Stand Tall In Your Story: Marcie Anderson

Rebecca Fleetwood Hession: Hello, this is Rebecca Fleetwood Hession, host of The Badass Womens Council Podcast. And I'm super glad that you're here. We have a very, very, very special series, binge- worthy one might say, called Stand Tall in Your Story. And these episodes come to you, straight from an event that we held on March 8th of 2022, called, Stand Tall in Your Story. It was held at the Vogue Theater in Broad Ripple, Indiana, and it features seven amazing women, who have been through an experience that I host every year called Rise and Thrive. A seven month experience for these women to really discover themselves again so that they can stand tall in their story. And as they go through this seven month experience, there's a story that bubbles up in them, a very human story, that they know that they need to share because someone or many someones probably need to hear it. And so I'm excited to bring these stories to you. As I said, they're short and powerful and mighty and binge- worthy. So let's get started, shall we? And bringing us home in our binge worthy series, Stand Tall in Your Story, is Marcy Anderson. And one of the things I wrote in the program for the event, was that the world needs Marcy's strong voice leading and inspiring in what I call the Age of Humanity, the very, very human part of business. And what I love about Marcy, is she's looking for ways that organizations can run more effectively to serve the humans. And she's not afraid to use her voice to make those changes and suggest those changes. And she's a strong force in our Rise and Thrive group. And I can't wait for you to hear her story.

Marcy Anderson: I love watching Wipeout. It's the obstacle course game show, where contestants make their way toward the Winner Circle facing these crazy obstacles. They've got these menacing names, like the Sideway Sweeper, the Treadmill Doors, the Sucker Punch Walls, and my personal favorite, the Big Balls. These contestants, they're making their way toward the Winner Circle, but they're constantly getting punched and knocked down by the obstacles in their way. Usually falling, rather ungracefully, into the muddy or icky water below. Thus the name, Wipeout. The only other contestants or characters on that show are the sideline announcers. At best, they're just reporters, who laugh at the contestants. They're commentary along with their laughter, it's what makes you laugh. You know, the laughter. It's that awkward, deep belly laugh. It is that," Thank God, that was not me," laugh. And I got to thinking, the Wipeout game is really just a metaphor for life. As I've run my life race, I've had my fair share of wipe outs. But Wipeout Real Life Edition, is not funny. It is painful. It is ugly, and it is full of shame and embarrassment as we replay the reel over and over. And the announcer, you know her. She's that voice in your head who's telling you," You are not good enough." And no matter how much you think you can duck and cover to avoid the obstacle, at some point you misstep. And every misstep is a mistake and every mistake is a wipe out. And every wipe out is the announcer's opportunity to tell you, you were never good enough. So I grew up wearing Kmart clothes. If I got to order something from the JCPenney Catalog, it was a really, really big deal. And big catalog. But then I started school, right? And I looked at everyone around me and I realized, the Bluelight Special is really not that special. And it was then that the voice began to talk to me. So in my teen years, my announcer, she's maturing along with my body. My parents had moved us three times to three different states. I tried to anticipate every obstacle. I saved my money to have the Guess Jeans. I wore the Limited Sweaters and the Keds. I was on a constant diet of Acutrim pills and I smoked Marlboro Light 100s. Usually at the same time, I was using a can of Aqua Net Hairspray. But none of that mattered. It was punch. It was boom. It was oof. It was just wipe out after wipe out." You are not pretty enough," the announcer said to me." You are not thin enough," the announcer said to me." You will never be cool enough," the announcer said. So fast forward to my 40s. It might be a new decade, but it's the same game. I am failing in life. But my announcer, she is winning awards for reporting on my wipe outs. I'm in a second failed marriage. I got kids, doing kids stuff. I got a crumbling career, zero friends. But my announcer, she is living her best life. And she is laughing at me. That bitch laughed at me. She told me she was not surprised. And she told me to quit. So I remember this moment vividly. I'm laying on the bathroom floor. I am wrapped only in a towel and my Bible is stretched out in front of me. My announcer, she says to me," You have wasted every opportunity you had ever been given." She said," Karma is a bitch." And she told me, I deserved this. I was laying there, quite frankly, naked and afraid. And I wanted it all to end. But what I realized and what I thought was my ending, it's actually where my story begins. We spend so much time with that announcer. I had given her full authority over my life. But I realized in that moment, I didn't have to. She really was just an observer. She was not calling the shots. She sure as hell was not running those plays. And she would no longer get to dictate my outcome. On that bathroom floor, I realized I had a choice. And I could choose to listen to a better voice, the voice of an inner coach. So I want to replay that reel one more time, okay? Here we are. You know that game. It's that middle aged reel. It's that failed second marriage, whoop- whoop- whoop. It's crumbling career. Kids doing kids crap, I love you. And zero friends. But this time, we see an inspiring, a motivating and an encouraging coach enter the scene. And with her in my head, I begin to realize that I am more than enough. And in that moment I realize I have a choice and I choose to not be defined by my mistakes. I choose to be refined by my mistakes. So I will tell you, I left that marriage with my head held high and free from shame. God gave me Jason. Mr. Anderson, you love me uncontrollably and you know what I mean, unconditionally and uncontrollably. I have never felt so supported. And my children love you. As for kids, they're still doing kids stuff because it's what they do. Together we have five children. We pray to God every day that they choose to listen to the voice of an inner coach and not that nasty sideline reporter. Now my career, you've already heard, baby it is out of the proverbial penalty box. I changed my company. I am in a role that is best suited to my gifts and talents. Thank you, Rebecca. I am so proud of what I do and I 100% do it unapologetically. But I really want to talk to you about my friends. It is true, I was friendless in this state. I am not an Indie native. But my inner coach, she told me I was capable of making friends. No Acutrim required, no Aqua Net Hairspray. So I stepped out and I met my spiritual guide and dearest friend, Jeera. From there, I was just shocked, as for friends, they just keep coming. They just keep coming. Many are here tonight. And many are just as faith driven. While I have had friendships born, I have had tribes formed. I truly laugh when people think I'm the most connected person in the room. Silencing the voice of the announcer, who had nothing good to say about my performance, and choosing to listen to the inner coach who told me what I was capable of, it changed my life. Changing my circumstances changed my life. And the most amazing difference between the Wipeout game and real life, is there is room in the Winner Circle for everyone, including you. That middle aged reel we played and replayed of my life, it was only 2020. What a difference, the voice you choose to listen to, can make in your life. Do I still hear the voice of that nasty sideline announcer from time to time? Of course I do. But I acknowledge today, she is simply a spectator, who's tired and bitter and wishes she could run that race as well as I do. The truth, faith and confidence that has spoken into me by my inner coach and the wisdom spoken over me by all of my support system, are what I need to know to remember that I have always been enough.

Rebecca Fleetwood Hession: The energy that Marcy brings to our meetings is one of my favorite things. You never know what kind of story this girl's going to show up with. And I love them all. Thank you for being who you are. I appreciate it so much. Another hand for Marcy. Thanks for being here for our binge- worthy series, Stand Tall in Your Story. I have a super- duper fun thing starting this summer. This could be the best summer of your life. In fact, that's just what I'm calling it as the tagline. So starting on June 21st, which is the first day of summer, I'm launching a four month, your summer story series, The Best Summer of Your Life. And it is a combination of reflection and connection, which you know that's what we're about around here. So it's all virtual. It's a series of journal prompts and information that comes from my book, Write Your Own Story. You can participate from anywhere in the world. We will give you each week workbooks and reflection questions that you work through the summer. And also each week, I'll pop in with a live, teaching you on the little concept or a little conversation that we'll have. And then each month we'll gather together as a group and you can share how it's going and learn a little bit from each other. I'll give you all the details in a document. So go to wethrive. live, look for the Best Summer of Your Life information. And we'd love to have you join us. We start June 21st.