‘On the Other Side of Fear is Every Blessing’: Sherri Shepherd on Her New Book and the Power of Friendship (EXCLUSIVE)
Plus, the beloved talk show host reveals her mom's empowering advice and more!
Sherri Shepherd, 58, brings her pitch-perfect humor and joyful ease to everything she does—whether it’s her hit daytime talk show Sherri, her podcast Two Funny Mamas or her stand-up comedy—and she’s been delighting audiences for three decades. But through it all, she says none of it would be possible without the steady support of her girlfriends—her ‘sunshine queens’—and this very idea inspired her first children’s book.
“When you have the power of friendship behind you, you can do anything,” she tells Woman’s World. “And I think kids—especially young girls—need to know this and know their own value.” Sherri’s book, The Sunshine Queens, out October 7, follows a little girl named Chloe and draws from Sherri’s life and advice from her mom. “My mother used to give me the best advice,” she says. “I channeled her voice through the mom character. This story shows people of any age that a bit of support, and love, goes a long way.”
Here, we sat down with Sherri to talk about her inspirations behind this feel-good story—and how true friendship fuels fearlessness, courage and confidence.
Woman’s World: Thanks for chatting with us, Sherri! What first inspired this book idea?
Sherri Shepherd: “Chloe’s story is definitely pulled from my current-day life, but there are touches of my childhood memories in there, too. I’m big on kids knowing their value and teaching them the strength of friendship—I think it’s so important. So I thought, How can I do that in a way that speaks to them? And I realized, I could take stories from my own circle—my queens, my sunshine queens—and create something that would inspire 4-to-8-year-olds.”
WW: How about the characters? Are they based on real people in your life?
Sherri: “Oh, totally. I couldn’t fit all my queens in though—Niecy Nash called me asking, “Who am I?!”—but, really, every character has little pieces of people I love. Girls I grew up with, women I admire—they’re all in there. The neighbor character is inspired by Maureen, a woman I met on TikTok who’s now become a real friend. She’s 100—almost 101! I bring her on my show all the time. She’s funny, full of life and just amazing. I wanted to honor her by giving her a place in the book. This book is very intentional. It’s about female friendship and how powerful it is even at a young age.”
WW: My favorite part in the book is when Chloe’s mom encourages her. Has advice like this from your mom stuck with you?
Sherri: “Definitely. My mom always said, ‘Do the hard stuff first.’ That’s something I live by to this day. I get up at 4am because she also said, ‘If you sleep late, you waste your whole day.’ So I like to wake early, meditate, journal and get stuff done. Her work ethic was so strong. There’s something special about a mom’s advice and also the synergy of women. In my book, every character is a woman—from the neighbor to the mom to the friends—because when women come together, something powerful happens. I mean, I love men too, but there’s a unique magic when women support each other.”
WW: When Chloe sees her friends, her “heart fills with sunshine.” Have you had similar “sunshine” moments in life?
Sherri: “Yep—the first day of my talk show. I looked into the audience and saw so many of my girlfriends. Some flew in for just a few hours. One of my oldest friends, Vonda, came in for the day even though she had a big meeting. That meant the world to me. Even back in the day when I did my first stand-up shows, they were always there—through the good ones and the ones where I bombed [laughs]. I even did a gig once at a biker bar—where everybody looked like ZZ Top—and they still showed up! They’ve always shown up for me. It means everything to me. Even now, no matter what I’ve accomplished, there’s still that little girl inside me thinking and wondering, Will anyone come? Am I enough? And when I see their faces in the crowd, it fills me up with sunshine and confidence.”
WW: The story explores big feelings like uncertainty and fear. What advice do you have for anyone, at any age, who’s facing a moment of self-doubt or hesitation?
Sherri: “First of all, you only need one yes. And you can’t get that yes if you quit. No’s are just a part of the journey—it’s just a numbers game. I’ve gotten a ton of no’s. I’m still learning not to take it personally. But if you can push past fear, that’s where all your blessings are. I would say this to both young girls and older women: On the other side of fear is everything good—the open doors, the shine, the laughter, the success, the breakthroughs. You don’t have to wait for a perfect moment—and you don’t have to be perfect either. Sometimes the magic comes through the messiness. And you know, if you don’t keep going, you never know what’s around the corner.”
WW: It really feels like this book applies to women of all ages. But what do you hope young girls will learn from the story?
Sherri: “I hope they take away the power of friendship, the belief that they can achieve any dream and the confidence to get through hard things. I want girls to see that fostering friendship from a young age is a kind of superpower—that when you have your girls in your corner, you can accomplish anything.”
WW: With the book’s timeless lessons, I think adults will enjoy reading this to the little ones in their lives. Did you grow up with a love for books?
Sherri: “Reading is so important on every level. I learned how to read when I was about 4 years old because my mother read to me all the time. I also loved story time at school—I had a teacher who would always set aside time to read to us. There’s something so powerful about hearing a soothing voice bring characters to life. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling—even now, I do it on stage—because those early moments really stuck with me. I remember my mother reading to me, my grandmother, that beloved teacher…and that experience sparks something. It lets a little girl dream. It takes her somewhere in her mind. That, to me, is where real creativity begins.”
WW: Let’s talk a little about the fun and whimsical illustrations in the book! They spark a feeling of girlhood nostalgia.
Sherri: “Thank you! Tanisha Cherislin did such a beautiful job. I love her work. I had seen her illustrations in other books, and for me, because I do stand-up, my eyes are the expressive part of who I am. And the way she draws characters’ eyes is always so expressive—they’re full of wonder. I also told her I wanted that space—Chloe’s room—to feel like the heart of where the girls gather. In real life, my girlfriends and I hang out in each other’s closets, bedrooms or around the kitchen. That’s our safe space, where we laugh, try on makeup, talk about everything and anything. I wanted kids to feel that warmth. I also wanted the story set here because I live in Harlem—I love New York. I live in a brownstone, and my stoop is where everything happens. People stop by, chat, catch up, rest, stay awhile. It’s a heartbeat of the neighborhood.”
WW: What feeling do you want people to walk away with after reading the book?
Sherri: “Confidence. Courage. Belief in themselves. Sometimes, we all hear that little voice quietly telling us that we’re not good enough—that we’re too much of this or not enough of that. But I want every little girl, and every woman, to know: You are already everything you need to be. You’ve always been worthy, and you always will be.”
Pick up a copy of The Sunshine Queens here and keep up with Sherri on Instagram @sherrieshepherd.
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