"Being an entrepreneur can be challenging and uncertain at times; however, by being consistent, you can increase your chances of resilience and success"
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview with Reena Vokoun, the CEO of Passion Fit.
In this insightful conversation, Reena shares her remarkable journey as a mom, wife, author, TEDx speaker, and certified health and wellness expert.
With over 16 years of experience working for renowned companies like Google, Reebok, Yahoo, and GE, Reena understands the challenges of balancing a busy career with the demands of family life.
Passion Fit, founded by Reena in 2014, is on a mission to empower women to thrive personally and professionally through wellness. With a holistic approach to well-being, Passion Fit offers a comprehensive range of products, services, and content that cater to both consumer and corporate wellness.
Join us as Reena Vokoun takes us on an inspiring journey of resilience, success, and the power of wellness in this captivating interview.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET FEATURED?
All interviews are 100% FREE OF CHARGE
Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Reena Vokoun: Thanks so much for having me! My name is Reena Vokoun, and I’m a mom, wife, 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 and GE 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.
Almost nine years later, the mission still holds true, and I’ve been living out my personal and professional dreams with my family and this company!
If you were in an elevator with Warren Buffet, how would you describe your company, your services or products? What makes your company different from others? What is your company’s biggest strength?
Reena Vokoun: 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.
Passion Fit’s biggest strength is our 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.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Reena Vokoun: We’ve gone from Quiet Quitting, to the Great Resignation, to the Big Stay over the last two years. With an ever-changing workplace and economic landscape, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to retain employees who want to leave and motivate those who stay to be productive.
From my experience previously working in corporate America and now working in the corporate wellness and employee wellbeing space, it’s critical to think of employees as whole people and respect their boundaries, provide resources for their physical, mental, career and financial health, and create an amazing company culture in which they’ll want to engage and produce results.
Be true to your authentic mission, vision and core values as an organization, which will go a long way in building trust and loyalty, regardless of what’s happening externally.
It’s also important to gather feedback from employees on what’s working and what’s not, and listen to them. Allowing employees to leverage their innate talents and skills on the job will also go a long way in helping employees thrive.
I’m adapting to all of the workplace shifts by staying educated and tracking them, being a constant source of support to the individuals and companies I work with through Passion Fit in the areas of consumer and corporate wellness, and being patient with those organizations that currently have limited resources and budget.
I plan to keep the lines of communication open with these organizations and also start planning with them for 2024.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Reena Vokoun: I believe online businesses will continue to soar over the next year and beyond. There’s an interesting dichotomy that we’re currently facing between online and offline business activities and customer and partner interactions.
After three years of the pandemic, we’re wanting to connect more with people in person in our personal and professional lives, but we also appreciate the speed and efficiency of conducting our businesses and lives online, which explains why the hybrid model is so popular now.
And AI is continuing to explode, which will have a significant impact on how we work and live.
With Passion Fit, my offerings have always been online and in person, such as coaching/consulting, retreats, speaking engagements, classes, programs etc.
And all of my products, such as my work-life balance course, activewear and accessories line and books, are available online.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Reena Vokoun: I have written a book! It’s called The Wellness-Empowered Woman and it launched in June, 2021. I feel so fortunate that it’s an Amazon Best-Seller, Mom’s Choice Award Gold Winner, Nonfiction Authors Association Gold Award Winner and Book Excellence Award Winner. Here are more details on the book:
The Wellness-Empowered Woman is part female empowerment, part professional development, and part health and wellness, as I guide you through a journey to personal and professional success.
After years attempting to balance marriage, work, and motherhood, while facing failures, burnout, and health issues, I came full circle to my passions. I describe my transformation as I reinvented myself professionally, while maintaining my personal authenticity.
My story and those of my clients show women how to embark on their own journeys of transformation, fulfillment, passion and purpose.
Through my unique holistic approach to wellness, you’ll discover:
- What it means to live a Passion Fit life–Who you are and who you’re meant to be
- Practices to incorporate in your daily life, based on my experience as a first-generation-born, Indian-American woman
- Innovative tools for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing
- Health and wellness tips for readers and their families
By the end, you’ll understand what it means to be a wellness-empowered woman, ready to pursue your passions, be fit, and live your best life personally and professionally.
This book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online. I’m also currently working on writing my second book!
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Reena Vokoun: I think one of the most underestimated parts of being an entrepreneur and running a company is being consistent.
It’s important to be consistent in your dedication to your clients, in the quality of the products, services and content you produce, in your social media and email marketing presence, in how you properly run the operations, financials and legalities of your business and in your commitment to your mission and vision.
Being an entrepreneur can be challenging and uncertain at times; however, by being consistent, you can increase your chances of resilience and success.
What does “success” in 2023 mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Reena Vokoun: Success in 2023 to me means continuing to help individuals and organizations enhance or improve their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, especially after the last three years of the pandemic and during the challenging economic times we’ve been facing.
I also hope to continue to scale my reach through media, marketing and partnerships.
Finally, success in 2023 means continuing to learn, grow, stay passionate about my work and positively impact my family, clients and community!
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Reena Vokoun for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Reena Vokoun or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
Disclaimer: The ValiantCEO Community welcomes voices from many spheres on our open platform. We publish pieces as written by outside contributors with a wide range of opinions, which don’t necessarily reflect our own. Community stories are not commissioned by our editorial team and must meet our guidelines prior to being published.
