Meet Cindy D’Andrea | Actor/Writer/Fitness Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cindy D’Andrea and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cindy, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting my own business came by default, really. I had worked in several gyms as an aerobics instructor, and my students started coming up to me after class wanting to work with me in a more personalized way, one-on-one and in their homes, not in a gym. As soon as I got my certifications, I started branching out and working as a personal trainer in the home and word of mouth helped me to build a clientele. I still taught classes at fitness centers and gyms, but I was an independent contractor most of the time. I liked that I was calling the shots and creating my own schedule and that I could keep 100% of what I was earning.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to entertain people. Perhaps it was because I was a middle child and my older sister and younger brother were way more independent than I was. I always had a need to knock on their doors and ask them to play with me, and at the times they said no, I would go back into my powder blue bedroom and make up my own stories. I’d always put myself or my dolls and stuffed animals in desperate situations that I would or they would have to get themselves out of. When I got a cassette player, I’d had friends over and I’d write soap opera scenes and we would act them into the cassette player. I laughed in a way that I’ve never laughed before and it gave me relief from my challenges at home and in school. I also wrote …a lot. I started with small diaries and then just wrote in notebooks, whatever I could get my hands on. Writing helped me to empty my head, to quell the stress that I experienced at school and in our home. So the acting was more fun and an escape and loving to entertain others and the writing was very private, I wrote my thoughts, feelings and struggles and hid my journals so no one else would see them but me. This helped me to write, produce and perform solo shows and share my story with other like-minded people.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For sure I would take them up the coast with the destination being Big Sur. We’d hop in the car with lots of snacks and water, and head up the 101 to the 5N. We’d stop off at Montecito and Santa Barbara. We’d take a walk on the ocean path, being one with the ocean and the waves and the locals with their dogs. Would love to maybe have an Oprah sighting or/and Meghan and Harry! On our way up the coast, we’ll stop in Cambria and San Luis Obispo, check out the Madonna Inn and walk around the town where they have unique stores, antiques and crystal shops. We’ll have a lovely lunch at one of the local restaurants- farm to table food.
Up a little ways, we’ll find a hotel to stay the night and then back out the next day.
Head up the coast where you see ocean on one side and the Redwoods on the other. Seals abound and the water is crystal blue/green. We’ll stop off at the Hearst Castle and dream about being rich and then up to the Redwoods where we’ll spend 3-days at a spa.
On our way home, we’ll go through Carmel and Monterey, see more beautiful sights including the Marine Mammal wildlife center and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
We’ll buy a few bottles of Paso Robles and other local wines and drink it with a nice dinner when we get back home!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When I was in college, I was really struggling with my weight. I was going through a difficult time with my parents divorce and I took to food for comfort. I met a bodybuilder named Dave who owned a gym not far from campus who offered a job to me teaching aerobics in a little space in his gym. From there, I began building my own brand of aerobics class. Dave had a stereo and he would make cassette tapes for me to use for my aerobics music. Yes, cassette tapes, as it was the 80’s! The other person and company that I attribute my fitness style and success to was a personal training organization from London who came to NYC to do a 7-day personal training certification. They’re not around anymore, but I think they were called Personal Training & Bodywork Professionals Association – something like that! They were so specific and so knowledgeable and really helped form my style of training.

As for my acting career, the acting coach who changed my life forever was Maggie Flanagan at the William Esper Studio. She said, “Cindy, every scene does not have to end up with you crying!” Ha! My victim mentality was revealed and it changed the way I approached my characters from then until today.

Website: https://www.cindydandrea.com (this is my fitness page, my acting website is on pause, but I use my FB pages, see below)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@cindy.dandrea

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-d-andrea-41266912/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cindydandrea

Facebook: I have 4 pages: the acting one is here https://www.facebook.com/cindydandreaactor, then the regular one, cindydandrea, then the Cat Sh!T Crazy show one https://www.facebook.com/cscsoloshow and then the Fitness Blogger one which has not been updated in a long time.

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cindy-d-andrea-fitness-los-angeles (this is from a million years ago!)

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CindyDANDREA

Other: Please see various FB pages

Image Credits
Leah Huebner (all others) Matt Tente (the one with the sweater and blouse and the one with the orange jacket)