893. It Really Comes Down to Just Listening

Andrea Adler

“For me, it was about not having the courage to step into my heart’s desire, which I finally did when I realized nobody was listening. And meditation is key because when you’re in that state, no one else is talking to you, but you, so you listen, and you listen deeper. This really is the most powerful lesson I’ve learned in my life. I have learned to say no when I mean no, and to say yes when, I mean yes. I have begun to respect myself and honor myself without anybody’s feedback, whether they like me or not. That takes a long time to understand about oneself, but it really comes down to just listening.”

Andrea Adler is referred to as the Metaphysical Marketer. She pioneered holistic marketing in the early 80’s and has written award-winning books on marketing, as well as her novel—Pushing Upward. She has assisted entrepreneurs to step into their magnificent futures via her consultation, her coaching and intuitive support helping people dive into their soul’s destiny to share their stories via their websites, Tedx Talks, and one-person shows.

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

“In 1978 when I was on Broadway auditioning for the soap opera, The Edge of Night, in the middle of the audition, I heard the words, ‘No more repeating other people’s words.’ Well, I dropped the script and the casting director asked: What does that mean? You want the part? I said, I think I’m going to India. She said, I don’t think we can hold the part. I said, I don’t think you should. I was having dreams of my teacher in India and I felt like I was being called and I didn’t know why. I left the audition and four weeks to the day I was on a jumbo jet leaving for India to the meditation center there. And my life changed forever. I was there for six months and learned that I don’t have to be anybody else. I learned about myself by meditating, by listening to my desires and my wants and my dislikes and just learning about who I was because nobody was listening at home when I was growing up. I didn’t know who I was, nothing was reflected back at me. But when I started to meditate, I got real clarity about myself. I didn’t need to be acting, and I wasn’t really happy acting. I was doing it because I was good at it and I was making money. But it wasn’t really my soul’s desire or my soul’s satisfaction until I started teaching. That is when I started the Off Main Street Children’s Theater Company.”

The Most Powerful Lessons and Experiences?

1. “Growing up I did everything possible to use my creative energy: dancing, singing, writing…but I got little to no support from my parents. It wasn’t until high school that my drama teacher gave me carte blanche to use those talents both in the classroom and in several school productions. Her support was the only reason I stayed in school, and it had a lasting influence on my life and career.”

2. “I left Eastern Michigan University in Ann Arbor and moved to California where I studied the methods of some of the amazing teachers like Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg. I joined Café La MaMa Experimental Theater Club and was invited to The Groundlings Theatre School. I finally went to Broadway and was the lead understudy in Neil Simon’s play, Chapter Two.”

3. “While I love improvisational theater, I was not a great actor, but I love the written word. So I love finding those plays that are transformational, which is why I created the one act play around the life of Emily Dickinson.”

4. “Three suicides had occurred at a local high school in Upstate New York. I heard about this grant because the need for some cultural creative activities going on in upstate New York was huge. So I got $60,000 from Senator Koch and started the Off Main Street Children’s Theater Company with two kids. And ended up with 150.”

5. “I stopped the acting thing and I moved into the creativity of business: I started businesses and sold businesses. And then all of a sudden the holistic therapeutic community was coming to me in droves, with questions like: how do I start this business? They were so gifted and yet so clueless about marketing. That became my whole other profession that I’ve been doing for 30 years, helping this population understand the magic and magnificence of marketing.”