Meet Andrā Howard

We were lucky to catch up with Andrā Howard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Andrā, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

I’ll never forget walking into one of my first high-stakes meetings early in my career. The table was filled with seasoned professionals, and I was not only the youngest person there, but also the only one who looked like me. I had prepared, I had my notes, and I told myself I was ready.

But afterwards, in my mind, it felt like a disaster. I replayed every stumble. I told myself I looked silly, that nobody took me seriously. The truth? That wasn’t what actually happened. But the story I told myself began to shape how I showed up. The next meeting, I stayed quiet. The time after that, I stayed quiet again. Eventually, I tried to blend in so much I might as well have been invisible. The crazy part is, no matter how small I tried to make myself, it was noticeable anyway — when you’re the only one in the room, it’s always noticeable.

One day I decided I wasn’t going to stay quiet anymore. What changed? I realized I wasn’t going anywhere. So I started small: a bit of feedback here, a thought there. Over time, it became constructive pushback. Eventually, it became confidence.

The truth is, some people would have spoken up on day one and never thought twice. That wasn’t me. Even now, I still have moments where I question if I should be in the room. But when those thoughts creep in, I speak anyway. And louder than what I say is what I produce. When I stopped obsessing over how my words were being weighed and started focusing on the quality of my output, everything shifted in me.

So how have I learned to be effective and successful in a room when I’m the only one? Keep showing up, and keep speaking up.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

At my core, I’m an operations strategist. I’ve built my career at the executive level solving complex challenges and creating systems that turn vision into reality, and that experience fuels the two spaces I’m most passionate about today: HowOps and The ABLE Foundation.

With HowOps, I partner with founders and entrepreneurs who have big ideas but need the structure to make them work. Vision is powerful, but without strategy it stalls. What excites me is taking that raw vision and translating it into something living, scalable, and real. Right now I’m expanding and taking on three new clients, which means even more opportunities to help leaders move from ideas to execution.

Then there’s The ABLE Foundation, which stands for Advancing, Building, Lifting, and Empowering. In under a year we’ve launched programs, brought on interns and fellows, and created pathways for real impact in education, business, culture, health, and justice. Our next major milestone is the ABLE Legacy Gala in February 2026, a black-tie event that will not only raise funds but also celebrate the leaders and partners who embody our mission.

What’s most special about my work, whether through HowOps or ABLE, is that it’s not about titles, logos, or being the face of a brand. It’s about execution. It’s about creating systems, opportunities, and experiences that outlast me. That’s what keeps me excited, and that’s the work I’ll keep scaling.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

For me, the three most impactful qualities have been resilience, strategic thinking, and execution.

Resilience matters because there will always be setbacks, doubts, and rooms where you feel out of place. What kept me moving forward was the ability to bounce back, learn, and still show up the next day. For anyone starting out, resilience isn’t built by avoiding failure but by getting through it. Allow yourself to stumble, but don’t let it stop you.

Strategic thinking has been the difference between staying busy and actually building something. Early in my career, I learned that it’s not enough to just work hard; you have to know why you’re doing what you’re doing and how it connects to the bigger picture. My advice is to step back often and ask yourself, “What’s the real goal here, and what’s the smartest path to it?” That question alone can save years of wasted effort.

Execution is what pulls it all together. Ideas are everywhere. What separates leaders is the ability to take an idea, build a plan, and actually deliver. The best way to build this muscle is to practice finishing what you start, even on a small scale. The discipline of execution compounds, and over time, it becomes your reputation.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge I’m facing right now is capacity. I’m in a season where everything is growing at once — HowOps is expanding with new clients, The ABLE Foundation is building toward its first major Gala, and I’m still in the middle of my doctoral journey. It’s exciting, but it’s also a lot to hold at the same time.

What I’ve learned is that capacity isn’t just about time, it’s about structure. I can’t do everything, but I can design systems that make everything work together. That means leaning on strong operations, building the right team around me, and knowing when to say no so I can deliver well on the things I’ve already said yes to.

The way I’m overcoming this challenge is the same way I’ve overcome others in the past — by treating it like a problem that deserves a strategy, not just stress. I don’t want to just “get through” this season. I want to build infrastructure now that will make the next season more sustainable, not heavier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ABLEtheFoundation.org
• Instagram: @Andra3000, @ABLEtheFoundation
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrabh/, http://linkedin.com/company/the-able-foundation