By: Steve McDonald
Andrea Liebross, a certified business and life coach, works with female entrepreneurs to help them reach their goals. Her approach is refreshingly holistic, integrating life and business coaching to help women infuse action into their thoughts, shed drama, and cultivate confidence to thrive both professionally and personally. As the author of She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide to Moving Past the Messy Middle and into the Extraordinary, Andrea equips her clients with the tools to achieve sustainable success while balancing life’s demands.
A Dartmouth graduate, Andrea has built a career grounded in systems and strategies that empower women to transcend traditional norms. From guiding entrepreneurs toward financial prosperity to helping them conserve energy for what matters most, Andrea fosters a balanced approach to growth. Her She Thinks Big podcast further extends her reach, offering practical advice for achieving profitability and success. Residing in Indianapolis with her family and two giant Leonbergers, Andrea brings both professional expertise and personal wisdom to her coaching.
What makes Andrea’s coaching distinct is her emphasis on integrating business into life—not the other way around. This philosophy is exemplified by her analogy of life as a strainer: “Your business needs to fit into the holes in the strainer, not the other way around,” she explains. For Andrea, both life and business hold equal importance, and success comes from harmonizing the two.
A poignant example comes from one of her clients, who feared how pregnancy might disrupt her business. Andrea reframed the situation, emphasizing that the pregnancy was the priority and the business should adapt to it. This mindset shift brought relief, enabling her client to find balance and eventually become a joyful mother of twins while continuing to excel professionally.
One mistake Andrea sees entrepreneurs make is tying their worth to their bank accounts. “Entrepreneurs need to recognize that it can take three years to turn a profit,” she says. Many invest heavily in their businesses during this period but overlook the importance of investing in themselves. Knowledge, training, and support are critical to growth, yet entrepreneurs often hesitate, thinking they should already have all the answers.
Andrea challenges this mindset by encouraging clients to view personal and professional development as their most valuable investments. This shift can unlock faster growth and a more fulfilling entrepreneurial journey.
Resilience is key in navigating entrepreneurial lows. Andrea advocates reframing challenges as experiments. For instance, when a new program or package doesn’t perform as expected, she approaches it as a hypothesis tested and proven incorrect—not as a failure. “It’s okay,” she reassures herself and her clients. “We’ll create new hypotheses and move forward.”
Andrea also emphasizes the importance of evolving relationships. By embracing the idea that some friendships are complete and making room for new connections, she maintains a network of energizing, like-minded individuals who support her journey.
Five Keys to Thriving in Entrepreneurship
Andrea distills her approach to managing the highs and lows of entrepreneurship into five principles, encapsulated by the word “TRUST”:
T – Thought Options
Entrepreneurs have the power to choose their thoughts. Andrea encourages questioning assumptions and rejecting unhelpful beliefs. For example, dismissing an idea as unworkable without examining why can limit progress. Replacing negative thoughts with constructive ones fosters growth.
R – Real Problem Identification
When entrepreneurs feel stuck, Andrea urges them to look inward. The root of the problem is often an unwillingness to experience negative emotions, such as fear of failure. Understanding this can unlock solutions and renewed momentum.
U – Embrace Uncertainty
Uncertainty is inevitable in entrepreneurship. Andrea’s advice is to focus on positive possibilities rather than fear-based scenarios. When writing her book, for instance, she embraced the unknown, choosing to believe in its potential to touch lives and grow her business.
S – Secure Support
Strong systems and a personal support network are crucial. Entrepreneurs often bear the responsibility of supporting others, and having a “personal board of directors” — whether in the form of mentors, coaches, or peers — provides invaluable guidance and encouragement.
T – Take Action
Progress requires action. Andrea emphasizes the importance of identifying and taking the next best step each day. “Sitting in place won’t get you anywhere,” she says. Even small actions can build momentum and lead to significant breakthroughs.
Andrea Liebross exemplifies the resilience, innovation, and empathy required to thrive as an entrepreneur and coach. By blending practical strategies with mindset shifts, she equips her clients to navigate challenges and achieve extraordinary outcomes. Her holistic approach, captured in her book and podcast, empowers women to think big and live fully. Through TRUST and thoughtful action, entrepreneurs can embrace the journey and unlock their highest potential.
Visit Andrea on her website, download She Thinks Big today!
Published by Jon H.
