Instructors
Reena Vokoun, MS
Reena Vokoun is Founder and CEO of Passion Fit, TEDx speaker, and certified health and fitness professional through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She's also a certified employee wellbeing and professional strengths expert through Gallup and an award-winning ESPN Fitness Championships competitor and personal and professional development coach and consultant.
Reena graduated with a BBA in Marketing and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MS in Advertising and Communications from Boston University. She spent years in digital marketing, sales and business development leadership roles for Google, Yahoo, Reebok, CNET, GE and Grokker. Today, she serves companies, nonprofits, universities, schools and the media through Passion Fit products, services and content creation focused on fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, productivity and work-life balance.
Reena has been featured as an on-air health contributor for NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX, provided expert commentary for multiple women's health and wellness magazines and was selected as one of LA Weekly's Top 10 Health and Fitness Leaders of 2023. She speaks to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon and writes for Thrive Global, Shape and her own blog. Reena is also an award-winning author whose first published nonfiction book, The Wellness-Empowered Woman™, received the Mom's Choice Award Gold, Nonfiction Authors Association Gold Award and Book Excellence Award.
Reena is also on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Alumni Board for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Alumni Council for Boston University and has been a Women in Management Facilitator for Stanford University. Additionally she serves as a brand ambassador for ACE and was nominated as a candidate for Woman of the Year Silicon Valley given her fundraising for blood cancer research for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
More information: https://passionfit.com
Melissa Wogahn, MA, CSCS, NBC-HWC
Melissa Wogahn is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), and a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). She holds a master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Southern California. Over the past 35 years, Melissa has been providing organizations with evidence-based coaching programs that empower members to discover active lifestyles that fit who they are.
Melissa began her post graduate career as program director for Pritikin Programs, where she witnessed first-hand the power of lifestyle medicine. She has provided health and fitness programs for companies including the Los Angeles Times, the American Heart Association, United Airlines, and Good Samaritan Hospital of Los Angeles. Today, she works with the County of San Diego's Aging and Independence Services and the City of Los Angeles Employees' Retirement System. Melissa is on the advisory board for the San Diego Mesa College Health and Wellness Coaching Certificate Program.
Melissa believes that everyone deserves to live an active life that fits who they are so they can feel better, sleep better, and live their best life.
More information: www.JoyofActiveLiving.com
Urszula Bunting, NBC-HWC
Urszula Bunting is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), Brain Longevity Specialist, Registered Yoga Teacher, Tai Chi Instructor, published author, and founder of UB Well, LLC. She has taught yoga and tai chi and offered health and well-being coaching programs for reputable institutions, including Longmont United Hospital, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and the City of Longmont. In addition, Urszula is bilingual and uses her language skills to help others communicate better in legal and medical settings. such as state and federal courts and various medical institutions.
Urszula is a mother of two teenage sons who have been invaluable teachers, motivating her to learn and grow both personally and professionally. Her favorite places include her kitchen, sunny beaches, hiking trails, and a yoga mat.
She believes that everyone has the potential to live happy and healthy lives. Her mission is to inspire her clients, students, and friends through coaching, teaching, writing, and living her life to the fullest.
More information: www.ubwell4life.com
Caroline Jordan, BA
Caroline Jordan is a certified health coach, personal trainer and group fitness instructor on a mission to teach the world how to use movement as medicine for mental and physical wellbeing. A graduate of the University of California, Davis, Caroline has been named "Group Fitness Instructor of Excellence" at EQUINOX, "Group Fitness Instructor of the Year" at UC Davis, and "Personal Trainer with Passion" by the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Best known for her creative workouts, Caroline is an authority on injury-friendly fitness for people of all physical abilities. Her YouTube channel reaches a global audience and her fitness videos average 8 million views per month. In 2016, she published her first book, Balanced Body Breakthrough. She continues to dispense healthy living advice in articles for Thrive Global and other wellness websites. In addition to being a sought-after coach and speaker, Caroline is a partner and brand ambassador for companies including Lululemon, Fitbit, EQUINOX, New Balance, Nutrisense and more.
More information: https://carolinejordanfitness.com
Araceli De Leon, MS, RYT-500
Araceli De Leon holds a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from San Diego State University (SDSU) and a master's degree in sports performance from Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU). During her time at PLNU, she conducted her research on the effects of yoga on state and trait anxiety and well-being in college students. Over time, her passions have evolved to raising awareness on the mental health benefits of yoga for diverse and underserved populations.
Araceli is a 500-hour registered yoga teacher and has been practicing yoga since 2012. She blends her knowledge from her kinesiology studies to create safe and smart sequencing. While most of her career in the industry was focused around behavior change science and guiding people in overcoming their physical and mental barriers, teaching yoga has allowed her to create a more student-centered experience where the practitioner has full autonomy of their own practice. Araceli is also a certified health coach, personal trainer and group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
Araceli also works as the business and career content manager for ACE, where she provides health and fitness professionals the support and guidance needed in an evolving industry. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and snowboarding in the beautiful Eastern Sierra of California.
Alice Trowbridge, MS, RN, RYT-500
Alice Trowbridge is a personal trainer, group exercise instructor, yoga teacher, and health coach. With a bachelor of science in nursing and a master of science in kinesiology with a focus in integrative wellness, through her extensive professional experience as both a registered nurse (RN) and fitness and wellness professional, Alice is committed to supporting people in the process of sustainable lifestyle changes that improve overall well-being. Her approach to her work is both holistic and personalized and she is passionate about helping others achieve their health goals and live their best lives.
Kyle Descher, MS, NBC-HWC, RYT-200
Kyle is a national board-certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC) and mindful movement (RYT-200) and meditation teacher who earned his Master of Science in Kinesiology with a focus in Integrative Wellness.
After nearly 15 years navigating the high-stakes, high-stress world of the corporate tech sector and overcoming a violent, racist assault that left his jaw broken in 3 places along with post-traumatic stress, he's using all that he's learned about overcoming challenges to help a society that is increasingly disconnected from themselves. Presently Kyle is on a mission to uplift the collective and cultivate meaningful connection.
His approach is compassionate, practical, & rooted in science. He takes the 'woo' out of wellness and empowers individuals to grow their vision of health, happiness, & a meaningful life through the art and science of behavior change and whole person approaches to health. He also draws from 15+ years of studying and teaching the ancient arts & sciences of yoga, meditation, & pranayama to encourage and support others to cultivate a practice of mindfulness, from which all change is born.
More information: https://www.coachkyle.health
Jen VanderSanden
Jen VanderSaden's interest in fitness began with Pilates. After suffering chronic back pain from a fall off a horse as a teenager, she was able to completely conquer the injury by working through the contemporary Pilates repertoire. In addition to becoming a certified Stott Pilates instructor— to include certifications in mat, reformer, CCB— Jen's education expanded to include personal training, group fitness and certification as a TRX group instructor. For the last 16 years—8 years of which have included owning her own gym in San Diego—she has used these various disciplines to customize programs for clients, whether it be in small groups or one-on-one. The one constant Jen sees with every individual she works with is the desire to improve. Guiding people through the right combination of physical movements, providing motivation and encouraging healthy living to reach personal goals in a fun and enjoyable manner is Jen's ultimate mission.
Tasha Edwards, MS, NBC-HWC
Tasha Edwards is a native of Chicago who began her fitness career selling memberships at a local gym in 2004. Since then, she has become an international presenter and a well-known voice and advocate for diverse and accessible wellness spaces. A seasoned movement educator, blogger, podcast host and content creator, Tasha is a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor as well as a 200-hour certified yoga instructor and holds certifications in personal training, group fitness and 20+ additional specialty fitness certifications. She is a national board certified health and wellness coach (NBC-HWC), a featured instructor on John Garey TV and holds a bachelor's degree in sociology as well as a master's degree in counseling, both from Tennessee State University.
More information: www.tashaedwards.com