Meet Cherish Mullins

We were lucky to catch up with Cherish Mullins recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cherish, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

There was a point in my life when showing up felt like the hardest thing to do. I’ve had days where my smile didn’t match how I felt inside. Times when I was running on empty, juggling multiple jobs, and pouring into everyone around me while quietly falling apart myself. I didn’t always have balance, and honestly, I didn’t always have peace.

For a long time, I thought staying busy meant I was doing okay. Working in veterinary medicine, building my business, and trying to keep everything together made me feel like I had to be strong all the time. But I reached a place where I realized strength doesn’t mean pretending you’re fine. It means being honest about when you’re not.

Mental health hasn’t been an easy road for me. I’ve gone through burnout, anxiety, emotional fatigue, and seasons of silence where I questioned my purpose. But even in those quiet, heavy moments, something in me refused to quit. That’s how I learned that healing isn’t just about bouncing back. It’s about growing through what tried to break you.

Recently, I made one of the hardest but healthiest decisions I’ve had to make: stepping back from my career in veterinary medicine to focus on a new path. It wasn’t giving up. It was choosing myself. I needed time to re-center, to reimagine what peace and purpose looked like for me now. My business, Gentle Express, has always been close to my heart, but I realized it needed to evolve just like I have. So I put it on pause to rebrand behind the scenes. I’m rebuilding it with a new foundation, one that aligns with who I am today, not who I was when I started.

Taking that step gave me clarity. It taught me that rest isn’t weakness, and slowing down doesn’t mean you’ve lost momentum. Sometimes God pauses things not to punish you, but to prepare you.

I’ve been healing quietly, realigning my faith, my routines, and my goals. I’m learning to pour back into myself the way I’ve always poured into others. I’m learning that I don’t have to carry everything alone.

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that persistence doesn’t always look like pushing. It can look like pausing, reflecting, and choosing to start again with a clearer mind and stronger spirit. I’m still growing, still healing, still showing up, but this time, I’m doing it for me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a girl from South Carolina who moved to North Carolina about ten years ago without a clear direction of where life would take me. In 2016, I enrolled in Job Corps, which became one of the most pivotal experiences of my life. I built lifelong friendships, gained confidence, and discovered my passion for the medical field. During that time, I earned my CMA, but God had a different plan for me.

Shortly after, I landed a job at an animal hospital as a receptionist. Within two days, I volunteered to help in the back, and that moment changed everything. I fell in love with veterinary medicine and spent the next nine years working across general practice, emergency, urgent care, and grooming. Eventually, I decided to take everything I learned and build something of my own.

In 2021, I launched Gentle Express PetCare, a mobile pet-sitting and medical grooming business rooted in compassion, care, and connection. Over the past year, I’ve been rebranding—not just my business, but myself. I recently transitioned from veterinary medicine to a role in medical research as a research technician, where I still get to blend my love for science and animal care but in a more research-focused, innovative setting.

What makes my journey special is that I’m multi-passionate and not confined to one niche. I’m currently in a season of rebuilding, re-centering, and preparing for what’s next… whether that’s launching a nonprofit, publishing a book, or starting my podcast. After navigating seasons of chaos, confusion, and deep personal growth, I’m now stepping into a phase of clarity, purpose, and expansion. At its core, my story is about resilience, reinvention, and giving myself permission to evolve—both as a woman and as a creator.

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

The three qualities that have had the biggest impact on my journey are resilience, humility, and faith. It might sound like an uncommon mix, but together, they’re really what make or break you.

Faith gives me the strength to keep going even when life doesn’t make sense. It’s about having a vision and trusting in it—especially when things are at their lowest.

Humility keeps me grounded. It reminds me to stay grateful, to appreciate how far I’ve come, and to recognize that everyone’s journey looks different. I’ve learned that success means more when you remember your “why” and stay true to your values.

And resilience is what keeps everything together—the ability to keep moving even when you want to stop. Taking breaks or needing time to regroup doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human. Growth isn’t linear, and every setback teaches you something.

When it comes to developing these traits, my biggest advice is to learn from your mistakes and use what you have. Ask for help when you need it. Utilize your resources. Put your best foot forward even if you’re scared, and remember—it’s okay to start afraid. What matters most is that you start. Whether it’s a dream, a business, a goal, or a new chapter, don’t wait for the “right time”, because the perfect moment is now.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

My biggest area of growth over the past year has been learning to slow down, rebuild, and trust my timing. For a long time, I was in constant motion—running my business, working full-time, and chasing the next goal. But this past year forced me to pause and realign.

I experienced being laid off for the first time, which at the time felt like a major setback—but it actually became one of my greatest blessings. It pushed me to take a hard look at my path and ask myself what I really wanted long-term. That moment of uncertainty opened the door for a fresh start and a deeper kind of confidence.

After nearly a decade in veterinary medicine, I made the difficult decision to step away and accept a higher-paying role in medical research—a move that allowed me to grow in new ways, expand my skill set, and start investing in myself and my business differently. It wasn’t just about money; it was about positioning myself for the next level of purpose and stability.

This year has taught me the value of discipline, self-trust, and redirection. Sometimes the detour is the destination. I’ve learned that growth isn’t always about what’s visible to others—it’s about rebuilding quietly, realigning your priorities, and preparing for what’s next with peace and confidence.

Now, I’m in a space where I’m ready to grow again—smarter, stronger, and with a clearer sense of who I am and what I’m building.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.gentleexpresspetcare.com/
• Instagram: cherishjesine_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherish.jesine
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherishjesine/