I am a GOAL-getter living life with no regrets (with Lauren!)

[00:00:00]Just Gotta Yap!
[00:00:06] 
[00:00:25] Angeleaza: Hello everyone, and welcome to the first in-person [00:00:30] episode of What Are You season two. Today I have my lovely friend Lauren with us. Woo Party. [00:00:40] Yay. That wild. Lauren is a content creator, entrepreneur, go-getter, and she actually has her own podcast, which will be [00:00:50] included and linked in the show notes... but I'm going to stop telling you about who she is and I'm going to let you tell them who you are.
[00:00:57] Lauren: I am [00:01:00] currently a 28-year-old young professional living in DC, Angeleaza's neighbor. Mm-hmm. A friend, a daughter, a sister, a go-getter. [00:01:10] Go-getter. A consultant, a designer, a mental health advocate, a podcaster, content creator, what Angeleaza said, [00:01:20] a creative in general, a dancer, many things. 
[00:01:24] Angeleaza: Amazing. And let's just dive into it because you, you got us there. So [00:01:30] you are so many things. Let's pick a couple aspects of your identity to focus on today. And tell me what you are. Answer that question. What are [00:01:40] you?
[00:01:40] Lauren: What am I today? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. I'm gonna focus on the go-getter. Living life with no [00:01:50] regrets. 
[00:01:50] Angeleaza: Love, 
[00:01:50] Lauren: just the vibe. 
[00:01:51] Angeleaza: Yeah. No, I love that. 
[00:01:52] Lauren: My persona 
[00:01:53] Angeleaza: perfect. I feel like that really streamlines and encapsulates maybe like the theme [00:02:00] of who you are in this chapter of your life.
[00:02:02] Angeleaza: So let's get to it. When did you first feel like a go-getter [00:02:10] girl? 
[00:02:10] Lauren: My whole life. 
[00:02:11] Angeleaza: Oh, that's amazing. No, a lot of people
[00:02:14] Lauren: from birth. 
[00:02:15] Angeleaza: So good. What happened at birth, um, that made you feel like a go-getter?
[00:02:19] Lauren: I [00:02:20] think firstborn energy. Okay. Firstborn energy for sure. I'm one of two. I have a younger sister. Just like the family that I was born into. My parents have an [00:02:30] incredible work ethic and drive. 
[00:02:32] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:02:32] Lauren: And I've just always been really goal oriented. I think I was like really into school, really good at school, like getting [00:02:40] those a's like, I always was like, straight a report card, and some of it, maybe a lot of it is like internalized [00:02:50] perfectionism.
[00:02:50] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:02:50] Lauren: Like overachieving, some mental health struggles that I wasn't aware of at the time that I became more aware of and have worked through in several years of therapy and [00:03:00] continue to work through my self-development journey.
[00:03:02] Lauren: I just, I've always been really into setting goals and then achieving them gives me [00:03:10] a hit of dopamine. And also, um, I'm just very into personal growth and self-develop.
[00:03:18] Angeleaza: I love that. Thank you. [00:03:20] Let's break that down. So older sister, what type of older sister were you? Because I'm also the oldest of four siblings, three younger siblings. 
[00:03:29] Lauren: [00:03:30] Mm-hmm. 
[00:03:30] Angeleaza: And I know what type of older sister I was, but I wanna hear what type of older sister were you? Were you bossy? Were you your sister's best friend? [00:03:40] Talk to me about that dynamic.
[00:03:41] Lauren: Okay, so I was bossy. I was always a performer, always like attention on me putting on little shows for my parents and like my sister [00:03:50] would come and do it and like be a little backup dancer, a little sidekick and like, wanna do the dance that I was doing. And so we would, we got along really well.
[00:03:59] Lauren: And [00:04:00] we would do stuff together and a lot of the times other parents would talk to my parents and be like, wow, how do your girls get along so well? We were like the picture of sibling best friends, [00:04:10] however, I was mean to her and she just had a heart of gold and loved me no matter what. So I am
[00:04:15] Angeleaza: sweet.
[00:04:15] Lauren: Very fortunate to have her as a sister.
[00:04:19] Lauren: Alex, if you're [00:04:20] listening, you're the best.
[00:04:21] Lauren: But yeah, I was a typical older sister, like bossy, just would do stupid stuff to her, like [00:04:30] poke the bear, I like poking the bear and like annoy her or, you know, I'm not, not very proud of this, sometimes excluding her and leaving her out of things when I [00:04:40] wanted to like, hang out with my older cousin or like a friend. And she remembers that. And we talk about it now. We joke about it now 'cause now we're more best friends. But we [00:04:50] did always get along in the sense that like there wasn't a whole lot of fighting.
[00:04:56] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:04:57] Angeleaza: What is the age gap between you and your sister? 
[00:04:59] Lauren: Two [00:05:00] years. 
[00:05:00] Angeleaza: Two years. Oh, that's beautiful. That's so perfect. 
[00:05:02] Lauren: Yeah, not too much.
[00:05:03] Angeleaza: My sister who is the next closest sibling that I have in age is almost [00:05:10] exactly three years younger than me, and I feel like my time of being the quote unquote only [00:05:20] child the first only three years of my life, really informed how I approached being an older sister at that point. So I'm always so fascinated by everyone's [00:05:30] sibling dynamics.
[00:05:31] Angeleaza: Now, as an older sister, did you ever, especially when you were younger, did you ever feel [00:05:40] any pressure to set a good example for your younger sister?
[00:05:45] Lauren: Yes. 
[00:05:46] Angeleaza: Uhhuh 
[00:05:46] Lauren: always, like, always. I was very aware that she was [00:05:50] watching and looking up to me. 
[00:05:51] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:05:51] Lauren: And my parents made me aware of that.
[00:05:53] Angeleaza: Sure. Sure. 
[00:05:54] Lauren: I did definitely feel a lot of pressure to be a good role model and then as we grew up and I [00:06:00] understood just how much she was looking up to me 'cause I didn't like fully comprehend when I was like younger. I actually got to the point where I [00:06:10] wanted to like, maintain or create this perfect image for her and when I first like really struggled with my mental health in college, I was actually [00:06:20] scared to tell her at first I was in college so she wasn't there. 
[00:06:23] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:06:24] Lauren: But I had reached out to my parents for help and they both helped me research and find a [00:06:30] therapist. And when I was like talking about it with them and when they like came and picked me up when I was like having an emotional breakdown. [00:06:40] Uh, my mom asked if I wanted to tell my sister.
[00:06:43] Lauren: And my initial reaction was, no, because like. I don't know. I thought of it as [00:06:50] maybe weak, probably 
[00:06:52] Angeleaza: interesting. 
[00:06:52] Lauren: And I didn't want to be "that" role model for her. 
[00:06:58] Angeleaza: Right. 
[00:06:59] Lauren: But then [00:07:00] I quickly realized that yes, I do wanna tell her, and that not sharing my vulnerability or struggles would be more of a [00:07:10] disservice than sharing, because it leads by example and then you know that you don't have to be perfect.
[00:07:18] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:07:18] Lauren: Like, you know, if someone that you [00:07:20] look up to shares their vulnerabilities and maybe the parts that they're not very proud of 
[00:07:26] Angeleaza: mm-hmm 
[00:07:26] Lauren: of their identity, it helps you feel more human and you [00:07:30] can relate and maybe you let down your walls too.
[00:07:32] Angeleaza: Right, right. It's that monkey see and monkey do almost, but more mindful and definitely more [00:07:40] self-aware.
[00:07:40] Angeleaza: Do you think that that pressure you put on yourself to be a role model, was that something that was intrinsic? Like you [00:07:50] felt that you need to set that example more than extrinsic, like your parents were constantly saying "Lauren, you have to be a good example [00:08:00] for Alex"?
[00:08:02] Lauren: Yeah, that's a really good question. I think a bit more intrinsic than extrinsic. Yeah. 
[00:08:09] Angeleaza: I don't think [00:08:10] there's anything wrong with either of those and I think that kind of also speaks to how you are as a person. You are very intrinsically motivated. That makes [00:08:20] sense that, that would come as sort of a more internalized pressure versus externalized.
[00:08:26] Angeleaza: What areas did you feel like you [00:08:30] needed to set a good example for her, other than you know, exactly what you just said, mental health?
[00:08:35] Lauren: Hmm, that's a good question. I feel like all areas [00:08:40] of life. Being a good human in general, treating friends, family, community, other people right. And then, [00:08:50] school for sure, like getting my homework done and getting good grades, although I don't know if being a good example was on my mind.
[00:08:59] Lauren: [00:09:00] Like being very intrinsically motivated, and then how I was raised, we had a great childhood and family dynamic. I was praised a [00:09:10] lot for good grades and so that made me want to get them more and I think I set a high standard for myself. So then anything below straight A's was [00:09:20] like, wha wow.
[00:09:21] Lauren: And I was like, ah, shit. 
[00:09:23] Angeleaza: Ooh, you, you're speaking my truth. Okay. 
[00:09:26] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:09:27] Lauren: So I don't really know how much that was me [00:09:30] focused on being a good example for her versus my intrinsic motivation, external rewards, or attention maybe I was getting, I'm not really sure the term there.
[00:09:39] Angeleaza: I [00:09:40] mean, both can be true.
[00:09:41] Angeleaza: You can be intrinsically motivated while simultaneously being motivated by a, kind of natural reward [00:09:50] system. So Yeah. Yeah. And one can affirm the other; if the external reward can strengthen that intrinsic [00:10:00] motivation and just remind you it is a good thing. 
[00:10:03] Lauren: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:10:05] Angeleaza: So going back, the reason why I asked what sort of areas in [00:10:10] life you felt either the internal or external pressure to be the best example to Alex 
[00:10:18] Lauren: mm-hmm 
[00:10:18] Angeleaza: growing up is because I know for [00:10:20] me, I can kind of define what areas of my life I put the pressure on myself to be a good example to my [00:10:30] younger siblings whereas I can also point and say, okay, these are the areas that my parents were maybe pushing me. The grades thing, I got good grades and then I [00:10:40] kept getting good grades and then I couldn't get bad grades and then that's hard. That's very tough. I have a lot of guilt, honestly, because, and I don't know, maybe you [00:10:50] feel the same way.
[00:10:51] Angeleaza: I felt that as the oldest, I set the bar for myself too high. Yeah. And then [00:11:00] I set the bar high for my siblings. Like I just set the expectation high so they were expected to perform at least at my [00:11:10] level. And then I worried that, and this is all just me spiraling, just anxiety that I think about too far, too often.
[00:11:18] Angeleaza: But I worry [00:11:20] that maybe they felt if they didn't perform at my level academically, that they would feel less than. And I don't know if [00:11:30] that's true. I could talk to them. Uh,
[00:11:32] Angeleaza: that's so funny that you say this 'cause Alex recently brought this up. So we were watching the Super Bowl. Alex Marika and I at Marika's Place. And [00:11:40] Marika is Lauren's girlfriend. Yes. Sorry. She's awesome. We love her. We love Marika.
[00:11:47] Angeleaza: Shout out Marika, 'cause I know you're gonna watch this [00:11:50] and also shout out Alex, 'cause I know you're gonna watch this too. Real ones. Hi guys. So Alex was telling Marika [00:12:00] about our childhood a little bit and growing up and how I used to get straight A's.
[00:12:05] Angeleaza: I don't think I've talked too much about this to Marika maybe like a little [00:12:10] bit. Mm-hmm. So far. Mm-hmm. But Alex went on this whole tangent. She's really funny. Like Alex is one of the funniest people you'll ever meet, and you only get to know that [00:12:20] if you're close with her. Sure. She has an incredible sense of humor. She makes me laugh. Like all the time we laugh together. We have similar senses of humor. That's great. So she was like. [00:12:30] Yeah, like Lauren used to get all A's and then like I had to get all A's and it was impossible.
[00:12:35] Angeleaza: And then when I brought home a report card and God forbid it had a B, it would be oh, , [00:12:40] well Lauren got all A's, why didn't you? Or you know, like constant comparison. After the whole spiel that she gave, I was like, damn, I didn't really know you felt [00:12:50] that way or that deep about it.
[00:12:51] Angeleaza: This seems like something you should talk about in therapy. Yeah. I'm like a really therapy girly. Yeah. So I'm in therapy myself and so I'm always like, [00:13:00] I advocating, I think at some point in everyone's lives everyone could benefit from therapy. So I just was like, dude, [00:13:10] wow. Like it was very informative.
[00:13:12] Angeleaza: Yeah. Yeah. I think the fact that she could even articulate that and she was comfortable articulating that to [00:13:20] you and to Marika, says a lot for her self-awareness and I am sure it had an impact and maybe both a positive impact. It was positive [00:13:30] reinforcement like she wanted to be like her older sister and maybe it was hard.
[00:13:34] Angeleaza: Both can be true. Like both can be true. Yeah. Yeah. I think it was hard. [00:13:40] Yeah. I like it resonate with what you said about I set the bar too high for myself and then it was a crazy high bar for my sister. Now I'm [00:13:50] more aware of that and I'm like, oh, yikes.
[00:13:53] Angeleaza: At the same time, how would we know? Yeah. This is more us looking back and hindsight [00:14:00] is 2020, so yeah. Gotta forgive ourselves. Um, which giving ourselves grace. Yep. Something in practicing. Yep. It's [00:14:10] hard. Uh, but yeah, off. Ooh, yes.
[00:14:13] Angeleaza: My parents put, I mean, and I'm sure they would agree with [00:14:20] this, if not, I'm sorry, mom, but I think they would say that they did put a lot of pressure on me to do the right thing because they [00:14:30] knew that little eyes, my younger siblings were always watching. Did you feel that pressure morally to do the right thing? Like, I know [00:14:40] you said that you were the one sort of poking the bear, poking Alex, but did you feel like if you were misbehaving, then [00:14:50] she was misbehaving, or if you were being good, she was being good. Or was it the opposite? 
[00:14:56] Lauren: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. You see, the thing is, the thing is we are similar, [00:15:00] but we are very different.
[00:15:01] Angeleaza: Okay. 
[00:15:01] Lauren: Alex is a goodie two shoes. God bless her. Yeah. Alex is a goodie two shoes. I became a rebel. 
[00:15:07] Angeleaza: Nice. 
[00:15:07] Lauren: I pushed the envelope.
[00:15:08] Angeleaza: Nice. 
[00:15:09] Lauren: And [00:15:10] I like to rebel, especially in like high school, end of middle school, high school. 
[00:15:16] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:15:16] Lauren: Era. I was like, 
[00:15:18] Angeleaza: I mean, you were a teenage girl. 
[00:15:19] Lauren: Yeah. [00:15:20] I I was and a teenage girl, but like, yeah, I was living my best life. I was like, I'm gonna live life on my own terms, you know? And if I acted up or did [00:15:30] stuff that was, uh, illegal or it wasn't, I wasn't like crazy. 
[00:15:37] Angeleaza: Sure, sure. 
[00:15:39] Lauren: Sometimes we [00:15:40] underage drink, can't help it. Or sneak out with boys or have a boy over at the time. This is hilarious. Um, uh, [00:15:50] yeah, Alex never did that.
[00:15:51] Angeleaza: Okay. 
[00:15:52] Lauren: So no matter what, she was a rule follower, so it didn't matter if I broke the rules.
[00:15:58] Angeleaza: Uhhuh.
[00:15:58] Angeleaza: Honestly, go [00:16:00] off Alex. 
[00:16:00] Lauren: Yeah. Really 
[00:16:01] Angeleaza: Some really strong moral character. 
[00:16:03] Lauren: I know. I was like, but I did this all for you. Like you're not taking advantage of all of the hardships. I [00:16:10] went through all of the boundaries. I broke. I was like, come on, just do one little thing.
[00:16:14] Lauren: Like, I was like really trying to, uh, rile her up. Forget her to break a rule, but [00:16:20] no, she didn't even cuss. She still doesn't cuss. 
[00:16:23] Angeleaza: Incredible. It never just like slips out?
[00:16:25] Lauren: Like, no, no.
[00:16:27] Lauren: Seriously. Like she will not. 
[00:16:29] Angeleaza: That's so good. 
[00:16:29] Lauren: [00:16:30] It never slips out. She never started. Now sometimes like I'll joke and try to get her to say a bad word or my dad will do the same thing. He'll be like, just [00:16:40] say it. Like, that's so funny. Say bitch and she'll, even if she's like explaining something and maybe that's in the the sentence, she'll stop and either not say it or maybe [00:16:50] say like, I don't know, be the B word.
[00:16:53] Lauren: I don't know. Wow. It's so funny. Oh my God. I wanna interview Alex. I wanna know you should [00:17:00] like how she got to be so good. That's incredible. I'm not sure if she'd be up for that. I don't. We we'll talk. We're different in that sense. Sure. Yeah, [00:17:10] yeah, yeah. But yeah, definitely ask.
[00:17:12] Angeleaza: Amazing. Yeah. Alex, I'm gonna text you. Anyway. We talked a lot about the way that you set the bar high [00:17:20] academically.
[00:17:20] Lauren: Yeah. 
[00:17:20] Angeleaza: And then you said at the very beginning of this conversation that as time went by, that [00:17:30] developed maybe into some level of perfectionism when combined with your intrinsic motivation and then [00:17:40] anxiety. When were you first aware that you were trying, like actively self-aware you were trying to do something perfectly? To be [00:17:50] perfect? Exude a vibe of perfection?
[00:17:55] Lauren: I don't think I was fully aware at this point, but I [00:18:00] remember in high school, I got in a fight with my best friend at the time and she said, [00:18:10] you think you know everything or you always act like you know everything. And that was the first feedback I received, and I didn't really think I [00:18:20] was trying to know everything. I don't think I was like intending to come off that way, but that's how it was received. That's how it came off. 
[00:18:27] Angeleaza: Right. Intention versus [00:18:30] impact. 
[00:18:30] Lauren: Yeah. Yeah. 
[00:18:31] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:18:31] Lauren: Yeah. And then I like to be busy, like to like keep myself busy. I like to be good at all the things I do.
[00:18:39] Lauren: I don't have a [00:18:40] lot of like patience with myself and I've been working on this in therapy 
[00:18:44] Angeleaza: for sure, 
[00:18:44] Lauren: for like the learning period. Like, I expect myself to be perfect [00:18:50] or really good at something the first time I try.
[00:18:52] Lauren: So I think that awareness started to grow in therapy, like, I've been in and out of therapy since senior year of college through [00:19:00] now. Six, seven years. But before that I wasn't in therapy and so I wasn't like super self-aware. But I remember in college that I wanted to go [00:19:10] abroad my junior year.
[00:19:11] Angeleaza: Oh, amazing. 
[00:19:11] Lauren: And I did end up going abroad to Madrid and it was the best experience ever. I love Spain. 
[00:19:16] Angeleaza: Wow, okay. I'm jealous. 
[00:19:19] Lauren: It was [00:19:20] awesome. 
[00:19:20] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:19:21] Lauren: And I didn't really know how the finances would go, and I thought it would be more expensive than a semester.
[00:19:27] Lauren: And so I'd talked about it with my parents and my [00:19:30] parents were super supportive and they were paying for my college, which I'm so grateful for. And they were allowing me to have this experience. And I, in the end, I don't think it was like more [00:19:40] expensive, but I just had this pressure on myself to find someone to take over my lease and then I want to travel and do fun things while I'm [00:19:50] there. 
[00:19:50] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:19:50] Lauren: And I was working like a side gig as a swim instructor 
[00:19:55] Angeleaza: mm-hmm. 
[00:19:55] Lauren: In college and making a little side money, but you don't make that much money in college. And in the [00:20:00] summer I was a summer camp counselor.
[00:20:01] Lauren: I did that for fun. And you basically get way underpaid and so I was like, I gotta save the most. So I was on one dance team. I [00:20:10] started on two dance teams, freshman year, and then I had to cut it back to one.
[00:20:13] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:20:14] Lauren: A dance team, in a sorority, in a scholars program, and then my regular [00:20:20] school work. 
[00:20:21] Angeleaza: And this is the scholars program at University of Maryland, correct? 
[00:20:24] Lauren: Yes. 
[00:20:24] Angeleaza: Yes. Very rigorous academically. 
[00:20:27] Lauren: Yes. 
[00:20:28] Angeleaza: Yep. Okay. 
[00:20:29] Lauren: Yes. [00:20:30] And also just got into the business school 'cause I entered letters in sciences and then I applied I think sophomore year and got in this school is very rigorous there. Great, great school. A lot of [00:20:40] pressure. Very tough. I was working at the pool as a swim instructor at Epley, the gym there. 
[00:20:46] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:20:47] Lauren: And I [00:20:50] decided to take on another job the semester before I went abroad to save up money. And so a restaurant had opened capos to [00:21:00] Verna.
[00:21:00] Lauren: It's no longer there. So I got that job as a food runner and that was like really intense. 'cause this was like a bougie, elevated Greek chain so [00:21:10] they made us learn the menu and there were like these crazy Greek words and it was really hard and for food runners we had to say three ingredients per dish when we delivered [00:21:20] 'em. 
[00:21:20] Angeleaza: Wow. 
[00:21:20] Lauren: So it was like an intense job. 
[00:21:22] Angeleaza: Yeah 
[00:21:22] Lauren: I also didn't really have like restaurant experience, so that plus everything else. I remember at one [00:21:30] point I was running around and I did not have time to do the basics, like eat lunch. 
[00:21:34] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:21:34] Lauren: Like feed myself. 
[00:21:36] Angeleaza: Sure, sure. 
[00:21:36] Lauren: And I took a step back and I was like, oh [00:21:40] shit. I can't do all this. This is too much. I'm trying to do too much. I'm trying to be perfect at everything. I don't have the energy. Like this is not humanly possible. [00:21:50] Unless I like forgo the basics and I'm not trying to do that 'cause then you burnout 
[00:21:55] Angeleaza: Uhhuh. That's what I've learned.
[00:21:57] Lauren: Yeah. I think I've burnt out several times. 
[00:21:59] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:21:59] Lauren: But [00:22:00] I remember that it was the first time, going back to your question, I was super aware that I was doing the most and trying to be the best at everything. Then [00:22:10] I had to cut back and I ended up quitting the job at CNOs.
[00:22:13] Angeleaza: Wow. 
[00:22:14] Lauren: And being fine and still going abroad and being fine. 
[00:22:17] Angeleaza: Wow. 
[00:22:18] Angeleaza: Yeah. As someone who [00:22:20] had several jobs at any given moment in college, I understand, just you keep putting more and more on yourself.
[00:22:29] Angeleaza: [00:22:30] Kind of in that same vein, you brought up dance. Let's talk about dance. 
[00:22:34] Lauren: Let's talk about dance. I love this subject. 
[00:22:36] Angeleaza: So, so dance. I know [00:22:40] that you've danced your whole life and I know you danced in college.
[00:22:46] Angeleaza: And I know we've both talked about wanting to dance more [00:22:50] this year and just find that joy and release that we both love about dance and movement. Do you feel like there was a time in your life where you kind of fell [00:23:00] into that perfectionist mindset when it came to dance?
[00:23:05] Lauren: Yeah, probably. I mean, perfectionism knows no boundaries, and like dance. [00:23:10] It is a tough sport. 
[00:23:12] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:23:13] Lauren: It can be a tough industry. 
[00:23:14] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:23:14] Lauren: Even if it's not at the professional level at the high school level, the studio level, the college [00:23:20] level, whatever. So I remember I was in like, dance classes, like traditional dance classes starting from a young age, like at different studios like jazz, ballet.
[00:23:28] Angeleaza: Yeah. Um, tap. [00:23:30] 
[00:23:30] Lauren: I actually didn't do tap.
[00:23:31] Angeleaza: You didn't do tap didn't, 
[00:23:31] Lauren: didn't do tap until high school. 
[00:23:33] Angeleaza: Wow. 
[00:23:33] Lauren: But, and we had to as part of the senior dance company so I faked my way through that. 
[00:23:38] Angeleaza: Oh, that's [00:23:40] wild. 
[00:23:40] Lauren: It is hard.
[00:23:42] Angeleaza: I can't imagine learning it as a teenager or
[00:23:46] Lauren: it was rough. We had to do all the styles of dance. 
[00:23:48] Angeleaza: Hip hop, [00:23:50] modern, lyrical?
[00:23:50] Lauren: yeah. Hip hop, not until in college. In high school, I was in the dance company class during the day. 
[00:23:59] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:23:59] Lauren: [00:24:00] And then I was also on dance team all four years. 
[00:24:02] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:24:02] Lauren: Which some called drill teams, some called poms.
[00:24:06] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:24:06] Lauren: So like as a part of dance team, we would compete like [00:24:10] outside the school um, so yeah, and I think with pom as a dance style, like to bring your question back, the perfectionism comes into [00:24:20] that. 
[00:24:20] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:24:20] Lauren: Because you're hitting the angles and you like have to hit it perfectly. 
[00:24:23] Angeleaza: For sure. 
[00:24:23] Lauren: Sometimes we're spelling letters, you know, with the little palms.
[00:24:26] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:24:26] Lauren: And you gotta like, hit that G 'cause if, if it doesn't make a g, then like. [00:24:30] That's not conveying the point then like you miss and you miss points 
[00:24:33] Angeleaza: and no broken wrist. You can't 
[00:24:35] Lauren: Yeah. 
[00:24:35] Angeleaza: Even bend your wrist like this. Your wrists 
[00:24:37] Lauren: and your whole body has to be Yeah, I know. Is this gonna be [00:24:40] video? 
[00:24:40] Angeleaza: Yeah, yeah.
[00:24:40] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:24:41] Lauren: The whole body has to be like so stiff and tight and so, and the point system and the judging is very intense as you know. So I think [00:24:50] like that fed into breeding my perfectionism. 
[00:24:53] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:24:54] Lauren: You know, and it was just, it was kind of wild. And we did dabble in hip hop, but I went to a very not diverse [00:25:00] white Christian high school.
[00:25:01] Lauren: And so that was some sad hip hop, I'm not gonna lie. And we did some sad up. I was very like white girl, [00:25:10] uh, flannel tied around the waist. Uh 
[00:25:12] Angeleaza: oh, nice. 
[00:25:13] Lauren: White, white tank and leggings and high top converse vibe. 
[00:25:18] Angeleaza: Sure. 
[00:25:18] Lauren: That was like the, the hip hop. I [00:25:20] did 
[00:25:20] Angeleaza: step up girl era. 
[00:25:22] Lauren: Yes. 
[00:25:22] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:25:22] Lauren: Mm-hmm. And then in college.
[00:25:26] Lauren: College at, uh, university of Maryland was way more diverse. And it was so much [00:25:30] cooler. I was like, wow, this is what living is. This is what like diversity and like different kinds of people and perspective and styles and movement is 
[00:25:37] Angeleaza: love, 
[00:25:37] Lauren: like, right. So then I joined, I [00:25:40] joined like a contemporary, lyrical jazz ish girls team freshman year.
[00:25:46] Lauren: And then I joined a hip hop team, um, that was primarily black. [00:25:50] 
[00:25:50] Angeleaza: Oh, amazing. 
[00:25:50] Lauren: And that was like a whole new experience for me. And it was the most fun. That's the team I ended up staying on all four years of college. And it was such a fun [00:26:00] style. And the captain at the time who was judging auditions my freshman year definitely took a gamble on me.
[00:26:05] Lauren: I had to unlearn everything from Poms. Yeah. I was so stiff. Yeah. [00:26:10] And I didn't, I did a little bit of hip hop, but I didn't do true, true hip hop. So it was definitely different on my body. And a lot of unlearning, which was so interesting for [00:26:20] sure. But like, very fun. And that became, that quickly became my favorite style of dance.
[00:26:25] Lauren: Mm-hmm. And like, maybe still is, like I love Latin dancing. I [00:26:30] love hip hop. Mm-hmm. And like, we would do street jazz and stuff. Sure. So like, that was so fun. And it was a lot more loose than Palm. [00:26:40] It's very pedestrian like, whereas for Palm, I know you have to be so lifted.
[00:26:45] Lauren: Exactly what you said, like holding tension in every [00:26:50] muscle in your body. Uh, my shoulders, and we were part of the marching band too. Oh my gosh. So we would do that like halftime shows at, at football games. Wow. So we would do the like, heel toe, like [00:27:00] march in and then like everything with the palms, the whole show.
[00:27:03] Lauren: It was like a whole thing. That's why white girls are really good at Palm. Yeah, yeah. [00:27:10] No shade to white girls, but like Yeah, no, literally.
[00:27:13] Lauren: But it's also very, very hard. It's also very different. [00:27:20] And I don't know if this resonates with you, but it feels like when you're going between a style like pom or for me, a lot of times it was like that very musical [00:27:30] theater presentational dance. Yeah. Going from that to hip hop or street jazz where you have to be grounded and you have to to in the pocket. Yes. Where's your [00:27:40] pocket? Yeah. And you're not counting anymore. It feels like you're kind of going between languages.
[00:27:45] Lauren: Um, totally. And for me, at least as someone who is not multilingual, though I [00:27:50] do understand other languages, for me, I'm not so fluent that I can think in Spanish, I think [00:28:00] in English, and I translate in my brain before I say it at my mouth. I feel like the same holds true when going between those styles [00:28:10] and don't even talk about going into ballet.
[00:28:11] Lauren: Oof. That's a foreign language. Yeah. No, this is really good. Um, yeah, it's definitely like that. I don't know if I've [00:28:20] said or heard that out loud, but like body language is a thing. Mm-hmm. And we talk about, you know, spoken language. Like we know English, [00:28:30] Spanish, German, we know there's different languages.
[00:28:31] Lauren: Right. But yeah, like dance as languages, that's like hip hop is so different than ballet and it's so different than [00:28:40] tap. Yeah. And tap is so different than Palm. Sure. And like jazz. Sure. So yeah, I guess that's cool though. 'cause like then we could say we're multilingual in dance [00:28:50] basically. I love that.
[00:28:51] Lauren: Basically. Yeah. Yeah. No, that's really cool. Wow. So I guess you are multilingual. I feel very accomplished right [00:29:00] now.
[00:29:00] Lauren: Did you hit a point where, maybe your anxiety or maybe your perfectionism got so loud that it took the fun out of dance?
[00:29:09] Lauren: [00:29:10] Oof. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Talk to me about that. Yeah. Dance became not fun my senior year of college when I was really [00:29:20] struggling mentally.
[00:29:20] Lauren: Mm-hmm.
[00:29:21] Lauren: And it was the first time I was struggling with depression and anxiety, like, I wanna say. [00:29:30] Diagnosed, it was like semi diagnosed towards the end of my senior year. I was probably struggling with anxiety like way before.
[00:29:38] Lauren: But I, I know that was the first time, [00:29:40] like clinically I was dealing with depression. Mm-hmm. And dance became another chore and being on the team, [00:29:50] I wasn't sure if coming back from abroad I would do the team. I don't know, my life just changed so much abroad is like a crazy experience.
[00:29:57] Lauren: That's what everyone who goes abroad says, [00:30:00] I love it. So who you say, I don't mean to be the No. Like abroad changed me. No. But literally everyone who goes abroad says that. And I wanna know [00:30:10] why I wanna like go back in time and go abroad now, but it makes me cringe. But anyway, you weren't sure if you wanted to do it because you were so different when you came back from [00:30:20] abroad.
[00:30:20] Lauren: Oh yeah. It was like my senior year and I was really thinking like, how do I want my last year of college to look? Is my heart really in it? Do I wanna do this? Is it something I feel obligated to? Ultimately I decided to do [00:30:30] it. Mm-hmm. And I'm really glad that I did.
[00:30:32] Lauren: 'cause like I love dance and I had, I made some of my best friends that way. Sure. And I loved performing and I loved the team, but I think [00:30:40] I was dealing with new mental health challenges and it. Seeped into my enjoyment of dance. Mm-hmm. Became not enjoyable [00:30:50] at one point. And the team that I was on was very cutthroat, classic.
[00:30:55] Lauren: Sure. So the team that I was on, even though you were on the [00:31:00] team, it was a very high functioning, like well-known hip hop team in the DMV. And, it changed over my time there when I first joined. Like, it was [00:31:10] insane. And it was, it's really cool because a lot of the people in the Maryland, like hip hop community, not only that team, there were two hip hop teams.
[00:31:18] Lauren: Mm-hmm. But both of [00:31:20] them have gone on to dance for famous people and like go out in LA and, and pursue it full time or go to New York, pursue it full time, become famous choreographers, choreograph for [00:31:30] famous people, dances, backups, or backup dancers for famous people. And it's so cool to watch. Mm-hmm.
[00:31:35] Lauren: So that, just to give a picture of the intensity and skill level. [00:31:40] Yeah. So basically you were on the team, but that did not mean you were in the piece That did not mean you were performing.
[00:31:45] Lauren: And we were perform sets that were like maybe five to seven minutes. Sure. And they would be like [00:31:50] multiple pieces, maybe five to seven pieces, and so you would have to audition, like a different choreographer would come in or a team member would choreograph. You would learn it and [00:32:00] you would audition either that day or the next practice.
[00:32:03] Lauren: It was insane. Yeah. It was very intense. That's very professional company level [00:32:10] of operation. Yeah. Professional dance company. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. My entire time there, I made some pieces. I was not the best one [00:32:20] on the team. I didn't make a lot of pieces. It got to me like I think it hurt my self-esteem, but there are pros and cons.
[00:32:29] Lauren: Like [00:32:30] it also made me build confidence, like being on that team and being constantly in, in that environment where you were held to a certain standard and you would audition and, have to [00:32:40] know your stuff and be a certain level to make the piece. Like, it was motivating and it definitely helped me build like stage presence and, confidence, and work ethic I'm sure too to [00:32:50] like Yeah.
[00:32:50] Lauren: Drill and practice and things. And I know we are talking about how you were a perfectionist, but I'm sure like, in terms of the work ethic, that's good. [00:33:00] But then on the flip side, on the flip side, yeah. I, could let it get to me. Mm-hmm. A lot. And I can be very hard on myself. I realize that I hold myself to really high [00:33:10] standards and I judge myself harshly. And that's also something I've been working on in therapy. And so, I got really hard on myself and [00:33:20] let it get to me. And, it, uh, could decrease my self-esteem if I didn't make a piece and I could take it too seriously in my mind.
[00:33:27] Lauren: And, um, [00:33:30] catastrophize maybe. Yeah, maybe. Yeah, maybe I was doing that. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And then my mental health was kind of taking a toll, but I didn't know how to name it or take care of it at the time. Sure. And so it [00:33:40] affected my performance in like school, work, dance.
[00:33:43] Lauren: And so then I wasn't making a lot of pieces senior year and I was sad [00:33:50] for a lot of reasons. Yeah. But yeah. And I just kind of felt like sometimes it was so serious and I was like, wait, I dance. 'cause I love it, [00:34:00] like I dance 'cause it's fun. Mm-hmm. Like sometimes I don't wanna do it so seriously.
[00:34:05] Lauren: Mm-hmm. Just kinda wanna like dance. So I had to wrestle with that [00:34:10] my senior year. I feel like that's a battle that I have gone in and out. I was a dancer at Six Flags, very [00:34:20] cutthroat. I did not know this. Oh yeah. Uh, what does that mean? Oh, I was in, uh, two shows. I performed like six times a day, like five times, six times a day.
[00:34:29] Lauren: [00:34:30] Mm-hmm. On a stage there. One of the shows was on a stage and that was in costume. It was called Looney Tunes Dance Off. I'll put a link in the show notes. See? Oh my God. Yeah. I [00:34:40] need to see this video. Yeah. I played a lot of different Looney Tunes but usually I was. Feedy Bird or Lola Bunny.
[00:34:46] Lauren: Um, it does [00:34:50] surprising. That's really on brand. Yeah. Technically I was too short for either of them because costume characters have very strict height requirements. But yeah, I, or I I was also Daffy too. [00:35:00] Um, so you have been a professional dancer. You've been paid to dance? Yeah. It's cool. Yeah. I mean, this time I was like 18. So I worked at Six Flags. I I was in that one show, [00:35:10] Looney James dance off, and then I was in the main street flash mob. It was also the era of the flash mob, like this is 2011. But anyway, that's all to say [00:35:20] when you talk about cutthroat, the people I danced with, the other dancers, they were mean, and I was the youngest one and I was the smallest [00:35:30] one.
[00:35:30] Lauren: Oh no. And they were not nice. And I had never been bullied in my life. Again, I'm 18. Up until then, [00:35:40] not that I knew of. Wow. Maybe, I don't know. I was journal. You bullied me. Just don't say anything. I was literally just journaling about my [00:35:50] childhood and bullying, and I experienced a lot, so. Wow, that's very oppressive.
[00:35:54] Lauren: I mean, maybe, I don't know. I was, I'm pretty like a razor [00:36:00] focused girly, so I don't know. I just kind of always got along with everybody. So I don't think I had ever been bullied and this hurt a lot because [00:36:10] I was definitely depressed, I had an eating disorder because I was 18, so my body was growing up and changing., But I, [00:36:20] anyway, so I was having a lot of like body image things, but then the other dancers started making fun of me at the beginning of the season because I was very type A and I knew all the dances immediately [00:36:30] they were calling me like teacher's pet and goodie two shoes.
[00:36:32] Lauren: They said that I looked like anorexic lola. That's so mean. Uh, yeah. And it like [00:36:40] really got in my head, but I couldn't gain weight 'cause I was dancing 10 hours a day oh my God.
[00:36:44] Lauren: In the summer in like a giant fur costume it was just horrible. But it just made dancing, [00:36:50] feel so forced. I felt like dancing wasn't fun anymore and I regained the love but nothing's linear, you know?
[00:36:57] Lauren: Yeah. But it's interesting to ebbs [00:37:00] and flows in a lot of dancer's journeys. Yeah. But it's interesting. I think that something that you can love so much can turn into the thing that's taking from your cup [00:37:10] rather than filling your cup. Yeah. Depending on where you are in the mental health space.
[00:37:15] Lauren: Mm-hmm. 
[00:37:15] Lauren: But let's talk about being a go-getter and living [00:37:20] life with no regrets, which like go off. When did you first feel like you embraced the identity of being a [00:37:30] goal getter?
[00:37:31] Lauren: maybe it was high school? And it was probably dance related. I remember going into high school, you had to audition if you wanted to be in the [00:37:40] dance company class and dance team actually extracurricular.
[00:37:44] Lauren: So I remember having a goal to be in dance company. You could take like dance 1, [00:37:50] 2, 3 or whatever. Or there was junior company and senior company. And obviously I wanted to be like the best of the best. So I was like, varsity know, I'm going for, yeah. I'm going for varsity.
[00:37:59] Lauren: I think I [00:38:00] made junior dance company freshman year. That was a goal I wanted to be. Not just in the class, but in a dance company. So junior or senior. 
[00:38:07] Lauren: Mm-hmm. 
[00:38:07] Lauren: So I think I set the goal [00:38:10] of being like in junior senior dance company. And then I got junior dance company my freshman year, and then I moved up maybe sophomore year to senior.
[00:38:19] Lauren: I [00:38:20] don't remember exactly.
[00:38:20] Lauren: And then my goal was just to like, get on the dance team 
[00:38:23] Lauren: mm-hmm. 
[00:38:23] Lauren: And do these fun dances and compete, you know? 
[00:38:26] Lauren: Sure. 
[00:38:26] Lauren: Part of drill team, like my favorite extracurricular in [00:38:30] high school. And I did that and I was like, let's go.
[00:38:32] Lauren: No, I love that. You have your short term goals, you have your midterm goals, and then your long-term goals. Like [00:38:40] you, you, you broke it down in digestible specific steps, which is, as we know, very important when it comes to goal setting. 
[00:38:48] Lauren: Yes. 
[00:38:48] Lauren: So I [00:38:50] feel as though you have really leaned into this piece of your identity in the past year-ish plus. Can you talk to [00:39:00] me just a bit about that and why you feel it's important to live life with no regrets?
[00:39:06] Lauren: 
[00:39:06] Lauren: Yeah, I mean, I've definitely leaned into it like [00:39:10] my whole adulthood post college. I read up on a lot of health and wellness content and then also interviews of old people in hospice, like [00:39:20] people asking them what have they regretted in life?
[00:39:23] Lauren: They always say they regret something that they didn't do versus something they did do. Maybe they tried something and made a fool [00:39:30] out themselves. 
[00:39:30] Lauren: Mm-hmm. 
[00:39:30] Lauren: Or like embarrass themselves or were cringey in some way. They never say that they regret that. It's like, oh, I didn't follow my dream of this. [00:39:40] I didn't go out with this guy or girl. 
[00:39:44] Lauren: Mm-hmm. 
[00:39:44] Lauren: Like, I didn't ask this person out. 
[00:39:45] Lauren: Mm-hmm. 
[00:39:46] Lauren: I didn't travel the world or go abroad or [00:39:50] whatever it is. 
[00:39:51] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:39:51] Lauren: So now that's like my decision maker- mark, like, if there's something bigger, like a bigger goal I have, I'm like, okay, if I were to [00:40:00] die without having done this, would I have regrets?
[00:40:03] Lauren: And if the answer is yes, I do it.
[00:40:07] Angeleaza: I love that. 
[00:40:08] Lauren: Yeah. You're the only one in control [00:40:10] of your life. 
[00:40:10] Angeleaza: Exactly. 
[00:40:11] Lauren: So like main character energy, just do it. And so yeah, I've done that the past, like couple of years.
[00:40:17] Lauren: The pandemic happened and a lot of [00:40:20] my coworkers moved outta DC and they inspired me. Like, one was Airbnb hopping, did this digital nomad thing. I love to travel. 
[00:40:28] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:40:28] Lauren: And I was like, oh my God, let's [00:40:30] do that. I wanna make that happen. So I did a year of digital nomading.
[00:40:33] Lauren: I was like, this is awesome. It was a crazy time. It was like so fun. And there were pros and cons, like it was also [00:40:40] isolating and I ended up moving back to DC whereas I lived in Arlington before, but this area for a handful of reasons. But, no regrets there. Like I would've regretted not doing [00:40:50] that.
[00:40:50] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:40:50] Lauren: And then quitting my job a year ago. I've had this entrepreneurial spirit and I've had this idea and did a lot of journaling to identify like what I believe to be [00:41:00] my purpose in life.
[00:41:01] Lauren: And then started the podcast and the social media content creation on the side of my nine to five.
[00:41:05] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:41:06] Lauren: And then at some point I was like, I wanna focus my time and [00:41:10] energy, like full time on like my own business venture and the podcast. And so, I did a lot of thinking and planning. And then I made the [00:41:20] decision to leave my job a year ago. Yeah. And I was like, if I don't try it now when will I, what if I have a family and then others are relying on me financially and it's a [00:41:30] bit more risky
[00:41:30] Angeleaza: mm-hmm. 
[00:41:30] Lauren: Will I be able to do it? Am I in the position now where I can do it, like yeah. 
[00:41:35] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:41:36] Lauren: Like I don't really have other people relying on me financially, which is a [00:41:40] great thing. 
[00:41:41] Angeleaza: Truly. Yeah. As I have a cat and a wedding...
[00:41:46] Lauren: yeah. 
[00:41:48] Angeleaza: But the freedom [00:41:50] there is amazing. And also, I do want to include a link to your post that you recently put on your social media and your LinkedIn [00:42:00] about all of the steps that you took to get to a place 
[00:42:03] Lauren: Oh yeah. 
[00:42:03] Angeleaza: To quit your job because I think that that post [00:42:10] encapsulates your goal getter spirit.
[00:42:13] Angeleaza: It's like, Yes. I wanna live life with no regrets, but in order to do that, [00:42:20] I need to set some specific goals and I need to break it all down into bite-size pieces. I really, really love that post.
[00:42:27] Angeleaza: Before I get to our last [00:42:30] segment, I just want you to talk to me a little bit more about what your current goals are and how are you working to achieve them.
[00:42:36] Lauren: Yeah. I have a lot of goals, so I'm not going to bore you with the [00:42:40] whole shit. 
[00:42:40] Angeleaza: Oh, it's not boring. But keep some for you. 
[00:42:43] Lauren: I do, I do make a vision board at the beginning of every year. Um, and I specifically [00:42:50] define goals per category of my life. So I have like personal growth goals, career goals, romantic
[00:42:56] Lauren: goals. 
[00:42:57] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:42:58] Lauren: And then like, hobbies, [00:43:00] travel, friends, family type goals. 
[00:43:02] Angeleaza: Mm-hmm. 
[00:43:02] Lauren: So I guess I'll give a professional and a personal. One professional goal that I have [00:43:10] currently is to build out my one-on-one life design coaching program. So right now it is a three [00:43:20] month goal flow coaching program, and I'm opening up two spots for February and March, specifically for that program. And it's designed [00:43:30] for high achieving intentional, thoughtful women who are sick of overthinking like us and want to intentionally [00:43:40] design their lives and careers. And so usually like if people are feeling stuck, um, and they're ready to get clear on their next [00:43:50] chapter mm-hmm.
[00:43:50] Lauren: And live an intentional, meaningful life to them. Mm-hmm. Not based on what other people say. Sure. Um, and with personalized support and accountability [00:44:00] from myself. The program is for you. And if that's you, I invite you to apply on my website. Yay. Which is the Naked Truth with [00:44:10] lauren.com/coaching, so you can find the application there.
[00:44:14] Lauren: Mm-hmm. And then I personally review the applications and reach out if it's a good fit. We were just talking about that. And [00:44:20] you can put the link in the show notes. Yeah, absolutely. It's easily accessible. No, I feel like that's such a helpful, um, service that you're offering, that coaching service, because you're absolutely [00:44:30] right.
[00:44:30] Lauren: It's one thing to live life. Intention with clarity. And it's another thing to kind of just, you know, go through the motions and kind of be moved by the [00:44:40] momentum around you rather than creating the momentum and um, you know, and you can easily end up living someone else's life, right? Be unhappy and it's like, nah, [00:44:50] truly, truly.
[00:44:50] Lauren: So mindfulness is invaluable. So I love how much you always talk about that, but I also love that you're harnessing something that you're very [00:45:00] strong in and very passionate about, into a service that you're providing to others. So thank you so much. Thank you. Truly. Wow. Hype woman. Love. [00:45:10] Yeah. Um, thank you.
[00:45:11] Lauren: What's your personal goal and then a personal, fun, personal goal? Um, Marika, my girlfriend and I signed, signed up for a 5K in [00:45:20] April, the cherry blossom, the DC cherry blossom, 5K. And I used to do running in the past, and then I kind of stopped after I got a knee injury a couple years ago. Mm-hmm. Now I'm getting [00:45:30] back into it and so I don't think I've like officially done a 5K, so this might be my first one.
[00:45:35] Lauren: And so we're in training for that now.
[00:45:37] Lauren: Oh my God. So fun.
[00:45:39] When I [00:45:40] grow up, I.
[00:45:46] Angeleaza: What did you wanna be when you grew up?
[00:45:49] Lauren: When I was little, [00:45:50] my favorite animal was a dolphin. And so I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. 
[00:45:54] Angeleaza: Incredible. 
[00:45:55] Lauren: When I was little. Little, no, I also was obsessed. You did? 
[00:45:58] Angeleaza: Yeah. 
[00:45:59] Lauren: Oh my God. [00:46:00] 
[00:46:00] Angeleaza: I was obsessed with horses. I'm deathly allergic to horses, but I was obsessed with horses. 'cause I read the Saddle Club and Dolphins. There were this like a dolphin version of the Saddle [00:46:10] Club book series. Really? And I became so obsessed with dolphins.
[00:46:14] Lauren: Yeah. I was obsessed. 
[00:46:15] Angeleaza: I'm like, I'm going to be a marine biologist. No way. I only wanna work with dolphins. I don't care [00:46:20] about the rest of it. 
[00:46:21] Lauren: I literally, before I knew what jobs were, I was like dolphin trainer. I'm gosh, I'm gonna train dolphins and just like be with them all day. 
[00:46:28] Angeleaza: They are [00:46:30] the smartest creatures.
[00:46:32] Lauren: They're also bullies of the ocean. Did you know that? 
[00:46:35] Angeleaza: Yes. But only when their mental health is poor and they're feeling aggressive. [00:46:40] Yeah. Oh my God. Have you researched dolphins mental health? 
[00:46:43] Lauren: No. 
[00:46:43] Angeleaza: Oh my gosh. 
[00:46:44] Lauren: I'm about to go down a rabbit hole on this one. 
[00:46:47] Angeleaza: Oh my gosh. Dolphins feel [00:46:50] emotions. They're so challenging for humans to kind of navigate relations with because their mouths curve up at the end, so they kind of look like they're always smiling. 
[00:46:59] Lauren: Yeah.
[00:46:59] Angeleaza: [00:47:00] It's like a clown though. They could be like drowning and dying inside, but they always look like they're smiling.
[00:47:06] Angeleaza: Isn't that sad not to bring you down? 
[00:47:08] Lauren: It's kind of relatable.
[00:47:09] Angeleaza: [00:47:10] I mean, yeah, it sucks because we think they're living life authentically and just smiling through and 
[00:47:16] Lauren: Wow. 
[00:47:17] Angeleaza: Yeah. So anyway, enjoy that, that, [00:47:20] that's a great thing to be when you grew up. Um, I'm so glad that you wanted to do that.
[00:47:24] Lauren: There's still time. I'm not really sure if I wanna do that anymore, but it's [00:47:30] never too late to do what you wanna do. That's my favorite.
[00:47:32] Angeleaza: Like, you're not even 30 yet, but like
[00:47:34] Lauren: I know 
[00:47:34] Angeleaza: Snaps! not even 30. I know.
[00:47:37] Lauren: It's so much time. I'm rich in time. 
[00:47:39] Angeleaza: Yes. [00:47:40] Ah, wow. Thank you so much for being here today.
[00:47:43] Lauren: Thank you for having me. This was so fun. 
[00:47:44] Angeleaza: Thank you. I had so much fun too. Thank you for being so honest and so [00:47:50] authentic with all of your responses and, i'm so excited for you to achieve your goals this year, and doing all of [00:48:00] the things to live life without regret. 
[00:48:02] Lauren: Yes. We love.
[00:48:04] Angeleaza: We love. Okay, bye.
[00:48:07] 
[00:48:38] [00:48:40] Just Gotta Yap!

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