Their paint-your-own pottery studio was doing quite well, and their personal life was just as good.  Andi and Dean gave birth to their first son in 1997, and two little guys later followed in 2000 and 2005.

“I don’t take life too seriously and I instill that in my kids.  I want my kids to look back and say ‘wow, my mom was so much fun.’”

Fun—that’s something Andi surely is.  The wife, mother, and business woman is also rather ambitious, and knew running pottery shops was only a piece of her path.

The couple sold their studios when Andi landed another traffic radio gig in Phoenix; that’s when the doors finally opened for the wonder-woman who craved TV time.

“I happily became the traffic reporter for the ABC-15 morning show.  I loved the job, but hated the shift.  My biggest struggle was that I wanted to talk about things other than accidents.  I wanted to prove I could do more.”

However, it was an essential stepping stone for the determined Valley darling.

Barness established herself as a TV personality, but things were put on hold when she got laid off.  She was sad, but optimistically moved forward onto her next project, another business she called Doozy of a Deal.

The thought of Doozy came post lay-off.  She wanted to create a hyper-local Groupon-like concept that gave back to community she so loved.  Therefore, Andi and Dean rolled out the website, www.doozyofadeal.com, offering steals around town.  The kicker—every deal purchased benefits local schools.

“So far we’ve made $20,000 and that number grows every day.  It’s so fulfilling promoting local businesses and supporting our community.”

In the midst of Doozy’s launch, Andi stayed involved in television, taking on freelance hosting opportunities.  One thing led to another, and Andi’s lucky star finally gave her what she calls the ultimate gift.

“I have this instinct that when I need something, I won’t stop until I get it.  And now look, I’m on ‘Sonoran Living.’”

Yep, now you can watch Andi every morning on ABC-15’s daily talk show, “Sonoran Living Live.”  She’s the co-host of the vivacious variety show.

“I love that I can finally show my personality on TV, whether or not you click with me.”

But who wouldn’t click with the entertaining entrepreneur?

Andi is the epitome of perfecting a balancing act—a loving wife, fun mom, business owner, and TV celeb.  She says the key to having it all is a supportive, trustworthy husband who has (and continues) to believe in her every step of the way.

To me, Andi is an inspiration.  Her savvy, go-getting spirit  is addicting to anyone who has a sincere craving for success.  Plus, she remains youthful at heart; doing it all in heels, trendy clothes, and maintaining a posh persona.

“I don’t feel like I’m 42,  I feel like I’m 22.  I should probably try to mature a bit.”

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