Home Posts tagged Andrea St. Louis
40 Under 40 Class of 2023

Owner, The Tatted Professionals; Director, Jill Ker Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Smith College: Age 36

Andrea St. LouisAndrea St. Louis has a number of titles and many different … let’s call them jobs, although some of them are more like passions.

She was just named director of the Jill Ker Conway Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center at Smith College. She is also the owner of a business called the Tatted Professionals, through which she takes many different titles — executive coach, writer, business coach, educator, and public speaker.

She’s also the author of the book 40 Days Lighter: A Devotional Journey for Women Determined to Live Free, an adjunct professor, book-club host, and TEDxSpringfield speech coach and emcee. She’s also an ordained minister at the All Nations Church in Springfield, as well as a youth leader and board member at the church. She has also been a board member for the Children’s Chorus of Springfield and a mentor with the Pass the Torch for Women Foundation. She’s also a mother of two.

That’s a lot of ‘alsos.’

But we need them to accurately convey all that St. Louis does professionally and in her community.

In her role at Smith, which recently expanded from entrepreneur in residence to director, she has developed and taught courses on entrepreneurship and facilitated workshops on entrepreneurship, innovation, ideation, effective pitching, and more.

And through her business, the Tatted Professionals, she is an executive coach, writer, business consultant, educator, and speaker who is committed to helping women leaders own their gifts and effectively tell their story.

She is a frequent speaker, having given a talk at the recent Women in Business Summit in Springfield, and also at the Women Business Owners Alliance Social Media Bootcamp, the On the Move Forum for Women Intergenerational Panel, and the 2021 Wellness for the Culture Saturday Wellness Workshop.

St. Louis said there is general theme or tone to her talks.

“I’m often talking about authenticity, what it means to show up authentically, and professionalism,” she explained, adding that these talking points refer back to the name she has given her business. “For me, tattoos are a symbol of how we bring ourselves to wherever we’re going. Tattoos are permanent; I know some people get them removed, but to me they are a permanent reminder to bring all of myself to the work that I do.”

She said she also helps clients, mostly women of color, tell their stories, step out of their comfort zone, and work through challenges. She’s speaking from personal experience, having done all that herself, and that’s why her voice, and her message, resonates.

 

—George O’Brien