Meet Charles Galbreath

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Charles Galbreath. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Charles below.

Charles, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Confidence and self-esteem are two of the greatest gifts my childhood village gave me. I grew up in a beautiful town Fulton, Missouri. I was born into a very loving family. My parents are retired educators, as I was growing up their presence in the school system was a great advantage to my K-12 experience. Many of my teachers knew me personally from birth. That is an advantage. I received a natural love and kindness from them. My teachers also had high expectations for me because of my older sister. She was a very involved and intelligent student. My sister was a great role model for me. She tried many activities and adventures. I had the opportunity to watch her and then I was ready to try. I learned early on that I was good at the things I tried. Early in life, I was identified as creative, an old soul, funny, articulate, and talented. I was a natural entertainer. I was often in performance mode. My village encouraged my life as a performer. My village made me feel special. My village made me feel like I could do anything I put my mind to. My greatest talent was my gifting as a pianist. My gift as a pianist was showcased in church, school, and community. I often provided the music for family weddings, and funerals. The feedback I received as a pianist was a huge boost to my confidence and self-esteem. Also, I had the most loving grandparents. My grandparent’s love strengthened me in powerful ways. They believed in me with their entire being. I still feel their love from heaven.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I have enjoyed a 20 year career in Social Services, specifically Juvenile Justice. It has been my privilege to serve Residential Treatment Facilities for Incarcerated Youth. I’ve been a frontline counselor, case manager, trainer, supervisor, and consultant in the field of Juvenile Justice. I start in the Missouri Department of Social Services, and now I have served the New York City Juvenile Justice System. I believe in positive youth development. It is has been a joy to help youth with challenging pasts change their future. I am very proud to teach the award winning Missouri Approach to various systems. The Missouri Approach is a group therapeutic approach to juvenile treatment in residential treatment systems.

I’ve always been a social butterfly. Throughout my life I’ve led with charisma. Because of my experiences working with youth, I love teaching life lessons, and finding creative ways to empower others. This has sent me on a path as a speaker. I have enjoyed traveling the world as an empowerment speaker and coach.

I’m very proud of the last 4 years that I have recently spent serving as the National President of the Tennessee State University National Alumni Association. It was the highest honor to represent my alma mater as the official alumnus representative. This role heightened my interest in the needs of Historically Black Colleges and/or Universities and my skills as an advocate for those public and/or private black institutions. I will continue to be strong advocate for Tennessee State University and the equitable funding of black land grant universities.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Critical thinking
Independent thinking
Creative thinking

My greatest skill is I love thinking. Thinking is my favorite hobby. It is important to think all the way through till the completion of the task. I do a lot of reading and I watch a lot of documentaries. Learning helps me think intensely. The more I learn, the more I can imagine. The more I can imagine the greater my thoughts can extend. I appreciate being able to think freely, I am brave enough to think differently from others. There is a poem by Robert Frost that I love, “The road not taken.” I am willing to take the road less traveled. I give myself permission to think whatever I want to. No thoughts are off limits. This freedom allows me to think creatively.

Make your imagination your best friend. Go everywhere with your imagination. Think amazing thoughts. Enjoy your thoughts. Fall in love with thinking! Your thoughts will always save you!

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Exposure to life’s opportunities! My parents exposed my sister and I to so much. We had wonderful vacations, across the country, that were always the perfect balance of fun and education. They made sure I was well balanced. I was involved in church, little league sports, and music programs. I was exposed to caring adults, family members who loved me, and introduced me to personality and conversation. They were leaders in our community. This showed me what is expected from a leader. There example taught me about kindness, compassion, giving, service, love, and forgiveness. I know that I have the best of them flowing through me as I live, love, learn, laugh, and lead!

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