We had the good fortune of connecting with Gui Bittencourt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gui, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I’ve always been a helper. Since I was a kid, I liked to help people, often without being asked. Growing up, I needed a lot of help from different people—and sometimes even from destiny. That’s why I’m so grateful and willing to help these days. I realized that no human being is an island, and we all need help at some point in our lives.
As a society and a community, we need each other in order to thrive. This connection and the ability to live in community is what makes us strong and the most capable species.
Building a brand is no different—we are in the service business. We are here to help with the tools we have, standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. In this case, my goal is to help people lose weight and achieve their nutritional goals so they can thrive.
My differentiator is that I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to try different diets, to feel confused, unmotivated, with low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety due to a lack of nutrients and an excess of calories. It’s tiring, sad, and soul-crushing. That’s why my approach is rooted in compassion and kindness—not only for oneself, allowing foods simply because they make you happy; for the planet, trying to keep this place suitable for life as long as possible; and for the animals, reducing suffering and honoring their lives.
The well-being of not only all people, but all beings, matters to me—and that starts on our plates.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I grew up as an overweight kid. At 13 years old, I was dealing with “adult” problems such as pre-diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. It was too much for a kid.
Around age 14, I enrolled at a local gym and started working out to lose weight and feel better about myself. I was always curious, so I began learning about nutrition and fitness. By chance, I found a book called Vitamins and Proteins. I don’t remember the author—if there even was one—but the book had a green cover and looked like a test print. Still, it sparked my curiosity and made me want to learn more about what my body needed and what it had been missing.
From there, I dove into blogs, forums, websites, books, and magazines. That became my new passion.
At 18, after “knowing” for years that I wanted to become a computer scientist—and even finishing trade school in IT—I made a different choice and enrolled in college for Nutrition. That turned out to be the best decision I could’ve made.
Five years later, I earned my degree and the knowledge I needed to help people improve their diets and lifestyles. My bachelor’s program didn’t just teach me how to calculate macros, run an industrial kitchen, or build a diet plan for a hospital patient in trauma—it helped me become a better human being.
But I still had a burning desire—what they call wanderlust—to travel the world. Less than a month after graduating, I got on a plane with just a small bag and landed in the United States.
Since I didn’t speak much English, I didn’t feel confident or prepared to work as a nutritionist right away. It took me about three years to open my business and feel ready to help people change their diets in a country where I barely spoke the language. I’m still learning…
But being an overweight kid, going through this journey, studying, earning my degree, and seeing the health challenges in the U.S. from a foreign perspective have all made me apt to do what I do today: to nourish people with information so they can thrive on their own.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
California is so beautiful and so vast! First thing that comes to mind is Highway 1. I’d probably go from LA to Big Sur, camp for a day or two, and enjoy some of the local food, with plenty of seafood and whole foods. Then I’d head back to LA, pass by Hollywood, overlook the sign, maybe go for a hike there, and visit the Observatory. I would also visit some of the museums, like MOCA and the Museum of Science, go to an electronic party in Downtown LA, eat at vegan or vegetarian restaurants, go to Santa Monica Beach, and listen to what they’d like to do and take their lead.
LA is such a beautiful, culturally rich, and fun place. I’d try to cater to the specific kind of friend and show them a good time, no matter what they’re into.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My special thanks go to the Rotary Club for serving and bringing together communities all around the world. From delivering clean water to small villages in Africa, to helping fight polio in Gaza, to helping Altadena recover from the recent fires—Rotary is one of the non-profit organizations making the most impact in the world.
Funny story: I joined Rotary around 2009, when I was leaving high school and looking for an international exchange program—my reasoning was purely selfish, I confess. But attending the meetings and seeing firsthand what Rotary was really about (in my case, raising funds for the club, distributing gifts on Christmas or Easter, visiting and talking to elders at nursing homes, etc.) changed my perspective.
After a couple of meetings, I was invited to form a new club with three other members. That felt daunting and powerful for a 17-year-old, but someone had to do it. After months of long meetings that went into the night, visits to other clubs to raise funds, and pages of documentation, we finally founded the Rotaract Club de Blumenau Munique—a Rotary cell for youth leaders ages 18 to 30 who want to make an impact in their community. It was definitely a proud moment, especially since the club is still going strong, uniting people and helping the community.
I never got to leave the country through Rotary—my initial desire. But I found friends who brought even more friends, and that filled my late teens and early twenties with joy, new experiences, meaningful connections, and opportunities I’ll be forever grateful for.
Recently, I joined the Rotary Club of Pasadena and have been serving as a proud member—helping the community, connecting with new people, and contributing to local projects like the fire recovery, as well as efforts abroad. “Service above self” is now what I strive for.

Image Credits
Michael J Gonzales and Debra De Liso

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