Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Hayes.
Hi Cheryl, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Hear My Voice was not born from a business plan—it was birthed on September 19, 2025, from life, love, and lived experience. For more than two decades, I have worked in Social Services with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, serving children and families across the state of Tennessee. Through my professional career, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges families face when navigating systems that are often complex, overwhelming and emotionally exhausting. I have seen parents struggle to advocate for their children, caregivers feel unheard and children lose confidence when their voices are overlooked or misunderstood. However, my journey became deeply personal when I became an adoptive mother. My son, Mason quickly became my greatest teacher. Through raising him and walking alongside him through educational, emotional and developmental challenges, I experienced what so many parents quietly endure—the need to consistently advocate, to explain your child’s needs and to hope that someone will truly listen. Over time, I learned strategies, tools, and approaches that helped Mason grow into the confident, capable young man he is today. Those lessons changed not only his path, but my purpose. This journey was never one I walked alone. I have been deeply supported by my amazing husband, Ernest, who has been a steady, positive role model in Mason’s life since the day I adopted him. We have been together for over 20 years and married for three, and when we married, my husband legally adopted Mason and he became his father. In many ways, Mason has been adopted twice—but the first adoption was into our hearts and again into our family built on love, commitment and stability. Through unwavering support, Ernest has been a blessing to both of us and has strengthened everything we have built together. As my personal experiences intersected with my professional work, I recognized a powerful gap. Families needed education, encouragement and reassurance. Children needed to be seen for their strengths, not just their struggles. Caregivers needed to know they were not alone. Realization became the foundation of Hear My Voice LLC. Although, still in its early stages, Hear My Voice LLC’s core vision has remained clear. What began as a personal calling is growing into a community-centered mission focused on education, advocacy and empowerment. My children’s book, inspired by Mason’s journey entitled, “Speak to My Heart, Hear My Voice” is currently awaiting publication and represents the first of many tools designed to open conversations and build understanding. We are in the baby stages, but there is much more to come. Hear My Voice LLC is intended to become a positive and lasting force in the community—through storytelling, workshops, seminars, support groups and outreach. My goal is to give back what I have learned over the years, both professionally and personally, so other families can feel supported, informed, and empowered. If sharing our journey helps even one child find confidence, one parent find clarity, or one family feel heard, then this work is already doing what it was created to do.— Cheryl D. Hayes, BBA, Founder & CEO, Hear My Voice LLC
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The journey has not been a smooth road—and in many ways, that is what gives Hear My Voice LLC its purpose. One of the greatest challenges has been balancing personal life, professional responsibilities, and advocacy work all at once. Building Hear My Voice LLC happened alongside raising a child with unique needs, navigating emotional and educational systems, managing family responsibilities, and continuing a demanding career in Social Services. There were moments of exhaustion, self-doubt, and wondering how to keep moving forward when the duties felt too heavy. Another challenge was learning how to turn lived experience into something sustainable and structured. Advocacy often begins from the heart, but transforming that passion into a formal organization required learning business processes, compliance, branding, organization and outreach—often without a roadmap. As a first-time business owner, there were many moments of trial and error, learning as I progressed and trusting myself to take the next step even when everything wasn’t crystal clear. Emotionally, one of the hardest struggles has been revisiting personal experiences—both as a mother and as a professional—that were painful or overwhelming at the time. Sharing my story means being vulnerable, and vulnerability takes courage. But I’ve learned that healing and impact often come from the same place. Despite the challenges, each obstacle reaffirmed why Hear My Voice LLC is needed. The struggles I faced are the same struggles so many families quietly carry. Those challenges did not stop the mission—they shaped it. They strengthened my resolve, deepened my empathy, and reminded me that meaningful work is rarely easy, but always worth it.— Cheryl D. Hayes, Founder & CEO, BBA, Hear My Voice LLC
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a 24 plus year, Social Services Professional, I currently serve as a Facilitator with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. In this role, I facilitate the very first meeting when a family is brought to the attention of the department. These meetings are often very critical turning points for families. My responsibility is to ensure the process is structured, fair, and respectful for everyone involved. I maintain the flow of the meeting while ensuring that Child Protective Services has thoroughly explored all possible avenues to keep families together—particularly identifying and searching for family or kin who may be able to support the family if a child has to be removed from the home due to safety concerns while the investigative process begins. I also ensure that appropriate services are offered to families to address the allegations outlined in the referral, and that clear timelines are established as action steps that must be timely completed. Equally important, I ensure that families are given the opportunity to tell their side of the story. I help families understand the department’s recommendations, the expectations moving forward, and the purpose behind each decision being made. My goal is to create space for communication, understanding, and accountability while keeping the child’s safety and well-being at the center of every discussion. I am best known for my professionalism, pleasant personality, and the genuine rapport I am able to build with families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives. Building trust quickly is essential in this work, and I take pride in creating an environment where families feel respected, heard, and supported. Throughout my tenure, I have been recognized for my dedication and impact. I have been awarded Employee of the Month twice, and was selected among my peers to train groups of foster parents on how to successfully maintain children with behavioral concerns in their homes. This training focused on strengthening caregivers’ skills, preventing placement disruptions, and supporting stability for children in foster care. What I am most proud of is my ability to balance structure with compassion. What sets me apart is my ability to bridge professional responsibility with empathy—bringing clarity to complex systems while honoring the voices and experiences of the families I serve. This work has directly shaped the mission of Hear My Voice LLC and continues to guide my advocacy both inside and outside the system.— Cheryl D. Hayes, BBA, Founder & CEO, Hear My Voice LLC
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I do not view myself as a reckless risk-taker, but rather as a thoughtful and intentional one. For me, risk is not about acting without preparation—it is about choosing purpose over comfort when something meaningful is at stake. One of the most significant risks I have taken was deciding to turn deeply personal and professional experiences into something visible and public through Hear My Voice LLC. Advocacy work often happens quietly, behind closed doors, but stepping forward to share my story, my son’s journey, and my professional insight required vulnerability. There is always risk in speaking openly—risk of being misunderstood, judged, or questioned—but I believed the potential impact outweighed the fear. Another risk was formalizing Hear My Voice LLC while continuing to work in a demanding field. Balancing a full-time career in Social Services, family responsibilities, and building a mission-driven organization required faith, discipline, and trust in myself. There were no guarantees—only the belief that the work mattered and that families needed support, education and reassurance that their voices count. In my professional role, I also take measured risks every day by creating space for honest dialogue in high-stress situations. Facilitating difficult conversations, ensuring accountability, and advocating for clarity and fairness requires confidence and courage. These are not risks taken lightly, but they are necessary to promote transparency, understanding, and better outcomes for children and families. I believe risk, when guided by integrity and purpose, is a catalyst for growth. Every meaningful step forward in my life and career has required stepping outside of comfort and trusting the process. Hear My Voice LLC exists today because I chose to take a chance on purpose—and I would make that choice again.— Cheryl D. Hayes, BBA, Founder & CEO, Hear My Voice LLC
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.hearmyvoicellc.com
- Other: listentomyheartspeak@gmail.com
