Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Shipley.

Hi Andrea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been a highly sensitive person who kind of went my own way… a seeker and questioner, more than a rebel. I love variety and travel, so I’ve created a unique lifestyle for myself that provides me with both, without sacrificing stability and professionalism.

Right now, I live, work, and travel in a school bus that’s been converted into a tiny house/RV. I’m also taking time to travel abroad, seeing what it’s like to live out of a suitcase for a while. So far, it’s pretty great, though I’m looking forward to returning to my dog.

I’m no stranger to more traditional routes. For a while, I had a healthcare agency job and my own house; then I decided not to wait until retirement before traveling and having some of the experiences I craved so much. So, I built a business, left the seemingly secure job behind, and spent a year knee-deep in DIY projects with my retired father, building a home office I could take on the road.

I’ve lived in that bus since 2019, which is longer than I’ve lived in any other home since going away to college. I have loved the comforts and security my home on wheels provides, while giving me the novelty of a new backyard on a regular basis.

Somewhere along the way, I became enthralled by healing and spiritual awakening, which sent me from visual arts to the healing arts. In 2008, I became a Massage Therapist and in 2010, I began studying to become a mental health counselor. I’ve worked in the mental health field for over 10 years and have been fully licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia since 2018. I truly love helping people learn, grow, and expand into more fulfilling lives.

More recently, I’ve created a Lifestyle Design Coaching program, where I help people figure out what their ideal lifestyle would be and then bring it to life. Now that I’ve done it for myself, I can help other people do it for themselves too.

But don’t worry – I don’t nudge others to create nomadic lives unless they ask me to. I aim to do what’s best for each person I work with, which means helping them discover their most authentic selves and lean into that. It’s different for everyone, which makes it a creative and exciting process.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
For a long time, I waited for other people to join me or validate what I wanted to do. This intensified my insecurities, and waiting didn’t get me any closer to fulfilling my dreams. Eventually, I learned to enjoy my own company and trust myself and my desires more – transforming loneliness into a satisfying aloneness that actually helps me connect more deeply with others. After many experiments and lots of trial and error, I’ve learned how much I’m capable of, and to accept help when I need it.

It can be hard for me to watch other people struggle and complain about how their lives are, without doing anything to change it. I’ve had to learn to give them space to take their own journeys and only offer help and new perspectives when they ask me to. This brings me more peace and keeps me on my path, even when other people can’t join me yet. I know it’s only a matter of time before they seek out a way to bridge the gap between where they are and where they want to be. They just need to know it’s possible, so I just need to bridge the gaps in my own life to show them that it is.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Alive Explorations?
Primarily, I’m a mental health counselor, providing telehealth sessions to people in Virginia and Florida. I really love my work and getting to know people on deeper levels as they heal and grow.

As I mentioned earlier, I also provide Lifestyle Design Coaching to people who are mentally and emotionally stable, but feel stuck in limiting lives, despite having big dreams they want to make real. A lot of people talk to me about their “golden handcuffs” or how their lives have become prisons of their own making, and I want to show them that they can set themselves free. Yes, it will take work and energy to transform their lives … but floundering in self-made prisons takes even more energy, providing fewer exciting outcomes.

Whether I’m helping someone recover and heal through counseling or helping them envision and build an exhilarating new lifestyle through coaching, I’m always happy to guide and watch their progress … not necessarily to an external finish line, but certainly toward a more satisfying internal experience and present moment.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Some of the essential qualities I value and try to embody are:

Conscious evolution – becoming the change we wish to see in the world, even before we see evidence of it in others.

Empathy for self and others. We’re all human and it can be messy but beautiful. Let’s meet each other with compassion and understanding.

Freedom with family. I appreciate novelty and independence, but I also love deeply and value my people dearly.

Pricing:

• Therapy – currently $195 per 50-minute session
• Coaching – $300 to $10,000 depending on the package type and duration
• Lifestyle Design for Helpers and Healers Mini-course $97
• Satisfaction Assessment with Life Wheel Workshop $72

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aliveexplorations.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliveexplorations
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliveexplorations
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-shipley-lpc-951600133
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aliveexplorations
• Other: https://alive.kartra.com/page/reg

Image Credits
1st image of Andrea on the couch is by Candace Morgan Photography Additional photos by Annie Parent