Andrew Barry: from Auditor to Entrepreneur — a story of mistakes, pivots, and finding freedom

Development Nerds with Candice Mitchell

Andrew Barry’s career story is a masterclass in resilience, humility, and reinvention.

From bagging groceries in Cape Town to qualifying as a chartered accountant, from corporate auditor at KPMG to global learning facilitator, and finally taking the leap into entrepreneurship — Andrew’s journey shows the lessons hidden inside the hardest jobs and the courage it takes to keep moving forward.

In this episode of Development Nerds, Andrew shares:

• The “punishment” retail job that taught him empathy, diversity, and how to handle tough conversations.
• Why tutoring math opened his eyes to entrepreneurship and ignited his love for learning.
• The dreadlocks-and-audit years at KPMG, where he discovered facilitation and L&D.
• The move from South Africa to the US — and the freedom of reinvention.
• Painful lessons from starting his own business, Curious Lion, and why “the market drew my business out of me.”
• Why intellectual humility matters more than ever in careers and leadership.
• The advice he’d give to his younger self: you were good enough all along.
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If you’ve ever doubted yourself, coasted at work, or wondered whether to take the leap into something new, Andrew’s story will hit home.

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#CareerStories #LeadershipDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #LearningAndDevelopment #DevelopmentNerds

Get to know Andrew:

Andrew is a 20+ year veteran in learning and development, serving in executive roles at global organizations like KPMG. He is the founder and CEO of [Curious Lion](https://curiouslionlearning.com/), a company that specializes in developing self-leadership in individual contributors. Andrew and his team have developed 1,000s of leaders at clients like Workday, Pinterest, IMG, and USAA, winning numerous awards for their engaging learning experiences. He also hosts [The Learning Culture Podcast,](https://thelearningculturepodcast.buzzsprout.com/) where he shares key insights and trends in the industry.

Connect with Andrew:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/realandrewbarry

Your host, Candice Mitchell, can be found online at:

Website: https://talentdevelopmentnerds.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicemitchelltdnerd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talent_development_nerd/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candicemitchell.TDNerd

Talent Development Academy: https://talentdevelopmentnerds.com/tda

Original music composed by: Paul DeHaven

pauldehavenmusic.com