In Focus | Tania Gustafson of FIT Nutrition and MonaVie/Mynt

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Tania Gustafson

What do you always find yourself saying?
I absolutely love quotes; in fact my kids called me “quom” (quote mom) as I send them one almost daily. There are a few that I always come back to as being favourites.
“You're never what you feel, always what you decide.” Rex Crain
“Character is measured by how you act when no one is watching.” Unknown
“You can invest in your health now, or pay dearly to regain it later.” My own

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
I love spending time with my husband, but we rarely get an entire day to ourselves so more of these days would be wonderful.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
I have never thought about winning an award, but if I had to choose one it would be for public service in the areas of making a difference in the health of as many people as possible.

If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
Mother Teresa. She was such a fantastic example of how to love unconditionally. The way she gave of herself to those who not only had less, but were considered less of a person by society, is truly inspiring. The world needs more of her empathy and compassion.

Who inspires you?
My three kids. They are not afraid to do new things and think outside the box. All three are currently following their dreams wherever it may take them around the world and as a result, are succeeding and living their lives with passion and purpose.

What are three things on your bucket list?
1. Participate and serve in a mission’s trip to The More Project in Brazil (where my husband and I have a sponsor daughter) and to Ethiopia and Mauritania (where we sponsor two boys) with World Vision.
2. On my 50th birthday to spend one month travelling Europe with France, Italy and Greece as my top must see destinations.
3. To have my 1965 Mustang completely restored and in original condition.

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
Opportunity

If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
The day my first grandchild is born.

What are you passionate about?
Health and time freedom

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
The Christmas my family and I were able to spend with my Nana before she passed away.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Being a mom. I look at my kids, now 25, 22 and 18, and seeing how far they have come, the directions they are headed and the wonderful people they have grown up to be fills my heart and makes me smile every time I think about them.

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
For fine dining, Ricardo's is amazing! It's all fresh and handmade daily and the quality comes through. The atmosphere is very welcoming and cozy and sitting on the patio in the summer feels like you are in an Italian garden.

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
Hiking, camping and relaxing on the beach. We live in such a beautiful place you don't have to venture far to find a piece of paradise.

What is the name of your business/organization?
I have two businesses
FIT Nutrition
MonaVie/Mynt (My Nutrition)

What does your business/organization do?
I am a licensed and certified Nutritionist & Fitness Coach, IBNFC, founder of FIT Nutrition. With health and wellness, and especially weight loss, being at the forefront in our society today, it is important that people get correct information so that they can lose weight, achieve their health and fitness goals safely and then maintain them for life. I teach clients why living a program of blood sugar stabilization works for life where dieting doesn't. By learning how to balance food, clients are shown how to eat the foods they love correctly, get the results they want and, in the process, gain the education they will need to maintain their results for life. I have been a distributor for MonaVie for six years and now with Mynt (My Nutrition), our new company currently in pre-launch with full launch in Canada May 1, 2015. Backed by MonaVie, the fastest company in network marketing history industry to reach $1 billion in sales, Mynt is positioned to take both the network marketing and health and wellness industries to a new level. As a health care professional, I am frequently asked to recommend products and/or asked which products I use personally and I confidently and without hesitation recommend the MonaVie and Mynt line. The company provides an amazing line of functional beverages, supplements, protein shakes, bars and all natural energy drinks that have literally transformed my life and the lives of the many people I have been blessed to share them with locally and around the world. With such amazing results, it's no wonder that many people have been able to create a secondary income stream and even replace their existing jobs altogether creating more time to spend with family and friends.

Where can people find you or your business online?
fuelignitethrive.com

How do people connect with you on Linkedin?
https://www.linkedin.com/

Where can people find your business on Facebook?
For now, my personal page and FIT Nutrition are one.
The highly successful “8 Weeks is All It Takes!” group is a wonderfully supportive community open to anyone looking to improve their health. Join us and journey alongside others who are also working towards their personal health and fitness goals.

What is your mission?
My mission is to provide correct information around nutrition and balanced eating to as many people as possible so that the current culture of fast, over-processed foods which creates sickness and disease relating to being overweight and/or obese, can be reversed and future health crises in these areas will cease to exist.

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
If I could help enough people lose weight, get off medications and improve their health so that it creates a stir in Kelowna and catches the attention of more local physicians in such a way that they also begin teaching their patients to look to nutrition and balancing blood sugar as a first line of treatment before prescribing medications, I would be ecstatic!

Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
Given that the health and wellness industry as a whole is currently a $150 billion industry with $65 billion spent on nutritional supplements alone, in five years I see my Mynt business as the vehicle providing the residual income needed for my husband to also step away from his job as an automotive technician. This blessing will allow us to spend more time together as a couple, with our kids, and to share this message of better health and opportunity with as many people as possible around the world.

Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
Mark Macdonald in the field of nutrition and for bringing the concept of blood sugar stabilization to the masses of people in an effort to reverse the current crisis of a growing population of overweight and obese people in North America.
Steve & Gina Merritt for team building, investing in others and changing the world's perception of network marketing so that more people are able to benefit from the exceptional products and participate in an opportunity to create some financial freedom where they may not have otherwise been able to.

What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
I hold both businesses to a high standard and work daily to ensure expectations are not only met, but exceeded.
Trust – FIT Nutrition's program information is based on science and physiology, no gimmicks, diets or fads. All MonaVie/Mynt products are held to the highest standard and contain no fillers, artificial ingredients and are GMO free. Information on commissions paid by MonaVie/Mynt is gathered, prepared and presented by an independent law firm. Nothing hidden, everything above board.
Personal Touch – All FIT Nutrition programs are personalized for each client to ensure success not only in the short term, but for life. For those building a business, myself and other MonaVie/Mynt leaders, both locally and internationally, encourage and promote ways to support personal growth, provide training and support and regularly attend functions to help build and stimulate growth for each distributor's business centre.
Integrity – FIT Nutrition clients may rest assured that the program and/or product(s) recommended to them are made solely with the client's best interest in mind. MonaVie/Mynt Distributors believe in building a business built on a solid foundation of trust and integrity.

How does your business/organization impact the community?
As both FIT Nutrition and MonaVie/Mynt grow, many more people will have their lives positively transformed. As a result, the positive impact on Kelowna and the surrounding communities will create a wave of better health and opportunity with a culture of committed people working together for a common goal.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
I would love to be able to speak with experts in the Medical field, Educational field and the Nutrition industry. Presenting information to them on how vital it is to educate people, especially our youth, on the importance of good, balanced nutrition and how it is preventative, minimizing the need for medicines and lowering the costs on the healthcare system. In addition, this education will only come to pass if all departments are on board and are working together for the health of the public, rather than simply continuing to prescribe medicines for diseases and symptoms that can be eliminated through a change in the way a person eats and the lifestyle they lead.

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
Better parking downtown

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The fantastic weather, beautiful scenery and the many opportunities for people to get and stay active in any season.

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Nikki Csek for her gift of innovation and creativity in bringing people and their passions to life through media.
Chantal Staerkle for her work with the marginalized women in Mali.
Arlene Irwin for her passion about theatre and her interest in how she can use that passion to help kids with Autism.

Some general comments I would like to share are:
I would like to say thank you to KelownaNow for the opportunity to share myself and my passions. Hopefully the pebble dropped here today will begin a ripple of better health and a culture of helping others that spreads across Kelowna, throughout Okanagan and out to the world.

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!