We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reena Vokoun. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reena below.

Alright, Reena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I initially came up with the idea for Passion Fit in December, 2012, and officially launched my company in August, 2014. I was working for Google at the time in digital advertising sales and business development and loved my job, but I was experiencing burnout from trying to balance my family with my demanding career.

However, I’ve had a lifelong passion for health, wellness and fitness, and the name, “Passion Fit,” symbolized what I’ve always valued and what I wanted to get back to in my life. I also knew others might be exeriencing the same challenges with burnout that I was experiencing at that time, and since I had always dreamed of someday helping others through wellness professionally, it was the perfect time to transition from my corporate career to entrepreneurship and launch Passion Fit!

Reena , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Reena Vokoun, and I’m a mom, wife, first generation-born Indian-American, author, TEDx speaker, certified health and wellness expert and the Founder and CEO of Passion Fit, which is your consumer and corporate health, wellness and fitness guide to help you transform your career, family and life.

After a 16+ year corporate career working for companies such as Google, Reebok, Yahoo, CNET, GE and Grokker in marketing, sales and business development, experiencing burnout as a busy working mom and wife, and having a lifelong passion and desire to help others through health and wellness, I started this company in 2014 with a mission to empower women to flourish both personally and professionally through wellness.

Passion Fit’s products, services and content include books, corporate wellness programs, transformational programs, monthly memberships, online courses, personal and professional development coaching and consulting, local and livestream fitness, yoga and dance classes, an online boutique of activewear and accessories, wellness retreats, workshops and speaking engagements, a YouTube channel of videos, a blog, newsletters, social media content and media appearances.

What sets Passion Fit apart from others is our dual focus on consumer and corporate wellness, an Eastern and Western philosophy on health, a holistic approach to wellness, which includes mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, and an emphasis on the whole person, including their families, careers and the communities they serve.

I’m most proud of my brand’s passion for helping others live healthier, happier and more productive lives, and our ability to reach people through various online and in-person channels across the world!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I first set out to become a published author in 2019, which had always been one of my top career goals, I pursued a traditional route. I reached out to 25 different agents before signing a contract with one. Then I went to work and wrote the first chapter of my book and developed a chapter outline and a proposal. My agent and I then pitched my book idea and early concepts to about 20+ traditional publishers.

I started receiving feedback, some positive and some constructive, and then I started receiving one rejection after another. I was starting to feel defeated, but I tried to stay hopeful. I did end up having two tradtional publishers that were interested in giving me a book deal by early 2020…but then the pandemic hit. And due to the uncertainties in the world and the economy at that time, the traditional publishing industry was severely impacted. Therefore, those two interested publishers had to pull out, as they weren’t in a financial position to give me a book deal afterall.

I knew we were living through an unprecedented time, but I was still extremely crushed. My agent told me to put my current book project aside and come back to her with a new book idea in a year or so when we could try pitching to traditional publishers again. But I didn’t know if and when the traditional pubilshing industry would recover, and I couldn’t bear to put this book idea aside, because I truly believed it in and knew it could help others….especially during these challenging times in the pandemic. Therefore, I was determined to figure out how to go on and write and publish this book and get it out into the world.

So I cordially parted ways with my agent and started researching modern approaches to book pubilshing. A few weeks later, I ended up connecting with a fellow health and wellness professional and author who recommended working with a publishing consulting firm that she had worked with for her book. I had an amazing meeting with that firm…and the rest, as they say, is history! With their wonderful help, I publishhed my first book, The Wellness-Empowered Woman, in June, 2021, and it has gone on to be an Amazon Best-Seller, Mom’s Choice Award Gold Winner, Nonfiction Authors Association Gold Award Winner and Book Excellence Award Winner. I’m now working on my second book!

This story definitely illustrates my resilience. If you want to accomplish something, even when obstacles fall in your way, you can make it happen if you’re determined and willing to put in the work.

Have you ever had to pivot?

As mentioned earlier, I made a huge pivot in my career in 2014, when I left my 16+ year corporate career and job at Google to become an entrepreneur and launch my own company, Passion Fit. It was one of the hardest and riskiest decisions I’ve ever made in my career. However, I took a leap of faith because I knew in my heart that it was my life’s purpose to do this work. I had also done my research, developed a business plan, talked to my family, friends and close contacts in my professional network, and started taking some small setps on the side like securing the domain for my future website, developing a YouTube channel and starting a blog.

Pivots can happen at anytime in your career and life, and it’s okay to pivot if you feel it’s the best decision for you in the long run. I’m almost nine years into my career pivot and have no regrets whatsoever!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://passionfit.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionfitllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/passionfitllc/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reenavokoun/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/passionfitllc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/passionfitllc
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/passion-fit-san-diego
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@passionfitllc

Image Credits
Marcy Browe Alex Johnson Victoria Wolf Meredith Yinger