Meet Reena Vokoun

We recently connected with Reena Vokoun and have shared our conversation below.

Reena, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I get my work ethic from my parents. As a child of immigrant parents and a first generation-born Indian-American, I saw how hard they worked to provide a good life for my siblings and me. My dad came to the U.S. to pursue the American dream with one suitcase and $4oo in his pocket and attended graduate school and worked at the same time to build a foundation for our family. My mom, older brother and sister then came from India about a year later, and my second older brother and I were born in the U.S. several years after that.

My dad worked in corporate America for many years before becoming an entrepreneur later in his career, while my mom stayed home to raise four kids without any help, other than from my dad when he was home from work. However, despite how busy life was growing up, my parents always made us feel loved and cared for and showed us what it meant to put in the blood, sweat and tears to build the life you want.

Therefore, I’m so grateful for the educational and career opportunities I’ve been given throughout my life, and I’ve worked hard for each and every one of them, from college, to graduate school, to my corporate career to becoming an entrepreneur. I don’t take for granted how lucky I am to be both American and Indian, and I’m always striving to make an impact in the world and make my parents proud. Having gratitude and a never-ending quest to learn and grow, have been major contributors to my work ethic as well.

In addition, my husband has an equally strong work ethic and we’ve worked hard to build our life together and are raising our kids to work hard as well!

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m the Founder and CEO of a health and wellness company called Passion Fit. My lifelong passion for health, wellness and fitness is what led me to leave my amazing job at Google and my corporate career in marketing, sales and business development in the digital media and tech industry after many years, to follow my dream, become an entrepreneur, start my own company and live and work according to my purpose.

I feel my company and brand are special because they were built from the ground up and with the intention of helping others to live happier, healthier and more productive lives. The mission of Passion Fit is to empower women to flourish both personally and professionally through wellness. I wholeheartely believe in my mission and strive to live it every day myself as well.

My focus and training is on holistic health and consumer and corporate wellness. And being a wife, mom, first generation-born Indian-American and professional, allows me to have a unique client focus on the whole person and that combines the best of the East and West!

Passion Fit has many products, services and content to help others including books, online courses, corporate wellness programs, transformational programs, activewear, workshops, coaching and consulting, fitness, yoga and dance classes, wellness retreats, videos, a blog, newsletters and much more!

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I believe three skills and qualities that have been most impactful in my journey include the following:

1. My education, including a BBA in marketing and management, an MS in advertising and communications, my health and wellness certifications in health coaching, fitness, nutrition, yoga/mindfulness, behavior change, employee wellbeing and professional strengths coaching and my managers, mentors and coaches who have guided me over the years

2. My corporate career of over 16 years, which has helped me to truly understand the nuts and bolts of how a business functions, how to meet customer needs, how to develop products, services and content, how to solve a problem in the market and how to grow and scale

3. My tenacity to stay focused, work hard, overcome challenges, take risks, be resourceful and keep going, even when my entrepreneurial journey has been tough

For anyone early in their journey, I would recommend knowing what you’re passionate about and what type of work you want to do. Then go out and can get a solid and relevant education and gain experience. Be hungry to learn and grow and don’t be afraid to make mistakes and ask for help, because that’s part of the learning process. If you truly believe in what you want to do or are already doing, don’t give up and success will come with hard work and resilience!

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel ovewhelmed, I start by taking some deep breaths. It’s the most basic form of meditation and mindfulness and is a great way to get centered. I also take a step back from what I’m doing to clear my head. I might go for a walk, listen to calming music, write in my journal or talk to a family member or close friend.

I also love to exercise, eat healthy and get a good night’s sleep. When you move your body, eat well and sleep well, you’re able to gain perspective and can take on whatever challenges you might be facing. You also will be able to determine if you’ve taken on too much, and you can decide if you need to clear some things off your plate or take things one step at a time.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Marcy Browe Photography Alex Johnson Photographer Victoria Wolf

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
Beating Burnout

Often the key to having massive impact is the ability to keep going when others

Leadership Development
Finding Your Why

Not knowing why you are going wherever it is that you are going sounds silly,