I turn strategy into change—powered by empathy and care.

Carmen “Spindiego” Berkley Anderson is an award-winning political strategist, culture shaper, DJ, and bestselling author who lives at the intersection of justice, joy, and big-audacious vision. As Vice President of Strategy & Impact at the $2 billion Inatai Foundation, she guides policy, advocacy, communications, and power-building partnerships—mobilizing $400 million+ toward racial justice across Washington state and beyond.

Carmen co-authored the bestseller Empath Leader: Transforming Humanity’s Algorithm and created the Care Bear Model of Leadership, a heart-centered framework for leaders to build trust, courage, and equitable results with their teams. Through her creative studio CB Strategies and as co-founder of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Consulting, she designs unforgettable meetings, produces media that moves people, and spins soundtracks that keep movements dancing forward.

Her justice journey began in Washington, DC: president of the U.S. Student Association, field director at the NAACP and URGE, executive director of Generational Alliance, director of Civil, Human & Women’s Rights at the AFL-CIO, and managing director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She has trained thousands in campaigns and organizational development with re:Power and Midwest Academy, and once co-hosted the women-run radio shows Sophie’s Parlor and Melody Divas.

Honored in Essence magazine’s Woke 100 and Washington Life’s Top 40 Under 40, Carmen’s work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, HuffPost, and Coveteur. She advises Sephora their Equity Board, serves on the boards of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Elite Family Foundation, and proudly claims her badge as a founding member of BYP100.

Pittsburgh-raised and Seattle-based, Carmen refuels on crab legs, hip-hop, house music, and late-night concert runs with her brilliant husband, Lee Anderson, their dog, King T’Challa, and her amazing nieces and nephews. Wherever she shows up—board-room briefing, festival stage, or neighborhood block party—Carmen brings the same commitment: build power that feels like home and leave every community more resourced, more connected, and more free.

Dear Leader,

Every sunrise feels like a second chance I was never guaranteed. When I was 21, a medical crisis nearly stopped my heartbeat—and with it, every dream I carry for our people. I promised myself then: if I made it through, I would trade fear for fullness. I’d live out loud, love in color, and turn strategy into social change—powered by empathy and care.

That promise has guided every beat I spin, every grant I move, and every convening I design. Some folks tilt their heads when they see my calendar: Black-liberation strategy call at 9 a.m., DJ set at midnight, Care Bear Leadership workshop tucked in between. But you get it. You know that justice, creativity, and community belong in the same room—and often on the same playlist.

As an Empath Leader, I feel the pulse of our communities; as a Care Bear Leader, I translate that pulse into practical power—resources, policies, and joyful spaces where we all can breathe. I believe, with my whole liberated heart, that we will win in our lifetime. And I’m grateful you’re one of the co-conspirators, comrades, or curious new friends helping prove it true.

So here’s my invitation: keep showing up with your head, your hands, and your whole heart. Dance when the beat drops, speak truth when the moment calls, rest so we can rise again tomorrow. Together, we’ll build power that feels like home—and leave every community more resourced, more connected, and more free.

In justice and joy,

Carmen

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