Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrew Stahelin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Andrew, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career?  A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

I think knowing the difference between expectations and intentions really is what was that defining moment that changed everything for my trajectory in my career. In 2022, after working in the film industry for roughly 11 years, my life was forever changed when I contracted a blood infection that forced me to undergo heart surgery to save my life. As I was rolled into the O.R., I put an intention to survive this ordeal, knowing that my expectations were low. When I woke up, I didn’t really understand that I had survived it at first. All the stress and fear of not knowing what was going to happen to me all came rushing to the present as I came to, and I felt utter gratitude for every painstaking breath I could take. I didn’t know what to expect anymore, but my intention was starting to form; I knew I intended to get out of the ER, so I started walking, fulfilling all the hospital’s requirements before I could be released. Expectations no longer came to my mind, I was only focused on the small tasks in front of me. When I did get released, I set my eyes on the rehabilitation process. My intention was set on fully recovering, removing expectations from the equation, and focused on just doing what needed to be done. Bit by bit, before I realized it, I had been forming a habit of putting intention first above expectation. I started to feel alive again during the rehabilitation process, propelling me into the world of health and wellness, and making me realize that my time in film was coming to an end. Now, I use this intention to help others remove the expectations of what ‘health’ looks like; keeping the intention on improving the relationship we have with ourselves, not on the expectation of looking a certain way. Expectations can be like a match we hold too tightly, but if we can learn to let go, we can avoid burning ourselves and see a clearer path without the smoke in our way.

Andrew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After I was forced to recover from heart surgery, I decided to quit my higher-paying film industry job and dedicate my life to starting a fitness/fitness program business.

Now, I’m a personal trainer, yoga instructor, boxing/muay thai instructor, and stretch therapist.

Something I’m focusing on with my programs is changing the relationship my clients have with exercise by; setting lived-in goals, and desires focused on something greater than just who looks at you, creating exercises/activities that don’t have to be solely completed in the gym, and training that develops with the individual not just by what’s done in the gym but outside as well.

I’m most proud every day that I can help make someone’s quality of life a bit better, helping people set intentions that improve their outlook on themselves and their world, knowing that fitness is not about a goal to complete, but maintaining a way of being. Health can be fun, tasty, exciting, and more than a number.

I currently have a brand new program in the works that I’ve been keeping near and dear to my heart and hope to reveal it soon.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I’m not sure I have one specific story to tell. I think the biggest lesson that I had to unlearn was thinking that there was only one way to achieve any sort of success, and I don’t just mean financial success, I mean the type of success where you’re grateful looking at your own image in the mirror because you know that the thing you’re doing is fulfilling something deeper inside you. We can’t take our material riches with us in the end, but we can leave behind the memories we’ve accrued with others, the lives that we’ve affected, and the impact that we’ve made in our community. I think we have to unlearn the idea of success, and instead, focus on the intention of impacting people’s lives in a positive way.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Speaking from my own experience, if you are trying to solve a problem, then you have to resolve your own problems first. I always think of what we’re instructed to do during an airplane emergency, “Put on your own mask first, before you help others.” You need to have some form of self-care and general healthy habits in your day-to-day living. We don’t often prioritize ourselves until it’s too late or until it’s an emergency. Learn from my story, don’t wait until you have heart surgery to make a change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heartforgedhealth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drewstahelin/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-stahelin/

Image Credits

Photo Credit: Alejandra Castro Castillo