Wichita couple grows stronger together with new supplements business

After a fate-laced meeting at the gym last year, fitness enthusiasts Shane Woods and Tonya Woods have been busy meeting a number of their goals together.

First came the couple’s wedding, which was followed by the process of building a new home and starting a new fitness-related business in west Wichita.

Grow Stronger Supplements, the brainchild of the newlyweds, opened last week at the Auburn Pointe development at 135th and Maple in west Wichita. The store employs a nutrition coach and sells workout supplements and healthful energy drinks and food items.

“We wanted to open a place with a more personal touch,” Tonya Woods said. “This store is for everyone, no matter where they are with their fitness goals.

“I know as a woman, it can be intimidating at times buying supplements or starting a fitness program.”

Tonya Woods, 45, said the idea for the store sprouted this spring when the couple started to build their new home in Goddard. Shane Woods, 37, owns his own homebuilding company while Tonya Woods works as an MRI technician.

“We already had the idea of doing something together, and we were driving past the (Auburn Pointe) area a lot for our house,” Tonya Woods said. “The idea of doing something supplements-related came from us spending a lot of money on them at another place.”

One of the products that Grow Stronger sells is called Force Energy, an energy drink powder mix that Shane Woods said is a healthy alternative to popular sugary energy drinks.

“As a contractor, I see guys all the time drinking their (energy) drinks and things like that,” he said. “The problem with those drinks is that you can easily get dehydrated.

“We wanted to sell products that help people with their overall general health, whether that’s losing some weight or just living a healthier lifestyle.”

In addition to its owners, the store employs a manager, Taylor Radway, and nutrition coach, Andrew Cruz.

This story was originally published July 1, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Wichita couple grows stronger together with new supplements business."