We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Andrea Kirby a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Creating Poised with Purpose Co. is one of the biggest leaps of faith I have ever stepped out on. The vision I received in 2020 confirmed that building this uplifting business platform was the right thing to do.

2020 was a year full of unknowns, fears, and tragedy. I had just graduated college with a BFA in Cinematic Arts/Film with no notion as to where my career would go. I was unable to film my Senior Thesis due to the pandemic, I could not find a job in my industry at the time, and I was also very ill for several months. I was in a season of my life where I began to feel unworthy, sad, and unseen…until I was blessed with the vision for Poised with Purpose Co. I was filled with a greater desire to encourage others through a difficult time rather than dwell on my own shortcomings.

Starting out, all I could afford to create were personalized poems for my followers on Instagram. Writing has always been at the forefront of my life, and I never realized how greatly my words impacted people. With assistance from my loved ones, I began producing prayer cards, encouragement cards, and journals with all of my own poetry. I also decided to launch my own YouTube channel to create inspirational and entertaining visual content. I decided that I wanted my content to be engaging and stimulating, so I created series such as “Word of the Day”, “Style Like”, and “The Etiquette Series”. Once again, my words and creations resonated with people…all around the world.

Through my business platform, I eventually landed a freelance gig working with The Ohio State University. A PhD student was referred to me through a prior staff member at my college institution to film her dissertation. I was absolutely flabbergasted and honored! Not only had I been blessed to be the videographer for her short film, I was also asked to be the editor. It was a dream come true to film a theatrical short film! The film was accepted into an International Theatrical Festival called BorderLight Cleveland Festival in 2021.

When the Etiquette series on my YouTube channel rose in popularity, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach and speak on Dining Etiquette at The Royce restaurant for the Beechcroft Leading Ladies of Excellence. I met the Superintendent of Columbus City Schools, bonded with the girls, and enjoyed a lovely dinner. It was an amazing opportunity to inspire young ladies to practice manners and courtesy, all while promoting Poised with Purpose Co.

“A seed of poise planted on purpose” is my tagline for my business platform. Poised with Purpose Co.’s platform has provided me with many wonderful opportunities such as brand collaborations, guest speaking events, and interviews (like this one). Had I not been obedient, I am unsure where I would be presently. The most important factor of this business platform is to continue to uplift, encourage, and inspire people all over the world. Although my platform is small, I know that my purpose is immense.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, my name is Andrea Kirby, also known as ‘Drea and I am the Founder of Poised with Purpose Co. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Cinematic Arts/Film with an extensive professional background in writing and modeling!

My performing arts background began at about 2-3 years old when I joined a modeling agency, began dancing competitively, and started acting in theater productions, television, and commercials. I have been a featured model in magazines such as Columbus Monthly, J-14 Magazine, Fiber Art Now, and Brio Magazine.

𝐴 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒 ©
Poised with Purpose Co. is a faith-based business platform to uplift, encourage, and inspire people around the world through elegance, style, etiquette, and literacy. On my Etsy shop, I create prayer cards, journals, greeting cards, jewelry, and other stationery items! I always appreciate hand-written thank you notes and personalized packaging with an elegant touch to it, and that is what I strive to provide in my services. I am inspired by Old Hollywood and vintage/elegant aesthetics, which is illustrated in the majority of my work.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

My purpose is enormously greater than myself. I am here to serve and love others for as long as I am here to do so. The gifts and talents I have been blessed with are to be shared, and what better way to share my artistry than to give back to others? It is incredibly rewarding to know that my inspirational words and poetry have helped someone, no matter what season of life that individual is in. To be able to create content that will have a lasting, positive impact on even just one person truly brings me joy. I am honored to be a source of light and inspiration across the generations.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Perfectionism is a disease, and asking for help is okay. I did not have to unlearn this, but rather, I had to accept my shortcomings. No one is perfect, and failing increases resilience and humility.

I have always been a perfectionist. I dislike getting things wrong the first time and I often beat myself up for it…but there is no way for me to know everything! Asking for help or assistance does not make you inferior or weak. In fact, it demonstrates how human we are and that making mistakes helps us to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/poisedwithpurposeco
• Instagram: @poisedwithpurpose.co (my personal Instagram was hacked).
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-kirby-drea-62623a171/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@poisedwithpurposeco

Image Credits
Parisha Janelle Shiann Shoots: _shishoots