In Focus | James Greenwood

Meet James! He loves mountain biking, and has been Coaching since he was 16 years old!



Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kelowna?
We are originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, but have lived in the Lower Mainland since 2004. We moved to Kelowna in 2018.

Who is your favourite person to spend time with?
My wife Caroline and son, David. Sorry that is 2.

What is your favourite local store in Kelowna and why?
Fresh Air Experience.

Describe yourself in one word.
Excitable.

If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
Easter Island.

What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
Mountain biking.

What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
Asking a family friend how long she was along in her pregnancy, when she had actually just gained weight.

What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
Having the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life, all ages and life stages - this inspires me every day.

Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
When I was about 9 years old, playing cricket with my dad on a sunny, warm, Saturday afternoon.



Where do you volunteer or give back in the community?
Being new to Kelowna, and starting a new business, I have not had the spare time to volunteer a whole lot. One of Charities is Kid Sport Kelowna, and we try to give Gift Certificates to our studio to charity events at every opportunity. In Port Moody I coached my sons sports teams, I and plan on Coaching again once the business is more established.

If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
Remove the influence of large corporations (Big pharma, Big Food, Oil and Gas etc) influencing research into important topics such as nutrition, health and wellness, Climate change etc, so we would be able to get unbiased, and trustworthy, research to guide our decision making.

Where would you sneak away to in Kelowna to spend some time alone?
Knox Mountain.

Where would you like to see positive change in Kelowna and why?
We own a Golden Doodle, and I feel that Kelowna could do a better job at being dog friendly, in terms of space for dogs to be off leash, access the the lake etc.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The climate for sure. Coming from Vancouver / Port Moody, not dealing with weeks of rain at a time is awesome.

What are 3 things on your bucket list?
1. Go and watch and ride stages of the Tour de France
2. Own a camper trailer and drive across Canada
3. Visit Japan

Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
If I could choose any career, I would have loved to be an Astro-Physicist

How do people connect with you, personally, through social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
Instagram: @ifkelowna
Facebook: Innovative Fitness Kelowna

What is the name of your business/organization?
Innovative Fitness Kelowna.

Why did you get into/start this business?
I have been Coaching since I was 16 years old, and decided there might a career in it, so I studied Human Movement Science / Sport Science at University (Kinesiology)

What is the goal of your business?
To enhance the quality of our clients' lives.

What has been your biggest struggle either at work or in life?
I think that the lack of evidence based training and Coaching in our industry has always been a problem.

If you could start all over again would you do things the same or would things be different?
I do not think I would really change anything. All my decisions have led me to this place, and we are so fortunate to be in the position we are, to build something truly exceptional.

What do you always find yourself saying?
"If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got."



Tell us your best piece of life advice.
Since we started this journey to opening IF Kelowna, there has been huge amounts of stress and anxiety, almost on a daily basis, I keep telling myself to take things one day at a time!

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
Dr. Timothy Noakes

Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
Supporting local businesses, not only helps those businesses thrive, but it helps us to thrive, because it keeps our local economy, and community, thriving, keeps money in our local economy, and ultimately helps to raise the entire communities quality of life.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Becoming a dad, and reaching 20 years of marriage.

Give someone you think that deserves it a shout out and explain why!
Adam Blanchard and his team at BMO for saving our entire project from doom, before we had even started construction. We hit a huge problem with our financing with another financial institution, whom we had been working closely with for over a year. Long story short, Adam and his team solved the problem in 10 days, over Christmas and New Years, and had us back on track, before the other bank had even requested a follow up meeting.

My choice for the KelownaNow In Focus spotlight is:
Ian Harris of TI Developments.

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.

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition of the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. Thank you, Kelowna!