the tuja team
Kyla Gaertner
Project Lead (i.e. has her hands in everything)
Between hiking Tunnel Mountain daily and calling Wild Flour her home office, Kyla loves the Banff life (one year turned into two, turned into three… now on year seven). If her landlord allowed dogs she’d have one – in the meantime she’d be happy to dog sit your pup when you’re away. She never gets sick of trail mix, adores singing out loud in her apartment, and the best part of her day is when she gets to connect with others through words, stories, pictures or simply through amazing conversation.
Connect with Kyla.
Ed Malcolm
Founder
Ed’s stomping grounds reach far beyond the bustle of his hometown Calgary. Every Saturday morning, Mother Nature beckons from the west where he embarks on mountainous adventures with his ever-increasing circle of friends and four-legged companion Jace. He’s a firm believer that everyone has an interesting story to tell, and that drinking the proper amount of quality water is the key ingredient to great health. Ed’s love of business development, yin yoga, the great outdoors, and his wife’s cabbage salad bring a whole other meaning to weekend warrior.
Get in touch with Ed.
Valerie McTavish
Writer & Producer
Valerie’s a morning person. In fact, she loves waking up so much she sometimes hits snooze so she can do it over and over all morning long. She’s a 30+ year vegetarian veteran and has recently added gluten to her no-no list. Her husband’s constant demand for joke validation keeps her laughing. Their joint addiction to travel means they are either longing to be on the road or actually on the road. Luckily, her recent move to Kelowna, BC has her constantly discovering things to love about her new hometown – like the mountains, hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, skiing, mountain biking – well, you get the picture.
Share a laugh with Valerie.
Meghan J. Ward
Community Lead & Writer
Based in Banff, Meghan is a writer and editor who wakes up to the glorious peaks of The Rockies each morning and walks about twenty metres to work. She frequently escapes the confines of her desk to practice yoga, take photos, play outdoors and travel abroad, though they make computers so small these days she’s been known to bring her laptop to some pretty remote places. Three things she can't live without? Raw chocolate, fair trade coffee and homemade guacamole.
Get in touch with Meghan.
Tim Wohlberg
Videographer
You know that guy who doesn't take anything seriously, who's always joking around and never wears a straight face? That's Tim. Growing up playing every sport under the sun, (except hockey...WHAT?!) he's never lost his love of being active. Whether its hiking, biking, boarding, kayaking or even Frisbee, he insists, if you're not out of breath you can't be enjoying it. He's a traveler and a foodie and never says no when it comes to trying new things or places. Living in Kelowna allows Tim and his wife to be on the water or up a mountain at the drop of a hat. Tim's vice - his wife's guacamole, "can I lick the bowl now?"