Hidden Gems: Meet Geena Hong of Glow Co

Today we’d like to introduce you to Geena Hong.

Hi Geena, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For most of my adult life, I was very achievement driven. I built a career in marketing, worked with Fortune 500 brands, and took on leadership roles early. From the outside and on paper, everything looked solid. I was ambitious, capable, and constantly moving forward. But creatively, I felt disconnected, empty. I was building great things, just not for myself, and over time my identity became closely tied to my job title. I was proud of what I had accomplished, but it didn’t feel fulfilling in the way I wanted it to be.

That drive was deeply rooted in how I was raised. I grew up in an immigrant household where success meant stability, security, and choosing the “right” path. Like many Asian families, creativity and passion were secondary to practicality. I understood early on that love and approval came from achievement. When my parents lost their businesses while I was in high school, our lives changed overnight. That experience reinforced everything I had already learned….that safety could disappear at any moment, and that it was my responsibility to work harder, be smarter, and protect myself from ever feeling that vulnerable again.

Everything shifted for me when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. The first time, ovarian cancer, I didn’t know how to process what I was feeling, so I bought a sketchbook off Amazon and started drawing. It became a way to calm my nervous system and sit with my thoughts without spiraling. Thankfully, she beat that cancer and came out stronger than ever.

It was the second diagnosis that changed me in a deeper way. Mentally and emotionally, everything slowed down. I spent a lot of time with her in the hospital, back to back appointments. It was during those visits, I began noticing things I had never paid attention to before. One detail that stuck with me was the grip socks she wore. They were loose, impersonal, and honestly unsafe. She has tiny size 5 feet and had slipped more than once because they didn’t fit properly.

At the same time, I was already a Pilates instructor and deeply connected to movement, stability, and intentional design. One day it clicked. I thought, what if I combined the designs I had been sketching with something functional? What if I took something cold and clinical and turned it into something thoughtful, expressive, and actually useful? That was the moment the idea for Glow Co was born.

But what made that moment truly meaningful was my mom. After her second diagnosis, she told me to pursue what made me happy. For most of my life, she had wanted me to choose a traditional, “safe” path. Hearing her say that felt like a blessing I didn’t realize I had been waiting for. It gave me permission, permission to live fully, to create, and to build something for myself without guilt. I know I’m an adult woman but growing up in an immigrant household, there are these unspoken rules. I lived a lot of my life to please my mom and make her happy. I finally felt like this was her returning the favor to let me live out my passions.

What started as sketches in a notebook turned into designing Pilates grip socks that blended creativity, function, and care. Building Glow Co showed me how differently I show up when I’m creating something that’s truly mine. I cared more, learned faster, and trusted my instincts in a way I hadn’t before. As the founder of my own brand, I found myself excited, happy that I was finally able to lean into all of my strengths at once. It required me to tap into my marketing background, business acumen, creativity, social media experience and more. Everything I had worked so hard to learn throughout my career came together in a way that felt aligned.

Eventually, that same mindset led me to open my own Pilates studio, extending those values into a physical space centered on movement, community, and empowerment.

Looking back, my journey has been about redefining success on my own terms. I didn’t abandon discipline or ambition. I redirected it. I took something very painful and turned into something beautiful. Everything I’ve built has come from persistence, self-trust, and honoring the life I want to live. While I’m doing this for myself, I’m also doing it for my mom. Her encouragement gave me the freedom to finally pursue what fulfills me, and that will always be at the heart of everything I create. Most of our socks are cheeky, funny, relatable think our “Mentally Unstable”, and “Hot Mess” styles.

However, in honor of my mother and her fight against cancer, I created the Glow Co Strength Collection. It consists of three socks, each designed with deep intention and meaning. One honors my mother, Sukie… a survivor of ovarian cancer and a fighter of pancreatic cancer. The teal sock represents ovarian cancer, the purple represents pancreatic cancer, and the pink is an ode to my aunt, who fought and beat breast cancer.

My mom has taught me so much about love, compassion, strength, and resilience. At 74, she continues to fight her battle with grace and determination, and she remains my inspiration every single day. Watching her face everything with courage gave me the permission and the motivation to live my life fully…. to pursue what I love, to build without fear, and to keep going no matter how hard it gets. That mindset will always stay with me and is at the core of everything I create.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has absolutely not been a smooth road. When my parents lost everything, it fundamentally changed me. I promised myself I would never feel that poor or powerless again, and that promise ignited a fire in me that has driven how hard I was willing to work ever since.

There were many moments where I genuinely didn’t know how I was going to make rent or even eat. I didn’t always have a stable place to live. I lived in a garage, moved from place to place, and didn’t live in a home with air conditioning until I was in my 30s. Financial instability wasn’t a phase, it was my reality for years. I felt hopeless for a long time always trying to look at the end game.

To survive and keep moving forward, I made serious sacrifices. I worked multiple jobs at the same time while going to school full-time. My days started early and ended late, and rest was a luxury I really couldn’t afford. I kept telling myself, work hard now so you can build a better future later. That mindset is what carried me through years where survival came before comfort or enjoyment.

What people see now is the end result, not the process. They don’t see the discipline it took to keep showing up when there was no immediate payoff, no safety net, and no guarantee it would work out. I wasn’t chasing shortcuts or overnight success. I was playing the long game, trusting that if I stayed focused and kept grinding, it would eventually pay off. (That’s what I was praying for at least!)

Even as opportunities began to open up, the mental weight didn’t disappear overnight. Imposter syndrome, fear, and pressure followed me into every new level. Imposter syndrome is so real! I had to learn how to trust myself without validation and make decisions without any guidelines.

Building Glow Co meant choosing uncertainty again but this time with intention. Balancing financial responsibility, a demanding career, and family realities required constant recalibration. Nothing was handed to me, and every step forward was earned.

Looking back, those obstacles didn’t break me, they built me. They created a foundation and shaped my resilience, discipline, and work ethic. Everything I’ve built stands on years of sacrifice, belief, and relentless effort.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Glow Co?
Glow Co is a Pilates grip sock brand that began during a very personal chapter of my life. I’m a Pilates instructor, and movement has always been a grounding outlet for me, especially while navigating my mom’s cancer and the everyday pressures of real life. Creating became part of my mental health journey, a way to cope, stay present, and put my emotion into something else. What started as a small passion during that time slowly grew into something much bigger.

At its core, Glow Co is about taking something functional and making it feel intentional, personal, and elevated. The idea came from spending so much time with my mom in hospitals and treatment centers, noticing the grip socks she wore, how impersonal they were, how poorly they fit, and how little thought went into something meant to provide safety and support. As someone who teaches Pilates and understands movement and stability, that disconnect stood out to me immediately. I wanted to create socks that actually support movement, but also make people feel confident, cared for, and seen when they wear them.

We specialize in Pilates grip socks that focus on fit, grip, and comfort without sacrificing design. I went through so many rounds of materials and sampling, more than I can count because I was extremely specific about how I wanted them to feel and the level of quality I was willing to accept. I wanted them to be the grippiest socks you could trust during class, or hospital stays, but also comfortable enough for everyday wear especially for hospital settings. I didn’t want to sacrifice fit or softness. Nothing was rushed, and I refused to put my name on something that wasn’t the best version it could be.

What sets Glow Co apart is that it’s very founder-led and deeply personal. Every design has intention behind it. This brand wasn’t created just to jump on a Pilates trend, each design comes from lived experiences, observations, and a lot of trial and error. I care about the details because I’m the customer too. I wear my socks constantly and am always testing them to make sure they’re truly the best. The designs are an extension of my personality and humor, with “Mentally Unstable” and “Handle with Care” as some of our bestsellers.

The collection I’m most proud of is the Glow Co Strength Collection. I created it in honor of my mom and her fight against cancer. Each sock represents a different cancer awareness color, and the collection reflects the strength, resilience, and perseverance she has shown throughout her journey. That collection is the heart of Glow Co and a reminder of why this brand exists.

Glow Co is deeply tied to the Pilates and wellness community. I created this brand as someone who lives and teaches this work every day. I love collaborating with studios and instructors who see movement as a form of empowerment, a new way to live.

What I want people to know is that Glow Co isn’t just about socks. It’s about showing up for yourself, feeling grounded, and finding strength in small, everyday moments. Everything I create is rooted in intention and quality, and most of our designs are cheeky, a reflection of my personality and humor, along with a reminder that movement, even in hard seasons, can still be joyful.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Honestly, I do feel like I’ve been blessed with a lot of good luck in my life. But I also believe that it wasn’t just pure luck, it come alongside hard work, determination, and ambition. The opportunities that came my way didn’t come out of nowhere, they met me while I was already moving, grinding and sacrificing.

When I look back at moments that felt like “bad luck,” I don’t really see them that way anymore. Most of the time, they happened when my intentions weren’t aligned or when I was forcing myself into situations that weren’t meant for me. Those moments were less about things going wrong and more about redirection. In the moment it would feel devastating but later I would understand why certain things worked out the way they did.

I’ve learned to trust that when I’m clear on my intentions and willing to put in the work, things tend to fall into place. Luck, for me, has been less about chance and more about alignment and intention, being prepared, showing up fully, and trusting myself enough to take the opportunity when it appears.

So while I’m grateful for the good luck I’ve experienced, I know it’s always been paired with effort, a lot of self-awareness (sometimes too much self awareness), and the willingness to adjust when something no longer feels right. Every missed opportunity ultimately led me to a better one.

Pricing:

• All socks are $20

Contact Info:

• Website: https://glowcosocks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glowcosocks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glowcosocks/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/glowcosocks
• Twitter: https://x.com/glowcosocks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG5E2jmW2B_OlDo4wDuUDuA
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geenahong