![About Me](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fandrea-headshot.f52e4b09.jpg&w=1920&q=100)
A bit about me
Hi. I’m Andrea. Quick question for you:
Would you quit a promising corporate career to train in an Olympic sport you’d never tried, at the age when most athletes retire?
Would you trade financial stability for rib fractures, ever-present fatigue, and hands so blistered that you wear rubber gloves to cut lemons?
Would you trade time with loved ones for gruelling training sessions in freezing conditions, and a chance to compete in a sport so intense that athletes collapse at the finish line?
These were the questions I faced when, at the late age of 27, I decided to pursue the sport of rowing. At the time, I was chasing my corporate ambitions as a hotel manager in downtown Vancouver, with no background in organised sports. When a family friend suggested I try rowing as a hobby, I auditioned for a Talent Identification Program and was told I had the makings of a future athlete.
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There was one catch. I had to quit my job - before I’d even set foot in a boat.
This was a crazy idea, and someone had to talk me out of it - so I called my parents. Instead, they told me to go for it. “You never want to wonder what if,” they said. “Go and see how fast you can be.”
I decided to hit pause on my C-suite ambitions, and lean into uncertainty. Only eight years later, I had reinvented myself as a Rowing Canada National Team athlete, two-time World Cup medalist, and Olympic Champion. But the path to success is never a straight line.
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“Failing forward” quickly became my motto as I braved injuries, underperformance, burnout, a historic Olympic postponement, and a life-changing accident when I was hit by an SUV while biking. Navigating these countless obstacles, I realised that while setbacks are inevitable, it’s how we respond to them that shapes our success. In a sport where you win or lose by hundredths of a second, I made it my mission to build out actionable strategies to cultivate my mental resilience, manage uncertainty, and foster a winning team culture.
In 2021, despite serious last-minute injuries, a typhoon, and the ever-looming threat of COVID, our uniquely female-coached crew went on to boisterously sing the national anthem as we won Canada’s first Women’s Coxed Eight Olympic gold medal in 29 years.
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Now out of spandex, my time is spent speaking to classrooms on the lessons in sport that go beyond the field of play. I also advocate for athlete-centred policy and abuse-free sport, representing Canada's over 6,000 National Team athletes as Vice President of AthletesCAN.
My passion for helping others reach their full potential is why I now work with corporations worldwide to create cultures of success. I would love to discuss how I could inspire and empower your team to pursue their podium, and achieve their own gold medal moments.
Let's start the conversation
Clients I've Worked With
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