Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Andree. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andrea, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I had built up my corporate confidence over the years by asking a lot of questions, doing a lot of hands-on work with my software products, and accumulating positive feedback from co-workers, bosses, and customers. That confidence did not immediately carry over when I did a 180 in my life and started a spiritual coaching business! I started from the bottom, afraid to tell people what I did because I thought I’d be judged for it. (Who gets 2 engineering degrees then becomes a spiritual coach?)
One day, as my business was not really looking like a business, someone sent me a podcast where the host asked a question that rattled my insides: are you showing up as the type of person your ideal clients would want to hire?
I had to be honest with myself and answer – no, I wasn’t! I wanted to help my clients become confident in themselves (at that time, I was supporting ambitious women leaders) . How was I going to do that if I wasn’t confident myself?
I took a break from focusing on my business tactics (things like marketing funnels and landing pages) and went to work on myself.
One huge lever in improving my confidence was detaching from needing external validation. We get so used to validating ourselves by what other people think of us, but that’s a false sense of validation because if we don’t get the validation we seek, we crumble. I wanted to be unwavering in myself and my work. I spent mornings journaling things like “what value do I offer to my clients? What are my unique gifts?” As I saw those written over and over, I started to acknowledge how awesome I am and realized I could feel good regardless of what others thought of me.
Another thing that helped was leaning into my spirituality. I knew at a surface level that the Universe is here to support me and that I’ll have the resources I need to carry out my Soul’s work in the world… but I didn’t fully believe it yet. So I started documenting all the little miracle ways the Universe showed up to support me. It helped me deepen my trust that I am being supported and guided and will have the resources I need. It’s hard to be confident when you’re always worrying about the next payday or business opportunity. I was able to eliminate that by learning to deeply trust that I didn’t have to worry about that. The Universe had me.
Finally, my favorite exercise is to tap into a version of me that’s already successful and start to act like her now. I’d imagine I had a 6+ figure business and notice things like: how is she dressing? What is she saying yes to? What sorts of activities is she doing? Then when opportunities would come up in my “now,” I’d ask myself, what would that version of me do here? It helped me get over some of the fear I had to stepping out and being seen in a bigger way.
My journey to confidence has been multi-faceted, but has paid off. I have people asking me things like “how are you so dang confident?” I believe that people don’t buy products as much as they buy confidence, so while it seems disconnected, it’s actually a brilliant business strategy in addition to just feeling good!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I believe that everyone on Earth is on a spiritual path. That means we’re all here to learn and grow in a way unique to us and our Soul. The theme through which we do that learning and growing is different for everyone: for some, it’s relationships. Others, a job or their health.
Those that I support are spiritually growing through owning a business.
That doesn’t mean they have a spiritual business (like reading Tarot Cards). It means their business is their Soul’s way of growing themselves and improving their community. (Past example clients include herbalists and artists.)
When your business is your spiritual path, the rules are a little different. You can’t effort your way to a bigger business. Your business is a reflection of you: your thoughts, fears, actions, habits, etc. If you want to grow a business, you need to go to the source and start with YOU. Then your business will shift to match you.
I support my clients with things like: overcoming Imposter Syndrome and shifting their mindset to align with how their Soul sees them; learning how the Universe is guiding them on what actions to take next; and aligning their thoughts and actions to money and abundance.
I have my own podcast called Your Business Is Your Spiritual Path (found on most major players). I also have a number of events that you can find on my website (AndreaAndree.com) or join my email list to hear about (AndreaAndree.com/email).
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My first lesson was to quit blaming other people / things / events for how I felt. Every trigger, fear, or painful emotion has something to teach me if I stop and pay attention. I eliminated the phrase “you made me mad” and instead silently thanked the person for triggering something that wanted to be healed within me. The more I did that, the less reactive I became.
My second has been deeply leaning into my Spirituality. Knowing that I am the ultimate creator of what I experience, and there are no limits to that experience, has been freeing for me. It’s not my job to worry about things like the economy or whether or not people are buying. It’s my job to align myself to a thriving business full of clients, and let the Universe bring them to me.
My third is that everything is a reflection of me. If I attract hurtful comments, then somewhere deep down it’s because I’m afraid of being judged. If I attract clients that say they “can’t pay,” somewhere I’m using that same phrase in my life. When I started looking at everything in my life as a mirror, it allowed me to see where I needed to step up myself so that I could create the business I wanted.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
The book that made me change how I viewed myself and my life was A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. That book was the first introduction to “I am not my thoughts, I am the observer of my thoughts.” I mean, holy cats, what?! Those negative thoughts weren’t me, they were just old patterns stored in my body. That was a game changer idea for me.
The next big takeaway from that book was that if I did my Soul’s work, I’d be fully supported by the Universe. I had no reason to believe that to be true, but shortly after reading it, I decided I wasn’t pursuing the corporate path any longer and wanted to figure out what my Soul was here to do. It’s been just over 5 years (as of the time of this interview) since reading that book and I am so grateful I followed the nudge to do something different! Five years can seem like a long time when you want something in your life to change, but I was going to live that 5 years whether I made the changes or not. Since I did make the changes, my life is in a much better place than it would be had I stayed on my same path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andreaandree.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-andree-5338248/
- Other: https://rss.com/podcasts/biz-spiritual-path/
Image Credits
The 2020 images were from a photographer at my former employer (CUNA Mutual).
The 2023 images are from Miriam Bulcher Luxury Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
