Episode 13: Intentional Optimism: From Food Addiction to Faith-Based Hope and Women's Leadership with Andrea Johnson

In this energetic and wide-ranging episode recorded around the International Day of Happiness, host Erica Bowen speaks with Andrea Johnson—also known as "The Intentional Optimist"—about her journey from struggling with eating disorders and depression to becoming an advocate for women's empowerment and faith-based leadership.

Andrea shares her unique upbringing as a missionary kid, moving 17 times by age 21 between the United States and Seoul, Korea. Whilst this gave her a global mindset and incredible experiences (wearing Oscar de la Renta at 15, attending school with kids from 65 countries), she didn't have the tools to handle constant change. She coped by becoming a "food sneaker and food hoarder," hiding jars of peanut butter under her bed and eventually developing severe bulimia characterized by binge eating rather than purging.

The conversation explores Andrea's turning point at age 21, spending her birthday in a 12-week inpatient program for bulimia and depression—finally receiving help that addressed the inside, not just external symptoms. She describes the long journey through multiple diet programs, marriage, seven years on antidepressants, weighing 310 pounds at under 5'2", and eventually choosing gastric bypass surgery as "the best physical choice I ever made for myself"—whilst acknowledging it's just a tool that requires internal work.

Andrea reveals the moment she looked at her husband and said "I look into the future and it's a black hole"—having lost all hope and future vision despite never having thoughts of self-harm. This led to seeking help and beginning the journey toward what she calls "intentional optimism." She shares the devastating news of having only a 13% chance of live birth due to early menopause, and her powerful realization: "adoption is 100% chance." The subsequent two-year adoption journey included losing 2-3 potential babies before successfully adopting their son Nathan (whose name means "gift").

The episode introduces Andrea's philosophy of "intentional optimism" with its six tenets: optimistic, present, courageous, energetic, wise, and intentional. She argues that hope is not passive—it doesn't float in "like Tinkerbell"—but is actionable, born out of faith and doing something. Hope, she explains, has three components: helping us see the future (through making plans), seeing possibilities (by asking "what if?"), and changing our perspective.

Andrea uses the powerful metaphor of taking a panoramic photo from the top of the Eiffel Tower—all those perspectives were always there, but you only captured one in your first shot. When you turn the camera around, you gain a completely different view without having to change location. This applies to how we see ourselves and others—celebrating uniqueness rather than forcing conformity.

The conversation addresses Andrea's work empowering women to be "big" leaders in their own authentic way, not by mimicking masculine leadership styles. Drawing on the Proverbs 31 woman as a model, she advocates for women being unapologetically themselves—whether their "world" is the car rider line, helping kids who can't afford prom clothes, or becoming the next female US president. She introduces the concept of "positive opposites" learned from parenting her son with ADHD—turning "stop running" into "use walking feet"—as a powerful self-talk tool.

Key Takeaways:

• Hope is actionable, not passive—it requires doing something, making decisions, taking steps
• We are what we choose—our lives are shaped by our decisions, not just our circumstances
• Hope encompasses three elements: seeing the future (make plans), seeing possibilities (ask "what if?"), and changing perspective (turn the camera around)
• Addressing only external symptoms without internal work leads to repeated struggles
• Faith can undergird hope, but we still need tools and must take action
• "Decision is a superpower"—