WCW: Following Your Passion with Reena Vokoun

Frankly's #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday) series features some of our favorite female founders who are focused on providing goods and services that improve the lives of women and girls. 

 Headshot of Reena Vokoun in a pink blouse, with her name and the Passion Fit logo overlaid. 

Today's crush, Reena Vokoun, is a friend and mentor, in addition to her formal role as founder and CEO of Passion Fit. Passion Fit is your health, wellness and fitness guide to transform your career, family and life! 

 

Welcome, Reena! We are so excited to feature you today. Let's start by telling our readers a little bit about you.  
I'm the Founder and CEO of Passion Fit, a mom of two boys, a wife, an entrepreneur, a wellness expert, a speaker, a writer and a content creator. I’m the youngest of four siblings, the daughter of immigrant parents and a first generation born Indian-American. I grew up in the Midwest, I've lived on the East and West Coasts and I am a Californian at heart. 
 
Can you tell us more about what Passion Fit does, in your own words?
The mission is to empower women to flourish both personally and professionally through wellness. Our vision is to continue to build a local and online wellness community where women can have fun, make friends, feel supported and be encouraged to achieve their dreams and goals. Passion Fit serves individuals, companies, non-profits, schools, universities and the media on topics such as fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, work-life balance, productivity and healthy lifestyles. Our offerings include: 
  • online courses
  • wellness consulting/coaching
  • transformational programs
  • memberships
  • local and livestream fitness and dance classes
  • activewear
  • wellness retreats
  • workshops and speaking engagements
  • a YouTube channel of online videos
  • a blog, newsletters
  • social media content
  • media appearances
 
That's a wonderfully wide array of offerings! What do you enjoy doing most? 
Honestly, I love working on all of the Passion Fit offerings, which is both a blessing and a curse! Based on my digital media and marketing background, I enjoy the creative aspects of developing online content across our various channels as well as designing activewear, choreographing for dance and fitness class programming and more. I also love building communities through my in-person and virtual programs. Lastly, I enjoy communicating and helping others through speaking, facilitating, teaching, writing, coaching and consulting.
I tend to be very busy, but thankfully I've launched each of these offerings in stages and have an amazing cross-functional team that has been working with me since Passion Fit launched six years ago!
Quote from Reena: " I wanted more control and flexibility in my life to continue to progress in my career and take care of my family on my own terms"
Can you share the story of Passion Fit? How did you decide to leave big tech to pursue this business, how has Passion Fit and your vision for it evolved throughout the years? 
Leaving my wonderful job at Google, and venturing out from Corporate America and the tech/digital media industry, was one of the riskiest and hardest decisions I've ever made. However, I've had a lifelong passion and dream of helping others through my own health and wellness company. I also wanted more work-life balance for my family. Both my husband and I were constantly traveling and working crazy hours for Google and we had a baby and a toddler at the time. I knew I needed to make a change. I wanted more control and flexibility in my life to continue to progress in my career and take care of my family on my own terms. Therefore, I took a leap of faith, left Google, launched Passion Fit...and the rest, as they say, is history! 
 
Passion Fit is so clearly your passion! It also has clear applications into your personal life. How do you integrate Passion Fit principles into your day-to-day while maintaining some boundaries between your professional and personal life?
Many of my friends and family are part of the Passion Fit community and often take the classes, attend the events, participate in the filming of YouTube videos and more. Passion Fit also regularly sponsors our school auction events or other charitable campaigns in our local community. Finally, with permission, I often share updates and photos on social media with my husband, kids, extended family and friends, so my Passion Fit community can learn a little bit more about me as a mom, wife, family member and friend, in addition to being a professional.
However, there are boundaries that I do draw. Friends and family are in no way obligated to take part in any Passion Fit initiatives - it's completely up to them and their interest levels. Also, I don't publicly share my kids' names. I only share personal information that my family and I are comfortable with, as I still do like to maintain some privacy. 
 a group of women in a fitness studio, smiling and wearing Passion Fit branded workout gear
 
What advice do you have for young women who want to be founders? 
Spend some time tapping into your passions, interests and what needs you could solve in the market. Then build a solid business plan so you have a clear understanding of your value proposition, product, service and/or content offerings and solutions, competitive differentiators, pricing, mission, vision, financial and business model, revenue streams, expenses, hiring needs and operations. It may even be worth starting your company as a side hustle so you can keep earning and saving for your business from your day job, all while planning, testing and getting ready to launch.
 
A little birdie told us a book is in the works. Can you give us the inside scoop? 
Yes! I'm excited to be writing and publishing my first non-fiction book, which will focus on health and wellness and personal and professional development for women. It will be launching in the first half of 2021. I can't share too much more just yet, but stay tuned for more details in the coming months! 
 
Quote "start with the aspects of wellness that come naturally to you"
What wellness tips do you have for our readers, especially in the middle of the pandemic?
Wellness is now more important than ever, especially in the midst of the pandemic. It's critical to focus on your physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual health.
I would suggest you start with the aspects of wellness that come naturally to you. For example, if you enjoy walking or running, start incorporating it into your day for at least 30 minutes, multiple times per week. You'll be able to get some fresh air, exercise, and clear your mind to reduce stress. If cooking is something you enjoy, focus on how you can try new recipes and creatively make healthy meals at home to keep your immune system strong to protect against COVID-19, maintain your weight in quarantine, and also prevent other health issues or diseases.
I would also suggest leveraging technology such as online videos, livestream classes, wearable devices and mobile apps to stay healthy, strong and fit during the pandemic and beyond.
Finally, try joining an online or local community and/or finding an accountability partner such as your significant other, close friend in your neighborhood or a personal trainer to safely work with you. This will keep you motivated and on target with your goals. It's important to have others to lean on or talk to you if you need emotional support.
 
How can our readers get plugged in to the Passion Fit community? 
Welcome! You can start by signing up for the free newsletter at passionfit.com/offers. When you sign up, you'll also get a free 45-minute Passion Fit Total Body Sculpt workout video delivered right to your inbox. You can also feel free to visit the website at passionfit.com and book a free 15 minute intro call with me or email me at reena@passionfit.com with any questions. 
Passion Fit logo: silhouette of a woman in a yoga pose in the outline of a heart
You heard it here first, Frankly fans, Passion Fit is where it's at. I personally love the desk stretches tutorial and all of the quick and easy home workouts on Instagram. Plus, Reena is a ray of sunshine who motivates with pure positivity! Follow them on social media, including YouTube, using the handle @passionfitllc. Let us know which Passion Fit tips are working for you in the comments.

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