Moms Who Build

Shannon McLaughlin — Building Products People Love, Creating Brand Ambassadors, Fourth Trimester Struggles, I Am Because We Are, Making People Matter, Whole Body Yesses, and More (#012)  

“When I hired, I always said that it was going to be half-day jobs for everyone, because we are moms. So when we had the shop, we didn't open from nine to five, we opened at half past eight in the morning, and we closed at 1:30pm, because whoever was in that shop was a mom, and she had to fetch her child from school and then go spend the afternoon with their child.” —Shannon McLaughlin

Shannon McLaughlin (@shannonmarymac) is the Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Baba Baby Carriers (@ubuntubaba) . Shannon’s business launched in February 2015, just six months after her son was born, out of a personal need to help her baby sleep for longer periods of time and to have more freedom as a struggling and overwhelmed first-time mom.

Before Shannon launched Ubuntu Baba, she was a freelance web designer, who worked mainly with female startup businesses. 

Shannon’s goal was to create an easy to use, breathable and comfortable carrier that could be used from the newborn days onwards. When Shannon launched her business, she started with one machine ist who worked part-time making baby carriers. Today, Ubuntu Baba has a full-time team of six who manufactures the carriers, as well as another team of six that helps Shannon run the business. 

Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Ubuntu Baba Founder, Shannon McLaughlin, and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang! 

Show Notes

• The inspiration behind creating Ubuntu Baba Baby Carriers. [2:39]
• Shannon’s fourth trimester experience. [4:14]
• The 3-month journey to building the first prototype. [7:25]
• Shannon’s experience with postnatal depression while building Ubuntu Baba. [10:23]
• Recognizing postnatal depression and getting help. [12:18]
• Building a product people love and how Shannon grew Ubuntu Baba to 10,000 customers. [14:53]
• Getting feedback, moms helping moms, and selling the first Ubuntu Baba baby carriers. [17:00]
• Building a community beyond the product. [22:19]
• Growing a beloved brand and Ubuntu’s slogan: To A Happy Now, #toahappynow. [25:22]
• More than a brick and mortar shop. [29:40]
• The impact of the global pandemic on Ubuntu Baba’s operations and shop in South Africa. [32:18]
• Persevering through the challenges of running a company and lessons learned. [36:23]
• Living the professional and personal life you want. [40:36]
• Building a parent-inclusive workplace. [41:32]
• How Shannon prioritizes and organizes her life. [45:03]
• How Shannon prepares for interviews and public speaking engagements. [50:10]
• Advice Shannon would give to her past self and how to handle feedback. [52:55]
• Learning to say no and the whole body yes. [53:47]
• What’s next for Ubuntu Baba? [55:23]
• Rapid Fire Questions. [57:01]
• Parting thoughts and encouraging words. [1:00:21]

For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/shannon-mclaughlin-ubuntu-baba-episode-012. 

*** 

Connect with Shannon McLaughlin on: 

Website | Twitter

Connect with Ubuntu Baba: 

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Blog

***

If you have a moment, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It helps us to get more amazing guests on the show and grow the podcast. Thank you!

***

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Nominate Someone for the MWB Podcast!

***

For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. 

Connect with Margie & Moms Who Build:

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

Mimi Chan — Building Three Companies, Overcoming Self-Doubt, Fundraising while Pregnant, Fighting Over the Home Office, Creating Productivity, Exciting News, and More (#011)  

“Thinking back to those early days, those long nights, those moments where I had to pick myself up from the disappointment and push through it, surviving through this pandemic. And somehow with the combination of luck and preparation and just the belief and conviction in what we’ve been doing with Littlefund, we were able to have this amazing outcome.” —Mimi Chan

Mimi Chan (@mimitoday) is the Founder and CEO of Littlefund (@littlefund), a financial gifting app for modern families to save with family and friends for their child’s journey. In continuing her passion for early childhood education and quality of life improvement, Mimi started Littlefund as a second time tech entrepreneur. 

She realized after becoming a new mother that parents were overwhelmed with the rising costs of raising children but lacked a simple way to save for those milestones, especially when family and friends were part of a generation that was okay with giving cash gifts instead of material gifts. Ultimately, Mimi saw this as a start to tackling a fundamental problem with tremendous future implications. 

Littlefund’s mission is to help everyone invest in a child’s future, one gift at a time, to prepare and build sustainable futures using technology to reimagine savings and gifting on the path to financial wellness.

Prior to Littlefund, Mimi led Pencils of Promise as the Founding COO, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit providing global primary education. Today, Pencils of Promise has built over 500 schools that serve over 100,000 students. Currently, Mimi resides with her family in Oakland, California.

Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Littlefund Founder, Mimi Chan, and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang!  

Show Notes

• Mimi’s journey building three companies. [2:47]
• What inspired Mimi to start Littlefund; her idea to create a financial gifting platform. [7:03]
• About Littlefund and how a child’s financial journey can become a family affair. [11:50]
• Mimi’s upbringing and early lessons in frugality and spending that taught Mimi about financial wellness. [17:54]
• Mimi and Margie share stories about what it was like to grow up as children of immigrant parents. [18:30]
• Mimi and Margie share how they talk to their children about financial wellness [24:07].
• Feelings of insecurity and self-doubt and the emotional rollercoaster of running a start-up. [28:07]
• The invisible work of launching a company and what it feels like to raise money as a female founder. [32:05]
• How Mimi overcomes self-doubt and paralysis. [33:14]
• Mimi’s take on the relationship between Jay-Z’s song lyrics and fundraising [35:40]
• How to get people to believe in your product. [39:04]
• Finding a cofounder. [39:34]
• Getting your first users. [44:42]
• Mimi speaks candidly about what it's like to fundraise and build a company while raising a family. [45:54]
• Mimi and Margie open up the doors of vulnerability and share what their lives are like at home. [54:49]
• Mimi’s self-care routine. [59:56]
• Building a parent inclusive and women empowered workplace. [1:03:03]
• Planning Mimi’s fertility cycle around the fundraising cycle. [1:06:18]
• Mimi’s reflections on creating more predictability in her life as a mother and entrepreneur. [1:10:23]
• What’s next for Littlefund? [1:14:04]
• Mimi gets the official word to share some exciting news about Littlefund! [1:15:22]
• Rapid Fire Questions. [1:19:12]
• Parting thoughts and encouraging words. [1:22:40]

For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/mimi-chan-littlefund-episode-011

*** 

Connect with Mimi Chan on: Instagram

Connect with Littlefund: 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook  

***

If you have a moment, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It helps us to get more amazing guests on the show and grow the podcast. Thank you so much!

***

Be a Guest on the MWB Podcast!

Nominate Someone for the MWB Podcast!

***

For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. 

Connect with Margie & Moms Who Build:

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

Cherie Hoeger — Modernizing Reusable Period Care, Menstruation Education, Changing Stigmas, Believing the Mission, Building Pro-Family Workplaces, and More (#010)  

“And so we realized that there was so much power that one period cup could have to literally keep girls in school, break cycles of poverty, help their confidence, help them become young women and mothers who could provide for their families.” — Cherie Hoeger

Cherie Hoeger (@cherie.hoeger) is the CEO & co-founder of Saalt (@saaltco), a company aiming to modernize reusable period care. In 2018, Saalt launched its flagship product—the Saalt period cup—with the vision of making cleaner, more sustainable period care accessible to everyone. 

Leading Saalt's social impact efforts, Cherie began networking with impact partners to provide their period cups to underprivileged girls and women so they could confidently manage their periods, stay in school, and lift themselves out of poverty. Now in their third year in business, Saalt has donated over 12,000 cups in over twenty-two countries to create a wave of informed cup users who then act as mentors for other donation recipients. 

Before starting Saalt, Cherie had been an entrepreneur in multiple ecommerce ventures and worked as a technical writer with fifteen years of publication experience. Most recently, she co-authored seven editions of collegiate textbooks in the field of fitness and wellness. 

Cherie is the mother of five daughters, and considers them her greatest success.

Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Saalt co-founder, Cherie Hoeger, and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang!  

For more about this episode, visit www.momswhobuild.com/home/cherie-hoeger-saalt-episode-010. 

Show Notes

• What inspired Cherie to start Saalt and how she developed a reusable, sustainable menstrual cup. [2:10]
• How Cherie learned about the menstrual cup market. [6:54]
• The opportunity to change stigmas and modernize reusable period care. [8:18]
• Saalt’s product and branding design process. [8:25]
• Saalt’s early milestones and the stories behind them. [10:41]
• The intricate tie between menstruation and education. [12:20]
• Saalt’s “Back to School for Her Too” campaign. [13:10]
• How Cherie was able to take the Saalt cup mainstream and get Saalt products onto the shelves at Target. [14:38]
• One of the best decisions Saalt made before launching. [18:20]
• Getting to 1,000 members and Saalt’s launchpad. [18:30]
• Building Saalt’s community. [21:10]
• About the Saalt Cup Academy and how it took on a life of its own. [22:29]
• Selecting charitable partners and how to navigate those partnerships. [23:42]
• Cherie and her family’s trip to Nepal to teach women and young girls about the benefits of the Saalt cup and how to use it. [27:42]
• Margie and Cherie talk openly about their individual period experiences. [34:02]
• Building Saalt’s progressive pro-family workplace. [37:54]
• Cherie’s approach to worklife optimization. [44:15]
• Entrepreneurial lessons that Cherie hopes to pass along to her children. [48:15]
• What quality can make entrepreneurs successful. [53:50]
• What’s next for Saalt and innovation in product technology. [55:16]
• Rapid Fire Questions. [56:09]
• Parting thoughts and encouraging words. [59:09]

For more about this episode, visit www.momswhobuild.com/home/cherie-hoeger-saalt-episode-010.

***

Connect with Cherie Hoeger on: Instagram

Connect with Saalt: 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Saalt Cup Academy

***

If you have a moment, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It helps us to get more amazing guests on the show and grow the podcast. Thank you so much!

For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. 

Connect with Margie & Moms Who Build:

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

Hannah Levy — Fertility Knowledge & Empowerment, Female-Led Startups, Elevating Underrepresented Groups, Parent Inclusive Workplaces, and Much More (#009) 

“I approached motherhood as a ‘oh, now I need to be completely selfless’ mentality, where I was just like, ‘hey, now I’m a mom, I matter less, I need to put my kid above myself in all forms’. And that worked for about a month until I broke down. The guilt around putting yourself first or taking time has been very difficult. And so, I have slowly regained boundaries and space. And trying to figure out what does it mean to prioritize myself, what does it mean to prioritize other people, my friends, work, my partnership above my child in certain times. What are the trade-offs, risks, and rewards?” — Hannah Levy 

Hannah Levy (@hnnhlvy) is a content strategist who has spent the last twelve years helping brands build communities and connect with their customers through creative storytelling. She specializes in high-impact content campaigns that maximize engagement with a brand’s audience.

Hannah has worked across several industries, but has always returned to healthcare because she believes that understanding what's going on with our bodies, and getting high-quality affordable care, are basic human rights. Hannah is currently leading content marketing at Modern Fertility, a women's reproductive healthcare company focused on making fertility information more accessible for women everywhere.

Hannah is also dedicated to supporting underrepresented groups, something that she works toward as a community manager for Tech Ladies, a community of one hundred thousand members, and growing, that connects women, trans, and non-binary folks with the best opportunities in tech.

Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Hannah Levy and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang!

For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/hannah-levy-modern-fertility-tech-ladies-episode-009. 

Show Notes

Hannah and Margie have a candid discussion about fertility research and empowerment, the rewards of working for a female-founded, female-led startup, elevating women and underrepresented groups, and how workplaces can be more inclusive for parents and breastfeeding moms. They also talk openly about navigating early motherhood, feeling a sense of urgency to “figure it all out”, experiencing identity crisis after having kids, and mom guilt.

• Hannah’s career journey and her work with Modern Fertility and Tech Ladies. [3:21]
• Information asymmetry in healthcare and personal finance. [4:08]
• About Modern Fertility. [7:27]
• About Tech Ladies. [9:00]
• Hannah's personal mission. [12:04]
• Navigating privilege in professional networks. [18:29]
• Where the magic happens in communities. [24:14]
• Hannah’s approach to allyship. [26:54]
• Working for a female-founded, female-led company versus a male founded, male-led company. [31:07]
• How companies can empower women and parents to succeed in the workplace. [33:46]
• Writing content for startups. [39:00]
• Hannah’s thoughts on prioritizing time for herself, her family, her work, her community. [49:38]
• Hannah’s experience interviewing at companies while navigating new motherhood. [55:15]
• Margie and Hannah talk openly about navigating early motherhood, feeling a sense of urgency to figure it all out, going through an identity crisis after having kids, and mom guilt. [57:55]
• Lessons Hannah hopes to pass along to her daughter. [1:03:34]
• How Hannah applied the idea of value-based decision making to her personal and professional life. [1:05:26]
• Building empathy and meeting people where they are. [1:06:25]
• How Hannah learns and retains information. [1:09:49]
• Rapid Fire Questions. [1:11:32]
• Parting thoughts and encouraging words. [1:15:46]

For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/hannah-levy-modern-fertility-tech-ladies-episode-009.

***

Connect with Hannah Levy: 

Twitter

Connect with Modern Fertility: 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Connect with Tech Ladies:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

***

If you have a moment, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It helps us to get more amazing guests on the show and grow the podcast. Thank you!

***

For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. 

Connect with Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang: 

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

Subscribe to Moms Who Build on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, or your favorite podcast player. 

In my first solo episode, I talk candidly about why I started building Moms Who Build and what’s coming up on the show this month.

“I didn’t feel this way all of the time. I mainly felt this way when someone, and it didn’t matter who, but anyone asked me what I did for a living. I would reply that I was a stay-at-home mom and would almost immediately follow that up with, ‘oh, but I also volunteer as a special events coordinator for a nonprofit organization’, ‘oh, I also . . .’ fill in the blank for whatever I was doing at the time. And I was making it up in my own head that the person asking me was judging me for choosing to be a stay-at-home mom for my career, but again, that was in my head— no one ever said that to me. 

Fast forward to me driving home from Zumba and I was thinking about the kids growing up, about what I wanted to do. I was thinking about being surrounded by inspirational moms and women who were building things, and I thought, ‘huh, if I were made up of little cups of fulfillment, which cups needed a refill or to be filled in general?’ ” — Margie Chuang

***

For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. 

Connect with Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang: 

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

Subscribe to Moms Who Build on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, or your favorite podcast player. 

Kathi Donnelly — Relieving Stress & Creating Success, Having Co-Ownership in your Mental Health, and Lessons About Love, Motherhood and Adoption.

“We need to learn how to fail, because it’s not how we fall, it’s when we fall. We’re all going to fail, but it’s how to be creative and how to be resourceful, and how to come out of that.”

—Kathi Donnelly

This episode features Kathi Donnelly (@ommworks_), founder of OmmWorks.

Join Kathi and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang, for a thoughtful and heartfelt discussion about:

• Influential teachers who have a positive, lifelong impact on their students.
• Identifying the things that cause us stress and anxiety, and how to manage those feelings.
• Learning how to fail.
• Kathi’s personal experience with situational anxiety, after suffering from a miscarriage.
• Having co-ownership in your mental health and well being.
• Doing What You Love, Loving What You Do and Serving Others.
• Lessons that Kathi has learned about love, motherhood, adoption, and raising a family while building her career.
• . .  . and more!

Please enjoy!

For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/kathi-donnelly-ommworks-episode-007.

To learn more about Kathi Donnelly, visit ommworks.com. 

Selected Links from the Episode:

OmmWorks 

The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda Gates

Oprah and Deepak: 21-Day Meditation Experience (free!)

Connect with Kathi Donnelly and OmmWorks: 

Website: ommworks.com

Facebook: facebook.com/OmmWorks

Instagram: instagram.com/ommworks_

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kathi-donnelly-0001a641

***

For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. 

Connect with Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang: 

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild

Subscribe to Moms Who Build on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, or your favorite podcast player. 

This episode features Debbie Sanchez (@smashgyms), co-founder of Smash Gyms. 

Join Debbie and host, Margie Chuang, for a raw and honest conversation about:

• Building a business with your spouse and what you learn from each other along the way.
• What it’s like to grow a company while raising young children.
• How Debbie and Smash Gyms navigated closing all five of their locations during California’s shelter-in-place orders.
• Community: What it looks like when your business and your clients show up for each other.
• Embracing challenging times together can lead to new opportunities and business growth.
• How great coaches can impact your mental and physical well being.
• Recognizing that things may not go back to the way they were before COVID-19, but that we will make it through this unprecedented time together.

Subscribe to Moms Who Build  on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Links from Episode 006:

Train online with Debbie and other Smash trainers. Support small businesses - set an appointment at the link below for a tour of Smash TV and a free fitness consultation!: https://go.oncehub.com/SmashWellnessChallenge.

Coach Eddie Zhang’s Workout Spreadsheet: http://www.shorturl.at/kAGO1. 

US Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Borrower Application Form: https://www.sba.gov/document/sba-form--paycheck-protection-program-borrower-application-form.

Learn more about Smash Gyms: smashgyms.com. 

Follow Debbie Sanchez and Smash Gyms: 

Instagram: instagram.com/smashgymssunnyvale

Facebook: facebook.com/smashgyms

Twitter: twitter.com/smashgyms

For more podcast episodes and stories about inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit: momswhobuild.com.

Follow Moms Who Build:

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

This episode features Dr. Elizabeth Adams (@trustle_), co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer of Trustle.

In this episode, Elizabeth and I have an open and lively discussion about: 

• Identifying a gap in support for parents during early childhood development.
• Elizabeth’s journey as a clinical child psychologist and how it led her to co-found Trustle.
• The importance of supporting parents to make the best decisions for their children, based on the individual philosophy, needs, and values of each family.
• What is a parent coach?
• The collaborative relationship between parents and parent coaches to tackle challenges, big and small, using evidence-based practices.
• Elizabeth’s conversations with her family and co-workers about starting her own company.
• Building a company with co-founders who value you.
• What it is like to be a working mom, a soon-to-be mother of two, and a start-up founder.
• Inspiring women and mothers to be brave and to take that first step toward creating greatness.

Visit Moms Who Build :: Dr. Elizabeth Adams, Trustle for more about Episode 005. Enjoy!

To learn more about Dr. Elizabeth Adams, visit trustle.com. 

Follow Elizabeth and Trustle on: 

Website: trustle.com

Facebook: facebook.com/trustle

Instagram: instagram.com/trustle_

Linked In: linkedin.com/in/trustle

For more podcast episodes and stories of inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com.

Follow Moms Who Build:

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

This episode features Reena Vokoun (@passionfitllc), founder and CEO of Passion Fit. Join Reena and I for a candid and heartfelt discussion about:

• Reena’s personal experience with burnout and the catalyst for building Passion Fit.
• What is burnout? What signs and symptoms to look out for.
• The challenges and rewards of being a working mom and entrepreneur.
• What self-love and self-care mean and how to practice both.
• Passion Fit Retreats and the benefits of taking time away to reflect and celebrate who you are.
• Inspiring mothers and women to be bold and take a chance on themselves.
• Reena’s conversations with her family and her team at Google about leaving a corporate job that she loved to follow her dream.

Visit Moms Who Build :: Reena Vokoun, Passion Fit for more about Episode 004.  Enjoy!

To learn more about Reena, visit passionfit.com. 

Follow Reena and Passion Fit: 

Website: passionfit.com

Facebook: facebook.com/passionfitllc  

Instagram: instagram.com/passionfitllc

YouTube: youtube.com/passionfitllc

Twitter: twitter.com/passionfitllc

Linked In: linkedin.com/in/reenavokoun

For more podcast episodes and stories of inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com.

Follow Moms Who Build:

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild

Articles and Blog Posts by Reena Vokoun

Below are some articles and blog posts, written by Reena, that she and I referred to in Moms Who Build, Episode #004: 

Working Motherhood:

When You’re a Working Mom, Change Is the Only Constant

4 Tips for Better Sleep for Working Moms

Lessons on Entrepreneurship and Life from My Dad

4 Lessons I’m Teaching My Kids as an Entrepreneurial Working Mom

5 Ways Working Moms Get in Our Own Heads and How to Stop It

Positive Mindset:

Be Your Authentic Self – No Excuses, Apologies or Regrets

Pursue Your Passions, Be Fit and the Rest Will Follow…

Five Life Lessons I’ve Learned As a Woman from My Mom

My Personal Vision and Mission Statement

Take a Chance and Try Because You Never Know What Might Happen…

Self-Care:

Self-Love vs. Self-Care and Why We Need Both

Tips Aim to Help Busy Moms Claim Some 'Me Time'

Family and Community:

Wellness Communities Offer Motivation to Stay Healthy

Connect With Your Community

What Does Family Mean to You?

Nutritious Meal Planning Benefits Busy Families

Wellness Tips for Parents

Why Are We So Overscheduled?

Corporate Wellness:

5 Ways You Can Have Higher Performing Employees by Adopting a Wellness-Centric Culture

Mindfulness:

How Do You Find Inner Peace?

Turn Inward When Navigating Through Change

Importance of Mindfulness for Children and Teens for Battling Stress

Mindfulness Broken Down into Four Concepts

Meditation App

For Kids: My Light Shines Bright

More About Reena Vokoun

Reena Vokoun

Reena is a writer, public speaker, activewear designer, online course creator, media spokesperson and award-winning fitness champion. She's a certified health and wellness expert in the areas of fitness, nutrition and behavior change coaching through the American Council on Exercise, Athletics and Fitness Association of America, American Heart Association and IDEA Fitness.

Reena graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.S. in Advertising and Communications from Boston University. She spent 18 years in corporate America working in marketing, sales and business development roles for companies such as Google, Reebok, Yahoo and more.

In addition to running Passion Fit, she's a Women in Management Facilitator for Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and an Alumni Board Member for the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business.

Her own experiences and witnessing others, have shown her how much overwork and stress can impact your health and life. Therefore, she's passionate about educating others, especially professional women and moms and helping them take control of their lives in these areas. 

Today, she serves companies, nonprofits, universities, schools and the media through wellness education and training in the areas of fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, work-life balance, productivity and healthy lifestyles. Her Passion Fit products, services and content include online courses, wellness consulting/coaching, local fitness and dance classes, an activewear line, wellness retreats, workshops and speaking engagements, a YouTube channel of online videos, a blog and more.

She's featured regularly as a health contributor on the Fox KTVU news morning show, speaks to hundreds of people within various organizations and companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Intuit and Juniper Networks, shares her perspective on podcast interviews, writes a monthly health column for the Los Altos Town Crier and also writes for Thrive Global, Shape and Working Mother in addition to her own Passion Fit blog. Finally, as a mom, wife and first-generation-born Indian-American, she has a unique and holistic perspective to help others balance it

This episode features Ula Ghosheh (@ooladancefitness), founder of Oola Dance Fitness, the Zumba sensation of Silicon Valley.

Ula was an engineer at Cisco Systems for ten years before she quit her job to take care of her two young sons. This was both a rewarding and challenging time for Ula. She loved spending time with her kids, being a part of the PTA and directing fundraisers, but she was also working through her new life as a stay-at-home-mom and feeling like she wanted a little more for herself.

Since starting in 2011, Oola Dance Fitness has grown from 5 students to 2,500 students.

Join host Margie Chuang as she learns how Ula created more than just a business; she built a community where people from all walks of life come together to celebrate friendship, self confidence, and more.

To learn more about Ula, visit ooladancefitness.com.

Follow Ula:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/oola.dancefitness

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ooladancefitness

For more podcast episodes and stories of inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com.

Follow Moms Who Build:

Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_

Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild

Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild