Lifestyle

How Private Hotsprings Can Transform Wellness Tourism with Its Lithia-Inspired Innovations

Published

1 year ago

February 12, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo by Private Hotsprings

By Michelle Snow

Private Hotsprings resort features exclusive infinity-edge pools fed by natural hot springs, attracting wellness tourists to British Columbia’s remote wilderness. Tina and Alex Genzer are expanding beyond hospitality with Lithios Beverages, a drink line incorporating lithia-rich mineral water from the springs. The new venture aims to bring the therapeutic benefits of the resort’s natural waters to consumers worldwide.

Enchanted By Nature

Tina and Alex are familiar with entrepreneurship. Before embarking on their journey to British Columbia, the pair successfully ran a boiler installation and construction business in Toronto, specializing in snowmelt systems. While Alex, a former Air Force pilot, honed his engineering expertise and cultivated a strong public presence with CBC and News Talk 1010 appearances, Tina led business operations with her signature entrepreneurial flair.

Tina Genzer recalls how their lives changed when they discovered the Kootenay region’s natural hot springs. “We were captivated by the serenity of this place,” she says. The couple started acquiring chalets that blend luxury and nature. Today, Private Hotsprings offers three properties: the Cedar Log Cabin with a waterfall and lake access and two chalets featuring the world’s only infinity-edge hot spring pools.

The couple’s leadership style has been instrumental in the company’s growth. The Genzers have carved out a niche that remains untouched by competitors by prioritizing exclusivity and direct customer engagement over conventional review systems. “Our mission has always been to create a serene retreat where guests can unwind, rejuvenate, and reconnect with themselves,” Alex Genzer explains.

Lithios Beverages

Tina and Alex’s idea for Lithios Beverages emerged during a restorative evening at the hot springs, inspired by the therapeutic effects of lithia-rich waters. Since its successful debut in New York earlier this year, which sold out within days, the brand is now planning to partner with a major U.S. distributor to enter the growing health and wellness beverage market.

The Genzers are well-positioned to leverage this opportunity, as Lithios Beverages aligns with their brand ethos blending the purity of their mineral springs with health-conscious choices. “Lithios is not just a beverage, it is a lifestyle,” says Tina Genzer. “We aim to provide the same rejuvenation and vitality our guests experience, no matter where they are.”

A Rising Tide for Wellness Tourism

Wellness tourism thrives on authenticity and connection to nature, two qualities that Private Hotsprings exemplifies. The company has tapped into a lucrative market segment that prioritizes unique and restorative experiences over mass tourism by offering exclusive access to mineral-rich hot springs in a private setting.

Competitors in the wellness industry have begun to explore similar models, but only some can rival Private Hotsprings’ distinctive offerings. The company’s first-in-the-world infinity-edge pools and meticulous curation of guest experiences give it a significant edge.

The Next Phase

Despite these challenges, the Genzers remain optimistic about the future. Their dual focus on Private Hotsprings and Lithios Beverages allows them to innovate within two complementary markets.

The next phase of their journey includes expanding Lithios Beverages across the U.S., emphasizing sustainability and transparency. Lithios Beverages has opened up its next round of funding to scale its operations.

The Genzers are also exploring ways to share their story with a broader audience. “We want investors and guests alike to understand the heart and vision behind what we do,” Tina says. “It is not just about running a business, it is about creating something meaningful and lasting.”

Tina and Alex Genzer have created an example of success that other industry players will undoubtedly seek to emulate by blending luxury with nature and leveraging their lithia-rich waters for global impact.

Lifestyle

Why Toba Ogunremi Believes High-Performing Teams Start with Belonging, Not Pressure

Published

7 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Most teams don’t fall apart all at once. It happens slowly, missed conversations, quiet disengagement, people doing what’s required but nothing more.

Toba Ogunremi has spent years working inside care environments where that kind of shift is easy to miss until it starts affecting everything. Leading operations at Samorem Care in the UK, he has seen how systems can appear stable on the surface while teams underneath struggle to stay connected to their work.

One experience early in his career changed how he looks at leadership entirely.

He had taken over a team that wasn’t in crisis, but it wasn’t working well either. The people receiving care were safe, but they weren’t thriving. The same was true for the staff. There was no urgency, no energy, just routine.

The usual solution would have been to tighten control by setting new targets, increasing supervision, and creating performance plans. He didn’t do any of that.

“I started with conversations,” he says. “Real ones. Not rushed, not formal.”

One by one, he spoke to each team member. What came out wasn’t frustration with the job itself, but something quieter and harder to spot.

“They weren’t disengaged because they didn’t care,” he explains. “They were disengaged because they felt unseen.”

No one had asked what they thought. No one had taken the time to understand how they were coping. Over time, that absence had turned into distance. That moment stayed with him. It shaped how he leads today.

His approach is simple, but not always easy to apply: people perform better when they feel they belong.

He believes high performance usually comes when people feel like they genuinely belong and know that what they do actually matters.

In healthcare, where pressure is constant and expectations are high, this idea can sound secondary. The focus is often on outcomes, compliance, and efficiency. Toba doesn’t dismiss those things, but he questions what happens when they become the only focus.

Even when all the processes are in place, if the people delivering the care feel disconnected, it eventually reflects in the quality of the work.

At Samorem Care, this thinking shows up in small but consistent ways. Recruitment is not just about experience. It’s about how someone responds to people, how they handle pressure, and how they communicate. Once they are in, the focus shifts to keeping teams stable and supported, rather than constantly rotating staff or reacting only when something goes wrong. He also pays attention to how leaders show up day to day.

According to him, leadership is not just about giving direction; it’s about being present enough to understand what your team actually needs.

That presence matters more in care than in most industries. The work is demanding, often emotional, and not always recognised for what it takes. When teams feel stretched or overlooked, it affects how they interact with the people they support.

For Toba, resilience is less about constant pressure and more about creating a work environment where people can do their jobs well without burning out. In his view, strong teams are not just coping; they are supported enough to stay clear-headed and consistent in their work.

His background outside healthcare still shapes how he leads. Having worked in sales and communications, he understands how important it is to read people and build trust. In healthcare, though, the impact is far more direct, as decisions affect someone’s everyday life, not just an outcome on paper.

That shift makes leadership more personal. Teams need more than instructions; they need stability, clarity, and a sense that they are understood. What defines Toba Ogunremi’s approach is its simplicity. He focuses on being consistent, listening carefully, and addressing issues early rather than reacting late.

In the end, his belief is straightforward: teams perform better not because they are pushed harder, but because they feel valued and part of something that works.