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

Matthew, 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?

Looking back at my life now, I feel that the biggest, life-changing risk that I’ve taken was moving to Long Beach CA from Worthington MN when I was 21 years old. I knew no one in Long Beach. Never even stepped foot in the city. It had been popping up in music I was listening to, as Snoop Dogg was representing it everywhere, all the time, so it was on my radar, but not in any way that I could have ever imagined.

Allow me to take you back to the fall of 1996. As a 20 year old college student, who had just began my 3rd year at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, I was a mild-mannered, relatively shy and introverted student who was training to become a physical therapist, one day. I loved sports growing up, and realized in high school that I was never going to make any team, or have any kind of career as a player, but i realized that the athletic environment that I grew up in, raised me in a lot of ways. Therefore, I thought I wanted to explore a career path that allowed me to give back, help out, and invest my life back into the sports world, creating a career path forward through physical therapy and working with athletes and sports teams, some way, some how. And then, along came the physics and organic chemistry classes, and I hit a wall. I just couldn’t wrap my head around the problems I was coming up against in these courses. I’ve always enjoyed problem-solving and such, but these classes were a bridge too far. No matter what I tried, I was coming up short. Frustrated with this ginormous wall and block in the middle of my path, I wasn’t sure which way to turn or what to do next.

And so, one afternoon I took a break from school and went to the movies, as I often did around that time. I worked in a movie theater from 1992-1996, and that place always felt like a home away from home. A place where I could unwind and disconnect from the troubles of my mind for a bit. Little did I know that day, that it was right there, in that place, that my path forward revealed itself to me. As I was watching the movie that afternoon (it was Sleepers, by the way), I had an experience where time stood still, i felt like i was floating, just above my physical form, and I heard a voice so strong that it couldn’t be ignored. It wasn’t an actual voice that I heard with my ears, but one that I felt with every fiber of my being. What was being said and shared had nothing to do with the film itself, and everything to do with the next year of my life. I was guided to move to California to pursue a career in acting. And there wasn’t a single doubt in my body, mind or soul that I had to pursue this path. Not a one.

Now mind you, I’ve never taken a single acting class in my life, hadn’t been in a play since kindergarten, never-ever had any inkling of any kind, nor any desire whatsoever, to move to California of all places, for anything at all, Let alone acting?!? C’mon now. The ridiculousness of how this was all going to sound to my family, friends and girlfriend was not lost on me, and I knew that the conversation was going to be challenging, to say the least. Not to mention the knowing that thousands of people move to California seemingly daily, to pursue their Hollywood Dreams. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t like that. At all. But this was different. It was so much more, and oh so crystal clear, and no amount of doubt or shock and awe from my people would sway me. My heart and mind were made up, and there was nothing anyone could say or do, that would change that decision. I couldn’t be stopped.

I agreed to finish up my Associates Degree from St. Cloud State before moving, and that I would continue my college education upon my arrival in California. And so I landed on Long Beach due to their graduate theatre program, and it was close to Los Angeles, as well as the location being right on the ocean. It seemed perfect. And it was. And so I packed up everything in my car and drove out to Long Beach in the summer of 1997, and never looked back.

I met the most incredible people at Cal State University – Long Beach, friends that I still have, hold and lean into today. We started a theatre company together in 2001, called The Garage Theatre and are about to embark on our 24th season together, this year. Now there were lots of twists and turns in my journey, quite obviously. I mean I didn’t move out to Long Beach to start a theatre company, but it made perfect sense at the time, when it was happening, and it felt just right and completely meant to be. I never really got into or pursued the whole “Hollywood” thing. I did a couple of commercials and whatnot, but everything in that world felt like it was working against me, and what felt right for me and my soul. And so again, I trusted my heart and my gut and leaned into creating our own thing in Long Beach, for Long Beach, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The community that we helped cultivate and create in the city is very real, and very true, and it bleeds into every aspect of my life, as a theatre artist, embodied mindfulness mentor and guide, body worker, peace ambassador and yoga instructor.

It was a risk, to be sure. But there was never a doubt. And although what my life looks like, now, and what I get to do in it is actually nothing like I imagined it would, then, I couldn’t be happier about where I landed, and what I learned along the way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Although theatre and the performing arts brought me to Long Beach in 1997, it was my immersion into the healing arts and holistic health and wellness, first as a yoga instructor and peace ambassador, and years later as an embodied mindfulness mentor and guide, body worker and massage therapist, that really anchored me into the community here. I am very much looking forward to exploring the evolution of my offerings and where my path goes from here in all that’s ahead.

I am a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but I always seem to find myself right where I need to be, following my heart wherever it leads, in an an effort to help others open theirs. This exploration of self, and my own personal evolution as an artist and holistic health practitioner has allowed all of my life paths to come together and intersect in 2021 when I started my own holistic health care business and offering. it’s called you’re already there, and was inspired by my life, and love of music. My path and now business has expanded the ways in which I can be of service to others, allowing them to open up to their own healing feelings, turning within instead of always searching outside of themselves. Using different methods, movements and modalities, I help others reconnect to their rhythm, find their flow and remember who they are, by stepping into self-love and breaking free of self-doubt, so they can bring balance to their being, truly live their vision and fully believe their worth.

The healing power of music and the magic that lies within it, have been constant threads in my life and now my work: at my theatre company as the resident sound designer, in the playlists for my soulsonic asanas and vibes yoga classes, along with incorporating the use of sound and music in my embodied mindfulness and massage sessions. It’s always been there for me. I found the connection to my self and my soul through music. It has always helped me get out of my head and into my heart. And this is where we belong. Cultivating that connection and building that trust in ourselves is a practice, and what that looks like and feels like is different every day, but that’s a good thing. What we need and who we are, changes every day, as well.

But that’s me. My job and my work are about being of service to you, to help you remember who you are, and what you need and want in your life. What you want and what you do doesn’t have to look like anybody else, because you’re not like everybody else. You’re you, on purpose and with a purpose, and trusting and believing in that, that you are enough, just as you are, is the foundation for everything else.

I think what i’m most of proud of in my life and in my work, are the arenas and avenues where i’m the most me that I can be, and the relationships that i’ve made along the way. I am surrounded by the best friends and family you could dream of, and am embraced by the loving support of my teachers, students and guides. Leaning into love and honoring this strange design of life, figuring it out as I go isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it. Me being me and you being you, helps others be themselves, too, and it’s that authenticity, that vulnerability, that courage to be you just as you are, with all of the quirks and kinks, and goofiness is what we need more of in this world. And if I am able to help you connect with yourself in that way, and help you remember who you are, and turn you towards living your life again by design and not default, then we all are better for it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

For most of my life, i worked in restaurants. They provided me the opportunities to travel, make art, go to school, and helped me actually define what it means to live a life of service. I really loved the work itself, and the relationships I cultivated there: families and friends that go through it together, and pull each other through. My last restaurant job was all of these things and more. I learned so much from the owners and the clientele in the 18 years that I worked there. I used to joke that they would have to literally lock the doors and not allow me come back, for me to pivot and find different work. Well, in March of 2020, that actually happened.

Because of the pandemic and the lockdown, I was not allowed back at work, and was able to imagine and envision my life without the restaurant, what that could look like, and the possibilities that came with that. As luck would have it, in the fall of 2019 I had already enrolled in my holistic health institute and massage school, and had just begun my mentorship under Carina Nickerson in The Embodied Mindfulness School. And so after i graduated in the fall of 2020, the table was set and the timing was perfect for me to step onto this new career path, and it’s been evolving and unfolding ever since.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Starting. Just starting. From right where you are, just as you are. It takes courage for sure. It takes vulnerability, absolutely. There are things that you can only learn by doing, or by trying. Feeling those feelings that come up and only come up when you’re in it. It will never be perfect. There’s always more to be done, always ways in which it can be better. But the only way you will ever know is by giving it a go. It’s easier said than done, to be sure, but we all have to start somewhere. And as the saying goes, every journey starts with a single step. I still struggle with this. Finding every reason and excuse to put it off, or wait until I’m “ready” or the timing is “just right”. Get in there. You’ll figure it out as you go. That’s what we’re all doing. Where you land will probably look nothing like what you expected, but what ever really does? We’re all just doing our best. Let go of the expectations and the outcome and dive in. You’ll be amazed at what you find.

Contact Info:

• Website: yourealreadythere.life (under construction-coming soon!)
• Instagram: @mateolovesyou
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthew.anderson.395454
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourealreadythere
• Other: https://www.thegaragetheatre.org https://www.yogalutionmovement.com/already-there