And the Grammy winner learned that it was important to prioritize her own wellbeing instead of constantly focusing on others.
“I realized, having gone through all of that, I am a caretaker. I’m the last person I take care of,” she explained. “I take care of everybody’s emotions. I make sure everybody’s good with me.”
She added, “It took my life screeching to a halt to get to a place to go, ‘OK, who am I? And why am I doing what I’m doing? Do I love what I’m doing? What am I supposed to be doing?’”
And for Sheryl, that breakup didn’t end her dream of being a mom either, as she subsequently moved to Nashville and adopted kids Wyatt, 19, and Levi, 15.
“We all have those moments in our life where we have to pivot,” Sheryl told Variety in 2025. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and I moved [to Nashville] in 2007.”
“I just looked at it and thought, ‘I want to put down roots; I want to have a family,’” she said. “My sisters live here, and my family all lived within three hours, and I just decided to start phase two.”
