Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Andras.
Hi Tiffany, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a recovering perfectionist, I can confidently say that my journey (as I believe is true for many of us) began with stories of not-enoughness, unworthiness, and striving toward success rooted in the belief that it would bring me happiness. I found myself at 25 graduating from Georgia Tech with a Master’s degree; my thesis research had been published on the cover of a scientific journal; I had a job leading a political non-profit lined up; I was living with my partner; we had adopted a dog together; and I woke one morning to find that despite checking all the proverbial boxes of success, following the pre-laid American Dream plan, I was no happier, content, or satisfied with myself than I had ever been. Blessed with a grandmother who is a Buddhist nun, I dropped everything I had planned and achieved and spent a month at a Buddhist monastery in upstate New York. It was there that I got my first taste of peace, self-love, universal trust, and a oneness with life.
When I returned to Atlanta that month later, I was changed. I could no longer ascribe to the belief system that had been conditioned into me. A new recognition had planted a seed: happiness comes from within not from what we achieve outside. As someone who had never been taught this in school, at home, or otherwise, something came alive in me to bring this wisdom into the world – to deepen it within myself and offer it in as many spaces and to as many hearts and minds as the world would allow me. Over the next few years, I became a certified yoga teacher and certified mindfulness teacher. I began teaching mindfulness in much the traditional way (courses and classes in small groups) that grew to one-on-one coaching, corporate mindfulness, and continuing education with my alma mater, all the while learning how much I still had to learn myself.
I have come to believe that our journeys are not about becoming less human – not about controlling ourselves and our lives so we suffer less, but rather about becoming FULLY human: learning to be a peace with the natural unfolding of ourselves and trusting ourselves to be tender in even the hardest moments. The irony is we do suffer less, but that can’t be our goal. My story is, at its core, simply a story of humanity – of learning to love in every moment – of staying open-hearted and unprotected, and in as many ways as humanly possible offering these gifts back into the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life is all about our challenges. Though I believe we have a choice to see our lives as one continuous stream of light interspersed with moments of darkness or vice versa, it is the darkness that inevitably awakens us to the light naturally within our own being. As a mindfulness coach, I often tell my clients that in a way, it’s my job to MAKE you uncomfortable, for it’s in the discomfort that we always learn something new. We break paradigms in our ways of being; we create new habits; we learn to see and feel in new and novel ways. For me, some of the biggest obstacles in my life have been the greatest moments of transformation. Just this year, at the beginning of 2022, my wife of 10 years fell in love with my best friend. In a span of just a few months, I lost my marriage and life partner, we sold our home and I had to ask for help from family to start anew, I transitioned into a new role with a company (having owned my own business and managed myself for the last six years), and as a result of all of this my relationship with my now 13 years old step-son has changed dramatically.
I’m laughing as I type this – it was all the makings for a complete breakdown, but what I have discovered in these last seven months, my dears, is life, though unexpected and often “unwanted” for the way it is, is always working to align us more fully with the truth of who we are. We have a choice in every moment of struggle to see life as unfair or experience these moments in some way as an injustice or to choose to feel the gift being offered even if we can’t yet see the light. I’m reminded of my grandmother’s words from many years ago, “everything is the path.” Life IS a journey but not one toward a particular destination. It’s not about what we do but how much of ourselves is doing it. I feel deeply now that even the idea of an “obstacle” is missing the point: nothing is an obstacle but rather everything is an experience that, whether painful or beautiful in the moment, has the chance to deepen our connection to ourselves and inherently then to one another. All of life and none of life is an obstacle depending on how you choose to see it.
What sets me apart or what I’m most known for and what I’m most proud of?
My current work path is focused on understanding that we as human beings create habits (whether positive or “negative” ones) by repetitive engagement over time. For years I taught mindfulness in once per week for 4-8 week classes, and what I discovered is that very few people walk away with habitual ways of being mindful, showing up for themselves, and damn sure very few had a stable meditation practice. In February, I was offered the opportunity to partner with a company called RippleWorx and begin creating bite-sized mindfulness content to nudge law enforcement, corrections, and first responder populations toward more mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and overall wellbeing. In doing this work, I have been reminded over and over again that what connects us all despite age, race, socioeconomic background, histories, beliefs, religious affiliation, any of it is our humanity. I believe what sets me apart in this field is that my work comes deeply from inside out. I am driven by compassion and compelled by connection: by vulnerability and humility.
Maybe even more than that, I have finally at 35 years old, dropped the conceptual idea that there’s a “right” mindfulness teacher and a wrong one. I don’t know that I could say what I’m most proud of, but I am wildly proud of a podcast I started last year called “Wake The F*ck Up.” The podcast is designed to offer mindfulness tools and concepts, playful moments of curiosity and new ways of seeing to a population of people (like me) that may never give up the word “fuck” no matter how much we meditate. It took time for me to drop the shame surrounding the belief that mindfulness teachers don’t speak like me, but I truly believe what we need more of in the world are people who are willing to be raw and real, people who aren’t afraid to be themselves and step out from behind that masks we wear every day to feel acceptable and enough, and the podcast is that for me. It is, at its core, an offering from my heart to anyone who chooses to listen, but it is also my way of saying, “whoever you are, you are fundamentally good enough just as you are. You don’t have to be like anyone else or match some societal expectation to be worthy.”
I am very grateful in addition to all of this to be able to continue my work as a mindfulness and joy-of-living coach with individual clients as well as businesses throughout Atlanta and around the world. What am I most known for? Ah, who knows?! But I guess maybe I hope it’s waking people up just a little bit at a time to the beautiful truth of who they are.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My journey like all of ours has been radiantly and joyously full of mentors and people who have both knowing and unknowingly changed my life. From an early age, my grandmother has served as an emblem of the spiritual path. Her gentleness and continued investment in her own inner work have given me something to look up to as well as many pieces of wisdom that have forever changed my own tenderness toward myself along this path. My mom taught me more than anyone else in my life to trust myself. Even though it’s a lesson I’m still learning, she always gave me permission from such a young age to make my own choices and encouraged that I would always know better than anyone else what is right for “me.” My father taught me the value of hard work and never giving up on our dreams. I have been blessed with countless spiritual teachers from by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Khenpo Tsewang to meditation teachers like Stephanie Swann (local Atlanta!) to Tara Brach, Sarah Blondin (please, if you haven’t listened to her podcast Live Awake), and all those courageous souls who put the work of their hearts and journeys to paper like Mark Nepo, Paulo Coelho, Kahlil Gibran, Andrew Olendzki, Stephen Batchelor, Sharon Salzberg, and so many more.
Over these last few months, friendships have become a cornerstone of my strength and courage to stay open. Melissa, Krupa, Ashley, Kayla, Scott, Rachel, Lindsey, Linda. The continuity of love that continues past the dissolution of relationships in family bonds that feel stronger with Denise, Kenda, Timothy, Diana, Ash, and Mark. And even perhaps without knowing it, the opportunities to grow in deepening understandings of true love that were offered by my ex-wife. My mentor and biggest supports in my current role have been Jeff Kingsfield and Darren McAdams, without whom a corporate space might feel painful HA! I feel a sense of community and support like I’ve never experienced before, and the reality is that every single interaction and breath we share together is one of connection, mentoring, learning, and co-created growth. I am honored to share in and be connected to all these journeys: a sense of togetherness, never alone.
Pricing:
- One-on-one mindfulness coaching: $150/hr
- Corporate training (1 day/4 hrs): $2,500
- Corporate training (2 days/4hrs each): $4,500
- Lunch and learns (1 – 2 hrs): $500
- Articles and written pieces: $200/hr
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amindfulheartyoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petitetiff24/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffany.andrasmyers/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/wtfupodcast
- Other: https://insighttimer.com/tiffanyandrasmyers
