We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Cox. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Risk-taking is wild. Let me start there. I am logical and really pride myself on doing things that make sense.

My life-changing risk involves switching careers from education to wellness and yoga. When I was approached about pursuing wellness and yoga full-time, I was nervous. I was in a career that was safe, secure, and, for the most part, very structured. As a teacher, your every day is set, the students are the same, and you get to work through and embrace the daily challenges right. But initially, with wellness and yoga, I was unsure how I would create this same stability because it was unknown to me.

With the support and many persuasive conversations with my boyfriend, family, and friends, I decided that this version of myself needed and desired to be in a new space that was more fulfilling than education, which, let me say, I did not know was even possible.

So, I made the leap to wellness and yoga full-time. It has literally been one of the best risks I have taken and continues to put me in places and spaces to shine and be heard. My support system and my confidence in myself and my abilities allowed me to transition to a new career without missing a beat, and I love it here.

Andrea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a yoga teacher with a background in education. I love to share that I began yoga as a stress reliever for my day job as a teacher. I needed a safe space to breathe and remind myself that I was being the best teacher I could be and doing enough for my students.

Yoga became that place that helped me to breathe through movement and gave me even more space to grow as an individual into the woman I am today.

Yoga has changed my life in ways I could not imagine, so sharing that energy, love, and stillness with others is special. My class is all about you, making yoga unique or exciting. I am offering an hour’s worth of well-coordinated suggestions; however, the work, the breath, and the intention are all on the student. However, creating a space that holds room for everything a person also matters and makes yoga a unique practice.

I also get to share my practice as a lululemon ambassador. As an ambassador, lululemon shares its platform with me to share and work with communities, initiatives, and people to help them learn all the beautiful things yoga offers.

In addition to being a yoga teacher, I am also a Certified Wellness Coach. I recently completed the certified program through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I am so excited to add that to my resume. Being a wellness coach has transformed my thinking around wellness and movement, and I use those skills on and off the mat.

Very soon, I plan to take clients who want to focus on wellness at its core and create custom, tailored plans to meet the personal needs of each person.

But for now, here are some of my upcoming classes and events:
December 13th, 2023, at 6:15pm | Flow And Series Powered by lululemon in Maryland Plaza | class held at FLY Yoga (3003 Locust, St. Louis, MO 63103) |
Neo Soul Sundays with a Live Band at The Collective STL (1400 N. Market, St. Louis, MO 63106) at 1 pm Classes are donation-based.
Community FLO ($9) at 5:15 pm at FLY Yoga on Fridays (3003 Locust, St. Louis, MO 63103)
IGNITE at 11:00 am at FLY Yoga (3003 Locust, St. Louis, MO 63103)

For more information on classes and events, follow me on Instagram: @naturallyeducating, Linktree: https://linktr.ee/naturallyeducating, YouTube: youtube.com/naturallyeducating. Private classes and coaching can be booked through my website: https://naturallyeducating.com.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Absolutely Not.

Without a doubt.

Education is a phenomenal career. It taught me so much about children but even more about adults and myself. Being a teacher allowed me to find my voice uniquely.

It also taught me how to differentiate, guide, and teach people, which are fundamental skills in the wellness and yoga profession. Being a teacher gave me a solid foundation to take the risks I spoke about earlier and succeed in what I do now.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn and that, honestly, I am still unlearning at times is that things can be flawed.

Growing up, I made straight A’s and did all the things I was “supposed” to do, and as wonderful as that is, it did not leave me a lot of room for error, mistakes, or to give myself a second chance to be great.

Unlearning this, though, a skill that was unknowingly being practiced over and over for years, has been challenging yet rewarding. It has allowed me more space to be mindful and ask for help.

Through yoga, I am reminded on my mat that my body doesn’t have to look or be a certain way or that I can rest or take modifications because I am listening in and adjusting in real-time, not just doing the thing because it “should” be that way.

I am a lot more gentle with myself and leave room for things to be whatever they are in the moment. Acknowledging that I did my best and that at the end of the day, everything will be okay, even if it is not perfect.

Contact Info:

• Website: naturallyeducating.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/naturallyeducating
• Facebook: facebook.com/naturallyeducating
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaocox/
• Youtube: youtube.com/naturallyeducating
• Other: https://linktr.ee/naturallyeducating