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Speaker for Women Insurance Producers Unfiltered (WIPU)™️2026 Conference

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 It was an honor to speak at the 2026 Conference of    Women Insurance Producers Unfiltered (WIPU)™️ What an amazing group of women! Being good at your job is one thing... Being able to communicate clearly, set boundaries, lead people, navigate difficult conversations, and still maintain good relationships? That's a whole different skill set.  And that's exactly why we're so excited to have Dr. Sherri Raftery joining us at WIPU Salem!! Dr. Sherri is a leadership educator, speaker, author, performer, photographer, and artist whose work focuses on communication, leadership, boundaries, resilience, and human connection. She has a way of combining research and real-life experience with storytelling to make the things she's teaching actually stick. And in an industry built almost entirely on relationships, learning to communicate better isn't exactly a "nice to have." It affects how we lead, how we work with clients, how we handle conflict, and how we build o...
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Closing my Fifth Decade: Letting Go, Leveling Up, and Looking Ahead

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  Closing My Fifth Decade: Letting Go, Leveling Up, and Looking Ahead From January 2025 to December 2025, I had the privilege of beginning—and completing—the final year of my fifth decade . It was a year of release, resilience, and realignment. One of the biggest lessons came through letting go—literally . I moved out of two storage lockers, a process that depleted my savings and tested my resolve. I released many items… and brought many home. At times, it feels like I’m living inside a storage locker. And yet, this experience clarified something important: I will be downsizing again. With relocation on the horizon, I know it will require bravery—and a willingness to truly “let it go, let it go” (yes, like Frozen 🎶). This year also brought joy and accomplishment. I enjoyed attending theatre productions, returned to the pool for lap swimming, and said yes to leadership by serving as a Division Director in Toastmasters . I competed in a Table Topics Contest , earned my fifth ...
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Mentor of the 4th Quarter Award

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  Mentor of the 4th Quarter Award! Happy to share I was nominated as the  District 31 Toastmasters -  Mentor of the 4th Quarter for the 2024-2025 year! I have been nominated each quarter in several categories and am happy that I was finally chosen.  I am super proud of this one because it shows that the person took actions and is bettering their speaking, leading, and Toastmasters experiences. I am looking forward to witnessing my mentees progress.
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District 31 Toastmasters Division A Director & my Area Director Team!

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  The District 31 Toastmasters - Division A-Team!  Area A-11 Jennifer Curcuru , Area A-12 Karthik Yajurvedi ,  Area A-13 Bethany Hashway , DTM, Area A-14 Bob Moran , Division A Director Dr. Sherri Raftery, DTM4 PDG . hashtag # D31DeliverResults www.district31.org This Toastmasters 2025-2026 Year I was elected to serve as the District 31 Division A Director on Saturday April 26, 2025.  I have a team of 4 Area Directors that I was able to seek out, contact, and ask if they would like to serve on my team. And they said "YES"!     and what a blessing it is witnessing as  learn how to navigate leadership,  and I get to help guide and direct them on their journey.  More as the year goes along and as our first female International President Helen Blanchard said: "If you can get all there is to get out of Toastmasters,  you will never get out of Toastmasters."   - Helen Blanchard, DTM, PIP 1985-1986 (L-R) Helen Blanchard, DTM, PID...
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Happy 17th Birthday Shane!

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Happy 17th Birthday Shane! I remember when we first "adopted" you! We drove to Hull, MA from the Salem, MA to pick out a white cat with blue eyes from my District 31 Toastmaster friend Sheila Sullivan. Her bf's cat had a litter, and we planned on the white one. BUT...Shane crawled up on my daughter's leg and she looked up at me and said "Mommy, can we get him instead?" I replied "Of course, it's your cat".  We drove back with Shane, and he has been a part of our family for 17-years. He started off being her buddy but since she moved out 10-years ago he has become my therapeutic fur-baby. Always by my side, by my feet, sleeping on my bet, purring next to me. My study-buddy follows me around like a little puppy. I am blessed to have him, and I am so grateful that he chose us. Best personality, docile, calm, cute, and mellow. My vanilla Zebra  Happy 17 Years - SHANEYYYY! 
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Photos & Quotes thanks to Canva!

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 I am super exited to share that I figured out a way to share my quotes and photos in one place through using Canava! Thank you to Toastmaster District 31 Public Relations Manager for walking me through the process.  Good thing I am a quick study that I could organize and create the look that I wanted. I created two and will keep these in a folder and then I will publish the book. I have been wanting to use my personal photos and my quotes for many years and can finally do that now! Super excited for this new opportunity to share these photos and quotes. I will try to post on my blog more often too in 2025! Podcast is coming soon too! Dr. Sherri
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Happy Birthday January 9, 2025!

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  Happy Birthday to me!  On January 9th I turned XX years old.  I celebrated with my family and my BFF Sharon - whose Birthday is on January 13th. We are Capricorns. I appreciated this flyer that Dr. Sunny created from Contest Mastery Toastmaster Club. I am serving as the 2024-2025 President. I also appreciated the cards, emails, texts, and warm messages from numerous friends across the globe. I am grateful to celebrate my Birthday! Thank you for helping to make it special!
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