WNBA Legend Chantelle Anderson’s Podcast ‘Go Sis’ Is a Must-Listen for 2024

“It’s been different things all at once: an adventure, a rebirth, a fight, a process of self-discovery and faith-building. But I think what I’m most grateful for is that it’s allowed me to find my purpose,” Anderson told us. “Playing basketball was what I always wanted to do—my first dream. But my third year in the WNBA, my injuries started and didn’t stop. I broke my kneecap, ruptured my Achilles, tore my ACL and tore ligaments in my foot. So, at age 29, I retired from the job I loved and it felt like I’d lost my entire identity. I’d been an athlete for most of my life. Without it, I had no idea who I was or what else I could be.

“I went on my own, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ journey to find myself. And then career-wise, bounced around from college coaching to medical device sales to starting two brands that failed, to finally finding that thing I was created to do, which was ultimately to help other women do the same thing I did: build their lives into adventures they love while refusing to settle for less, no matter what.”

“It was a journey! I thought 2020 was going to be the best year ever. Business-wise, Google had just signed on as a client, and personally, I’d found a deeper faith, even going back to school for ministry the year before. Then in February, my dad unexpectedly went into the hospital. In March, the world—and my business—shut down for COVID. And in April, Daddy passed away. All of the sudden, I was in the middle of grieving and it felt like I was losing my dream all over again. I was looking around like, ‘God, what the heck?!’

“I kept asking all the hard questions about this crazy life we live, until I got the answers that helped me cling to my faith even tighter. Through all the questions, I promised myself that I wasn’t going to waste the pain. If I was going to feel that horrible, I was going to help other people who did too. And so my book takes others on the same journey I went on. It’s me having a real conversation with the reader and bringing God into it, in the hopes that when the book is done, they’ll continue their own conversations with a stronger and more honest relationship.”

“It depends on your definition of success. The day I got drafted to the WNBA was the day my childhood dream came true. And that night, after all the pageantry and excitement, I went back to my hotel room expecting to fall onto my bed and float off to sleep smiling. But that wasn’t what happened, because something was off. I thought that achieving my dream would finally make me feel like enough. Instead, it just felt like another thing checked off on my long to-do list for myself. So confused and disappointed, I cried myself to sleep on what was supposed to be one of the best days of my life. I think that happened because I, like most people who ask this question about how to be successful, had bought into the lie that success would finally make me feel good enough.” 

“Now after including God in my journey to success, I’ve traveled all over the world speaking on confidence, leadership and faith as a full-time entrepreneur and author. And the beautiful thing is that this time my success also came with joy, peace and healing. So the most important question is not how to be successful. If you figure out what you’re naturally talented at, and work relentlessly to become excellent at it, you’ll find success. It’s not complicated, and it works. The real question, though, is what version of success do you want? Because in my experience, success without God will always be empty.”