Meet Tonya Papanikolov

Hi Tonya, please introduce yourself.

Hi! I’m Tonya, a Holistic Nutritionist, health educator, social entrepreneur and yoga teacher. I’m the Founder and CEO of Rainbo and in my spare time I’m outdoors hiking, looking at fungi, hugging trees, meditating, doing yoga, reading, writing and cooking.

What are some brands that you've recently spotted?

ION Biome makes products that restore the gut lining and whole body biome integrity while connecting us to nature’s intelligence.

Walden creates beautiful modern tools for stillness and meditative states.

Defender Shield makes the best EMF (electromagnetic field) protection around. I swear by the laptop shield and air tube earbuds.

Aries Tech makes the best wearable tech for EMF harmonization. I wear the Lifetune Go as a necklace every day and have the EMR protection devices in my bedroom and office.

Intelligently Change's Productivity Planner helped to transform my day and to-do lists from feeling endlessly overwhelmed to feeling accomplished and realistic around what a successful day looks like.

Oura creates a smart ring that lets you track your health, activity, heart, sleep, rest and offers personalized insights and lets you improve your health markers and optimize in real time.

What's a brand you've recently tested?

What are some misconceptions about mushrooms and can you debunk them?

There are too many misconceptions to name but I’ll tackle a few important ones:

1. All mushrooms are fungi but not all fungi are mushrooms.

Many folks are obsessed with mushrooms, and I get it!! Mushrooms are fascinating and incredible. However it’s important to remember that mushrooms are just one part of a massive, magical, mysterious kingdom called Fungi that science still knows so little about. Fungi deserve our love and attention too, we cannot isolate or talk about mushrooms without talking about the larger kingdom of fungi.

2. Mushrooms stimulate the immune system. Wrong!

Mushrooms are immunomodulators. They modulate and give the body what it needs. They do not stimulate - rather they harmonize and regulate the immune system.

3. All mushroom products are the same. Wrong!

There are varying qualities of mushrooms out there. It is important to ask the right questions. Are they fruiting body, mycelium or biomass mushrooms? Have they been double or triple extracted? Are they organic? Where are they grown? Are they cultivated or wild? Are they third-party tested?

4. There is no science to back up the health benefits. Wrong!

There are over 100,000 scientific studies on functional mushrooms which is backed up by thousands of years of use in traditional medicine in Asia.

What else is in your current rotation?

The book - Living Fully: Finding Joy in Every Breath and diving into the teachings of Dzogchen Buddhism.

Sleeping - I’m becoming an expert sleeper and am proud! Sleep and rest allows the body to heal, recuperate and become stronger. I’m optimizing my sleep with very dark rooms, taping my mouth shut while I sleep, ear plugs, meditating before bed, and blue light blocking glasses in the evening.

Duolingo - on a 200 day streak of learning Spanish.

Who are some spotters in your community who you look to for new things?

Chelsea Leyland, Tara Thomas, Lisa O’Connor, MJ Renshaw, and Samara Cooper.

Spotted on Tonya's coffee table...