FEEDING SUCCESS
Andrea Marsh - What You Might Not Know About Multi Award Winning Andrea
So, welcome to our second podcast, Sandra, lovely to have you back. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be back, Hannah. Now, last time we talked on a really serious subject, but this time, I want to look a bit more into your past, because we talked about your colourful... Let's go back. Firstly, I realised that at the age of 12, you were lucky enough to have your own horses, and I believe you've had horses ever since. They have, yes. I smelled it. How important was ponyballing to you? Oh, pony ride. Ponies were... Horses were my life, literally. I had an absolute obsession with them, from being probably about two years old. If we ever went to Blackpool, I always had to have a ride on the Donkeys. If there was a statue of a horse, I had to sit on it. I mean, I was literally obsessed, I had books, I had videos. Everything. Ponies were just my obsession. Yeah. You competed? Yes, I did. Yeah. I did show jumping. And where was that up in the North? When I lived up North, yeah, there was a Stables right next door to where we lived. We were very lucky when I did eventually get my own pony, and they used to go do the local competitions, and they were like show jumping and a bit of dressage and stuff like that. So, yeah, I loved it. Yeah. And what was your favourite discipline? Show jumping. But it was like show jumping. Yeah. I still... Up until last year, I was still doing it. Yeah. Yeah. We have no idea, because we see you as this amazing life and business coach, and presume that's your life. How do you find the time? Well, yeah. There is that. And funnily enough, I've just been talking about that not so long ago. Finding that balance from these really important, because you have to have that self-care, and you have to find your passion, and what... Because what it does, it completely detracts you away, because you're not at home, you're not at work, you're in a completely separate environment. So, when I go and see my horse, I spend that time with her, quality time, I get on her, and we go out for a hack. I'm in the fresh air, I'm in nature, and when the weather's like this, as it is today, literally I can clear my head so, so much. So, it's really important for me. I think actor activities, and any sport, does that so well, when you love it? Yeah, it does, definitely. And your other passion was acting and singing, and I have to say, I remember Bernard Manning, a 60s and maybe 70s comedian, and you actually sang in, he's very honest with that, the Embassy Club? Yes, yes it was. You were there for a week? Yeah, well, yeah, almost a week, yeah, he was really strict on his singers as well. Oh, flipping out. He used to actually pre-audition you before you went on stage, and if you weren't good enough, it'd send you home. Well, fair enough. Yeah, but he was like, so the first time I went on this stage, I was so scared. I was like, oh my God, if I'm not good enough, but he was great, and actually, he was the one that nominated me from my equity card, because when you get your equity, you have to be nominated by a professional by somebody in equity by a member, full member, and he said, yeah, no problem doing that. He was a lovely guy, actually. Yes, I've heard that from other quarters. You wouldn't know necessarily from his comedy, but you wouldn't, but actually, deep down, it was a big soft day. He gave me some life-changing advice, I believe. Yeah, he did. He basically, he just said, you know, whatever you want to do in life, you just got to go with it, just got to run with it, and believing yourself always, because, you know, whatever you want to achieve, you can achieve it, but you've got to work for it sometimes, you've got to work hard, you've got to put it out there. Yeah, and then you went on to victory in Coronation Street? I did. How long were you there for? Oh, not many episodes, just two or three episodes, I think it was. I was having up with girlfriend. I was the, I was the, how did they describe me? The tart from the chippy, who wore no clothes under her own rolls, that's quite old, right? That'll do. No, no. I was a fabulous experience, and it did actually help me to get more work from, from theatre and TV and stuff as well at the time, so yeah, it was great. And what else don't we know about you? I don't know. Right. Oh my goodness, me. What else don't you know? I was, I've been a PA for a CEO of a major corporation. I've sang internationally, not sure about skeletons and closets, so you will in it. I thought of that podcast. What would you say is the best day of your life? So fun. Oh, wow. Having my daughter. Yeah. Definitely having my daughter. She's the most precious thing in my life. There's not a day that goes by that I don't, ooze love for her. I had a very difficult time when she was born, she had a very difficult birth with her. And I was in my older years as well, so I knew that this was the only chance I was going to get. So yeah. And because of all the struggles that she went through as well, she's even more precious to me now. So yeah, that was the best day of my life, I think. Lovely. And for aspiring entrepreneurs, what's your best advice to them? My best advice would be stay focused on where your journey is going, believe in yourself, have that confidence to stand up and shout and be who you are, be proud of who you are and what you're achieving. And just go for it. Just go for the bloody stars, you know? Absolutely. And no dream is necessary to be either. No, definitely not. You know, my goal at ambition, when I first started coaching, I always wanted to be a public speaker, a motivational speaker or a inspirational speaker. And I had that dream so vivid in my head, I actually visually imagined myself on that stage. And 18 months later, it happened. And that, for me, was massive because sometimes you take things for granted. And when they do happen, it's amazing. And then after a while, you forget that that was a big vision for you and that was a big dream. But every day I'm blessed and every day I'm grateful and thankful for doing what I do. But that dream was always very, very focused and very visioned. And when you go to bed at night, do you practice gratitude? Always. In fact, not so much at night, I do it first thing in the morning. Right. I have some mantras and affirmations that I say every single morning without fail when I'm getting ready for work or even when I'm at home. I just know it's so well now. Sometimes I'll have bits of extra things in, but I live by those because they help me to focus myself for the rest of the day. Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Andrea, for sharing a little bit more of yourself. I feel we've completed the podcast set now. I think you're going to like to dig deep into me, don't you, Hannah? Well, a little more in. Always. Always. Thank you ever so much. And I look forward to seeing you soon. I look forward to doing it as well. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much.