Meet Gina D’Andrea-Penna

We were lucky to catch up with Gina D’Andrea-Penna recently and have shared our conversation below.

Gina, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience, in my opinion, is a complex weave of personal experience and inner drive. For me, the first threads of experience were spun by my family – particularly, from experiences with my sister, who has Down syndrome and various medical issues. Watching my sister and parents persevere rubbed off on me. My sister’s pervasive positive attitude rarely waned despite countless doctor’s trips and procedures, which taught me that facing adversity with a smile ultimately makes difficulties less daunting.

Yet, my personal resilience truly took shape when I started running in high school. When I first joined track as a sprinter, I was (literally) the worst person on the team. But when I shifted my focus to long-distance running, I experienced the transformative power of persistence. After consistently running over the summer, I saw significant improvement the following fall. For the rest of high school (and beyond), my commitment to running never wavered. Then, by my senior year, I was the top female runner on our cross-country team – and even competed at the state meet! Seeing myself flourish from freshman to senior year taught me that, with enough work, nearly anything is possible. This belief that I can improve and grow empowers me to persist during trying circumstances.

At the same time I’d started running in high school, I also developed celiac disease, which was in itself quite a challenge. For several months I experienced unexplained symptoms – weight loss, fatigue, anemia, stomach pain – which ultimately tanked my first cross-country season. A series of misdiagnoses spurred uncertainty, anxiety, and self-reflection. But, despite such turmoil, I excelled at school and continued running – carrying on as best as I knew how. Giving up was never an option.

Building resilience, as I’ve learned, is a consequence of facing adversity head-on: by navigating through rather than avoiding challenges. The more I go through, the more confident I become in my ability to persevere.

In addition, I find that my resilience is fundamentally fueled by passion. I’ve always engaged in activities – whether that was work, school, or fitness endeavors – because I find them meaningful and fulfilling, not to satisfy some external standard or expectation. And having that deep, internal “why” to live enables me to bear almost any “how.”

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m co-founder of Nexus Fitness, a fitness coaching business that takes an innovative, integrated approach to fitness and health. As I’ve synthesized my knowledge of neuroscience and health, I’ve come to believe that mental and physical wellness are highly interdependent – so true health requires addressing both. By tackling fitness in this holistic manner, Nexus aims to help individuals to lead more meaningful, healthy, and happy lives.

Our personalized one-on-one coaching forms the core of our services. Through both in-person and virtual coaching, we provide customized exercise routines, nutrition plans, unique sleep and stress management strategies, and a mindset intervention. We meet clients where they’re at and gradually dial in each of these components, empowering them to make lasting behavioral, physical, and mental change.

We also offer an online DIY program for those who prefer a self-guided approach to wellness. Our “Mind-Body Mastery Blueprint” is a comprehensive guide that includes a multi-phase exercise routine, nutrition recommendations, our mindset program, and extensive educational materials covering sleep, stress, and time management.

While physical transformations are undoubtedly exciting, I’m most proud about our integration of mental health into fitness. Gil and I have carefully crafted our mindset program to empower individuals with the beliefs, self-talk, and tools necessary to succeed both inside and outside the gym. And nothing beats seeing someone with anxiety and self-doubt develop the confidence and grit to truly excel in life.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Reflecting on my journey, three key elements come to mind that have been instrumental: a growth mindset, fitness, and the power of connection.

Adopting a growth mindset has been a pivotal factor in my journey. Life, particularly in business, is replete with challenges, and it’s essential to bounce back, learn, and evolve from these experiences. Starting a business is a series of trials and errors, and it can be very tempting to buckle under the perceived weight of “failures.” However, by reframing challenges as opportunities for growth, I’ve been able to learn, progress, and persevere.

My commitment to physical fitness has also been vital to my personal growth and resilience. Seeing my hard work ultimately pay off as a runner and lifter reinforced my belief that challenges spawn growth. And beyond that, physical and mental health are tightly intertwined: strengthening my body has similarly strengthened my mind. Exercise for me is a form of self-care, a cathartic and meditative act: without it, my mental wellbeing and mindset would suffer. As I’ve dug into the neuroscience behind this mind-body connection, I’ve found scientific evidence backing my personal experience.

Lastly, the ability to form connections, whether between ideas or people, has been a recurring theme throughout my journey. Nexus Fitness was built on this principle, as “nexus” means “connection.” I’ve always had the peculiar ability to form connections between seemingly disparate ideas and memories – which has often supported my learning and creativity. Before co-founding Nexus, I immersed myself in the neuroscience of fitness and health, integrating my knowledge in neuroscience with my fitness background. After poring over various research articles, podcasts, and presentations, I came to an insight: it’s all connected. The mind, brain, and body are one intricately integrated system in which the state of one inevitably influences the other. Consequently, true health requires all three components to be dialed in. That’s why Nexus addresses individuals as the complicated, integrated system that they are, optimizing mindset, stress, sleep, nutrition, and physical fitness to foster holistic health.

I encourage those early in their journey to harness the power of mindset, fitness, and connection to support their success. To improve mindset, awareness is key: become cognizant of your underlying beliefs and self-talk, and determine whether they’re truly serving you. In terms of fitness, you don’t have to become a gym rat – even getting out for a daily walk has vastly underrated benefits. As for connection, appreciate the mind-brain-body system, understand that your lifestyle choices have widespread effects on your overall well-being, and act accordingly.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
This past year has been a transformative period for me, marked by significant shifts in my mindset and perspective on life. Meeting Gil and co-founding Nexus Fitness initiated my transition toward a more optimistic and growth-oriented mindset, inspiring me to dream – and dream big.

Often, in life, we find comfort in following the well-trodden path, conforming to societal norms and standards – even if they come at the expense of our true passions. The fairy tales we’re told as children are replaced by different stories, and we forget how to dream. We learn to chase what’s practical and safe, without questioning whether it’s what we truly want.

If you’d have told me I’d be starting a business two years ago, I would’ve thought you were crazy. I was content in the familiar realm of academia, on a seemingly straightforward career path as a scientist. However, this past year has taught me the power of embracing risk and committing wholeheartedly to my passions. I’ve learned to quell the whispers of self-doubt and worry in favor of trust, self-belief, and love.

Now, rather than questioning “why” I should take the leap to pursue my most ambitious dreams, I find myself asking “Why not?”

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Image Credits
Holly Dong

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