Meet Coach Andrea Warshaw-Wernick

Andrea Warshaw- Wernick

Age: 66

Married?

I’m married to my third husband, Joel, a recruiter for Blue Star Jets, a private on-demand jet charter company, the largest in the world. We were married 17 years ago, on Cinco de Mayo.

Children?

No kids, but I have four fabulous, delicious grandchildren — 3, 5, 10 and 12 — from Joel’s two children from a previous marriage. I also have a 17 year old Yorkie, Lucy Jo.

Where did you grow up and go to school?

I grew up in East New York, Brooklyn, and then moved to Forest Hills, Queens. I went to Queens College for my BA and Hunter College for my MA in education and received a second Master’s in speech and theatre from The New School.

Your parents?

My father died when I was three and my mother owned a corsetorium, which made bras for women with mastectomies. She raised me alone. I’m an only child. I’m still amazed at what my mother was able to do as a single mom.

We’re all living longer than generations before us and we have to stay strong and healthy now or we’re going to fail. You can’t reverse time at 75. You have to start in your fifties.

Tell us about your former career

I taught first grade for seven years, but discovered teaching wasn’t my true calling, so I left the education field and decided to immerse myself in the NYC social scene for about five years. I played backgammon every night and went dancing at the various NYC hot spots at the time. That was my crazy time, from around 1972 to 1977.

I started representing photo retouchers when I was about 30. I excelled at sales and I loved working with art directors. It was a lot of fun and lucrative, but computers made photo retouching obsolete overnight. I quickly transformed myself into representing illustrators who did storyboards for TV spots. I represented about 50 illustrators and built my client base into a national company, which I sold in 2005. Following this, I became a creative recruiter and started Connector NYC, which places art directors, copywriters, account managers and project managers in advertising agencies. I continue this career today.

When and why did you decide to become a coach?

Three years ago I decided to change directions once again. Like many other women of the Boomer generation, I got to a point in my career during which I said ‘what now?’ Women my age are the ‘What Now?’ Generation. We’ve raised children or, in some cases, grandchildren, left our careers, become widowed or divorced, often don’t know what to do when we suddenly don’t have anyone to take care of, or any work responsibilities. A lot of us become depressed. We ask, ‘Where do I go? How do I do it?’ How do I reboot my life? The first thing we need to do is take control of our health, fitness, inner self-awareness and eventually our beauty. That’s where I come in.

As a life and style coach, I connect women to the proper nutritionist, trainer, doctor, or other professional who can most help them in the areas of their life they’d like to improve. I help them answer questions, such as: ‘What gym should I go to?’ ‘What kind of workout is best for me based on my weight-loss goals?’ ‘What diet should I have if I want to lose weight and have more energy?’

I personally take my clients to the trainer, nutritionist and even to the personal shopper if they desire. Not only do I connect them with the best people for their goals, but I also act as a personal motivator. I am a wellness companion to those ladies who are recovering from cancer or other serious illness. I physically stay alongside a woman, and offer encouragement, as she works with her trainer in an effort drop the weight that affected her body image. I coach ladies through a breakup or divorce, and help them see the positives in their life and where to redirect their focus.

Women hire me as the ultimate General Contractor of their ‘home,’ which in this case is their mind and body. Once a woman feels better, we go into her house and do a closet audit, and a stylist helps her shop. It’s all part of a huge new construction of a better you. Inside and out!

We’re all living longer than generations before us and we have to stay strong and healthy now or we’re going to fail. You can’t reverse time at 75. You have to start in your fifties.

How long is your program?

A woman must commit to at least a three-month program. It takes at least that long to set a reasonable outline of your goals and to begin to see improvement in the area one sees lacking in her life. Nothing good and lasting comes quick and easy!

What kind of woman most benefits from working with you?

A woman who is really, really interested in changing her lifestyle and wants to get healthy. She must have the WANT. Perhaps she is recently divorced or widowed, or life has otherwise just gotten her into a funk. She might have gained a great deal of weight, or is in remission after cancer treatment.

What’s the greatest piece of advice you can give a FOF woman?

Stay positive, Stay healthy and Keep On Moving.

What do women do to sabotage themselves?

They think negatively, with the glass half-empty. They have to learn how to rewire their brains. That’s where I come in, to keep them positive at all times.

Who is one famous woman you admire?

I love Hillary Clinton. She stood up to adversity when her husband was cheating on her, with the world watching her being humiliated. She was able to turn it around and become even better than she was before.

Do you have a mentor?

My mother, who came from nothing. My father died young and she didn’t have a penny. She had a breakdown yet she came back and reinvented herself. A woman, named Jean, had a corsetorium and taught her how to make bras for women who had mastectomies. That was the world before reconstructive surgery. I worked there, too, every day after school and on Sundays. My mother eventually bought the business and was able to retire at 50. I admire her courage, strength, and dedication to improving her life to this day.

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