Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Thelma Anderson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Thelma, appreciate you joining us today. Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

The most innovative thing I have done in my career was, not letting my career as a prosecutor make me one-dimensional. Starting off as a prosecutor you can become comfortable with going to work, managing your docket, trying cases and getting a steady paycheck. I was innovative knowing that I wanted to create this billionaire dollar shoe company and Tell A Lawyer, while I was a prosecutor. I utilized my salary to fund and set up my businesses until it was time for me to pivot and transition. I used my day job to fund my forever career of being a serial entrepreneur.

Thelma, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My passion for becoming a lawyer was due to my experience in being a sex assault survivor which gave me my purpose of becoming a prosecutor. My passion for being an entrepreneur was not something I planned, God literally guided me into the crazy world of entrepreneurship. I have a gift of creating and being an inventor, which lead me to becoming a patent owner.

What sets me apart is that I have tailored my Business Consulting firm based on my experience as an entrepreneur. I went through the same steps that they are and will embark on and my firm helps guide entrepreneurs through each and ever step of properly structuring their business. When lawyers have been through the process they can guide their clients through each an ever step from a better perspective. I AM THE OLIVIA POPE OF BUSINESS LAW.

My firm specializes in business advisory services, from business formation and contracts to intellectual property, our firm advises businesses and even represents entertainers, artists, influencers, designers, and athletes. Our extensive experience, knowledge, professionalism, and tailored approach help us aid in our clients’ continued support and success. I love watching my clients grow and excel with my help.

I am a passionate entrepreneur, an inventor with my patent – Thelma Lou sandal and my own clothing line (www.baeloungewear.com). My passion for entrepreneurship lead me to leave my 6 figure career to pursue my newpassion and purpose. I’m also working on a project called Single in Law and Surviving the DA’s Office as a Black Woman. I love where I’m going and I know I’m headed into the most elite years of my life.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was that I cannot control everything. This lesson literally changed the direction of my life. In order to get to this point I had to realize ask myself, how did I get here? Through therapy I unpacked a lot of trauma that resulted in me needing to be in control. Being in control was literally tearing through my souls. Control was showing up in my day to day life and my career and was causing me to be miss out on enjoying my life. Once I figured out that I couldn’t control everything and that I can only focus on things that I could, life became so much easier. I learned so much about myself which made me fall in love with the healed and whole me. The weight that I released allowed me to grow in my personal, professional and business life. Now I’m in a position of doing everything I love and I’m only concerned with controlling things that I can control.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My journey includes being a survivor. I grew up in what was considered the projects where my mother was a recovering addict and she has been clean for 33 years now. At a young age I experienced mental and physical abuse resulting in my passion for advocating for others. At the age of 13, I was sexually assaulted and was subjected to attempted molestation which fueled my desires to become a lawyer and advocate for victims like myself

I worked my ass off in high school after being ranked 81 in my class to graduating in the top 10% of my class. I went on to Southern University A&M College with just 50.00 dollars and a prepaid cellphone to survive off of for four weeks. My passion to become a lawyer expanded during my HBCU experience. After graduation I took two years off to live a little before getting my Masters Degree from UTA. I went on to complete my law degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. What a lot of people don’t know is that I was attending my first year of law school and my last semester of graduate school which was not recommended however, I was determined to not let what they said get in the way of what GOD planned.

During my second year of law school I was sexually assaulted by my classmate which almost resulted in me withdrawing from school. It was the heaviest burden I have ever carried in my life. God walked me through one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. I graduated from law school and pass the bar exam on the first try all while holding the weight of my trauma in my soul.

After law school I was given the opportunity to become a prosecutor where I tried over 40 criminal cases and was featured on the news for dismissing a case of wrongful identification. During the mist of my career. My passion for entrepreneurship lead me to developing the Patent Thelma Lou Sandal, creating a lounge wear line and starting Tell A Lawyer Consulting group.

I have suffered two traumatic losses from two of the most important women in my life. My sister passed away in 2018 which forced me to take my mental health serious and last July I lost my cousins in a tragic boating accident while we were celebrating her birthday. Though it all I have continued to get up and show up for myself because the purpose that I’m fulfilling requires that I trust GOD through it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tellalawyergroup.com
• Instagram: tellalawyergroup and lawyerbaeesq
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/thelma-anderson
• Other: www.baeloungewear.com

Image Credits
Alex Harris of @shotsbyaharris