Fasten your seat belts! In this episode, Carl interviews Andrea Sodergren, a Social Media Consultant, Facebook Advertising Specialist, Author, International Speaker, Host of the Late Starters Club Podcast—and that’s not all. Andrea is also a stand-up comedian and creator/producer of the wildly popular “Moms Unhinged” comedy show.
Andrea grew up in a Chicago suburb and says she first became an entrepreneur at age 5, when she went door-to-door in her neighborhood selling her paintings for a penny a piece. After college she first became a systems engineer but quickly found it was not for her. She then did a deep dive into marketing and social media and created a very successful career as a marketing consultant/strategist and speaker, with clients around the world and million dollar ad budgets.
In 2010, Andrea seized the opportunity to write the “Facebook Marketing All-in-One for dummies” book. “It (the book) was surreal. It can change the whole trajectory.” She quickly able to charge more and was in demand for her speaking engagements.
Andrea also dabbled in improv theater along the way. For fun, she took a stand-up comedy class, as a way to add some humor in to her speeches. Her routine incorporated the highs and lows of being a mother. “Performing was such a rush!’ she tells us. “I was burnt out on marketing and wanted to do more comedy.”
Andrea says she didn’t wait for something to happen. She decided to put on her own shows, which continued to sell out. “The light bulb went off. I thought this could truly be a business.” After COVID, her niche idea of producing the “Moms Unhinged” comedy show with all mom comedians really took off. 600 shows and 60,000+ attendees later, her show is seen across the country. She says, “There’s a saying, ‘leap and the net will appear.’ I believe in that so much!”
Andrea’s tips on reinvention:
- “It took me a long time from my first stand-up to producing my own show—so get started!”
- “There’s also planning—I was strategic and fully supported when I’ve made big pivots in my life.”
- “Make sure you’re making younger friends. (I see people of all ages in comedy.) Lots of times you’re in your own little bubble with people like you, who think like you. Getting in touch with new, different people is critical.”
- “Follow your curiosity. Explore, learn, have fun! Being engaged is exciting….safety is overrated. Do something a little scary!”
- More about Andrea Sodergren: https://momsunhinged.com/comedians/
- Moms Unhinged : https://momsunhinged.com/
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Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media’s weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to be Somebody” blog.
