CCM: What has been your take on the response since you decided to go after this endeavor?
MA: Yeah, I think most of the responses have been something along the lines of, “I want something like this for my daughter.” The most common from people my age or older, “Oh, my gosh, my daughter is in high school. My daughter is in college. She has these big career goals and dreams and she reminds me of you. I can tell her generation is different than my generation, and I just want to serve her up a guidebook and I don’t feel like there’s one out there.”

Working for a mainstream entertainment news magazine show in New York City, when I approached people there, they were like, “Why wouldn’t you [write this book]? This is awesome!” They’re all about girl-power, so it’s been fun to see how it gets weighed between my work and personal life. My Christian circles are like, “Okay…this is interesting.” It takes them a little longer to warm up to the idea, but once they come to an event or have seen the concepts of the book, they’ve been overwhelmingly appreciative and supportive.

I will tell you, Kevin, it’s a slow process. There are still people in the church that are not quite there yet, and I think it goes back to that generational, traditional culture—it takes a while. I think Christian circles are still behind the times a little in getting there for our females, but I think its coming. It just takes a little longer to jump on board, if that makes sense. I would say [my experiences since the book released] have been positive, but some people still scratch their head at me.

CCM: As you worked your way up the corporate ladder, were you faced with moments of persecution that are detailed in the book?
MA: Certainly, and that’s what the book is all about. If you’re a believer, what do you do if you want to “play with the big boys?” What if you’re already there? How do you stay true to your values while thriving in your career? [The book] is filled with those stories. My sort-of mission statement on it all is, If Christians want to change culture, they need to engage it directly, and engage it with excellence. I am all about people taking their seat at the table. I feel that getting the best education you can to compete with the “best of them” is important, and Christians should to pursue excellence.

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