Coach, Creator & Creative Instigator

Rebel by cause | Warrior by choice

Andrew “Andy” Kirchner was born in Curaçao in 1976. He was raised with the Dutch Caribbean cultural diversity in Curaçao and the Netherlands.

He was the kid that never could sit still in class but could be quiet for hours in his room. The one that was easily bored but always found adventure on his own. The one the teachers saw as the problem child while he discovered answers by asking more. His favorite question was always “Why?”

His search for answers continued as a Social Worker, Salsa Teacher, Scuba Dive Instructor, Poet and DJ in the Netherlands and his travels through Europe. In 2008 he settled back in Curaçao to bring his knowledge to his home in the Caribbean.

After a life changing scuba diving accident in 2012 he remained paralyzed from the waist down. He quickly realized that if he would want to walk again one day, he had to see what he still had and not what he had lost. In his struggle to find a new purpose for his life, he found a new, stronger and visionary version of himself. He took his time rehabilitating as a time to reflect and study to become a better version of him. Physically, mentally and spiritually he developed himself to one day be able to be of service to others. His “Why?” brought him on an unexpected, still ongoing, journey.

All questions came back as Andy learned that he didn’t just need to learn to walk again, he needed to learn to forgive himself. He learned to work again, learned to eat differently and learned to love again. The biggest lesson was to learn to be really free again.

Three years later, in 2015, his visualized business idea 2nd Life Curaçao, creating functional Recycled Art. Which won him the prestigious JCI IOBA Aspiring Creative Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2015. The following year, in September 2016, he was invited as a speaker for the TEDx Aruba 2016 event.

With his lessons learned during the most challenging period of his life, Andy Kirchner, as The Recycled Pirate | Life Awareness & Innovations, recycles lives. The modern “Pirate” is a non conformist that meets mindfulness. He gives personal coaching, gives seminars and motivational speeches at schools, NGOs and corporate events about how life can take unexpected turns and how inner strength can bring out the beauty from within you. His personal developed Life Awareness tools guide you to become a better version of yourself and live a more aware life in this sometimes overwhelming digital era.

“Would you want to learn from someone who has read the book about the problem?
Or would you like to learn from someone who has found his own answers to the issue?”

The Recycled Pirate | Life Awareness & Innovations can be something new and modern, it can also be something tried and tested adjusted to your specific situation. Andy takes you along your own journey to find your strength by being Mindful of the past with eyes on the future.

Book a session* or a personal meeting:

*Also in Papiamentu and Dutch

Read the behind the scenes of  Andy Kirchner’s TEDx Aruba Experience:
The TEDx Aruba Aftermath