Andy (Anderson) Wolfe
Recovering CEO, meditation teacher, leadership coach, dog dad, warm water surfer, plant lover, yogi
My Path To Mindful Leadership Coaching…
Hey, I’m Andy (my given name is Anderson) 👋🏻
I grew up doing odd jobs for cash and camping lots on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout. I got financial aid to go to a fancy boarding school where I played tennis in the state finals, started a photography company so I could travel in the summers to learn new languages, played jazz saxophone, and ultimately graduated valedictorian.
Next I went to Columbia on academic scholarship, dropped out to surf for a year in Costa Rica, re-enrolled, earned a perfect GPA in computer science philosophy with a concentration in artificial intelligence, made money tutoring classmates, got over 20 job offers, and helped friends find work, too.
Post graduation, I worked for the man for a bit, put my name on a couple patents, won a bunch of awards at a hot Austin startup on its way to going public, spent another year surfing overseas, helped a new company scale, and started and raised millions for my own tech company. In 2016 I got engaged, and I was taking epic vacations.
Sounds nice on the outside. Lots of it happened because I was trying to compensate for what felt so difficult on the inside, mostly related to some unmet childhood needs, compounded by my being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). I was working 80-hour weeks, barely sleeping, barely exercising, and barely seeing friends or family. Not surprisingly, everything fell apart...and it’s the best thing that happened to me. Fortunately, my grandad had introduced me to a nature-based mindfulness practice as a kid, which turned into a regular habit just before life turned upside down in 2017.
After over literally 30 years in and out of therapy, 15 of yoga, and 10 with plant medicine and formal daily meditation, I’ve landed in a spot where things are settling. And it’s no coincidence that as I invested less time in my software company and more in my mental health, the startup steadily grew and then was acquired…not to mention I feel like a new person!
Over the decades, I’ve spent countless hours researching, training in, and practicing mindfulness, happiness, healthy sleep, exercise, nutrition, appropriate technology use, goal-setting, productivity, nervous system regulation, relational and somatic psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, sociology, Buddhism, Ayurveda, Yoga, Taoism, Qigong, forest bathing (yes, that’s a thing!), joy, play!, dog training…you name it. And leaving home at 14, I’ve spent lots of time in other people's houses, sharing dinners and staying the night with numerous families all over the world, deeply curious about the ingredients that most contribute to and detract from feelings of peace, love, joy, meaning, and health for others.
Here’s a 5-minute guided meditation 🧘🏻 where you can get to know my style a little…
A living, breathing case study, I’ve supported hundreds of friends and colleagues in cultivating collective happiness and wellbeing for over 20 years — on the side and eventually as the primary gig. I feel fortunate to have the ability to learn new things quickly and comprehend them deeply.
This is why I created Sati.eco. It’s the combination of so many things I love — creativity, the mind, challenge, continuous growth, balance, helping others…not-so-shocking coming from a family of teaching women and engineering men. I like to think of it as an art…informed by science.
My closest friends think of me as a translator — whether it’s with foreign languages, coding, music, or two people talking and having two different conversations. I have strong pattern recognition and a high degree of attunement to others. When it comes to coaching, this means narrowing down the wealth of information out there to what’s the most helpful for you, now, and delivering it in a way that makes sense.
This is my Ikigai. If you’re unfamiliar with HSPs, we’re a genetic minority who has evolved to be the proverbial canary in the coal mine — we sense things early and alert the rest of the species, who helps us meet our basic needs when it’s all too much — in this way we survive, together.
While I’m no Zen master (yet!), I’ve meditated for thousands of hours, with celebrated teachers, and over 7 months on retreat. After selling the software company, I trained for 2 years with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach to certify as a trauma- and DEIA- informed meditation teacher through the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, and I’ve spent over 15 years practicing methodologies from the Hendricks Institute, through which I’m an accredited Big Leap Coach with advanced trainings in body intelligence and conscious loving. I’m also a licensed Hatha-Raja Yoga instructor in the lineage of Sri Dharma Mittra and consider myself a lifelong student of plants.
I thought about going back to graduate school, and then I realized...we’re in the 2020s — I already pick up so much from the world's experts in their videos, podcasts, and books…and lots more in my meditation practice and on retreats; now I have a great excuse to double down 🙃.
While home base is Austin, TX, I spend much of my time with the pup Barkley in the jungle of Central America alongside warm local community. I enjoy morning surfs and meditation, reading, sunsets, and keeping an open schedule.
And my life goal is to spread mindfulness, authentically.
Curious to learn more?
Reserve some time for a free guided meditation + quick chat with the scheduling widget!
“My retreat and conversations with Andy changed my life. I can’t recommend working with him highly enough.”
Specialists
I’ve built a network of specialists over the years to whom I refer clients as appropriate — this includes scientists, doctors, athletic trainers, therapists, nutritionists, entrepreneurs, body workers, and other coaches. The common thread? They’re all authentic, kind, competent humans.
Let’s Chat!
Use the scheduling widget to reserve 15 minutes for a free guided meditation + chat. No strings atached.
Alternatively, you can fill out the form below with any question or comment.
I’m looking forward to connecting with you 🙏🏻.