Mount Marty Staff Member Believes in Getting Stronger Together with 1st Phorm

Lauren Svanda '18, Mount Marty University’s director of financial aid, lives the core value of community outside of the university by being a 1st Phorm advisor. 1st Phorm is a company that provides products to improve your workout performance like protein powder and meal bars. “A lot of people want to be healthy but don't know where to start, so I meet them where they're at,” said Svanda. “We start from the ground and work our way up.” 

Svanda graduated from Mount Marty with a degree in business administration and worked for Slowey Property Management in Dakota dunes, overseeing sales for the holding company. She felt a calling back to Yankton and, following the retirement of longtime financial aid director Ken Kocer, began working in the same role. "Mount Marty helped me grow when I was a young adult student and I have that same feeling as now as a staff member. It is such a supportive work community."

Svanda started consistently working out in 2018 from home which fits her schedule best. She prioritizes strength training and walking while using the 1st Phorm app for her workouts. “They have something for everyone at all fitness levels. Whether you want to focus on cardio, core, weight resistance training or running, it has a whole library of options.” 

Before 1st Phorm, Svanda used supplements for her fitness journey from anywhere she could buy them without knowing where they were produced or the companies that made them. “I switched to 1st Phorm because my values, who I want to be as a person and represent, best aligned with theirs. They're core values are to be disciplined, humble, loyal, lead by example, go the extra mile for people, take initiative and build positive and fun relationships—all things I want for me and my life.”

Since finding 1st Phorm, Svanda became an advisor in their app and now has a team of over 50 people and always adding more. She advises on nutrition and fitness to help her clients reach their goals. In return, she gets early access to new supplements and apparel, access to exclusive events, and the company will pay her to become a certified nutritionist or personal trainer.

The most special part for Svanda in working with 1st Phorm is “the relationships and community that has been cultivated not only with the people I help but also with the employees of 1st Phorm. … Everyone I help within the app and everyone I get to work with who is an employee of 1st Phorm all have a common goal of creating real relationships and helping people get real results.”

This partnership allows Svanda to make an impact in her client's lives as well as surround herself with the values she desires to portray in her own fitness journey. “1st Phorm is helping me achieve the goals that the 40 year old, 70 year old Lauren has of being able to be active with her kids as they grow and her grandkids as they grow. They've educated me on the importance of quality nutrition, proper protein intake, regular movement and weight resistance training that's setting me up for success years down the road. There is no short term goal for me at the moment because this was a lifestyle choice I made.”

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ABOUT MOUNT MARTY UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1936 by the Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.