Carrie Sharpe is a Communication Consultant and Speaker at He says, She says. She has been married to her husband, Ryan, for over nineteen years. They have five children, including twin daughters. During their marriage they have experienced everything from financial strain to miscarriages to the life-threatening illness of their son, Maverick. Carrie describes that experience in her signature talk, “Trusting God With Our Maverick.”

Carrie believes that the foundation of every great relationship is great communication, so she loves to help other people strengthen their relationships by improving their communication skills. She coaches clients in pageant interview skills, public speaking, marriage and family communication, and interpersonal communication.

Carrie earned her degree in Political Science and Psychology from Lake Superior State University. She homeschools their children full-time, and she runs her communication business from home. Carrie also has over twenty-five years of pageant experience– competing in them, judging them, emceeing them, and coaching contestants in interview skills. She writes articles about a variety of communication topics and is a Huffington Post Contributor. Carrie has spoken across the United States and Canada about marriage, relationships, and communication skills. 

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Tell us a little bit about your family and your Boss Mom journey. 

My husband, Ryan, and I met in college and have been married for nineteen years. We have five children– Madison (16), Maguire (14), Maverick (12), Marin (7), and Moxie-Mae (7). The last two are fraternal twins. We live in northern Michigan, where it’s not unusual for deer to walk past my window while I’m working. It’s beautiful here and we’re an active family, so we love to hike and snowshoe. I homeschool our kids and run our business (He says, She says) from home.

I’ve done public speaking for as long as I can remember. It really kicked into high gear during my teenage years because I won a couple local pageants. I spent those years representing our community and speaking about it throughout Michigan. I later earned a degree in Political Science, which involves a lot of public speaking and communication as well. I went on to law school but realized I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, so I quit after my first year. We had a few miscarriages but eventually had our first two children– a daughter and a son. Our third child, Maverick, almost died from a rare illness right after his birth. We spent a few weeks in the NICU, and he eventually (and miraculously, I might add) got well. We started sharing our story of that experience and were hired to speak on stages across the United States and Canada.

When our twins were born, we realized we could not keep up the heavy travel schedule involved with conference speaking, so we decided to begin moving our business primarily online. Over the past few years we have done that. I am a Communication Consultant and Speaker, and I coach clients via Skype and FaceTime. I’ve created videos and e-books that I sell on our website. I run marriage Facebook groups and teach through Facebook LIVE. My passion is helping people overcome their communication challenges and strengthen their relationships, and I’m thankful to have found a way to do that from home on my own timetable. If it has to do with talking, I do it. It’s kind of funny that the girl who got in trouble for talking in class at school now has made that a business. I absolutely love what I do!

What are some of your favorite go-to meals when time is tight and dinner MUST get on the table?

My favorite fast meal that our whole family likes is salad. We have a huge salad bowl and throw everything in there– lettuce, broccoli, dried cherries, goat cheese, bacon, nuts, onions, whatever we have available. We serve it alongside cottage cheese or any leftovers we have in the fridge. Other favorites for our family include taco night (the meat can be cooked the day before) or a baked potato bar because everyone likes piling on their favorite toppings.

Where do you go for inspiration?

I go to nature. We always have our hiking shoes or snowshoes in the trunk of the car, and there are trails wherever we go. There is nothing like getting away from the noise, phones, emails, and TVs to clear my head. Our favorite place is a nearby town called Mackinaw City, which is right on two Great Lakes. There is a Dark Sky Park there that provides beautiful natural views year-round. It’s especially gorgeous in the middle of winter when everything is frozen and snow-covered.

What are you currently reading or listening to?

When I’m working I like having news or country music on in the background. I alternate that with podcasts like Boss Mom or Carey Nieuwhof (he’s a pastor who talks about faith and leadership). Right now I’m re-reading a book called “The Leap,” which was written by our friend, Robert Dickie. It’s inspiring and full of information about building a business in today’s economy. I like to read a book more than once because I find new nuggets in it at different times in my life.

What is one piece of business advice that you’d give to a mom just starting out?

Put your family first. Kids will only be little so long, so soak in those moments as much as possible. Our children are older now, and it’s so much easier to work my business into our daily life without it taking me away from my kids. In fact, now they’re old enough to help with it and cheer me on, but I’m glad I adjusted what I was doing to fit our family and priorities.

What are some of your favorite quotes or words to live by?

My favorite quote is by Yoda: “Do or do not. There is no try.” I like that because it basically means to get something done without giving excuses. My words to live by would include the golden rule– Treat others as you’d like to be treated. That rings true both in business and in your private life. We should always treat others properly– be honest, see things from another’s perspective, and show grace whenever we can. Do the right thing.

In one word, sum up your life as a Boss Mom:

Freedom.

 What are three core values of your business, and how do those values relate to your motherhood?

Communicate. Resolve conflicts. Connect.

In business and in motherhood, we need to communicate well. We need to relate to others, demonstrate effective social skills, and be good listeners. We need to be quick to resolve conflicts by talking directly to the person involved and not gossiping or bringing others into the situation. And we need to connect by getting to know people, building relationships, and serving others. All of that is important to me in business, and we teach it to our children as well.

Connect with Carrie on her website and social media channels! 

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest