Host Andrea Walton explains: The Table I Built is a bite-sized podcast on real-life resilience, purpose, and leadership — with episodes under 10 minutes for builders who are short on time but big on vision. Hosted by Andrea C. Walton, MBA, each episode offers raw, reflective insight on grit, healing, and building something meaningful after life turns sideways. From teen mom to executive, Andrea shares hard-earned lessons, true stories, and bold encouragement for anyone who’s ever had to start again.
About Andrea: A seasoned HR executive, published author, and purpose-driven philanthropist committed to building pathways to education for Black and Brown girls around the world, Andrea is the founder and CEO of The Concrete Rose Scholarship Foundation. She leads with a deeply personal mission-having once been a teen mom who earned her GED before climbing the ranks to become a Chief People Officer in the biotech and education sectors. Learn more: theconcreterosescholarship.com
What she does: Since 2020, Andrea has awarded nearly a dozen scholarships under the banner “From GED to MBA,” and recently formalized the Foundation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. With global partnerships spanning the University of Cape Town and Howard University, the foundation is scaling a bold vision: to eliminate systemic barriers to higher education, one student, one scholarship, and one opportunity at a time. Andrea also leads Concrete Strategies LLC, her HR consulting firm, and hosts the podcast The Table I Built, where she shares unfiltered conversations on leadership, resilience, and equity.
Why she does it: “My work is rooted in the belief that education saves lives. It is true for me, and it is my life’s mission to help others write their own stories. Where we came from creates a foundation. What we do next is up to us.”
Check out Andrea’s books:
From GED to MBA: Defying the odds to win! As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who became a teen mom, the odds were stacked against Andrea. “Through my faith, family, and resilience, I fought through,” she explains, and hopes her story motivates readers when the odds are stacked against them. “Today, choose to look doubt square in the eyes and say, I will not quit!” Click here to buy the book.
All the Smoke: From Pain to Purpose Author Andrea Walton has shared her life and educational journey in From GED to MBA. Now, “All the Smoke” details Divorce, Depression, and ultimately Destiny. The native of Pasadena, CA grew up with a single mom, sister, and brother. Like many teens that become pregnant, she was on welfare and dropped out of high school to raise her daughter. At 19, she took the GED and passed, but it took several years before she was ready to apply to college. The first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, she forged on to complete her MBA two years later. She then spent decades as a human resources expert with positions at Nestle, Target, biotech companies, and more. She now mom to three children, all of whom are thriving in Northern VA.
