Meet The Next Gen Of Nutritional Supplements

If you’ve ever found yourself in the supplement aisle of the drugstore with a case of analysis paralysis, you’re not alone. When faced with multiple brands and claims, choosing the right supplement brand can feel like an overwhelming task best left to someone else (your doctor or naturopath) or worse, a little game of Eeny, meeny, miny, mo.

According to Stats Canada, nearly half of all Canadians use nutritional supplements so it would make sense that we know what we’re talking and why. But that’s not always the case. Enter Well Told Health Botanicals, a line of organic botanical supplements aiming to disrupt the category.

With categories like Sleep, Energy, Antioxidant and Vitamin D, the sleek line of organic botanicals (sans fillers, synthetics, non-GMO and vegan) was the brainchild of a marketing exec who was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer and looking to find something that was missing in the market.

We chatted with Monica Ruffo, the entrepreneur and breast cancer survivor behind Well Told Health to learn more about her transformative career, product line and advice to young women with breast cancer.

The backstory

Monica was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer a few years ago. “Throughout my 16-month cancer treatment, I dug deep into every aspect of my lifestyle and questioned everything,” she says. This included what she was consuming — with many advisable dietary changes to consider, what you put into your body becomes one of the highest priorities. “I discovered quite incredibly, that most “natural” health products are not natural at all,” Monica says. “In fact, the word “natural” is not even a regulated word and most “natural” supplements contain a host of synthetics and fillers.” She made it her mission to find a way to recreate what women going through similar experiences were putting in their bodies.

The process

“I started by doing tons of research, probably because my background is in marketing, so I like to understand the market, my competitors, etc.” Monica says. “I also spoke to doctors, pharmacists, naturopathic doctors and nutritionists.” She additionally ended up consulting with over 650 people in the US and Canada and quickly realized that most do not have any idea what is actually in their supplements. An advisory board made up of naturopathic doctors sat on the process as well. “I wanted to create products that were not only pure and very high quality, but efficacious as well. I don’t have a specific background in formulating supplements, so was sure to surround myself with experts who knew how to get us to where we wanted to be,” she says.

The products

The line of products come in capsule shells, and are sold for $34 per bottle. Depending on your needs, different supplements target different areas such as energy levels and vitamin deficiencies. “Our products contain no synthetics, no fillers, no gluten, no soy and are Non-GMO Project verified,” Monica explains. “We are completely transparent about our ingredients so people can make their own informed decisions.

Mission and helpful advice

Overall, Monica lends her experience with breast cancer treatment to Well Told Health in every capacity — she wants to sell products that will really benefit young women. Though she chose to keep her diagnosis private at the time of treatment, she is now very open to discuss the impact the disease had on her. “My biggest learning is that you have to advocate and fight for yourself. Based on my experience, it’s important that you get more than one opinion and take the time to speak to a number people, then make the best choice for yourself.” *Always consult your medical team before starting a supplement regimen.

Monica is a serial entrepreneur and award-winning leader with a long-standing passion for health and wellness. Throughout her career as the leader of highly acclaimed advertising agencies, Monica has spearheaded countless award-winning initiatives for some of the world’s most valuable brands. With a deep passion for health and wellness, she has also lead internationally recognized programs for The Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation to name but a few. For more info. on Monica Ruffo and Well Told Health Botanicals, visit the site here.