We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Andree a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Andrea, we sincerely appreciate you joining us today and agreeing to talk about some very personal topics. So, to kick things off, let’s talk about a tough one – divorce. Can you talk to us about how you overcame divorce?
I am in the early stages of divorce, so I won’t say that I’ve overcome it yet. But as I’m thinking this through, it’s also not something I feel I need to overcome but rather, something to celebrate. Saying “I’m not happy” and putting what I deserve and desire above everyone else’s opinions was a huge step for me, especially with young kids involved. Having “the talk” and telling my ex that I wasn’t happy and wanted a divorce took me a long time to lead up to, but left me feeling incredibly proud of myself for being willing to do something hard that I knew would have a positive impact on my life.
I knew for years that my marriage wasn’t serving me. I don’t hold it against my ex at all. I believe that God puts certain relationships in our life for growth purposes, and when the relationship serves its purpose, we feel the nudge that it’s time to move on. My growth path is different than his, and I’d grown as much as I could in that relationship.
Deep down, I knew it was time to move on. But admitting it to myself, and facing all the ramifications, kept me there for so long. I have two children, 9 and 7, so that was a big part of my hesitation… what would happen with them? Thankfully, a friend told me one day that the best gift I could give them was an example of a happy marriage. I knew I couldn’t entertain the possibility of a better marriage unless I made the space for it to come in, which meant first letting go of what I had.
I also hesitated because I didn’t want to hurt my husband. I see it now, but didn’t understand then, that by avoiding his pain I was just hurting myself. The funny thing was, once we had “the talk,” he told me he wished we’d decided sooner. So much for “protecting” him!
Finally, my north star through the process has been to do this with love and respect. Revenge and anger doesn’t serve anybody. We will still be co-parents and be in each other’s lives. I had no desire to make the dynamic between us worse than it needed to be. We’ve agreed on nearly everything so far, share the kids even if it’s not “on schedule,” and support each other.
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 am a corporate drop-out, single mom to two amazing kids (Mara and Dean), and coach for high achieving women who want to reach their highest potential.
In my world, your “highest potential” is not about what you do, but who you are. It’s the version of you that embodies power and confidence, speaks your truth, and isn’t afraid to live life on your terms. Whether that’s in your leadership, life, or love, I help you become the person that’s a match to your goals.
I started my own journey after having my daughter, Mara, while working full time in corporate. I thought degrees, success, and family were the path to being happy. Turns out, once I had everything on my checklist, I felt bored, overwhelmed, and like I wouldn’t live up to my fullest potential if I stayed on my current path.
Something at that time led me down a spiritual path where I learned about energy healing, universal laws, and how who-we-are shapes our reality. I dove head-first into understanding all those concepts and used my life as one giant experiment to test it all out.
Now, I incorporate all of it into my coaching. I help high-achieving women elevate by healing from the blocks that keep them repeating the same old cycles of hustle, over giving, etc.; seeing themselves as their future self so they can start thinking / acting / feeling like her; and understanding how to work with the quantum field so they can receive support from the Universe.
I live in Madison, WI (though am originally from Michigan) and am blessed with an incredible circle of supportive men and women!
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?
1. Radical Responsibility. I tell my clients that everything happens for them, not to them. And the reasons are typically in the realm of our thoughts or emotions – bringing something that’s unconscious to the surface so we can see how it’s running our life and choose differently next time.
For someone new to this, the best advice I have is: every time something upsets you, take a pause, drop into your body, and process whatever emotion is coming up. It’s not there to cause you pain. It’s actually coming up to liberate you from carrying it.
2. Trust in something bigger. I don’t care what you call it – God, Source, the Universe – I wouldn’t be where I am without trusting that there’s a higher power that has my back, wants the best for me, and is leading me to something beyond what I can imagine.
If you’re new to this idea, the first thing to do is welcome in help. Except for extreme cases, there is a law of non-intervention where spirit cannot guide us unless we invite it in. Something simple as “I’m open to being guided to my highest and best life” is enough to open that door.
3. There’s a difference between knowing and feeling. I often here “I know I should feel <fill in=”” the=”” blank:=”” worthy,=”” successful,=”” etc.=””> but I don’t feel it. Which is interesting because worthiness, success, enoughness, and abundance are our natural states. We can’t feel them because we have unprocessed emotions in our body, and are living life from our heads.
This is where knowledge of energy comes in. I help my clients find and process the emotions that are blocking their access, and call in that which they want to feel instead. Our bodies are like radio receivers, and all frequencies are available to us. We just need to know how to tune our dials!</fill>
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
My divorce was a huge catalyst for me.
I used to journal, say affirmations, and pray for something in my life to change. Those things would help me feel more hopeful… but not much in my outer world would really shift as a result.
But telling my husband I wanted a divorce taught me that I can’t wait for something to happen. The biggest change happens when I take responsibility for my life into my own hands, and take aligned action toward that thing that I desire.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andreaandree.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/post40glowup/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-andree/
Image Credits
Engage Social Media, Stacy Jean Photography
