Andria Van Mierlo shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Andria, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Outside of work, one of the greatest sources of joy in my life right now is being a host mom to a foreign exchange student from Germany. This is her second time staying with us, and having a “bonus daughter” has been an absolute gift. The experience has brought so much joy, laughter, and connection into our home in ways I never expected.
I spent over 20 years in public service as a police officer — a career I was deeply committed to — and during that season of life, I didn’t have the opportunity to have children. After retiring, I was finally able to participate in the foreign exchange student program, and hosting students has opened my heart and my world in ways I never imagined. It has allowed me to experience motherhood, culture, and connection in a way that feels incredibly meaningful, and it’s become one of the most fulfilling chapters of my life.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Andria Van Mierlo, and I am the founder of Vigilant Minds Security Solutions, a personal safety and security education company built on over two decades of real-world police and protective services experience.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I spent more than 20 years serving as a law-enforcement officer working in specialized units and on private security protective details where my focus was not just on enforcement, but on prevention, awareness, and keeping people safe before situations ever became dangerous.
After retiring, I recognized a major gap — while people are often told to “be aware,” very few are actually taught how to recognize risk, what to do in real-time, or how to respond under stress. Vigilant Minds was created to close that gap.
What makes Vigilant Minds unique is that I don’t teach fear — I teach confidence. My programs are built to be practical, relatable, and immediately usable in everyday life. I work with corporations, property management teams, real-estate professionals, schools, parents, and youth, delivering training in situational awareness, personal safety, workplace violence prevention, and active-threat preparedness. My seminars are geared towards active killer situations and random act of violence type situations.
At its core, Vigilant Minds is about empowering people to move through the world more confidently, more prepared, and more aware — without living in fear. My mission is to help people recognize danger early, make better decisions under pressure, and ultimately create safer families, workplaces, and communities.
We are currently expanding our corporate training programs, youth safety education, and community-based workshops, with the goal of making high-quality, real-world safety training more accessible to organizations and families everywhere.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One moment that deeply shaped the way I see the world happened while I was working as a supervisor during a large-scale protest
/ civil disturbance in St. Louis.
I was standing on the line with hundreds of other officers when a woman in the crowd began yelling directly at me, demanding to know why I wore the uniform — why I chose to be a police officer at all. It was a volatile environment, and emotions were high. Violence against police officers had already occurred on previous evenings and we knew more would be coming. But what struck me most in that moment wasn’t her anger or whether or not she intended to do my team or I harm —what struck me was what I saw in her eyes. I saw real hurt- true pain. I saw someone who had likely experienced, or at least perceived, genuine injustice at the hands of someone in uniform.
It would have been easy to dismiss her as simply hostile and disruptive. But in that moment, I realized she wasn’t just angry — she was wounded. And that realization stayed with me.
Later, through conversations with colleagues — particularly officers of color who had personally experienced negative interactions with law enforcement growing up — my understanding deepened even more. I came to recognize that public perception doesn’t form in a vacuum. For many people, their views are rooted in real, personal experiences — and sometimes, those experiences are painful. And we have a choice in responding to that reality. Some take to the streets, others try to become part of the solution in a positive way.
All that being said, as a 20 year veteran of law-enforcement, I do not condone or support violence in response to previous wrongs or perceptions. Nor do I support agitators who take advantage of bad situations for political gain. Our country allows for peaceful protest, and I believe those protest should happen with the intention of sparking conversations between the parties involved and hopefully reaching somewhat of an understanding of where each side comes from.
That night reshaped my understanding of people, perception, and our responsibility to communicate with those whose opinions differ.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self to treat every season of life as both a lesson and a gift — and to stop postponing the things that feel scary but meaningful.
I would remind her to take risks sooner rather than later, but also to slow down and truly enjoy the present moment. When we’re early in our careers, it’s easy to become so focused on what’s next that we forget to appreciate where we are. We work toward goals for years, only to arrive and realize that the moment can feel surreal — but also less glamorous than what we imagined.
Every experience I had as a young police officer — working patrol, undercover assignments, federal wiretaps, and special operations — shaped the foundation of who I became. Each milestone was meaningful, but I always felt there was something more ahead.
It wasn’t until I took the biggest risk of my life — retiring from a long career in law enforcement and stepping into entrepreneurship — that everything finally connected. That leap allowed me to take everything I had learned and channel it into building a business that now serves the public in a completely new way.
Looking back, I would simply tell my younger self this: trust the process, enjoy the season you’re in, and don’t wait too long to step into the life you’re being called to build because the risk is worth it in the end!
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
For the most part, yes — the public version of me is very much the real me.
Both publicly and privately, I am someone who has a deep faith in God and a strong reliance on Jesus Christ. My faith is the foundation of how I live, how I lead, and how I treat people. I also strive to operate with integrity, discipline, and genuine care for my family and community in every area of my life — not just in what people see, but in who I am behind the scenes.
That said, I’m also human. Like anyone else, I have internal battles. While I’m naturally positive, energetic, and encouraging on the outside, there are moments and seasons when I feel tired, unmotivated, or weighed down — just like everyone else. The difference is that I’ve learned how to stay grounded in my faith and values even when things feel heavy.
So while no one is perfectly “on” all the time, what people see from me publicly truly reflects my heart, my values, and how I choose to show up in the world.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything I would stop doing — because my life right now is built very intentionally.
Everything I do on a daily basis brings me purpose, joy, and meaning, and it also contributes to something that benefits others. A long time ago, I made a conscious decision that life is too short to give energy to things that drain you, distract you, or don’t serve a greater purpose. Over the years, I’ve learned to cut out what doesn’t add value — to myself or to the people around me.
I spend my time working one-on-one with individuals, educating groups, building businesses that serve the public, and investing deeply in relationships and community. There’s truly nothing about my life or my work right now that I don’t feel grateful for or fulfilled by.
So if I knew I only had 10 years left, I would continue living exactly the way I am — with intention, service, faith, and connection at the center of everything I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vigilantminds-info.com
- Instagram: @vigilantminds.ss
- Linkedin: Andria Van Mierlo
