The man behind BLISS2050
The man behind BLISS2050
Born 1967, New Zealand
Fish and chip shop worker. Bank teller. Air Force recruit. Architecture student. Contract architect in America. Professional speaker. Paraplegic. Town councillor. Solopreneur. Long-distance handcyclist.
Not a career path. A life path. Every chapter a deliberate step up, even when it looked like a step sideways.
"I realised I didn't ever have to be doing what I was doing."
That realisation, that you always have the option to change, became the engine of everything. Andreas has lived it since his 20s and has been refining the framework ever since.
Life timeline
Not a straight line. Never was supposed to be.
Grew up in a small town. First job in a fish and chip shop. First wage. First $10 folded into a wallet.
Moved from banking to high school, earned qualifications, got selected for Air Force pilot training. One of the highest entry points available at the time.
Left the Air Force. Moved to Australia. Built up cash for a year, then went to university and earned a degree in architecture.
A serious accident in his 20s left Andreas paraplegic. He refused to let it become the defining event. It became one chapter in a much longer story.
Moved to the USA and worked as a contract architect. Discovered a talent for speaking. Studied professional speaking and built a career on stage.
Returned to Australia and settled in country Western Australia. Town councillor. Community builder. Still refusing to sit still.
Discovered long-distance handcycling. Completed thousands of kilometres across Australia and Europe. Solo. Unassisted. Camping every night.
Solopreneur, fundraiser, adventurer, and builder of the framework he wishes he'd had 30 years ago. Sharing it now so others don't have to wait.
Goals
One of Andreas's long-term goals is walking again. He has been exploring standing frames, exoskeleton technology, and rehabilitation options for years.
The photo on the right shows Andreas upright in a standing frame, something most people in his situation never attempt. It represents the same philosophy as everything else: refuse the ceiling others put on your life.
The handcycling, the adventuring, the BLISS framework, all of it comes from the same place. You decide what is possible for yourself.
