John and Susanne Cunningham's home is a reflection of their warm and relaxed lifestyle. The Diamond Directors' large, welcoming house in Winnipeg, Manitoba is filled with light, art, and personal photographs and keepsakes. Picture windows in almost every room look out on more than five acres of grass, trees, and gardens. The Cunninghams play host to a constant flow of family, friends, and Associates who drop by to chat or talk business. "We love to entertain and have energy and life around us," Susanne explains. "So, our home is filled with memories, gifts, and warmth." John adds, "The house shows where we've been and where we hope to go. It's filled with history." Though they are just minutes from the city's airport and business district, John and Susanne live on a quiet country lane, where the sound of honking geese is more common than the sound of honking cars. Right across the street lies the Fort Whyte Centre, a beautiful nature preserve of over 400 acres of wetlands, woodlands, and lakes. From their dining room window, the Cunninghams can watch Fort Whyte's large herd of buffalo graze on native prairie grasses. John and Susanne love living in Winnipeg for its four distinct seasons, its proximity to so many outdoor recreation opportunities, and its location near their extended family. But most importantly, Winnipeg is a great place to raise their three boys—Nicholas, 16; Zachary, 15; and Evan, 12. It is immediately evident to those who meet John and Susanne that family is their number one priority. The couple speaks about each of their sons with a familiarity that comes after years of having both parents at home to experience a million little, but significant, moments—whether watching them in after-school activities, helping them with their schoolwork, or just goofing off around the pool together. "We are full-time parents," John explains. "It is just a thrill to know my kids well enough that I can communicate with them. For me, the bottom line is being able to watch them grow up." The Cunninghams' close relationship with their children is evident as they describe each boy's interests and talents. "Nicholas is very hands-on. He loves mechanics, dirt bikes, and speed," Susanne explains. Nicholas also has a talent for building things, and he hopes to construct a dune buggy out of an old car this summer. He and Susanne drew up the plans for it. "And he's going to drag me along to help him build it," John says. The only thing both John and Susanne try to avoid in their oldest son's life is the weekly goldfish feeding he gives his pet piranhas. "He colors outside the lines, we'll just say that," Susanne laughs. The couple describes Zachary as quieter and more academic. "He's very forwardthinking and is already developing his dreams and goals," Susanne says. "He's always stewing up ideas about what he will do in the future." In fact, Zachary delivered a speech on setting goals to a USANA convention in England. He excels at sports, including curling, baseball, golf, archery, and wrestling, and he loves to ride the family's ATV. "He's one of those kids who tries his hand at a number of things," John adds. Evan, the fun-loving entertainer of the family, keeps everyone laughing with his dinnertime antics. "Pets are also a big thing to him," Susanne explains. He keeps a close eye on the family's menagerie of animals—including three dogs, one cat, two birds, and several aquariums of fish. Like Nicholas and Zachary, he enjoys riding around home on the family's fourwheeler. "Evan is also a great sportsman," she adds. "He plays soccer and badminton, and he's a great curler. His teams love him for his leadership." Though the boys have varied interests, there are many things the Cunninghams enjoy doing as a family. They frequently golf and swim together in the summer, and ski or snowboard in the winter. John and the boys love to go fishing on the family boat, and take several big trips each year. Susanne, however, usually opts out of this activity. "She'll stay out on the dock and wave to us as we pass," John laughs. Though she passes on the fishing trips, Susanne takes each of the boys on individual "mom-and-son" vacations every year. They've ranged from a weekend of baseball games to a tour of California rollercoasters. Evan's personal favorite was the road trip he took with his mom. They traveled from town to town, stopping at every miniature golf course they could find. Zachary and Susanne laugh as they recall a whirlwind trip to Paris that included one perfect lunch and a cramped hotel room by the train station that was, well, less than perfect. "These trips are an ongoing adventure for us," Susanne says. "And when I say adventure, I don't mean whitewater rafting or rock climbing—though we aren't adverse to those experiences. It's the people we meet, and the situations we find ourselves in—and how we manage to get out of those situations." Travel, whether for business or fun, has been a central part of life for the Cunninghams. Cancun, the Caribbean, England, Hawaii, and much of the continental United States have been destinations over the years. "Our trips together are a book in themselves," Susanne remarks. John adds, "I love traveling with the family. It gives me good energy to know that we're all together. They're only going to be kids for a few more years, so I treat this as a special time and learn as much about them as a I can." After nearly a decade of creating countless family memories, John cannot imagine life any other way. If he had spent 50 or 60 hours a week at a corporate job, he wonders if he would have had such a close relationship with his sons. "The lines of communication are much more open," he explains. "I think that if I was in corporate life, I would have been somewhat detached from that, because all of my good energy would have been spent at work." Susanne thinks their lifestyle has also given the boys a unique outlook on goals, careers, and family. "It has expanded the possibilities for them," Susanne says. "It shows the kids that bigger things are possible. And the more they see now, the more they have to choose from when they grow up." The Cunninghams didn't always have so many possibilities to offer their children. Ten years ago, John was working long hours for a large company, while Susanne ran her own fundraising business from home. Time was difficult to come by. Still, when one of Susanne's business associates called to invite her to a breakfast meeting about USANA, she accepted. "To be totally honest, I rolled my eyes and thought, ‘I don't have time for this,'" she says. But knowing how hard it is to ask someone to look at something, Susanne told him she'd be there. "John told me as I left that morning, ‘Don't buy anything and don't sign anything,'" she laughs. John admits that he was skeptical about network marketing at first. Susanne had brought home some information from the meeting for him to read, but he had resisted the idea of starting another business. However, after hearing Dr. Wentz' story and learning more about USANA's nutritionals, he agreed to sign up as a USANA Distributor with Susanne. His ambitions were small in the beginning. "I think my goal, if there was a goal in regards to the business, was that I wouldn't mind getting in the position where it wouldn't cost me to take these great products," John says. With her entrepreneurial background, Susanne saw potential for something bigger with USANA and decided it was worth squeezing into an already busy schedule. "From my perspective, the timing was perfect considering the health trends that were developing," she explains. "It would also allow me to create a second income stream, without all of the risk that another traditional small business would come with." A few short months after launching their business, John began to realize the potential of creating a significant income, and Susanne started to feel the benefits of USANA's products. It wasn't long before they became equal partners in a thriving organization. Both are now grateful that they made time to pursue the opportunity. "We were busy with three little boys and dedicated to what we were both currently doing, so we had a lot of reasons not to pay attention to this opportunity," Susanne says. "But we took the invitation and that invitation changed our life." The Cunninghams are quick to point out that they didn't build a Fortune 25 distributorship on their own. Many Associates—upline and downline—have played important roles in helping John and Susanne get to where they are today. However, one man in particular, the late Ron Dowhey, was an especially close mentor and friend. "Ron believed in us and what we could do in this business before we did," John says. To honor their friend's memory, the Cunninghams host the Ron Dowhey Memorial Golf Tournament each year, with proceeds going to the Children's Hunger Fund. The event last August drew more than 100 people, and this year's tournament promises to be even bigger. This is one way for John and Susanne to remember someone who had a big impact on their life. "He made a huge difference for us," Susanne explains. "He celebrated our successes, wins, achievements, and triumphs, and at the same time, had a little edge to push us to be better." Today, the Cunninghams are similar mentors and friends to hundreds of people in their organization. At a visionary dinner held to celebrate Winnipeg's up-and-coming USANA Associates, Silver Directors Carol and Ward Brown talk about how much John and Susanne have supported them. "They have opened their home to us and our team," Carol says. "They have celebrated with us and encouraged us." Emerald Directors Dave and Deanna Waters count the Cunninghams not only as leaders, but also as close friends. "They are an outstanding couple who quietly go about building an organization without fanfare," Deanna says. "And just as John and Susanne are committed to their children, the boys support their parents in their USANA business. It is truly a team effort and a role model for how families can work together in a wonderful way." Though they've worked hard to build their business and raise a family, John and Susanne have still found time to pursue their own interests. Like his boys, John enjoys fishing, golfing, and curling. He works out in their home gym, and loves to help coach his sons' various sporting teams. Scuba diving is on his todo list this summer. And he plans to add new, exotic golf courses to his résumé of play each year. "I want to play on those courses that we all hear about, and only wish we could play on," he says. John also has personal goals for this year and beyond. His first is in the area of personal growth and development. While he enjoys training, developing, and teaching his up-and-coming leaders, he notes, "to be able to teach we must be a student first." So, John has been spending time attending seminars, reading, and learning from others in the areas that are of interest to him. Susanne always has a few home decorating and landscaping projects in the works. "I just like getting my hands dirty," she explains. "I love my gardening and flowers, especially since we only have a short time to enjoy those things here in Winnipeg." Susanne's bookshelves are lined with her many well-read personal and business development books. And nearly every room contains several angels—made out of glass and ceramic, and in paintings and stitching—that she has collected from family and friends throughout her life. Over the years, Susanne has kept a little list of extravagant things she wants to do. She crossed off one item when she and Zachary traveled to Paris—for lunch. She crossed off another when she went on a hot air balloon ride with Evan. Her next goal is to travel to Hawaii with nothing but a credit card. "Shopping is part of the adventure," she says. "I wouldn't say I love to shop, but shopping is definitely easy for me." Susanne and John both enjoy what they call "social support." They thrive on entertaining—whether it's more than 30 Associates for a Friday potluck dinner or a few close friends for coffee. "We have a lot of social gatherings with USANA Associates," John says. "We like to look at them as friends first, Associates second." Susanne agrees, "One of the biggest expansions in my life has been the number of close friendships I have gained through USANA. We've just been blessed with a flourish of relationships." Even the most social people need to get away once in a while. For the Cunninghams, their favorite place to relax is at their quiet, secluded cottage on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. There they can walk the dogs along the beach, barbecue on the sunny deck that spans the cottage, or simply watch the wildlife that wanders through the wooded area. "The lake is something that's important to us," Susanne says. "It's a getaway, a peaceful place to be." The cottage is even more special to John and Susanne because they have put so much of their own work into it over the years. "Every feature in that cottage we've done ourselves. That's what makes it precious," Susanne explains. The same could be said of the USANA business that the Cunninghams have worked so hard to build. Looking back, they are a little surprised at all they've managed to achieve. "We never expected our life to become what it has," John says. "It never crossed our minds, actually." But now, a decade later, the words "unattainable" and "impractical" have slipped from their vocabulary. Today, Susanne sees "snapshots of possibility" in everyone she meets. "We're so much more aware of the power of potential, of achieving something that we didn't think was possible.