Stay 50 Feet Away at All Times

I wanted to start off this week’s episode by acknowledging everyone who missed me, messaged me, supported me, and showed kindness during my few weeks away from you. I’ve been quite off, both professionally and personally, and during these past few Wednesdays, I wasn’t quite sure what to say to you, or what I could say to you.

For someone who does not hold a law degree, I, for one, have seen the courthouse too often this past month for my taste.

I have a court-ordered emergency protective order, and if you were to tell me this would be happening today, a month ago, I would probably smirk, laugh, and walk away. But here we are, just a girl with a judge-signed paper saying, ‘creepy man stay 50 feet away at all times.’

So how did we get here? Well…, as some of you know, professionally I’ve been an advisor to founders, business owners, and investors for some time now, and I was at a networking event around the DC area, looking for another potential client, or just looking to chat with others in the industry.

The networking event was at a nice, casual place with some outdoor and indoor areas. For security reasons, I won’t name the restaurant, but to say the least, there were around 40 attendees at the event.

When I arrived, I did my usual routine: scan the room, grab a drink, and introduce myself to a few people. That’s when I first met him. He was polite enough at first, said he was interested in my background, and asked for my card. We talked for maybe five minutes, surface-level, nothing memorable, and I moved on.

The next morning, I had an email from him. He framed it like he was interested in hiring me. His words were professional enough; he mentioned his company, referenced our conversation, and said he wanted to set up a time to discuss further. I replied back, thinking it was just another lead, another potential client.

But after that? Silence. No follow-up. No scheduling. Just… nothing.

Then, a couple of days later, I got a DM from him on Instagram. Something I had never given him. The message was not business-related—it was inappropriate. Nothing outright threatening, but definitely crossing the line. I didn’t respond. I didn’t even open it fully.

That should have been the end of it. But a week later, I went out with friends to a close neighborhood bar, and who shows up? Him. He wasn’t in my circle, from what I remember, not a member of this neighborhood, and yet somehow there he was. He tried to approach me, but my friends, who might as well lowkey double as my security team, blocked him and sent him away. I slipped out without giving him any attention, and we left as a group.

I didn’t think I’d hear from him again.

I was wrong.

The next morning, I ran into him at my local Trader Joe’s. A place I’ve shopped at every other day for a year, where I know the staff by name. He acted like it was a coincidence, tried to talk to me again. I brushed it off, told myself it was weird, but maybe random.

Until it happened again.

And again, at the same Trader Joe’s. The next few times, I avoided him at all costs.

Then I stopped going to Trader Joe’s, and I went to Giant instead. A day later, I see him outside my house. Then, the messages—they kept coming, kept getting stranger, and more dangerous. Texts this time, harassing, threatening, escalating. It was no longer about “wanting to see me” or “why didn’t I respond.” It turned into intimidation. Into anger that I wasn’t willing to give him my attention.

At that point, I knew this wasn’t something I could handle by myself. I went to the courthouse. I explained what had happened. I showed the messages, explained the encounters, and documented the pattern. And that’s how I ended up with a judge signing off on an emergency protective order.

Because sometimes, things don’t stop on their own. Sometimes, you need it in writing: stay away, crazy man!!!

Going through the process of getting a protective order has unfortunately awakened me to the news that most women I know, or randomly come across, also at some point had to get a protective order. It’s been a blessing in disguise to learn so early that I’m not alone in this situation. I’d rather this not be a common trend among the random beautiful women I meet throughout my day. So I digress, I’m tired. I’m tired of individuals in society who don’t understand that their speech, actions, and desires in this world are not just, not moral, and do not align with the values they are willing to bring to the table, to the partnership, to the working relationship, to the friendship, to society.

As for me? I’m still awkwardly trying to push my life forward, still working ‘dedicatingly’ hard, and I’m still yearning for something new. I’m not sure what the new is yet, whether it’s a new hobby, friend, hell, maybe even another dog (no, three is too much, I don’t need to be a crazy dog lady), but I will find it, even if it’s delayed a few weeks by Miss Sheridan handling BIZNASS.

To everyone reading this, I hope this sheds some light on how common things are, how unsafe most cities and surrounding areas are, and to everyone dealing with a similar situation, I hope you understand that you are not alone.

So, this is where I’ve been. I’ve been mentally fighting a battle, angry that I couldn’t share all of this with you in real time, and on top of that, do you remember the T-shirt I designed and told you to buy? Well, hell, I’m so glad you didn’t because mine came in, and I was getting ready to take photos to share with you so you could see how cute it is, but my god, that thing was so ugly. I set it on fire.

I’ll be removing the cropped tee from my online store soon. My life has just been absolutely insane this past month. But I’m so happy to be back with you, writing every Wednesday, sharing my week, my drama, and my life with you.

xo,
Sheridan Guerrette
WhatSheridanSaid.com
Life Behind the Artist: Wed at 9/8C