How Andrew Lang Learned to Stop Fixing Everything and Start Living

What happens when your body tells you the truth before your mind is ready to hear it?

Andrew Lang had built a life around doing the most. He was a teacher, a union rep, and a quiet emotional anchor for everyone around him. But underneath it all, exhaustion was building until one night, his body gave out, and that unexpected breaking point became the beginning of something new.

Here’s what you’ll take away from Andrew’s story:

• Letting go of the need to fix everything can create space for clarity and compassion.
• Gentleness is not weakness; it's a powerful response to burnout and emotional overload.
• Healing often begins with halting steps, not grand plans.

Topics Discussed

• What burnout can actually feel like in the body before the mind registers it
• The illusion of being “good enough” and how overperforming keeps us stuck
• Carrying others’ emotional weight, especially in under-supported school systems
• The pivotal bike ride that marked Andrew’s shift from burnout to beginning again
• Why silence can be the most honest response when everything gets too heavy
• The decision to walk away from teaching after years of pouring everything in
• Starting again with intention, not obligation
• Creating space for honest storytelling and the power of community
• Redefining personal success through presence and permission
• Learning to say no, and how that can unlock a different version of life

Andrew Lang is an educator in the Pacific Northwest and core facilitator of the Gentle Change Collective, where he leads folks in finding sustainable ways to turn their experiences of overwhelm into action that brings repair and healing in their communities.

Links:

Gentle Change Collective: https://www.andrewglang.com/gentlechange

Resource that guides you in developing sustainable actions within the context we're currently living in: https://practice.andrewglang.com/products/gentle-change-starter-kit

🎧 Listen to Andrew Lang's episode now at www.thelifeshiftpodcast.com/183

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