Before real estate, before raising four kids and watching eight grandkids grow up, before 30-foot boats and quick getaways to Italy or Bermuda, Andi Cohen was studying psychotherapy. 

She had a master’s degree in hand, a young family at home, but no real plan for what came next. A simple suggestion from her husband’s aunt changed everything. “She owned Seacoast Homes,” Andi remembers. “She said, ‘Why don’t you just try it?’ I was in the middle of having children and thought, okay, I’ll see if I like it. Over 30 years later, here I am.”

Andi—just Andi, no “e” or “y,” please—never imagined she’d find her calling in real estate, but calling is the right word. Her background in psychotherapy didn’t go to waste, either. “Real estate has a lot to do with it,” she says. “You deal with a lot of different personalities—on the buy side and the sell side—and that keeps it all very interesting. It’s helped me see the full picture, to negotiate well, and to understand that every story has three sides.”

A South Shore native, Andi’s love for the area is one of her guiding principles. “I was a summer kid in Hull. We didn’t even call it Hull, we called it Nantasket,” she laughs. “I fell in love with the water. It’s captivating. Every time you think you’ve found the most beautiful spot, there’s another one waiting.” 

Today, Hull is still her focus, though she covers the broader South Shore market. “You have to love where you live,” she says. “And if you’re going to live somewhere, this is it. It has everything—access to Boston, the ocean, the history. It’s all here.”

Andi’s real estate journey has taken her through market swings and brokerage transitions. She spent years managing Seacoast Homes before bringing her team over to Charisma Realty. She now works under Kendall Wright Salucce, a younger broker who’s brought new energy to the office. “We get along famously. It’s just a great fit.”

That sense of fit and flexibility extends to how Andi runs her business. “I’ve learned how to be flexible,” she says. “I’m not a 9-to-5 girl; I like being all over the place. It also allows me to spend time with my grandchildren.”

Ask Andi what she’s learned after 30 years, and she’ll tell you straight: you have to be adaptable. “The business is cyclical. There are thick years and thin years. You have to learn how to budget, how to ride the waves. But what keeps me in it is that every client, every home, every transaction is different. I get bored easily,” she adds with a laugh. “This keeps me interested.”

She also doesn’t pretend the job is easy. “You don’t just stand in front of a house like Vanna White and get paid,” she says. “It’s work. It’s long hours, surprises, complications—but if you love people, and you’re not afraid to hustle, you’ll love it.”

Her business today is buoyed by strong relationships and a team that works together. 

“Everyone helps everyone here,” she says. “That’s how I’m able to travel, take a break, and still have things run smoothly.”

Andi lives what she preaches: life isn’t a dress rehearsal. You have to be happy, find joy, and help others find a place to call home. “You have to love where you live,” she says again, without hesitation. “And I love it here.”