Shin Mina began her entertainment career as a model before transitioning to acting in 2001 with a supporting role in the SBS drama Beautiful Days. That same year, she landed her first film role in the martial arts action comedy movie Volcano High. In 2003, she received the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards for her work in Punch. In 2005, she led the KBS2 romantic melodrama A Love to Kill, which was hailed Best Drama at the 2006 Asian Television Awards. In 2008, she appeared in the musical drama film Go Go 70s, in which she was named Best Actress at the 17th Chunsa Film Art Awards. In 2010, she was paired with Lee Seung-gi in the hit SBS fantasy romantic comedy My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, which gave her an Excellence Award at the SBS Drama Awards. In 2015, she took home another Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards for her performance in Oh My Venus. In 2021, she played a perfectionist and pragmatic dentist in the well-loved tvN series Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

Shin Mina has been in a relationship with actor-model Kim Woo-bin since May 2015. She studied performing arts at the Dongguk University.