Dr. Andre Walton is one of the coaches that we found this month and we did a little interview with him. He impressed us with his creativity, innovation, passion and expertise.

His journey is nothing short of inspiring. From building global businesses to guiding others in unlocking their creative potential, his dedication in the field of coaching and helping people unleash more of their hidden capacity is unmatched. After turning bold ideas into industry leaders in the early ’90s, he transitioned into consulting and later pursued a PhD in social psychology with a focus on organizational creativity.

His diverse experiences, spanning academia, entrepreneurship, and international living, have shaped a coaching approach that blends innovation with cultural insight. What sets him apart is his groundbreaking concept, Spherical Thinking™, which helps clients break free from linear thought patterns and embrace broader perspectives.

His approach is truly unique. By integrating intuitive thinking with logic, he empowers individuals to make more effective decisions and view challenges from a fresh, energized standpoint. Whether overcoming personal struggles with self esteem or facing life altering health battles, his resilience and creativity continue to inspire and transform those he works with. Here is what he said…

Meet Life Coach Andre Walton:

Name: Andre Walton, PhD

Pillar: The Mind, The Heart

Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to unleash creativity, improve productivity, change their perspective, develop greater Emotional Intelligence, avoid burnout, and adopt Spherical Thinking™.

How they can help: By using various tools that he developed, techniques, and guidance based on years of experience and research.

First of all, how are you and your family doing after these Pandemic times?

The Pandemic was tough for us.

I was a lecturer in the Business School at the University of Nevada Reno, and in the middle of the pandemic we had just moved house and, 1 week later, I was diagnosed with cancer.

My healthcare team did not want me standing in front of 50 undergrads (who were definitely not there for the purpose of social distancing!) several times a week, so I had to quit.

The radiation therapy was grueling and I really couldn’t get much new stuff done for a year or so, but I did have several business consulting clients that I kept.

I got certified and accredited as a life and executive coach and continued my research work into creativity in an organizational context.

How did the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

My clients were small B2B businesses that did not really have much of an impact from the pandemic.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

As Charles Darwin told us nearly two centuries ago: adaptation is the key to survival!

Being passionate about creativity, it was fascinating to see businesses adapt.

Restaurants developing delivery options, for instance…

Hairdressers training groups of women virtually to do each other’s hair.. Etc.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

After I sold my businesses in the early 1990s (I had taken a couple of my crazy ideas to become global leaders in their field) I started consulting, mainly regarding export marketing.

My clients were mainly businesses that had been in the wings watching my businesses grow in Europe and then the US.

I paused my consulting work when I went ‘back to school’ and got a PhD in social psychology with organizational creativity as my focus.

That took me into part time academia (including Visiting Professor of Creativity and Entrepreneurship at the Newport Business School, and also at the University of Nevada Reno), and led me into coaching via No. 2 above.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

In the longer term, my upbringing left me with a very low self esteem, which I had to overcome in order to be successful as an entrepreneur.

More recently, having cancer and suddenly being aware of my mortality has been a struggle.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

Innovation is a part of my DNA!

It is physically impossible for me to follow the well trodden path (trust me, that is by no means always an advantage!)

I integrated my creativity work into my coaching practice and realized that having clients learn to mix intuitive thinking in with their deductive processes (which dominates for most of us in this logical, deductively oriented world), was incredibly powerful.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

Spherical Thinking™ which enables us to view the world from a broader perspective and make better decisions.

Also, having lived and worked in seven different countries, I have very broad cultural perspectives, tolerance and understanding.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

They report feeling very energized after our sessions and they generally have a slightly (sometimes significantly) different way of viewing their world.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I am just developing formalized tools related to creativity.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

Understand the value of creativity and creative thinking!

Look at the incredible positive impact on our world during those times in history when creativity was valued, from the Greek empire, when the concept of democracy was created, through the renaissance to the industrial revolution.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

That mindset is everything!

Hitchhiking to Greece (from England) when I was 21 was the beginning of the lesson that anything is possible!

I had very little supervision when I was young, my cook housekeeper mother was always frantically cleaning and cooking, which also meant I had no one to tell me “Don’t do that! It will… [hurt you], [kill you], [maim you]!! etc…“

After that, I was able to view things as challenges rather than hurdles!

Your final thoughts?

So many coaching clients get stuck in recurring mental patterns.

This shows in coaching sessions when the conversation goes round and round (the hamster wheel effect!) dwelling on the negative aspects of their challenges, (I almost inevitably see this with burnout clients).

Introducing creativity or at least creative thinking, breaks this cycle and dramatically improves client outcomes.

Where Can You Find Dr. Andre Walton?

If you liked this interview and if you would love to unleash your creativity and change the way of viewing the world, go to hiredrandre.com and find out how Coach Andre can help you do that.

If you would love to develop greater Emotional Intelligence, improve productivity, and avoid burnout, go to plan4change.org and see how Dr. Andre can help you adopt Spherical Thinking™. His countless testimonials are undeniable proof of his skills and effectiveness as a coach.

If you’d like to peak a glimpse into his coaching and philosophy, you can find all his published researches here, you can check out his books or follow his Facebook account.

You can also follow his YouTube channel where you can find countless videos, webinars, and value nuggets.

If you want to start with one video, watch his speech to Marconi Institute of Creativity, Bologna, Italy here:

And if you’d like to connect with him more personally, you can do that through LinkedIn or by sending him a direct message on his Email dr.andre@plan4change.org. It was an honor having this interview with him.