#81: Andrea Anderson, CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Washington, discusses the courage to stand where others won't, lead authentically, and embrace not fitting in. From sex education to running one of the country's most progressive Girl Scout councils, Andrea shares why being an outsider is her superpower.

Key Topics:

• Standing in uncomfortable spaces and calling out injustice
• Why "we've always done it this way" is never acceptable
• Girl Scout cookie sales as the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program on the planet
• Sex education, body autonomy, and the power of language
• The beach epiphany: embracing not fitting into systems not designed for you

Memorable Quotes:

"What better time to raise dragon slayers than in the time of dragons."

"I stopped apologizing for my very existence years ago."

"The scam is structural and they didn't make it with me in mind."

"Bravery sometimes is just getting up and out of bed."

Key Takeaways:

1. Courage isn't always dramatic — sometimes it's just showing up authentically
2. Refuse to fit into systems not designed for you
3. Create space for people to bring their whole selves to work
4. Stop telling people to "leave their shit at the door"

Resources Mentioned:

• Andrea's TEDx Talk on respectful body language: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xJgEetiGh4
• Girl Scouts of Western Washington: https://www.girlscoutsww.org/en/join.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19271251657&gbraid=0AAAAAD1syUTY6XykWzGD5Zt7QY--jM6he&gclid=CjwKCAjwx-zHBhBhEiwA7Kjq6-vcRm-5gTCflmon6BcadKbw-Zu2qQTzHbO79fcoRSymsZsGAHwMPxoCUEEQAvD_BwE

Connect with Andrea via LinkedIn at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-anderson-61215232/

Connect with The Courage Effect:

• Host: Suzanne Weller / Weller Collaboration
• Website: https://wellercollaboration.com/thecourageeffect
• Social Media: https://linktr.ee/suzanneweller
• Substack: Sign up for Suzanne’s Reimagine Growth newsletter at https://suzanneweller.substack.com/about

Support the Show:

If this episode resonated with you:

• Leave a review on your podcast platform
• Share this episode with someone who would benefit from Andrea’s story