How I Built A Community That Helped Me Thrive

Have you ever experienced a season of life that is similar to one you’ve lived before, but you navigated through it entirely differently?

At the end of last year, I posted a video, sharing how 2024 was one of the hardest seasons of life. But the funny thing was that it was also similar to another year that was extremely difficult. While circumstances were different, there was a lot of general things that were the same. But when I look back to how I navigated through 2024, while it was difficult, I also felt a lot of peace & felt proud of how I showed up.

Yes, there were plenty of days that I just wanted to sit on the couch & binge watch Nobody Wants This or ended up crying for no reason… but I felt confident in where I was going, what I was creating, & how I was taken care of myself in the process. I was unapologetic about saying no to things if they didn’t align with me anymore (or never did). I carved out intentional time with the people I loved & those that inspired me.

Sitting in the messy & the unknown is not for the faint of heart, but if you stick with it, you will emerge on the otherside as someone who is filled with confidence, peace & clarity.

But what was that one thing that helped me push through all those uncomfortable second guessing feelings?

The Shift That Changed Everything

The other day I was driving in the car & a thought came to me. When I went through a similarly hard season years ago, I felt so alone. I had lost a major community in my life, left a calling that I thought was my life’s purpose, & my life looked very different than what other’s expected of me. Because of this, I could count on one hand the people that were in my corner.

They were not the ones who came at me with judgmental questions, or shared with me that they thought I was too successful too fast & wouldn’t be able to handle it. They were not the ones who held me to a high standard & when I no longer fit that mold, they stopped spending time with me.

They were the ones who sat by me over coffee & told me it would be okay. The ones who whispered in my ear that I was a free spirit & I was meant to fly. They were the ones who shared with me how they see me & how they knew I was capable of doing something great - even if was a little unconventional. They were the ones who truly understood me, who knew the real me & hugged me tighter.

Because of that particular season, I learned what it meant to be a real friend. To support someone no matter what choice they made, especially if it was in pursuit of what felt authentic & freeing to them. I learned what it was like to stand in someone’s corner, shoulder to shoulder, with no judgment in my eyes. To be a soft place for someone to land. Because of that season, I started finding friends that had been through hard things too & valued authenticity, vulnerability, & enjoying the journey.

The next 7 years was a journey to build a new community around me. To invest my time & resources into people, programs, & places that would connect me with others who were just like me.

So as I was driving in the car, I realized that while I had a few friends in my corner back then, today, I have more people in my corner than I can count. And that has made all the difference.

Put It Into Practice

To create your own community, it starts with deciding to be unapologetically yourself with those you meet. I joke with one of my best friends that my uncharacteristic statement of “I think we would be best friends” the first time I met her was one of the best decisions of my life. In truth, it was uncharacteristic to how I normally interacted with people, but it was very authentic to who I was deep down. Some people will understand you, others wont, & that’s okay. But you have to be open in order to let someone in.

Invest your time in spending it with people you admire or care about. Invest your money into communities or programs that would lead you to new groups of like-minded people. Invest your energy in starting conversations when you are ordering coffee - you never know who will be standing next to you or making your coffee behind the counter.

If you are someone who has ever felt on the outside or have chosen a different path for your life that looks different than what you originally intended, I recently shared about my community membership, The Unconventional Woman’s Club on instagram. It was born out of my desire to create a space where unconventional was the norm instead of something that you feel like you have to explain for people to understand. It was the space I didn’t have & I would love for you to join us if you need a place to belong.

Whatever you do, remember that community matters. It doesn’t have to be a multitude of people, even just one person who knows the real you & believes you can accomplish all that you hope for, makes the biggest difference in the world. If you don’t feel like you have those people, I’ll be that person, send me a reply & tell me what’s on your mind, I’d love to be in your corner.

Cheers,

Lauren

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Everyone needs a little support in their life. Here are some of my favorite ways to support myself emotionally, physically, & mentally while I boldly design my own aligned life.

• If you want to build self-confidence & gain clarity on your next right step. Download my Fitting in to Flying Free guide.

• In an effort to hydrate my body, take care of my skin, & have a happy gut, I drink Glōci every day. Use the code ESSENTIALLYLAUREN at checkout to get 25% off your first order

• Right now, I am wearing this necklace to remind myself to be grateful for every season I find myself in while also bringing positivity & balance

• If you are struggling to figure out your next right step or want your own roadmap to the life you want to create. Download my Alignment Roadmap template. This template will help you identify what’s important to you, the steps to get there, & encouragement when you need a reminder.

• The Growth Day App is a personal development guide in your pocket. I use the morning & evening journaling prompts as well as listen to the mini-podcast each day to keep my mind in a state of moving forward with confidence & clarity.

• Without fail, I will drink Ryze Mushroom Hot Cocoa before bed each night. I kid you not, it has worked to increase the quality of my sleep when so many other products have not.

• If you have ever felt on the outside or had a nudge to do something different than what is expected of you. Come join us in The Unconventional Woman’s Club - a membership based community designed to support women who feel like they don’t quite fit into traditional molds. It’s a space for women seeking clarity, confidence & connection as they design a life that aligns with their true selves.

You deserve to live the life you desire - let’s do this together.

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