Hello! I'm going to assume that I'm unknown to the Unleeshd Community, so I'll start with an introduction.
My name is Andrew Saldaña, a fellow health seeker, on a journey to self-discovery; which by the way, will be a lifelong pursuit!
I was born and raised in Seattle, WA. and currently reside in Burien, WA (just a few miles South of Seattle.) I have officially been in the Wellness Space for nearly 15 years, and ultimately what piqued my interest in this space was, and is to create positive impact in our Community.
My brothers and I currently own, and operate two Anytime Fitness Gyms in Seattle. In addition, my Fiance and I own and operate two Fit Bar Superfood Cafes with a purpose filled mission to nourish our Community through a healthy blend of Mindset, Nutrition and Movement. Our most recent venture is a holistic health and wellness business, called Space B.A.R. Wellness, which in large part was created to protect our personal well-being.
With our multiple businesses we found ourselves burning the candle on both end, resulting in mounting physical, as well as mental stress and fatigue. Space B.A.R. is our conscious way of creating space to breathe, adapt, and recover.
The overarching trend throughout this post is the practice of seeking discomfort, and how exactly that parlays into Self-Care.
It's very important for me to be a practitioner, and not merely a theorist when it comes to the practice of seeking discomfort. As a Health Coach, small-business owner and fellow Earthling, I will never ask of others, what I am unwilling to ask of myself. Throughout my wellness journey I have found firsthand that true growth comes from facing adversity, and life has a special way of keeping us on our toes. Sometimes discomfort is thrust upon us in the form of life, but many times it's our responsibility, or duty to seek discomfort.
What do I mean by seeking discomfort? In our modern, and rather convenient world today, everything is a touch away with our smartphones; hungry? need a ride? too hot? too cold? etc... It's truly too easy to stay in our warm and cozy comfort zone! Why in the world would we even want to venture out into the discomfort zone?! The answers can vary, but in short, it's because as humans, we should all be striving to evolve, and forward evolution is rarely ever achieved in our comfort zone. We must be willing to stretch beyond the safety of the shore, and swim to the deep end of the ocean (of our lives) for in that moment of uncertainty will we discover what we're truly capable of.
Over the past few years I have been pushing my physical, and mental resilience with pursuing the sport of Ironman, which for those that aren't familiar consists of a 2.4 mile open ocean swim, 112 mile bike leg, and followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon!
Several years ago, that sounded absolutely insane to me! (Considering my longest run prior was a 5k) Everything is impossible, until it's not. Impossible is just a word, rephrased and now the word is I'mPossible.
As a collective we need to surround ourselves with people that propel us forward. We've all heard the saying, we're the sum of the 5 people we spend the most time with... It's critical we self-assess our circle of people and surroundings to determine whether they're helping or harming our future self.
Like I mentioned earlier, it's important for me to be a practitioner, which means to take the things I've read about/learned through various studies and figure out how to best implement into my life. I've found that the best way to cement new practices is to share what I'm personally trying to master. When you have the opportunity to teach what you've learned you have the privilege of learning it twice.
A prime example of sharing by teaching would be my Holistic Fire and Ice Experiences that I host for our Greater Seattle Community. Seeking discomfort isn't always a physical challenge, in fact, many times the obstacle we face is mental. Let's face it, life is stressful, and truly, the only constant in life is change. The better equipped we are with possessing the tools to face, and manage stress, the more inner peace we will enjoy.
The ice bath is a controlled setting that allows me to coach individuals how to manage a stressful situation by connecting to their breath. If properly harnessed the breath has the ability to change our physiology. In a matter of just a few focused breaths we can go from our Sympathetic State (fight and flight) to our Parasympathetic State (rest and digest).
Next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, take a moment to connect with your breath with a simple breath protocol. Balanced Breathing: 3 second inhale, 3 second exhale (repeat 3-4x nasal only)
I must confess, I'm truly blessed to have figured out a way to align my passion for holistic health and wellness throughout our array of businesses because I now have the ability to share social wellness with my community, and in turn, learn from my community!
If you've made it this far, I applaud you, because that tells me you're open to discovering what's beyond your edge of comfortability! Trust in yourself. You don't need to see the finish line to get started, you just need to take the next step... The unknown can be terrifying, but the most beautiful things will manifest the moment you seek discomfort.
For those of you that are local to Seattle I'd love to connect with you to see how I can be of service!
Use Promo Code: Unleeshd20 to receive 20% off your total purchase at Fit Bar Superfood Cafe
Use Promo Code: SeekDiscomfort to receive 50% off your first Holistic Fire and Ice Experience at
For everyone else, I'd like to share some of the most profound rituals I've implemented into my social self-care in no particular order:
Find your Tribe. Your vibe attracts your tribe.
If you want to go fast, go alone... but, if you want to go far, go together. Your community will pick you up when you're down. They'll fill you up, when you're empty.
Practice daily the art of being still, alone with just your thoughts. This can take the shape of guided meditation, or merely focused breathwork.
Get outside in nature. In our modern world, we're more connected (digitally) than ever before, yet more disconnected with the natural world. Go explore! Get those 10,000 daily steps. Embrace food as thy medicine. Be intentional about what you nourish your body and mind with. Afterall, Mother Nature truly provides all that we need to flourish.
Fill your cup, and let it overflow freely into your people (and that includes strangers) after all, we're all connected as fellow Earthlings.
Much love and appreciation,
Coach Andrew
Follow:
@fitbarcafe
@spacebarwellness