Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheneaka Sykes.
Hi Sheneaka, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My path into healthcare wasn’t traditional, but in many ways, that’s what shaped my perspective the most. I started in healthcare more than 25 years ago as a CNA, working directly with patients and families and learning what compassionate care truly looks like. I didn’t begin my educational journey in the typical way—I started with a GED and worked my way up step by step. It took perseverance, faith, and a lot of determination, but every stage of that journey taught me something valuable about people, resilience, and the healthcare system.
Because I’ve spent so many years in the field, I’ve had the opportunity to see healthcare from the ground up. I’ve seen the system through the eyes of patients, caregivers, and providers. Those experiences helped shape the way I approach medicine today. They taught me that real care goes beyond diagnoses and treatment plans—it requires listening, understanding people’s lives, and meeting them where they are.
At the same time, I was navigating life as a mother and a woman wearing many different hats. Like so many women, I understand what it feels like to carry responsibilities, manage stress, and show up for everyone else while often putting your own health and well-being on the back burner.
Over the years, I began noticing a pattern among the women I encountered in healthcare. Many were quietly navigating hormonal changes, metabolic concerns, stress, and major life transitions while still trying to hold everything together for their families, careers, and communities. It became clear to me that women needed a different kind of support—one that acknowledged the realities of their lives while empowering them to take control of their health.
That realization led me to create Seraphym Healthcare. My vision was to build more than just a medical practice. I wanted to create a safe and welcoming space where women could feel seen, heard, and supported while navigating some of the most complex transitions in their lives.
Part of that vision also led to the creation of our Stillness Room, a space designed to encourage women to pause, breathe, and reconnect with themselves. It’s a reflection of something I’ve learned both personally and professionally: sometimes healing begins when we allow ourselves a moment of stillness in the middle of everything life demands of us.
Today, my mission is simple—to provide thoughtful, compassionate care while creating a space where women feel empowered to prioritize their health and well-being.
If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that sometimes the most powerful way to care for others is to first remind them that they deserve care too.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Like many people building something meaningful, my journey has included personal seasons that tested my resilience. There were times when I was navigating major life changes, including divorce and shifts in friendships and relationships that sometimes happen when your life is evolving and your priorities become clearer. Those moments can be painful, but they also teach you a lot about who you are and what truly matters.
Building something from the ground up requires a level of discipline, perseverance, and work ethic that people don’t always see from the outside. There are long days, difficult decisions, and moments where you have to keep moving forward even when the path isn’t perfectly clear. I’ve learned that leadership often means continuing to show up with vision and purpose, even during seasons of uncertainty.
One of the things that has grounded me the most throughout those seasons has been my spiritual foundation. My faith has helped me stay centered and reminded me that sometimes the challenges we face are also shaping us for the responsibility of what we’re building.
Those experiences strengthened my resilience and clarified my mission. They reinforced my desire to create something meaningful through Seraphym Healthcare. A place where women feel supported not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as they navigate the many roles and transitions life brings.
Looking back, I realize that many of the challenges I faced weren’t meant to stop me, they were preparing me for the responsibility of building something that could truly serve others.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Seraphym Healthcare?
One of the most meaningful aspects of Seraphym Healthcare is something we call the Stillness Room. The idea for it didn’t come from a business strategy or textbook it came from a very real experience in my own life.
That moment in the hospital became a turning point for me.
Like many women who are balancing careers, family, and responsibilities, I went through a period where stress had quietly built up over time. I was pouring into everything around me, my work, my patients, my family without really giving myself the space to pause. Eventually that level of burnout caught up with me, and I ended up in the hospital from burnout. That experience forced me to slow down and really reflect on how stress, pressure, and constant movement can take a toll on both the body and the mind.
During that time of recovery, it became clear to me that so many women are living in that same state of constant pressure. We’re taught to keep going, keep producing, keep showing up for everyone else, but rarely are we encouraged to pause and take care of ourselves.
That realization is what inspired the Stillness Room.
The Stillness Room is a dedicated space inside Seraphym Healthcare designed for women to step away from the noise of everyday life and simply breathe. It’s a calming environment that encourages reflection, quiet, and a moment to reset before or after their visit. It reminds women that caring for their health isn’t just about medications or lab results it also means caring for their nervous system, their stress levels, and their peace of mind.
We also operate through a direct care model, which allows us to spend more time with patients and create a more personal approach to care. It’s important to me that women feel they have access to support, so we also welcome and care for patients who may not have traditional insurance coverage. Healthcare should not feel out of reach for women who are trying to prioritize their well-being.
In many ways, that experience shaped the heart of Seraphym Healthcare. It reminded me that women don’t just need treatment plans they need space to breathe, reflect, and reconnect with themselves.
The Stillness Room is a reflection of that belief: that sometimes the most powerful step toward healing begins with simply being still.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is purpose and impact. Over time, I’ve learned that success isn’t just about building a business or reaching milestones, it’s about the lives you touch along the way.
My faith and family keep me grounded, but mentoring young women is something that’s especially close to my heart. I spend time encouraging young girls to begin pouring into themselves early in life. Too often we’re taught that self-care comes later, after we’ve already given ourselves to everything and everyone else.
I want them to understand that when you learn to care for yourself early, it becomes easier to maintain that balance as you grow older. When you’re grounded and healthy within yourself, you’re better able to show up for others.
That philosophy carries through everything we do at Seraphym Healthcare. Through mentorship and workshops with young girls, we focus on self-care, stress management, and healthy boundaries — lessons they can carry with them into adulthood. These same ideas are also explored in my book, Seraphym Notes: Faith, Healing & Gentle Facts, which reflects on faith, stress, healthy habits and learning when to slow down.
At the end of the day, what matters most to me is helping women recognize that their well-being matters. When we as women understand that caring for ourselves isn’t optional or selfish but foundational, it changes how we move and navigate through life and how we show up for those around us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.Seraphymhealthcare.org
