Tyler started working at Kardish last June. He said it’s a company like no other. Coming to work is like coming home. “More like family than a job” says Tyler.

The 26-year-old Ottawa native is going back to school in the fall to complete a social service worker program through Algonquin College. He is also in training with the Ottawa Inner City Ministries – a not for profit community outreach program.

He was drawn to start working at Kardish last June out of personal interest. Tyler was working at Movati, and into personal fitness himself. He thought the next step would be to get curious about nutrition.

He set his sights on Kardish initially for two reasons. It was a local business and an industry leader here in Ottawa. He sent his resume over and followed up persistently.

When he first started, he didn’t know about anything on the shelf. Slowly, through his own trial of different products, and education from knowledgeable staff like store manager Mike and educator Marshall, he’s come into his own.

Now he can help customers – and himself. He started noticing that through better nutrition, he was able to have better recovery and improvements in his fitness. In fact, last September, Tyler ran his first marathon.

Although he’s not sure when he will run his next one, he has certainly kept running in the rotation. He says it’s a daily health habit to get active after work every day. For him, that usually comes in the form of a run around the neighborhood.

Tyler cares a lot about mental health in his community. He is “really big on mindset…and getting your brain right.” Sometimes, this means getting your daily routine right, sometimes it’s more in the realm of social work and helping out with life circumstances, but other times about finding what works for you when it comes to nutritional balance.

For Tyler, this meant finding Inositol – a supplement that can help some people regulate their hormonal balance, and influence their moods. He says that between starting the supplement, and working at Kardish, his mental health has improved immensely.

And he is happy to share this knowledge, and experience, with his customers.

Tyler says his most memorable experience with a customer happened when he noticed a woman tearfully browsing the aisles. He asked her if she needed any help (with finding something – but you know- also in general). He listened as she told him about a rough time she had been having at home, and how it was influencing her mental health. He told her about a supplement that might help with depression and anxiety, but more than anything he just listened. He doesn’t know what happened to her next, but she left smiling.

This is characteristic of what it’s like at Kardish. Community first, whether that’s between customers or team members like Tyler.

His long-term career goal doesn’t come in the form of a specific role yet. Instead Tyler has a personal mission:

“To help improve the mental health of others, by improving their mindset.”

He’s well on his way!