A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION CHAMPIONING OUR LOCAL WOMEN IN BUSINESS. PHOTOGRAPY BY JESSICA WHITLEY.

Andrea Cooke
The Southern Center for Choice Theory, LLC/ CQUL
Development Director / Executive Director

411 Holt Ave., Macon
478-741-1268
acooke@thesoutherncenterforchoicetheory.com
scctgeorgia.com and maconmentalthealthmatters.com

What is the mission of your business?
The mission of our business is to positively impact our community by helping individuals become more mentally healthy.

What lessons did you learn because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
We learned that so many had been skirting by with just enough mental health skills and when people lost connection they began to unravel. We then learned to pivot and refocus how we can best help our community with limited access.

What is your advice for women wanting to start their own business in Macon?
Step out on faith and prepare, prepare, prepare. Regardless of whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, you need to network and figure out who is your tribe. Women are phenomenal and we are better when we work together.

How do you define success?
I define success by the measure of how many people we have been able to serve. I don’t really measure income as success because there is ebb and flow in income. I live by the quote, “There is no limit to what a man can do if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”

What are you most excited about right now in our community?
I am most excited about our work to show that Macon Mental Health Matters to all of us!

Why is Central Georgia a good place to do business?
We are positioned in the center of our state and we have so much tenacity! We are more connected here and invested in the growth of our whole city. Every part of Macon is open to new businesses and to new residents!

What is the most gratifying part of your job?
People find me in the store, in restaurants, in the park and really almost anywhere, and tell me that they either need counseling or they are in counseling. We have done the work of lowering the stigma surrounding mental health services.

What has been the most challenging part of being a woman in business?
The most challenging part is that I have to continue to prove my ability to complete a project and then I have to always prove that I deserve to have a seat at a table. It is also challenging to make sure that I remind people that I am assertive and not aggressive.

I admire women who: are confident, open, commanding and open to share.

What was the best business advice you ever received?
Treat people the way that I hoped to be treated in every business I walk into. Everyone who comes to our business is treated like they matter, because they do.

I hope more women will: Reach out when they need help and recognize that there is no need to re-create the wheel; we can help each other!

How can women better support each other?
Show up for yourself and show up for your sisters!

How can men better support women business owners/leaders?
Men can help us by amplifying us for every opportunity at every chance.

Looking back, I wish I had known: That I did not have to do so much work by myself. I wish I had learned earlier to ask for help and then accept that help.

In five years: I hope to be doing more from a policy perspective to enhance opportunities for fewer barriers to mental health care and increased opportunities for all women.