y Mandy Holmes / photo by J. Tatum Studio / makeup by Chanel Molleo Veteran and health fanatic Shonte Turner creates inventive fitness products with her company, TurnFIT 44 <strong>Scottsdale</strong><strong>Health</strong> 01/20
Veteran Shonte Turner can now add entrepreneur to her titles. As the owner of TurnFIT, Turner is utilizing her military background along with her passion for health to create fitness products. After a decade of active duty service, Turner found herself a veteran with a void of comradery. So, she turned to fitness, a subject she already felt enthusiastic about. Turner was already in the habit of working out, enjoyed physical training and had an interest in nutrition. When a friend recommended that she enter a fitness competition, she saw it as an opportunity to put her hard work on display. “What really stood out, and stills holds true today, is competing is something that is just about me,” she says. Entrepreneurial Pursuits TurnFIT came about as a natural step for the fitnessgoer and self-described “low-key germaphobe.” As part of her workout routine, Turner utilizes sweatinducing waist trimmers during cardio exercises. Faced with the dilemma of maintaining clean and dry equipment for back-to-back fitness sessions, she decided to create SwapTrap, a waist trimmer drying mat. She also created the YoTrap, a drying yoga mat accessory. Both inserts work by keeping bacteria at bay, thanks to the antibacterial material, and can dry the surface of equipment in minutes verses hours. The yoga-friendly YoTrap is a dual-purpose towel to utilize as a yoga towel during your workout and as a moisture wicking drying mat for after your workout. The SwapTrap prevents odor and mildew by keeping any standard waist trimmer’s surface dry. As a woman of color and an entrepreneur, Turner feels a strong responsibility to set a positive example for other women and young girls. Though there have been discouraging days along her journey, she recognizes the importance of her position as a role model. “This year I was at the Phoenix Fitness Expo, and two teenage girls approached the TurnFIT booth and simply said ‘Thank you for spreading the black girl magic’ and in that moment it was all worth it,” she says. Hard Work, Happy Life While her background in information management from her time in the Air Force coupled with a degree in organizational management and an MBA in Project Management provide her with the technical experience to her business, Shonte’s optimistic perspective also serves as an important factor for her entrepreneurial journey. Turner believes that everyone has at least one great invention in them. Her hard work ethic, business plan and ability to be resourceful, despite the lack of mentors or investors, were all factors in making her dream a reality. “The most rewarding part of my career is the fact that TurnFIT is all mine; my inventions, my designs, my blood, sweat, and tears,” she says. / photo by Krissy Osborne / makeup by Vanessa Cooper Through all her endeavors in her personal and professional life, Turner has been fortunate to have the support of her husband, who is also a veteran, and three children. “My husband is so supportive because he sees how happy this business makes me. In the gym and on stage my family supports the at times selfish moments it took to get there and for that I am forever grateful,” she says. With her supportive family and her eyes on the prize of creating her own empire, Turner is only expanding her business, with an apparel line in the works. “I’m finding my business evolves the more I evolve,” she says. “I have had to really come out of my shell and step out of my comfort zone because in the end, the TurnFIT products are not just about me.” For more information, visit www.turnfitproducts.com. 01/20 <strong>Scottsdale</strong><strong>Health</strong> 45
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