Andre Traversa was born on January 16, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois, to first generation immigrants, an Italian father and a Ukrainian mother. Blind from birth, Andre never attended a school for the blind, but was successfully integrated into the public school system, where he honed many of the skills that prepared him to enter the coaching profession.

"Even in high school, I had some great opportunities," says Andre. "I got involved with a drug and alcohol prevention program called Operation Snowball. We used to attend these weekend retreats called Snowballs, where I got my first taste of real community, and gained a lot of self-esteem. I eventually became a Snowball staff member, and received some great training in communication skills like active listening, empathy, and small group facilitation. This training was foundational to me, and serves me well in my coaching practice to this day."

While still in high school, Andre immersed himself even further in the arts of counseling and communication. During his senior year, he became a counselor for a local area crisis line, where he received additional training. While attending Norhwestern University, Andre continued his service at the crisis line, and also became a staff member for the Illinois Teenage Institute, where he facilitated small groups.

At Northwestern, he took several pyschology and counseling courses, which exposed him to various theories of human development. "My favorite was Carl Jung," he says. "I just love the way he addressed the spiritual side of the human condition. That guy was a genius." Andre graduated with a degree in speech in 1992.

And speaking of speech, Andre has plenty of experience as a public speaker, which again began during his formative high-school years. Even as a mere freshman, Andre quickly developed a love for being on stage. While attending a summer camp for gifted children at McMurry Collge in Jacksonville, Illinois, Andre and two other students won an award for the most creative performance at the talent show. "We did a song called “We Are The Geeks.” It was sung to the tune of “We Are the World,” and it was very well received. We had people rushing the stage by the time we were done."

But that was only the beginning. In his senior year, Andre received second place in a Chicago teen comedy contest for his unique routine, "The Freudian Rap." "It's really interesting how this routine came about," Andre says. "I was supposed to present a theory in a creative manner for a sociology class, so I came up with this rap about Sigmund Freud. The whole thing probably took me about 15 minutes to write, but it's since become part of my repertoire."
And that was just the start of a long career as a professional standup comedian. In the 1990's, an old friend, Roger Mansour, became Andre's manager. "He did everything for me. Made sure I was promoted, took me to clubs, took me to get my head shots. He even arranged to get Cd's and videos recorded of my act. That guy loved me like a brother. He's a missionary in Haiti today, and I'm one of his regular donors."

But ultimately, Andre's first love is radio, particuarly talk-radio. "I knew since I was 9 years old that I wanted to be a DJ.

"I grew up listening to Larry Lujack's Animal Stories on Chicago's AM top 40 giant, WLS. I used to call up radio stations as a kid and talk to the DJ's. I knew more inside baseball about the radio industry than any kid should be allowed to know. I always wanted to be a music DJ, but music radio has become so homogenized recently that I've turned my attention to talk-radio. As a child, I spent a lot of time listening to radio, but I also loved to read.

"Talk-radio allows me to combine my love for radio with my love for information. I can interview authors, discuss books, and rant and rave about current events, all at the same time." And that's just what he did. Fed up with political correctness on college campuses, Andre said goodbye to the prospect of graduate school and chose instead to pursue a career in talk-radio, a path he has followed steadily for the last 15 years.

In 1993, he got his first internship with Chicago area talk-show host Dick Staub. "Dick was the best talk-show host I've ever heard." He was on Christian radio, but he didn't do a typical Christian talk-show. He interviewed secular, as well as Christian guests and encouraged his listeners to think outside the Christian ghetto. His show took the best of Christan and secular radio and blended it into an incredible package. It was just amazing."

After his intership, Andre did a two-year stint as co-host and producer of "The Christian Connection," a radio show affiliated with a ministry of the same name. Steve Carr, the founder of the ministry, has been a mentor and friend ever since.

After his two-year gig, Andre went on to work with Steve in various capacities, all related to radio in some way, which gave him experience in multiple aspects of the industry. Andre has syndicated infomercials, sold advertising, and has booked guests on radio and television talk-shows. "I've done it all, but what I like most is hosting and producing; that's where I get to work with real content, not just style and presentation."

And what drew Andre to coaching? "I've always been told I would make a good therapist, but I don't want to do all the paperwork that required when dealing with insurance companies and state licensing regulations. I hate red tape, and I hate government regulation even more. Coaching is an unregulated profession that gives me plenty of freedom and allows me to spend time helping people.

"I'm accountable to my clients, I don't need to be accountable to some state licensing board. I'm focused on getting results for my clients, not worrying about what some distant third party thinks." Andre also has other goals beyond his coaching practice. "Ultimately, I want to get back on the air with my own lively, issues-oriented, and above all, controversial, radio talk-show. But I want my show to be a kind of hybrid, a combination of Rush Limbaugh and Oprah. Sure, I want to be in your face and controversial, but I also have a soft side.

"I want to help people make real changes in their lives, and coaching gives me a credible vehicle from which to do so." More recently, Andre furthered his professional development by completing The Foundations of Facilitation training program presented by Reid Mihalko and Marcia Baczynski. "I'm always continuing my education, it makes me a better coach."
He also works as a freelance journalist and currently resides in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. top