Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cindy / Sierra Sharp. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Cindy / Sierra, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Cindy Sharp: Everyone faces some kind of challenge in their life. Overcoming challenges has been a constant in my life. From enduring child abuse, battling depression, navigating divorce, to facing cancer, I’ve learned that resilience isn’t just about facing adversity—it’s about how you respond to it. Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Sierra Sharp: Growing up, I learned that resilience isn’t about avoiding failure; it’s about learning to get back up when you fall. Also, don’t rely too heavily on the opinions of others. While feedback is important, believing in myself is what keeps me going. Ultimately, resilience is a personal journey, but I’ve found that by focusing on what I can control—my attitude, effort, and commitment—I’m able to overcome even the most daunting challenges. Today, when I face a setback, I remind myself that it’s just another opportunity to learn, adapt, and grow stronger.
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?
Cindy Sharp: After 30 years of teaching English to immigrants, refugees and foreign students, hosting international students in my home and personally traveling to 40 countries, I have gained extensive knowledge of other cultures. Many people travel or work with people from other countries, yet have no knowledge of the proper etiquette in those countries. I wanted to share my wisdom with others, so I recorded all the information in a guide book but realized a game would be a more interactive way to impart my cultural knowledge. So in 1996, while pregnant, Culture Treks was created and presented at an international conference of ESL teachers. My focus for Culture Treks was to educate people about unique cultural differences around the world. For 27 years it remained a hand-made game printed on index cards. Teachers inquired about purchasing, but I had no idea how to mass produce the game. Then last year, in 2023, my daughter helped me professionally produce Culture Treks. The game is now available on Amazon. It’s also available at select Barnes & Noble and REI stores in San Diego. It is a dream come true! I still can’t quite believe it.
Sierra Sharp: Using my design training from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), I took my mom’s table top game and transformed it into our Culture Treks brand, a game that is not only educational but aesthetic. The idea was to add color to your table, and culture to your life. We’re excited to introduce our United States expansion pack deck, allowing players to test their cultural knowledge state by state. Additionally, we believe in giving back. We allocate 10% of our profits towards a scholarship fund, promoting cultural exploration, allowing others the opportunity to travel and put their Culture Treks knowledge to the test.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Cindy Sharp: Don’t give up. Be persistent.
Stay positive. I don’t handle rejection well and used to get discouraged easily, but my daughter has taught me how important it is to put forth positive energy.
Stay connected. Team up with people who have skills you don’t. I couldn’t have accomplished starting a business without the help of my daughter.
Sierra Sharp:
Discipline, passion, and the will to keep going even when it’s hard. It’s a massive undertaking in itself to create a product from start to finish. Introducing the product into the marketplace and having the proper infrastructure in place, from website functionality, amazon ads, taxes, copyrights, trademarks etc., is a completely different challenge.
For anyone who is looking to start a brand or a business, just know there’s going to be a learning curve but know that’s just a part of the journey, don’t overthink it and keep pushing past the fear. Some days you won’t want to do the work, but you just have to start somewhere. Small steps lead to big results.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Cindy & Sierra: It would be a dream to be featured on Rick Steves, but ultimately our goal is to create a game that extends beyond the table top. Our game is currently being utilized in the SDSU Travel Abroad Program. We aspire to see Culture Treks incorporated into all exchange programs and diversity training programs at high schools and universities across the country. We’re eager to collaborate with any educational institution, whether it’s a high school, Rotary Exchange Club, community college, or university, to develop comprehensive cross-cultural awareness programs. Contact us at: [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: culturetreksgame.com
- Instagram: @culturetreksgame
- Facebook: Culture
