast*, Carla sits down with Cheryl Sutherland, founder of PleaseNotes, for a conversation about journaling, self-trust, confidence, and learning to pay attention to what we actually need. Cheryl shares why she once considered herself a “journaling hater,” how journaling can help us recognize patterns and make clearer decisions, and why the words we use with ourselves matter more than we may realize. Carla and Cheryl also talk about the very real overwhelm educators carry, the pressure to be everything to everyone, and what can happen when we acknowledge that something isn’t working instead of continuing to push through it. And Carla makes a commitment during the episode: 30 days of journaling. Listen in, then join her for the experiment. Transcript **CHERYL SUTHERLAND** Cheryl Sutherland is a speaker, author, and founder of PleaseNotes, a Toronto-based personal growth brand offering guided journals, planners, and affirmation cards for confidence, clarity, and self-trust. She also works as a facilitator and mindfulness speaker for corporate clients, ERGs, and HR teams, with a background spanning banking, sales, and business coaching. She has run four successful Kickstarter campaigns and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, InStyle, HuffPost, CBC, and Inc. She is passionate about helping people build self-trust through journaling and reflection.  **LINKS** **Website:** PleaseNotes & cherylsutherland.com **Instagram:** PleaseNotes / Cheryl Sutherland **TikTok:** Cheryl Sutherland **Affirmations in Abundance:** Link **MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE** Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff If You Want to Change the World, Start Off by Making Your Bed - William McRaven, US Navy Admiral **SEE CHERYL LIVE** Cheryl will be speaking at the ECE Entrepreneur Experience on November 14, 2026. www.carlatheece.com/ece-entrepreneur-experience  **30 DAYS OF JOURNALING** Carla is taking Cheryl’s advice and turning journaling into an experiment: 30 days of showing up and seeing what happens. Want to join her? Tag @carlatheece and Cheryl/PleaseNotes on Instagram so you can do the 30 days together. **SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW** If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE.  See you next week! **CONNECT WITH CARLA** **Email Newsletter:** ⁠⁠Click Here⁠  **Website:**http://elfoundations.comcarlatheece.com **Instagram:** @carlatheece