#004: Andrea Breanna - Prioritizing Personal Happiness

FEB 10th, 2023 • 1 hour 4 minutes 58 seconds

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Our fourth guest on WTRB is Andrea Breanna, openly transgender CEO and founder of RebelMouse and former CTO for Huffington Post.

In this episode we cover:

• What It’s Like To Live In Hiding
• Valuing Honesty and Taking Risks
• The Power Of Being Openly Vulnerable
• The Advantages and Dangers of Being Visibly Trans
• The Dynamic Complexity of Human Identity
• Honoring Humanity In The Workplace

References:

Katia Verresen

Warren Buffett

Brene Brown 

Jonah Perretti 

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Listen now on Apple, Spotify, Simplecast.

To sign up for the newsletter and podcast visit https://www.wheretheroadbends.fm/

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Where to find Steve Schlafman:

• Website: https://www.schlaf.co/  

• Twitter:  @Schlaf

• Facebook: Steve Schlafman

• LinkedIn: Steve Schlafman

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Where to find information on Andrea Breanna

• Website: www.rebelmouse.com

• Twitter: @andreabreanany

LinkedIn: Andrea Breanna

Time Stamps:

(00:00) Andrea Soundbite

(00:22) Steve’s Introduction

(00:50) Beginning of Interview

(01:28) Who is Andrea Breanna?

(02:08) What is RebelMouse?

(02:58) Dedication When Starting a Company

(03:20) Andrea’s Youth, Privacy, Gender Expression

(06:32) What is a Transbian? Transbian Narrative and Marriage

(08:18) The Internet as First Opportunity to Express Gender Fluidity

(09:17) Paranoia about Transphobic Societal Gender Norms

(10:46) Coming Out Later In Life

(11:47) Signs That It Was Time to Come Out

(14:47) Making Personal Happiness the Most Important KPI at RebelMouse

(15:40) Taking The Risk, Valuing Honesty

(16:26) What Living Dishonestly Feels Like

(16:48) Real Dangers of Coming Out As Trans

(17:47) Living As Narrative for Hope, Optimism and Success

(18:22) Coming Out To Wife

(21:52) Coming Out To The Rest Of The Family

(23:25) Magical Feeling of Finally Overcoming Fear

(23:53) Kids’ Natural Understanding of Personal Freedom

(26:46) How Family Support Made A Difference

(27:29) Trans Support Not Dependent on Political Leaning

(28:08) What It’s Like Being Visibily Trans - Pros and Cons

(30:47) Strength to Face Social Transphobia Comes From Support At Home

(31:57) Power of Being Openly Vulnerable

(33:43) Unexpected Reactions from Co-Workers

(34:48) Rigid Perceptions of CEOs vs. Humanizing CEOs

(38:11) The Beautiful Challenge of Breaking Roles To Honor Your Humanity

(40:35) Inventing New Roles, Inspiring Ingenuity in Children

(41:24) Workplaces that Allow Blurring Roles Are More Creative and Exciting

(41:40) Clarity of Roles Is Also Important

(42:17) Heaven Is When Work Makes You Happy

(44:42) AI Revolution and Human Creativity

(47:45) Accepting Personal Identity Impacts Identity of Others

(49:03) Identity is Complex and Flexible

(52:16) Being Brave and Positive During Life Shift

(53:14) Have An Open Mind For Unexpected Support

(54:30) Frustration With Politically Advocating Trans Issues

(57:57) How Role As RebelMouse CEO Has Changed Over Time

(1:00:24) How Being Openly Trans Has Improved The Company, Looking Forward

(1:01:37) Being Human Means Being Creative

(1:02:48) Where To Find Andrea’s Work

Stay curious and keep exploring the winding road of life.

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