Andrea Kuoni, the young and accomplished model, businesswoman, and philanthropist has accomplished and exceeded her own expectations in life thus far. From a young age, Andrea conquered a battle with lung cancer and has since built an empire by establishing her presence in the social media space and making the world a better place all at the same time.
After developing lung cancer at the age of 17 as well as various complications including weeks spent hospitalized and multiple surgeries, Andrea miraculously recovered and has been in remission since. She is reminded of the miracle she experienced every day as she was left with scars from her many surgeries. Despite the trauma and visible scars left on her body, Andrea was more motivated than ever to bring her dreams to fruition. Her positive mindset and focus on her purpose in life were attributes that contributed to Andrea’s many accomplishments.
Kuoni began her modeling career in a Verizon commercial while in college, which then opened doors as a promotional model for Modelo/Corona. She worked her way up to modeling at large scale events across the country. But Andrea had bigger goals for herself in the modeling industry and in 2017, she decided to apply for Playboy Switzerland, one of her dream publications. Andrea was surprised to soon find out that she’d be introduced as Playmate to the brand family in their November 2017 issue. Achieving a lifelong dream of hers only motivated her to set her goals even higher. Andrea went on to become Playmate of the month for Playboy Mexico, with her debut in their magazine as a new face in December 2018 and centerfold in February 2019.
Despite her success in the modeling industry and achieving her goals as a published Playboy model, Andrea has always been passionate about giving back to the community that once helped her. Kuoni emphasizes that without the help and support of the doctors at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she may not have had the opportunity to pursue her dreams. In 2015, Kuoni became a LIVESTRONG Spokeswoman, and had the opportunity to broadcast her story on their website. As a LIVESTRONG Spokeswoman, Andrea also ran the Marine Corps Marathon. Kuoni continues to make a difference in the lives of many by being an active philanthropist and giving back to various organizations including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, LIVESTRONG, and autism awareness efforts. Most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrea has strived to brighten the lives of countless children by dressing up as Disney Princess Elsa on Zoom calls with children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals.
Kuoni attributes a few traits to her inspiring success as a published model and philanthropist, which include authenticity, compassion, and the ability to keep a positive mindset. In her hardest times, Andrea learned that keeping a positive mindset is incredibly important in every aspect of her life. “If you remain positive, you’ll see the opportunity in everything and never worry about things you can’t change,” Andrea Stated.
In a saturated industry such as modeling, Kuoni believes it’s crucial to stay true to your authentic self to set yourself apart from the masses. As a manager and mentor to new models, Kuoni encourages her models to never replicate or imitate others, but rather to stay true to themselves in hopes to inspire many others. By displaying her authentic self throughout her social media, Andrea has been able to captivate and establish a loyal fanbase of over half a million followers.
Kuoni has evolved her knowledge of the modeling industry and networking into her new venture, AndyKandy LLC. Her newest business manages and connects models and photographers with events and hosting opportunities to expand their social media presence and modeling portfolio. Currently, Kuoni is working on expanding her model management business and is looking towards investment opportunities with likeminded models. Just as she knew creating a strong network of support for herself was pivotal to her success, Andrea plans to start a charity in which helps connect models with opportunities from all backgrounds, focusing on small towns similar to the one outside of Kansas City where she was raised.
Andrea Kuoni is an exemplary role model to entrepreneurs, models, and philanthropist and hopes that her journey to success will inspire others to chase their dreams. If there was one piece of advice Andrea would give it someone, it would be that “this is your life to make it whatever you want, so paint it up, throw some sprinkles on it and chase your goals like they’re followed by a shot of tequila!”
You can keep up with Andrea Kuoni on her website, or visit her Instagram.