Born and raised in Manchester, Andy struggled at school. He was a bright lad, but his ADHD meant he couldn’t concentrate in lessons, so preferred a more hands-on approach to learning. Aged 8, he started working weekends as a labourer for his father, digging fence post holes, mixing wheelbarrows full of concrete, breaking flag stones ready for crazy paving and brewing cups of tea.

At 14 he started working weekends at a local garden centre where he served customers, attended to flower beds and re-stocked shelves. Between 14 and 18 Andy also worked as a general labourer, shop assistant, petrol pump attendant and factory line operative during school holidays. Some jobs he enjoyed and some he hated, but he loved earning money.

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After failing his A-levels in 1993, Andy moved to Sunderland to do a science foundation course at Monkwearmouth College, which subsequently led onto a four-year pharmacology course at the University. During his degree he spent the third year doing medical research with one of the world’s leading Consultant Urologists, at Newcastle University Medical School. Andy also spent time working at the Newcastle Medical Research Council Neuropathology Unit, researching the brain physiology of people diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

After achieving an upper second-class (2:1) Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree Andy went on

to do a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree in physiology at Newcastle Medical School,

where he researched into new treatments for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (heartburn). As a result, Andy was named on 9 scientific publications; named as an inventor on 3 patents; presented at scientific conferences in Dundee, Hull, Newcastle, Sunderland, York, Brussels (Belgium) and San Diego (America). He also attended conferences in Athens (Greece) and Søborg (Denmark).

To pay his way through education Andy worked as a barman, shop assistant, hamper packer, construction labourer, car washer, factory line operative, steel fabricator, extraction fan tester, marble tile layer and furniture salesman.

In 2000, Andy moved to Hull where he worked as a car salesman, data input clerk, exam invigilator, formulation scientist, European general chemicals regulator, global pharmaceutical regulator, quality controller, auditor, assistant quality manager, regulatory, legal, compliance and marketing senior manager, and finally a business owner.

These life experiences saw Andy work for himself, for family businesses, for national businesses, for multi-national and global organisations, with most of his career spent in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. His roles covered formulating, manufacturing, engineering, retail, automotive, construction, chemicals, fabrication, education, pharmaceuticals, legal, print, reprographics, quality control, compliance, admin, sales, marketing, regulatory & auditing.

In each role Andy's curiosity meant he loved learning how each company worked, how people interacted, how managers managed (or didn't manage), the processes of how products were made and how services were provided, where money came from, what it was used for and where it went to.

Throughout his career Andy attended many training sessions, including personal effectiveness, time & priority management, presenting, influencing, negotiating, business management, accounting, regulatory, marketing, legal and product compliance. He also studied copyright law, design law, patent law, trademark law, English law and contract law at Manchester University; and in the little spare time he had, additionally gained qualifications in arc welding, SCUBA diving, canoeing, French and teaching.

However, despite doing all the above, like many people, Andy didn’t feel like he had any real purpose in his life. When he was young he wanted to be a teacher, but decided against it as the pay was poor. With his entrepreneurial flare he’d also dreamed of becoming a millionaire businessman, but that didn’t become a reality either. He’d moved from company to company and city to city as life’s opportunities presented themselves, but never found a job he loved in a place he was happy to stay. It wasn’t until the untimely death of his friend Kevin that he decided to start leading a more ‘intentional life’.

Andy’s passion for coaching came from the enjoyment he'd got from training others throughout his career. He'd seen the positive impact coaching had had on others, and when he realised that to do well in life people needed to understand how the systems of the real world worked, he quit his job, attended a business start-up programme and set up SAVVY LIFE. Using his life experience he created an easy to understand ‘LIFE ACUMEN’ course, designed to teach 'REAL LIFE EDUCATION' so that others may make ‘SAVVY LIFE DECISIONS’.