In a career path fueled by endurace, Mines alum starts athletic performance business

By Cynthia Barnes, Special to Mines Magazine

Andrea Gioia ’09 knows how to go the distance—literally. Not only did she run cross country as a Mines student, but Gioia also placed second in the female category at the 2022 Alpha Win Hudson Valley Triathlon, a grueling 140.6-mile race combining swimming, cycling and running that requires guts, grit and extraordinary dedication. Today, she’s helping others reach their own athletic performance milestones as the owner of Sunshine Wellness Adventures, which offers individual coaching for triathlons and other endurance sports, wellness camps and swim clinics. 

Gioia started her professional career in GE’s prestigious Commercial Leadership Program and worked her way up to the executive level in the software industry.

While climbing the career ladder, Gioia found stress relief—and solutions—in the physical challenges of triathlons. 

“I worked through a lot of challenges in the water or out on the trail,” she said. 

She shared her love of triathlons with others, organizing her first unofficial event 13 years ago. “I just decided to organize one and invited my friends and family,” she said. “They loved it—so much they asked to do it again.” 

This led her to begin coaching people who wanted to improve their performance in endurance activities. “This [was] not my primary job, and early on, I didn’t make any money,” Gioia said. “I just did it because I love it. I really appreciate what triathlon did for me and wanted to help other people have that
same outlet.”

But it wasn’t until she underwent three hip surgeries to correct a congenital problem that Gioia took the downtime to reflect on her career and her passions. She ultimately decided to step away from her executive role and pursue a new career path.  

“I really took time to reflect on what I wanted to do, what brings me joy and where my strengths lie,” she said. “Within the first two weeks of my break, I launched two companies—one to advise startups, because I still wanted to stay connected to tech and use those hard-earned skills, and another focused on triathlon: wellness camps, coaching and training, because that’s where I find real meaning.”

The latter ended up becoming Sunshine Wellness Adventures, which now incorporates physical training with wellness sessions focused on mental resilience, nutrition and recovery techniques to help participants gain the skills, confidence and inspiration to pursue their goals on and off the racecourse. 

Gioia credits the problem-solving skills she learned at Mines with continuing to help her face the challenges of business ownership. 

“Every time I host a triathlon, something unexpected comes up. You never know what it’ll be, but you have to figure out how to handle it,” Gioia said. “I’ve had major road closures the day before a race, for example. You just have to problem-solve, make it work and keep clear communication with the athletes. I attribute that to my own experience at Mines.”

For more information about Sunshine Wellness Adventures, local training campus and events, visit sunshinewellnessadventures.com/events-2.