INTERVIEW: Police Officer, Motivational Speaker & Philanthropist, Sheldon Herbert, Talks Noble Journey, Going Viral, Happiness Movement, Keri Hilson, ATL, and More…

Meet Police Officer Sheldon Herbert aka “Officer Bae”, who was born and raised in Moore, Oklahoma and now living in the wonderful city of Atlanta, Georgia is the founder of The Noble Journey, Motivational Speaker, Philanthropist, and Land Developer.

Officer Sheldon who in 2018 made an informative viral public service announcement video to the people of Atlanta warning them about the hands-free law that took effect in the state of Georgia. Herbert’s Facebook video has been viewed more than 3.8 million times and has been shared more than 80,000 times. 

Check out my exclusive interview with him below:

Hey Sheldon! Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

My Name is Sheldon Carti’er Herbert, Founder of The Noble Journey, Police Officer, Public Motivational Speaker, Philanthropist, and Land Developer. Born and raised in Moore, Oklahoma and now living in the wonderful city of Atlanta, Georgia. 

Talk me through an average day in the life of you?

An average day for me is waking up at 4:30 am for the gym, breakfast, and release an encouraging message to the people that follow me on social media. At 7:00 am I report for duty at the Police department and work till 3:00 pm. It’s impossible to explain what I do on an average day at work, because there is no average day. Every day is different and what the day brings is unknown. After work, I then working on things related to The Noble Journey; event planning, acquisition of inventory for the homeless, funding/financing, website development, board meetings. Then I move on to land acquisitions around the Atlanta metro area.     

What institution(s) did you attend and what did you study?

I started off college at the Oklahoma City Community College, where I studied chemistry. I then attended the University of Oklahoma, where I studied Business and Microbiology. After college I worked as a scientist in the commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Oklahoma, California, and Georgia.  

What inspired you to start the “Happiness Movement”?

Life to me is a big experiment, If something doesn’t work then you should move on and try something different. When it came to my happiness, I thought I could find happiness in getting the $100k job, the new car, the next relationship, or moving to the next city. After finding out none of these brought me happiness, I came to the conclusion that happiness is within. There is no person or object that can bring you “life-happiness”. Those things only brought me temporary joy. However, life-happiness is a choice I had to make. I literally have to choose to be happy every single day and multiple times a day. Once I discovered this, it took the enormous burden of “reaching a goal to be happy” off my shoulders. That allowed me to focus on what I wanted to do, and not some goal society associates with happiness. Thus, came Policing! 

You are an officer of the law in Atlanta how’s that working out for you?

Being a Police Officer in Atlanta is the most fulfilling career I’ve done. In this role, I’m a counselor, motivator, a person to vent to, a shoulder to cry on, a brother, a father. To be a great Officer, you must be all of these. Think about it; When someone calls 911, it’s because they have exhausted all their efforts to fix or solve their crisis, so they are speaking outside help. People don’t typically call 911 just to invite me over to ask how “Officer Herbert” is doing J. When I can enter a person’s life and help them overcome their current crisis; it’s the best feeling in the world. Money cannot buy that feeling. It’s a feeling that is my addiction. This addiction of helping people has pushed me to seek other avenues of helping people. I started making videos on social media to spread my efforts to more people. I make videos to inform people of laws and to male myself available for Police related questions. While this is not popular among many other Officers and they have strongly expressed their disagreement to me, I stand strong in my conviction that Officers are to help the community by educating and advocating opening communication. I would rather tell a person about unknown laws to help prevent them from violating them, than writing them a ticket in a “I got you” approach.  

Tell us more about your non-profit company “The Noble Journey”?

Due to my addiction of helping people, I started a non-profit company called “The Noble Journey”. The Noble Journey allows my reach of help others spread further and allows others whom share this passion to participate in these efforts. The Noble Journey has received tremendous support in donations, volunteers, and inventory. You can visit the website (thenoblejourney.com) and see all the things we are doing around the community and sign up to join The Nobel Journey. The Noble Journey is a 501c3 Charity which makes all donations tax deductible. The next event we have coming up will be on Mother’s Day. We will be giving free manicures and pedicures to women in a battered women’s shelter. We want to encourage and remind these women they are beautiful and valued on Mother’s Day. I hope you can attend this with us.     

What will you say motivated/inspired you to go into fitness and stay dedicated in it?

Fitness for me is therapeutic. Going to the gym in the morning is my time to refocus my thoughts. While working out I often reflect where I am in life and where I’m going. Additionally, I live an active lifestyle which includes cycling and hiking. These activities keep me in pretty good shape. It’s easy to stay dedicated to fitness for me because I made it apart of life; I would feel something is missing if fitness wasn’t incorporated. 

Would you agree that the relationship between the police and its community in the United States needs to change and if so, what are ways you think that can happen?

Yes, I agree the relationship between the police and its community needs to change.  Police should be positive members in the community, not an occupying force in a community. A police department should always reflect the demographics of the community. If the department is majority one race or gender and the community is majority a different race and gender, there will be a cultural difference that can be deadly. I’m proud of the department I work for; the department’s demographics mirrors the community’s demographics.

What will you say are your 5 Dos and Don’t when it comes to being a Police Officer?

Do’s:

1. Be open minded
2. Have empathy
3. Lead by example
4. Be honest
5. Make arrest the last option.

Don’t:

1. Lead with arrest
2. Look down on the community
3. Be negative
4. Discriminate
5. Lie 

What do you do to stay in shape, do you go to the gym?

Gym, cycling, and hiking. I don’t eat healthy… being honest. I never had a problem with my weight, I’ve always been lean.

Do you think we are taking our health and wellbeing seriously?

I don’t think the majority of people take their mental well being serious. What I mean by that is, I feel people focus more on negativity than positivity.

How do you balance your professional and personal life?

I don’t feel there should be a balance. I try to do as much as I can every single day I have. Overworking, burnout, etc are excuses to do less than your potential.  I want everything and I want it now.

What do you consider the most common public stereotype about mentorship?

I have no answer on this. Not sure

What aspect surprised you the most once you started as a police officer?

Seeing the real version of the people I come in contact with surprised me the most. When you meet people out in public, you meet the representative they would like for you to see them as. When I meet people as an Officer, I get an opportunity to meet the actual version of a person, especially during a crisis.

Looking back to when you started, is there anything you would like to change?

No, I became an Officer and a business owner when I was mentally ready. All the experiences leading up to those moments made me the person I am today. 

Which brands, clients, photographers, etc, have you worked with?

I have worked with SagePath, HOPE Atlanta, Cartier Photography, and many other mentors and friends.

What do you consider your biggest success so far?

My biggest success so far is inspiring my sister, Madonia Scruggs, to reach her full potential. We all have doubt occasionally and being able to support and push my big sister to be greater has been a dream come true. She is opening her Salon (Nails by Donnie B) in the metro Atlanta area this summer!

What has been your biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge has been to refocus my priorities. The value of good credit, savings, ownership, and self-investment are priorities I simply didn’t have in my early adulthood. 

Tell us two things people don’t know about you?

I don’t have two, but I have one major thing people don’t know about me. When I was a kid (probably around 5) I was basically mute. I really didn’t feel comfortable talking, rather I would talk very low under my breath. This was broken by one of my teachers, Ms. Hazel. I will never forget Ms. Hazel; she was extremely load when she spoke, dark completion, and wore loud colors. Ms. Hazel could not go unnoticed in a room, she had high energy that everyone could feel. Every time I would mumble under my breath, Ms. Hazel would make me hold out my hands and hit them with a ruler. Back then, kids could get whooped by teachers. Once Ms. Hazel got me to talking, I never shut up… as you can see in my video online.   

Your message about hands-free law went viral online, do you think its important to be active on social media and if so why?

I do think it’s important to be active on social media. Social media gives me a platform to reach more people. My goal is to be approachable and looked at as a member of the community that is looking out for my fellow brothers and sisters. I know that everyone is not comfortable interacting with Officer’s for various reasons. However, regardless of the reasons, I feel that it’s the Officers responsibility to breakdown those barriers and make people feel comfortable. I try to be informative, share my life, and make myself available for questions. 

I heard Keri Hilson was looking for you after the video went viral, is that true and if so did you guys connect?

Yea, Keri Hilson was looking for me hahaha. No, we have not had an opportunity to meet for lunch yet.

You are currently based in the Atlanta area, how as the city been working out for you?

Atlanta is amazing. The growth happening in this city is enormous. I have learned that Atlanta is what you make of it. If you are focused and looking for growth or opportunity, I think Atlanta is an amazing city to be in. Atlanta has treated me well and has really welcomed me. The support from the community, city council members and even the Chief Operating Officer of the city has pleasantly surprised me.  

What are your must visit travel destinations?

I use to live in San Diego and I think that is the most beautiful place in America. So I would say San Diego is a must travel destination.

What is your favourite dish?

Simple Pepperoni Pizza.

What songs are currently on your music playlist?

Well I’m from Oklahoma, so I love me some country music (Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Blake Shelton are my favorite artist)

Apart from being a officer of the law, mentorship, etc, what other projects are you currently working on?

Purchasing vacant land around the Atlanta area is a project I’m working on. I want to redevelop these properties to provide affordable housing in the city. With the growth in Atlanta, it is becoming harder for some to find affordable housing. My projects always center around helping as many people as I can. You can never go wrong by being good to people.

Seeing you’re doing your dreams, what advice can you give others to pursue their dreams?

Just go for it! Too often we make excuses as to why we are not doing our dreams. Your biggest obstacle will always be yourself, and once you stop fighting yourself you can start winning with life. Whatever your dream is, make it a reality today! Seeing death in my occupation, has helped me realize how short life is and gave me a sense of urgency to do exactly what I want to do every single day of my life.   

Any specific plans for the future?

Well, I have been contemplating adoption. Having biological kids of my own would be a selfish act, considering there are already many children in this world that needs a stable home. This has been on my mind constantly. I feel that I can be a great father, and the thought of providing a better life for a child and raising them to be a strong man or woman would be my noblest accomplishment.

Any final words?

Thank you for inviting me for an interview it has been a real pleasure.

Where can we follow you online and on social media?

You can find me on:

FaceBook: Sheldon Herbert

Instagram: Sheldon_ambitious

Website: thenoblejourney.com

Email: office@thenoblejourney.com