Andrea Ochoa

Tell us a little bit about yourself and the journey you have gone on to get to where you are?

My life has really come full circle at this point. I started out studying pre-med. I was focused on success, money and financial stability, and not really following my passion. The only class that I really was excited about was nutrition. I have always been fascinated around food, people’s relationship with food, and the emotions involved. Then something happened in my life where I re-evaluated what I was doing, so I switched my major to do something more creative and ended up working 10 years in the beauty industry in New York. I loved it, I got to be the designer of products, but I was completely wearing myself down. After some self-reflection, and manifestation, I moved to Barcelona, but was still on that same negative path. I went to a holistic nutritionist who instead of just giving me diet, she addressed the emotions first, and it was new to me. Then I started cooking a lot for myself and making healthy vegan desserts. I started posting it on my Instagram and just sharing a little bit more about my lifestyle, and it got a good reception. I decided to start a blog and created a website. I finally felt that same excitement that I had when I first took that nutrition class in college. I felt I finally knew what my purpose was about. It's not so focused on my own health and wellness, but more on supporting people to find their own true happiness. Eventually, I left my job to fully focus on what I was creating. There have been a lot of changes, but I've come home to myself and through that, I've been able to create a life that is one that I've always dreamed of.

Give us a little info on what you do and the services you provide.

On my website, you'll find different things but at the end of the day, they're all interconnected. One of my main services is holistic wellbeing coaching. This is such an important part of what I do because through my own journey, it's been one of the most fundamental things that have changed the way I live my life. And a huge part of that is learning self-love. So, I provide different services that all have a foundation of transforming your life. I use different tools such as coaching, nutrition, movement, meditation through music, breath work, self-love practices, and mindset optimisation to guide others to curate their roadmap for change. By infusing a joyful and wholesome approach, I aim to make the journey easy and fun. I offer one on one coaching, an online e-book 21-day program to elevate your wellbeing, online meditation courses, and I also work together with my husband to create conscious transformation experiences and courses.

Did you know what you wanted to do as a child?

I guess I kind of knew. I wanted to be a doctor probably because I wanted to help people and take care of them. 

Is there a specific part of your job that fulfils you the most? Why?

If I am able to be a part of someone's life and their transformation in becoming the best version of themselves then my heart feels full and my spirit alive. It fulfils me to know that I am giving back to our humanity in a positive way. 

What is the toughest part about what you do?

The toughest part is probably choosing what idea to focus on and prioritising that. Being creative, I have so many ideas I'd like to pursue so I am cultivating patience and trust in the universe to guide me on where to focus my energy. 

Is there anything you suggest for people struggling to find their career path?

To find your purpose you have to reconnect back to your true self, heart, and spirit. By creating a sense of deep love within you will allow yourself to get the clarity to understand what your purpose is. Having gratitude and trust is also key in going on the journey to figure out what you are meant to do. So, while you have a job that pays the bills, be grateful for that and use your time wisely. Commit to yourself and give yourself the gift of self-discovery. Try new things to see what excites you most. Reach out to people who inspire you to hear their stories and maybe it can spark inspiration.  

If you could go anywhere at all where would it be and why?

I love this question! I've been asking a lot of people this question recently; I don't know why. I would go back to Southeast Asia. I would travel Vietnam and Laos, just because I've always wanted to go there. I was in Bali and Myanmar last year, and I just I want to explore that side of the world so much more deeply.

Favourite place in the world/your happy place?

That's such a hard question, because I'm the type of person that is always saying that every song is my favourite song. I guess I would just say, I would love to be on the beach. You know what, that sounds like Miami! I would love to be to go back home to Miami where I’m from and see my family and my friends and enjoy some of the warm weather and the beautiful water.

What are your favourite activities? Can be anything.

Dancing and being around people and just hearing music. Feeling what it's like to be in my body. I think things like that put me back in the present moment. And then I'm also going to say ceramics, I LOVE ceramics. It's just like something that allows me to do something with my hands and express my creativity in a different form than I’m used to.

What is something you do to relax/care for yourself?

I love to cook for myself. And also making it like a ritual. I put music on, I put a candle on. I try to look at it as a meditative thing instead of a chore. I even love the whole process before cooking. Going to the farmers market or the supermarket and getting the ingredients and then bringing them home. The whole process of the before, the during, and then finally enjoying the meal is definitely one big way that I take care of myself.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone for 2021?

I would say to stay open minded and flexible because we don’t know what’s going to happen. And whatever is happening we’re all going through it together.

What is the piece of advice you can give yourself for 2021?

Go with the flow and don’t be so attached to plans. It’s advice I would really give to anyone, it’ll just allow us all to live more freely.

What’s next on your journey? Any goals you’re focusing on?

My health and wellness goals will be me focusing on healing and transforming my relationship with my body and food with a gentle approach. I want to reach a place where I am deeply loving my body for where it is during all it’s phases of change. Feeling balanced, and free from food by changing my mindset to enjoy the journey of getting to see results instead of focusing on the end goal. I am also tapping back into my athletic side and will begin training for a dualathlon, with a gentle approach of course.

I am also now cultivating my sense of purpose and balance. The next steps of my life are really going to be about manifesting abundance, expansion in my career and feeling freedom in my body and with food. I gathered so much inspiration and new perspective from this past year and a half of traveling the world with my husband, that I now feel inspired to bring to life the dreams and ideas that have been brewing inside. I also never expected to share my purpose and vision with my partner and to be able to have the opportunity to realise some of these ideas together, so we are now on the journey of co-creating a lot of the magic together. I am keeping trust in the universe to continue to guide me to create with ease and flow while not forgetting to enjoy the fun of life.