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LIFE COACH | PODCAST HOST helping women reimagine their lives as they write their next chaptHER Explore, dream, and discover your next chaptHER.

As a Certified Professional Life Coach, educator, and storyteller, Andrea Hecht helps women reimagine their lives, reconnect with their inner purpose, and reignite their fire within. Andrea provides individual and group coaching, helping you uncover your next chapter! For personalized guidance from Andrea Hecht, visit Fullyinformedlife.com and schedule your complimentary discovery session today. Now's your chance - step up and reimagine life today. Please scroll down to read an excerpt from Andrea Hecht's book of life and what led to her decision to utilize her skills and follow her passion for serving others.

45 YEARS OF CHAPTERS & STILL WRITING
An excerpt from Andrea Hecht's book of life:

 WELCOME TO THE WORLD: On March 31, 1977, Andrea Phyllis Haron made her grand debut at Sinai Hospital, Detroit, Michigan. Her loving parents and older brother quickly learned that the 3 ½ week delay was well worth the wait. Didn't they realize all good things come to those that wait?

 LAUNCHING MY FIRST BUSINESS: (age 10) My love of jewels inspired me to launch my first custom-bead bracelet business.

 LEAVING ON A JET PLANE: (age 14) Au Revoir, I'm leaving on a jet plane – without my parents – and heading to the south of France to spend the summer as an exchange student. Only having a year's worth of French training didn't stop me from traveling across the Atlantic Ocean.

 IT'S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE: (age 18) For 18 years, I dreamed of being a marshmallow-throwing fan at a University of Michigan game. That goal became a reality after receiving my acceptance letter to the class of 1999.

 NEXT STOP, ST. MALO, FRANCE: (age 19) Time to travel across the Atlantic Ocean again as a proud recipient of a scholarship to study and live with a French family for the summer in St. Malo, France.

 J'ADORE PARIS: (age 20) Holding to my spirit for travel and new experiences, I spent six months living and studying the French language and culture. As a bonus, several weekends were spent experiencing European cities' sights, sounds, and tastes. J'adore Paris and the Eiffel tower view from my apartment window.

 THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS: (age 21) 2 weeks after graduating from the University of Michigan, I packed my bags and headed to the City that Never Sleeps! Without a job, I pounded the streets of the concrete jungle, passing out my resume, and quickly landed a career as a Corporate Event Planner at Merrill Lynch. Planning events and traveling worldwide, including the US Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, this 22-year-old loved life.

 IMAGES I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO ERASE: (age 24) Horrifying images forever engrained in my head…watching from the World Financial Center the United plane crash into the building, climbing down 35 flights of stairs barefoot, trying to make multiple calls to family members, and finally reaching my father after 45 minutes. Images and the urge to do something more socially rewarding are engrained in my brain.

 BACK TO THE CLASSROOM: (age 25) In pursuing a direct contribution to children and their families, I headed to Chicago, Illinois, to receive my Master of Education at Loyola University. While NYC and my career at Merrill Lynch were exciting, it was time to follow my gut feeling of needing to do something different.

 SIDE-HUSTLE: (age 26) I launched my second business, hand-knit purses and custom cigar box purses. My collections were sold in a Chicago shoe store and a clothing store in Michigan. While completing my master's program, I spent my free time knitting and making purses.

 CAREER MAKEOVER: (age 26) After a 2-year stint in Chicago, it was time to head back to New York. Brooklyn was where I would spend my days as a 3rd-grade teacher. After a successful first year of teaching, given the honor, I looped up to 4th grade with my class. I spent the next few years watching my students turn from caterpillars into beautiful butterflies, ready to sore!

 TYING THE KNOT: (age 28) We made singer Chaka Khan proud on July 30, 2005. Ain't nobody else who would do a hip-hop wedding dance with my husband!

 WELCOME TO MOTHERHOOD: (age 30) On July 21, 2008, we welcomed our son to the world. I chose to leave my Brooklyn classroom and be the dedicated teacher to our baby bundle.

 A FAMILY OF FOUR: (age 34) Our family became complete on October 28, 2011, when we welcomed our baby girl.

 THE MANY HATS: (age 34 – 41) I wore many hats throughout these years. Motherhood sprinkled with the launch of my Beautycounter business of educating others to lead a healthier lifestyle, a role as a preschool teacher, carpool driver, and event planner. These years were a time of self-exploration and discovering how I wanted to approach motherhood and beyond.

 FULLY INFORMING OTHERS: (age 41) In 2018, I launched the Fully Informed Life brand to educate others and inspire people to lead an informed lifestyle. I started writing Andrea's Anecdote column for the North Caldwell Magazine.

 SUMMER HAPPY PLACE: (age 44 - 45) Nice People's Place became my summer happy place. As program director and office manager, I spent the entire summer at one of the happiest places on earth, surrounded by people who make me laugh and want to have fun 24/7!

 BACK TO THE CLASSROOM: (age 45) After years of self-reflection, the greatest gift I gave to myself on my 45th birthday was to head back to the classroom. I continued to develop my skills for serving others and started my journey to becoming a Certified Professional Life Coach.

 CHANGING DIRECTION WITH PURPOSE: (age 45 and beyond) I am proud to announce the launch of the coaching division of the Fully Informed Life brand to help others lead a life of purpose and passion as they change directions and write the different chapters in their book of life. While there have been many pages written in my book of life, the one thread that has held is my desire to explore, connect with others, and challenge myself along the way. As each chapter is written, I face the unknowns with curiosity. My question for you is, where are you today? How would you like to write the next pages of your book of life?

10/08/2026

Well, apparently at 49 years old, I’ve become a flasher.

And honestly, I never saw that coming.

After breast cancer, a double mastectomy, reconstruction, and my cherries on top, I’ve become pretty proud of my girls.

So proud that I’ve been known to flash a few friends and even some unsuspecting stylists helping me try on clothes. 😂

But yesterday’s flash was different.

At my one-year follow-up with Dr. Disa, the surgeon who gave me my girls back, I opened my gown, smiled, and told him just how much I LOVE his work.

At one point, he told me, “You made my day.”

And I told him, “You made my life.”

Because this was about so much more than how my breasts look.

It was about looking in the mirror and loving what I see again.

And that got me thinking about how much can change in our lives, whether it’s our bodies, our roles, our relationships, or even how we see ourselves.

Sometimes we get so caught up in everything that feels different, everything we’re still working through, that we forget to recognize what we’ve gained or gotten back.

I’m still navigating plenty of things after cancer. But yesterday, I got to celebrate something that feels really GOOD.

And I wasn’t about to downplay it.

When was the last time you allowed yourself to feel genuinely proud of how far you’ve come?

I shared the full story of my latest flashing adventures, including my topless photo shoot (yes, really!) and how I went from patient mode right back into mom mode, in my latest Substack: Confessions of a Breast Cancer Flasher

Read it through the link in my bio

10/06/2026

One year ago today, I stepped into a very different kind of ring.

I walked into the hospital to get my girls back.

After breast cancer, a double mastectomy, expanders and months of healing, October 6, 2025 was reconstruction day. It felt like I was finally getting another piece of myself back.

Today, exactly one year later, I stepped into a boxing class Rumble Boxing Montclair taught by the amazing Jenn Lax who has been witness to my fitness comeback.

And you better believe I punched a little harder.

A little stronger.

And with a hell of a lot more intention and purpose.

Because when I say These Girls Are For Fighting, today I really meant it.

But maybe that’s what this whole past year has taught me.

Getting yourself back doesn’t happen in one surgery. Or one appointment. Or one milestone when someone tells you that you’re healed and you think you should be ready to move on.

Sometimes getting yourself back happens one tiny piece at a time.

And maybe you haven’t had breast cancer.

Maybe your messy middle looks completely different.

Maybe your kids are growing up and you’re trying to figure out who you are outside of being needed all the time.

Maybe your body has changed.

Maybe your career has changed.

Maybe a relationship has changed.

Maybe life simply doesn’t look the way you thought it would by now.

And you’re wondering how the hell to find you again.

I get that.

Because a year ago, I thought getting my girls back would make me feel complete again.

What I know now is that the physical healing was only part of it.

The rest has been learning to trust my body again. To feel strong in it again. To recognize myself again.

And today, standing there throwing punches, I realized something.

I’m not fighting to get the old me back anymore.

I’m fighting for the woman I am becoming.

And damn, she throws a pretty good punch.

I wrote more about this milestone, getting my girls back and the healing I never expected would continue long after the physical scars began to fade in my latest Substack.

Read the full story on The Next ChaptHER. Link in bio.

10/01/2026

October 1. Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I was always aware of breast cancer.

I wore the pink. I donated. I supported people I loved. I knew it mattered.

But it was something that happened to other people.

Then on March 28, 2025, three days before my 48th birthday, I became one of those people.

And awareness started to mean something very different.

Today, the cancer is gone, and I am incredibly grateful. But survivorship has taught me that breast cancer doesn’t simply disappear from your life when treatment or surgery ends.

For me, awareness is no longer one month of the year.

It’s every day.

I wrote more about what Breast Cancer Awareness Month feels like from this side in today’s The Next ChaptHER.

“Awareness Looks Different From This Side”. Read link in bio.

09/11/2026

“Are you going to wear your NYC skyline leggings today?”

Sienna asked me that this morning.

I’ve had them forever and usually wear them every September 11. But this morning, I threw on sweat shorts for school drop-off without thinking.

But she remembered.

As I dropped Sienna off at high school, I caught a view of the NYC skyline. She is almost 15, Jonah is 18 and away at college—and somehow, it has been 25 years.

On September 11, 2001, I was 24 and working at Merrill Lynch in the World Financial Center. I looked out the window just in time to see the United symbol flash across the sky—and then watched the plane crash into the tower.

In that instant, everything changed.

I grabbed my heels and walked barefoot down 36 flights of stairs. Once outside, I put my shoes back on and started walking uptown—panicked, blistered and numb.

By 23rd and 7th, I was hyperventilating. I walked into the Medici shoe store, where a worker saw my shoes and handed me flip-flops without hesitation. It was a small act of kindness I still remember 25 years later.

My family, friends and Brad were trying to reach me. It took 45 minutes before I heard my dad’s voice.

The only words I could manage were, “Daddy, I’m alive.”

September 11 is always a moment to pause and remember. But I don’t carry that experience only on this one day.

It is woven into me.

It comes up unexpectedly, especially when life changes and I face another “before and after.” Breast cancer became one of those moments.

I also wear the same bracelet every September 11. Like the leggings, I hadn’t put it on before drop-off. Now it’s back on my wrist alongside my Fight Club, Strength, Good Energy and Strong AF bracelets—reminders to keep moving forward.

I don’t need the leggings or bracelet to remember.

And Sienna’s question reminded me that this story isn’t only woven into me. In ways I don’t always realize, it is woven into my children, too.

Never forget.

08/19/2026

These pictures may be about my son beginning college, but it also represents a new chapter for me.

For so many years, parenting has required constant planning, driving, reminding, organizing, and being needed in very tangible ways. And then suddenly, you leave your child at college and drive nine hours home without them.

The role of mom doesn’t end, but it changes.

On the drive home, my husband and I kept talking about how genuinely happy he already seemed. Knowing he was ready made leaving easier—but it didn’t make the transition feel any less significant.

This is the part of parenting we don’t always think about. As our children grow into who they are becoming, we are also asked to figure out who we are becoming.

What will I do with the time and energy that once went toward managing so much of his everyday life? What parts of myself am I ready to reconnect with? What do I want this next chapter to look and feel like?

These are the same questions I explore with the women I coach, and now I’m experiencing them in a whole new way myself.

I don’t have every answer yet. But I do know this isn’t only about what is ending. It’s also about making room for what comes next.

Anyone else entering a new chapter of parenting this year?

07/27/2026

50 classes!

June 11: 25 classes
July 2: 40 classes
July 27: 50 classes

Those numbers make me smile, but this really isn’t about the number.

There was a time when I was scared of my body. I felt like I had lost so much and had no idea what getting strong again would even look like.

And somehow, Rumble Boxing Montclair became part of that journey back.

Recently, my doctor actually suggested I pull back a little and see if my workouts were contributing to the exhaustion I’ve been feeling. So I did. Fewer classes, more rest, trying to find that balance.

Turns out…not much changed. 😂 So for now, I’m going to chalk another one up to the lovely side effects of Tamoxifen.

And I’ll be back to punching a little more regularly.

But I’m also realizing that getting stronger doesn’t always mean pushing harder. It’s listening to my body, adjusting when I need to, finding balance—and still doing the things that make me feel like ME.

And a huge part of this has been the Rumble community and the coaches who motivate me, push me and celebrate these milestones right alongside me.

So yes, today I’m celebrating 50.

Not because of the number itself.

Because of what those 50 classes represent. Strength. Trusting my body again. And finding my way back to me.

07/18/2026

Happy National Tattoo Day.

I never thought I'd be celebrating this day.

But here we are.

My ni**le tattoos aren’t just tattoos to me. They’re the cherries on top of reclaiming a body I had to learn to love again after breast cancer.

They remind me that even after loss, beauty can still be found.

Today, I’m celebrating these little reminders of resilience, strength, and a chapter I never would have chosen…but one I’m incredibly proud to have made it through.

07/02/2026

The latest on Substack…

Today I completed my 40th class at Rumble Boxing Montclair . One more class and I’ll earn my 10th little fire sticker.

It’s funny how something so small can end up representing something so much bigger.

For me, it isn’t about the sticker.

It’s about showing up on the days I don’t feel like it. Trusting my body a little more. Quieting the mental chatter. And remembering that progress isn’t always reflected in the mirror.

Here’s your reminder today:

Stop measuring yourself by what’s still missing. Start measuring yourself by the evidence of how far you’ve already come.

I share why this lesson hit me so hard, what rebuilding after breast cancer has taught me, and the letter I wrote to my body in my latest Substack, The Fire Sticker.

I hope it encourages you to celebrate your own “fire stickers”—the small victories that are proof you didn’t quit.

Link in bio.

06/18/2026

Swipe ➡️

Photo 1: Birthday 2025. Three days after finding out I had breast cancer. I walked into Rumble Boxing Montclair with one goal—to beat the s**t out of the bag.

Photo 2: Birthday 2026. One year later. Cancer-free. Excited. Nervous. Wondering if my body could handle a full class again after surgery, recovery, Tamoxifen, back pain, and months of physical therapy.

Photo 3: Celebrating 25 classes.

And today? I completed class #29. 🥊

But this post isn’t really about boxing.

It’s about rebuilding.

Many of you have followed my journey this past year.

The cancer.

The surgery.

The recovery.

The back pain that showed up just as I was starting to feel like myself again.

The physical therapy appointments.

The frustration of setbacks when all you want to do is move forward.

And now the rebuilding.

Behind every class is a story.

A day I almost canceled.

A day I took a nap before class because I was exhausted.

A day I chose heavier weights.

A day I challenged myself to do a little bit more.

A day I worked on improving my form.

A day the mental chatter was loud.

A day I wasn’t sure I had it in me.

A day the coach said exactly what I needed to hear.

A day the music made me sing.

A day the music made me emotional.

A day I surprised myself.

Every time I checked in, I was making the same decision:

To show up.

To trust my body again.

To stop focusing on what I had lost and start focusing on what I was rebuilding.

That’s what these 29 classes represent.

Not fitness.

Not a workout streak.

Proof that setbacks don’t get the final say.

Proof that strength can be rebuilt.

Proof that it’s never too late to start again.

And a special shoutout to Jenn Lax jennnlax who coached my very first class back on my birthday when I wasn’t sure if I could make it through all ten rounds.

She celebrated class #25 with me.

And she was there again today for class #29.

Full-circle moments hit differently. ❤️

These girls are still for fighting. 🥊

I wrote more about what this journey has really meant to me in my latest Substack: The Next ChaptHER.

Because behind every class is a much bigger story.

🔗 Link in bio.

05/27/2026

This video is from one year ago today.

Right before I stepped into the ring of the hardest fight of my life.

A few days earlier, I had heard the words breast cancer.
And on May 27th, I underwent my double mastectomy.

I posted this video before surgery saying:
“It’s go time… time to beat the s**t out of Cancer! These bi***es don’t stand a chance because I am strong AF and these girls are for fighting!!”

At the time, I was focused on surviving.
On getting through.
On fighting.

What I didn’t fully understand yet was that healing would become its own kind of fight too.

Because the “after” isn’t always simple.
Even when you’re grateful.
Even when you’re cancer free.
Even when everyone thinks you should just move on.

This past year has stretched me mentally, emotionally, physically, and honestly… personally in ways I’m still processing.

And maybe that’s why it feels so ironic that since my birthday in March, I found myself back in boxing class again.
Like somewhere deep down, I needed to reconnect with the fighter in me.

Not just the woman who fought cancer.
But the woman learning how to trust herself, her body, and her strength again.

I know so many women in this community are fighting their own battles right now too.
Maybe not cancer.
But grief.
Hormones.
Identity shifts.
Burnout.
Transitions.
The messy middle of becoming someone new.

And if this past year taught me anything, it’s this:

These girls are for fighting.
But we’re also for healing.
For rebuilding.
For rediscovering ourselves again too.

One year cancer free today.
And still learning my way forward. 💗

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http://www.fullyinformedlife.com/, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-chapther/id1670206410

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