ABOUT
Joanna ‘The Tropical Lady’, Founder of Tropicize
From preparing fast and easy plant-based meals, to working out and relaxing island-style, Tropicize is perfect for people who want to live longer and healthier without the hassle.
Joanna, aka “The Tropical Lady,” was born in Pittsburgh but became obsessed with all things tropical after seeing her first real palm tree at the age of 20. She was inspired to move to Hawaii a year later where she worked at several exclusive resorts and restaurants including the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Trader Vic’s at the International Marketplace, hung out with many of Hawaii’s most popular musicians and singers, and created a line of tropical arts and crafts.
After returning to the Mainland, marrying, and working as an earth scientist and engineer for a number of years, her first husband died of a heart attack at a young age. At that point she became passionate to try to help others get healthier, and earned a Master’s Degree in Health Promotion from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte as well as numerous health and fitness certifications. She became an author and health consultant, created her own fitness and wellness programs, and also worked as a wellness director for a large corporation.
Around ten years ago she turned to a plant-based diet for ethical reasons, but to her shock and delight, her new eating habits appeared to cure several serious illnesses she had developed. Around this time she also started playing the steel drums and, along with her husband, Ronnie Tsunami, formed an award-winning tropical band. She believes island music has been another important contributor to her current glowing health.
Joanna has recently combined her love of all things tropical with her passion to help people become healthier through plant-based eating. Mix in her ability to find ways to make health habits as fast and fun as possible, and the result is Tropicize – island-inspired nutrition, fitness, and stress reduction.
Joanna is also a certified SCUBA diver, a Zumba and senior exercise instructor, certified life coach, and award-winning tropical fabric artist, and travels as often as she can to tropical destinations.
