Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andrea Kucharczyk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andrea, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Eight years old, hardly a word was spoken from my lips.
Instant fear ran through my veins, as a family friend would shutter the words of “hello”.
Where did this fear come from?
Nowhere really, but it ran strong.
My story, like many other Entreprenuers didn’t start out with butterflies and sunshine it started with hiding behind my mom, hoping and praying no one would utter a word in my direction.
But all that changed…when i was eight years old. I started selling vegetables from my grandparents garden at the Local Farmers Market. My parents knew that my fear of talking would effect every aspect of my life. With some coaxing and their high expectations that they held me too. I slowly started to come out from behind my shell, creating connections with customers and other venders, Planning gardens, balancing books and selling vegetables of all shapes and sizes.
I had finally developed the foundation of my confidence, when talking to people became a breeze, running my own business became second nature and the pride that came with making my own money for the first time in my life. When high school hit, I was ready to move on to bigger and better things.
Horses had been a huge part of my life beyond the gardening, and I worked tirelessly day in and day out with any horse I could get my hands on. (which mainly consisted of very green horses my mom had collected and friend’s horses). As high school hit, I started taking my equestrian passion a little more seriously taking on a few training horses here and there along with giving lessons and working for a dressage trainer.
I remember ever so distictively one client saying, ” one day you are going to make a name for yourself” and at that point I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be in the horse industry full time, but to this day that phras has stuck with me from every high to every low.
After those four years of high school flew by, I stubbornly hung up my boots and let young love take hold leading me to getting married, having a child and moving twenty some hours away from everything i knew. I spent the next first few years trying to find myself again. Feeling as if I was starting all over again. I asked myselfs questions, of “who is this person?” “where is she even going?” “Will she ever feel herself again?”
But as the years went on,I started riding again and for the first time in my life I was able to truly take a step back and grow as a rider. From there I went on to obtain my Bacholers in Exercise Science and help many friends along their riding journey. My confidence and self esteem slowly started to come back, along with my determination that I was going to make it in this field one way or another.
But with that Divorce hit and I was left with a big fat negative in my bank account along with a horse and a child I was obligated to take care of. I felt as if I was hitting rock bottom all over again. I went to job interview after job interview, feeling depleated with no hope in sight. But someone somewhere had bigger plans for me. By chance a friend asked if I could come work some of their horses, I willingly jumped at the offer and slowly started to gain ground in the equestrian community. I had no idea what I was doing, but my entrepreneurial spirit was ready for it! I knew that everytime you fall, you have to get right back up again and that mindset gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward through the good and the bad. It all came back to the mindset that without failure you will never learn to fly.
That eight year old girl, grew into a woman who carried confidence and determination to never give up on her dreams no matter what life through at her.
Today, she is going into her third year of business as a full time trainer, a single mother and a woman who knows what she is worth.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
In my day-to-day life, I am a professional dressage trainer, for those who are not familiar with dressage, it is kind of like ballet on horseback. I started training professionally in the beginning of 2022. On a typical day, I ride 4-8 horses, introducing them to new experiences and building their strength and endurance. Along with that I also have a handful of clients that I give lessons to on a weekly basis.
My favorite part is watching riders and their horses grow as a team, along with the fact that I get to work with some of the most amazing clients. Each of them showing up with a willingness to learn and grow!
In the coming year, I am looking to add a few more training horses to my schedule and create an online platform where others can learn and grow in their riding endeavors.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the number one skill is building a solid mindset, your mindset is what makes or breaks you in anything that you do. If you always look at something in a negative light you are more than likely to give up or hate all that you do. But if you are able to see your failures as a pathway to success, you will be able to overcome anything that life throws at you.
The second most important skill is how you treat others, when you make your friends, family, clients and others around you feel special (even if its just with a smile or asking how their day was), you open yourself up to building a relationship with that person. Everyone you come in contact with, you impact in a certain way. So why not make it positive!
The Last skill, is learning to set boundaries and know your self-worth. I tie these two skills in together, because you have to know who you are and what you will allow in your life to be able to set the boundaries that you need to be successful in your personal and professional life.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The biggest area of growth that I have experienced in the last 12 months has been developing the person I am today. For a long time I was living life through the motions, forgetting who I was and what I stood for. Now for the first time in my life I got to see what it looked like when I was living life on my own terms. I have learned to find peace inside of myself and my choices, I have learned what boundaries I need to set, and most importantly I learned that happiness comes from within and not from a person.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ak-dress-age.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086736910320
Image Credits
Gene Divine Una Schade
