Sharon Duke Estroff, CEO and Founder of Challenge Island joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.
What did I learn?
Challenge is important to a child’s emotional, social and intellectual development.
Taking risks and stepping into unknown territories without adults at the ready to solve problems, give direction, set goals or even boundaries encourages a child’s critical thinking, creativity and social interactions.
These life skills are more important than IQ and will lead to a well-adjusted and successful adult.
Sharon believes a vital attribute to success is resilience – and if we shield our children from challenges and risks we do them a great disservice. Listen in as Sharon talks about how she encourages her franchisees and their students to think and act like a palm tree – deeply rooted, strong and agile, swaying with the winds no matter the velocity.
Meet Sharon Estroff
Sharon is founder and creator of the Challenge Island® program. She is an award-winning elementary school teacher with two decades of experience in Atlanta public and private schools. Voted best teacher in Atlanta by a major Atlanta newspaper, Sharon created Challenge Island in her 2nd grade classroom before launching it as her own business.
Sharon sold her first Challenge Island franchise in 2013 and has been growing the company by leaps and bounds ever since. Sharon is also a Penguin/Random House parenting author and educational journalist for numerous publications including Scholastic Parent and Child, Parents, Woman’s Day and Good Housekeeping Magazines.
Sharon is co-author of the Challenge Island children’s book series. Sharon received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Emory University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, four children and three miniature golden doodles.