About Andrew
Rebuilt one decision at a time.
Helping leaders and teams decide well and rebuild when the plan breaks.
Where the story starts
Andrew Kooger built his career in finance and today works as an asset management professional, alongside the advisors and planners who help clients through some of the biggest decisions of their lives. That work shaped how he thinks about pressure: most people don't struggle for lack of information, they struggle when the plan they were counting on stops working.
In 2020, that happened to him. A mountain biking crash left him with a traumatic brain injury and a T7 spinal cord injury. The plans he had for his work, his training and his life had to be rebuilt from what was still there.
The rebuild
There was no single turning point. There was a long run of ordinary decisions: what to focus on this week, what to let go of, which pieces of his identity still held. He kept his career moving. He returned to competitive adaptive sport as a para-cyclist with Team Ontario, and in 2025 he won two bronze medals at the Canada Summer Games.
The habits that carried him through that work became the core of his sessions: the Puzzle, a framework for identity and values, and a five-step decision protocol for the moment a plan breaks.
Why organizations book him
Andrew speaks as someone who has sat on both sides: working alongside professionals who guide others through hard decisions, and being the person whose plan was rewritten. His sessions are honest about what was difficult and practical about what helped, so audiences leave with something they can use at work rather than only a story to remember.
Back in competition.
Andrew races as a para-cyclist with Team Ontario. In 2025 he won two bronze medals at the Canada Summer Games.
The book
Defy The Odds
From Tragedy to Triumph: Lessons in Resilience and Recovery
Andrew's account of the crash, the rebuild and what he learned about resilience, loss and choosing the next step. Published in 2024.
Planning books for your attendees? Mention it in your inquiry and Andrew will include options in the proposal.
Speaker bio
For programs and introductions. Event planners will find a short bio and a stage introduction on the event planners page.
Andrew is also a director of the Defy The Odds Foundation, which supports young people through sport and mentorship.
Andrew Kooger is a speaker, author and Team Ontario para-cyclist who helps leaders and teams decide well and rebuild when the plan breaks.
He built his career in finance and today works as an asset management professional, supporting the advisors and planners who guide clients through major decisions. In 2020, a mountain biking crash left him with a traumatic brain injury and a T7 spinal cord injury. He rebuilt his work, his training and his sense of who he is, returned to competitive adaptive sport, and won two bronze medals at the 2025 Canada Summer Games.
His keynotes (When the Plan Breaks, The Puzzle and Both Sides of the Desk), hands-on workshops and one-on-one coaching give people a practical way to make decisions under real constraints. He is the author of Defy The Odds (2024) and is based in the Greater Toronto Area.
Planning your 2027 event?
Tell Andrew about your audience, your date and what you want people to leave with. He will follow up to talk it through and send a proposal.