Author and entrepreneur Reena Vokoun ’98 is the CEO of Passion Fit, a company she founded to help people pursue their personal and professional goals in a healthy and holistic manner. Read how Vokoun’s time at the UW fueled her own passions and led to the career and home that she’s built today.
For four years of my life, between 1994 and 1998, the University of Wisconsin–Madison was my home. Not only was it my college campus, but it was the place where I experienced tremendous growth and development from the teenager and young adult I was when I attended into the woman, wife, mother, business professional, and entrepreneur I am today. My time on campus shaped me — and was a remarkable foreshadowing of what my future life would look like.
I have fond memories of taking marketing and management classes, studying for exams, working on group projects and interviewing for internships and jobs within the Wisconsin School of Business at Grainger Hall. I enjoyed participating in Chi Omega chapter meetings, volunteering for charitable and social events, and leading as a career development and philanthropic chairperson for my sorority. I taught fun fitness classes three times a week at the SERF and Nat athletic facilities throughout my four years on campus. I also worked with a talented team on the Badger yearbook in marketing and was an active member of the Wisconsin Future Alumni Association.
I vividly remember the quintessential college experiences of cheering on the Badger football team on a crisp fall day, bundling up and walking to class across campus in the midst of a huge snowstorm, and listening to live music on a warm spring evening at the Memorial Union Terrace. I remember eating world-class Babcock ice cream cones and running up the steep hill to Bascom Hall. I remember the beautiful, shimmering blue waters of Lake Mendota, with the stunning reflection of an orange, pink, and purple sunset. And I remember the deep friendships I made throughout my time on campus, which have become lifelong friendships ever since.
Fast forward 25 years to 2023, and I’m an active entrepreneurship advisory alumni board member and a mentor for students in the Wisconsin School of Business. And after a long corporate career in digital media, working for companies such as Google, Yahoo, Reebok, and GE, I’m now the founder and CEO of my own health and wellness company, Passion Fit, as well as an author, TEDx speaker, and digital marketer. In addition, I’ve been proudly married for 20 years to my husband, who is a fellow UW alum, and we have two amazing sons together. And since I always loved living near water and experiencing beautiful sunsets like those in Madison, I’m now enjoying life near the beach in San Diego, with my wonderful immediate and extended family, which includes several fellow UW alumni as well.
After all these years, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is still home to me. Even though I no longer live on campus, the spirit of the university and its impact on my life have stayed with me and will forever hold a special place in my heart. So, as we embark upon another UW Homecoming this fall, I hope my fellow alumni will reflect on their time on campus and feel that same sense of home and gratitude I feel, today and always!
Read more about Vokoun and Passion Fit from a recent Wisconsin School of Business spotlight.
