Hey,
I'm KARENA

I'M SO GRATEFUL YOU'RE HERE!

My purpose is to serve as a beacon of hope, inspiration, and a guide to you on your unique path.

I'm a MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE, wellness ENTREPRENEUR, New York Times BEST-SELLING AUTHOR, wife, daughter, friend, Pom Mom (you’re going to hear a lot about my pomeranians here!). And just like you I'm a WORK IN PROGRESS. I’ve experienced profound grief and deep joy in my life, and now I’m here to tell my story - no more embarrassment, no more shame, no holding back.

I’m here to help you to take your pain, challenges, and failures and turn them into happiness and success. I will motivate you to dig deep and dream about a bigger, brighter, bolder life for yourself, and then go out and make that dream happen.

I’m here to show you it can be done — because I did it. If by telling my story I can inspire one other person to dream bigger, then I’ve done my job here.

I’m here to help you to take your pain, challenges, and failures and turn them into happiness and success. I will motivate you to dig deep and dream about a bigger, brighter, bolder life for yourself, and then go out and make that dream happen.

I’m here to show you it can be done — because I did it. If by telling my story I can inspire one other person to dream bigger, then I’ve done my job here.

Let'S START FROM THE BEGINNING ...

I’m a small town girl from Indiana, and I grew up with my dad, sister, and to some extent, my mother.

It’s impossible to tell my story without telling my mother’s because her life shaped mine so profoundly. When I was 13 years old, my mom was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and in the years after, she was in and out of our home.

The stigma around mental illness made me hide my emotions, and I experienced deep loneliness, depression, and childhood trauma. This manifested in a suicide attempt when I was 13 and then nearly 10 years of unhealthy habits and drug use to numb my pain.

THEN I HIT A BREAKING POINT.

KD CIRCA 1980s

INDIANA, U.S.A.

When I was 22 years old, something deep in my gut told me ...

“If you keep living this way, you will die.” So I chose to live. I rediscovered my love for fitness, I went on a journey of mindfulness, and I slowly healed through therapy, yoga, and meditation. I realized, maybe for the first time, that I could set goals and achieve them, that I had the capacity for greatness. That spark led me to chase my dreams...

And now I'm living those dreams.

I am now an entrepreneur, trainer, meditation teacher, New York Times bestselling author, co-founder of Tone It Up, the leading lifestyle and fitness community for women, and Chief Wellness Officer of ALTWELL, which specializes in premium-quality CBD products.

I am pouring everything I experienced in my childhood and all the lessons I learned along my path into my first memoir, The Big Silence.
Learn more about my new memoir out now HERE!

A few highlights of my career so far ...

OUR 2018 NATIONAL TOUR

MEET THE TIU STUDIO CREW!

FOUNDING TONE IT UP

Along with my best friend Katrina Scott, I co-founded the leading fitness community for women. Through workouts, nutrition products, and community connection, Tone It Up helps millions of women live their healthiest and happiest lives.

JOINING THE
BOARD OF NAMI

As a passionate advocate for mental wellness, I am proud to serve on the Board of Advisors for National Alliance on Mental Illness.

STUDYING UNDER
DEePAK CHOPRA

I consider myself a lifelong student, and I recently studied meditation under Deepak Chopra at The Chopra Center.

MEDITATE WITH ME ON THE TIU APP!

Everything I do comes back to one singular mission ...

To GUIDE AND INSPIRE you to turn your challenges into triumphs — that’s my most important job!

"Official" Bio

NOT IN THE

Indiana (where I was born), Los Angeles (where I lived for 20 years), Hawaii (where my husband Bobby and I got married), Palm Springs (my home away from home), & Austin (my new home).

PLACES I CONNECT WITH + LOVE:

Kiss my husband and our Pomeraneans (Skunk & Tiki, & Kiwi), sip water with lemon, light a candle, meditate, and work out.

fIRST THING I DO WHEN I WAKE UP:

Home design, remodeling, & decor. I also love having fun with fashion — I'm not always in my yoga pants ;)

YOU MAY NOT KNOW I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT:

In 2020, my husband and I (poms in tow) renovated an RV and spent 7 weeks on the open road. 9 National Parks, 32 States, 10 thousand miles and visited our family across the country!