If you’ve ever wondered whether speaking at an unpaid event is worth it—or how to make the most of every speaking opportunity—this solo episode is for you. Lauren breaks down a framework she’s developed after speaking at (and attending) more than 100 events and hosting conferences herself. She explains why viewing gigs through a simple “paid vs. unpaid” lens can hold you back, and shares how to evaluate any opportunity for maximum impact. Lauren outlines three powerful categories to assess any s...
Jun 24, 2025•16 min•Season 4Ep. 9
On today’s REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren interviews Jodi Wellman, founder of 4000 Mondays, speaker, author, and assistant instructor in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. Jodi’s TEDx talk, “How Death Can Bring You Back to Life,” has more than 1.3 million views, and her new book, You Only Die Once, was featured on Adam Grant’s summer reading list and named a Next Big Idea Club must-read. In this thought-provoking and deeply human episode,...
Jun 11, 2025•52 min•Season 4Ep. 8
On today’s REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren shares a special replay of her guest appearance on the Travis Makes Money podcast with her longtime friend, Travis Chappell. During their candid conversation, Lauren opens up about her journey from selling rocks as a kid to running a brick-and-mortar record store and ultimately growing a thriving personal brand business that allows her to work remotely while traveling full time. She and Travis talk about the evolution of her business, how imposto...
May 19, 2025•28 min•Season 4Ep. 7
In today’s episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren welcomes Quynh Nguyen, the paper artist behind the brand Pink and Posey, who transformed her creative passion into a thriving business and personal brand. Lauren and Quynh explore Quynh’s background, learn how she turned paper flower making into a full-fledged business, and share insights on building a brand within a creative niche. Quynh reveals her strategies for understanding your audience, effectively marketing your creative of...
Apr 09, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 6
On today’s REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren interviews Phil Mershon, the CEO of Unforgettable Experiences and the Director of Experience at Social Media Examiner, on this episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast. Phil is an expert in creating memorable events and experiences, having accumulated over 30,000 hours of experience in event planning. He shares his journey from leading a service with his siblings and stuffed animals as a child to becoming a renowned event planner, consultant...
Mar 26, 2025•41 min•Season 4Ep. 5
On this episode of the Real Personal Branding podcast, Lauren interviews several experienced speakers who attended the National Speakers Association (NSA) conference. The speakers include Mimi Brown, a motivational speaker and transformational leadership coach; Robbie Samuels, a book launch strategist, business growth coach, executive Zoom producer, event design consultant, speaker, emcee, and podcaster; Jodi Wellman, a keynote speaker and founder of 4000 Mondays; Gwen Navarrete Klapperich, a ta...
Mar 05, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren sits down with Liz Wilcox, known as the Fresh Princess of Email Marketing. Liz has a remarkable track record, having grown and sold a successful blog, been bought out of her second company, and built her third into a multiple six-figure business. She's the creator of the 20-minute newsletter technique and the email staircase framework, which she has taught to tens of thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide. Liz shares her inspiring entre...
Feb 19, 2025•57 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Victoria Bennion is the founder of the Best Podcast Guest booking agency and co-host of the Best Guest podcast. She's on a mission to help entrepreneurs and authors leverage podcast interviews to amplify their message and grow their businesses. Victoria has a wealth of experience in this area and is here to share her insider tips and strategies. In this episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast, you'll learn how to craft the perfect pitch that gets you booked on the right podcasts, the surpr...
Jan 29, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Dr. C. Shanté Cofield, known as the Movement Maestro, is Lauren’s guest on this episode of the REAL Personal Branding Podcast. Shanté's journey from physical therapist to sought-after entrepreneur is a masterclass in personal branding. She's the force behind a top-rated podcast and a social media-based company that's changing the game for health and fitness professionals. In this no-nonsense discussion, Shanté shares practical insights on creating content that truly connects with your target aud...
Jan 15, 2025•57 min•Season 4Ep. 1
This episode of the Real Personal Branding Podcast features insights from one of Lauren’s mastermind groups and some of her closest friends. They share how they approach the transition from one year to the next. Lauren leads a discussion on closing out the year with intention, letting go of what no longer serves you, and setting meaningful goals for the new year. The guests include Valerie Morris, Alex Curtis, Joseph Bojang, Andy Storch, Pete Everitt, and Philip VanDusen. These guests share thei...
Dec 20, 2024•41 min•Season 3Ep. 18
On today’s REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren explores the Super-Agers phenomenon: people aged 80 and above who have the memory capabilities of those 20 to 30 years younger. Using a recent New York Times article by Dana G. Smith, Lauren shares the research that reveals some of the secrets of cognitive longevity. With many Super Agers in her family, Lauren shares her quest to maintain mental sharpness despite life's challenges and transitions. The one familiar chord Super Agers have isn’t the...
May 15, 2024•15 min•Season 3Ep. 17
On today’s Real Personal Branding podcast, Lauren interviews Chip Conley about rebranding midlife and his new book, Learning to Love Midlife . After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, Chip co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018 in Baja California, Mexico. MEA is the world's first “midlife wisdom school,” with a campus opening on a 2,600-acre regenerative horse ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico in April 2024. Dedicated to reframing aging, MEA supports students to navigate midli...
May 02, 2024•39 min•Season 3Ep. 16
On today’s episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren interviews her friend Andy Storch. Andy is an author, keynote speaker, community builder, and podcast host. His book, Own Your Career, Own Your Life , helps corporate professionals stop drifting and take control of their futures. Andy regularly speaks inside organizations to teach and inspire employees to create their own careers. He is also the founder and host of the Talent Development Think Tank Conference and membership communi...
Apr 03, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In this episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren shares how valuable personal traditions and celebrations can be to our well-being. Growing up, Lauren saw the joy created by honoring traditions like making summer solstice cheese and enjoying her grandpa's homemade “red drink.” After becoming an adult and starting businesses, she became consumed by pursuing success at the expense of her well-being. It wasn't until Lauren experienced burnout, health issues, and personal struggles that...
Mar 20, 2024•9 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Today’s episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast features Valerie Morris. Valerie is a digital marketing strategist, speaker, podcaster, and author. Her special focus is on book marketing and launches, and when she’s not plugged in, you’ll find her running her hobby goat farm, working on artistic projects, and hanging out with her family. Lauren and Valerie dive headfirst into marketing and launching a self-published book. Valerie explains that book marketing is, essentially, an extension o...
Mar 06, 2024•51 min•Season 3Ep. 13
When you hear someone on a podcast or a speaking event say, “I 10x-ed my business nearly overnight,” do your lie detector alarms go off? If they don’t, they probably should. On this episode of the Real Personal Branding podcast, Lauren gets real about how long it takes most business owners to build a successful operation. She’s been an entrepreneur since 2006, where she started building slow consistent growth, and in 2016, her business soared. And in 2018, when she began investing in herself mor...
Feb 22, 2024•20 min•Season 3Ep. 12
On today’s episode of the REAL Personal Branding podcast, Lauren sits down with New York City-based online fitness coach Laura Girard. Laura is a multi-certified personal trainer, co-host of the Fit Literate podcast, and founder of The Energy Academy - a global virtual fitness studio where she's helped over 200 people keep their bodies moving since March 2020. She is passionate about harnessing the connective power of social media to create community and start conversations about growth, self-co...
Jan 17, 2024•57 min•Season 3Ep. 11
What social media metrics should I measure? How can I make people watch my videos longer? What risks are worth taking in my business? Am I afraid of failure or success? If you've ever asked yourself this question, this episode is for you! Today, on the Real Personal Branding podcast, Lauren welcomes guest and content marketing strategist, Stephanie Llewellyn. Stephanie is the founder of The Social Vine and in this episode, Stephanie shares her accidental journey of building a personal brand duri...
Jan 03, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In today’s REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren teams up with the founders of ATOMICON, Andrew and Pete, to discuss how to craft a magnetic and memorable speaking business. ATOMICON is the UK’s largest marketing conference. What you may find interesting is that this interview was live-streamed to Andrew and Pete’s Facebook group--meaning anything could happen. Lauren, Andrew, and Pete want you to know what it takes to become a speaker with major impact and influence--and that you are not alone...
Dec 20, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 9
If you were wondering how Lauren made a splash when she relaunched her podcast earlier this year, this is the episode for you. On today’s REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren offers a behind-the-scenes look at the relaunch of the Real Personal Branding podcast. She managed this feat without fancy equipment or the perfect setting. She emphasizes that anyone can create content regardless of circumstances if armed with a few key strategies. First, Lauren explains the importance of getting others ...
Oct 02, 2023•10 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In today’s REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren reveals the three things speakers should do before they set foot on stage. With a tremendous amount of time working with speakers under her belt, Lauren knows what it takes to give a successful presentation. From running two conferences per year for local businesses to speaking at organizations and conferences on personal branding, she knows what it takes from both angles. Lauren reveals some holy grail tips for speakers--the three things every s...
Sep 21, 2023•8 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Today on THE REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren interviews speaker, entrepreneur, and mindset coach Michelle Blue. She is the creator and host of The Journey with Blue, a talk show and community sharing the mindset, spiritual, and success principles needed for people to consciously step into their purpose to create the life and business of their dreams. Michelle has worked with clients like WeWork and Google and has sat down with the nation's leading entrepreneurs and thought leaders such as...
Sep 06, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Today on THE REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren welcomes Jake A. Thompson. Jake is a keynote speaker and a Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day, a brand he started in 2011 by first selling t-shirts out of the trunk of his car. He works with organizations and individuals around the country, teaching them how to develop focus habits and culture in order to grow their businesses and their individual lives. He’s built a proven CE3 model to help people build their grit, block out thei...
Aug 23, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this heartfelt episode of the REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren shares a personal story about nearly shutting down her business--twice--under challenging circumstances. Amidst hard conversations with entrepreneurs and business owners, Lauren wasn’t sure if she should share this intensely personal experience. It’s something she rarely talks about. However, she realized that her story could help others during this time of year that’s challenging for many business owners and entrepreneurs. ...
Aug 09, 2023•11 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode of the REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren interviews Holly MacCue. Holly is a sales and messaging coach and a Certified Master Persuader who helps entrepreneurs get paid what they deserve while doing what they love. Lauren and Holly explore how Holly started her business, what it does, and how she pivoted into starting her own business after working as a brand strategist. While her business model is obvious now, discovering her niche took some trial and error. In fact, it evo...
Jul 26, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode of the REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren’s guest is Dr. Ellen Wong. They explore Ellen's expertise in the pillars of happiness, her journey as an entrepreneur, and her personal struggle with anxiety and depression. Lauren and Ellen also delve into the importance of understanding true happiness and how it can create a better world. The conversation touches on authenticity, purpose, setting boundaries with social media, finding inner peace, and the value of social connection a...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Welcome back to the Real Personal Branding podcast! In today’s episode, Lauren explains where she’s been while the podcast was on hiatus, what’s changed in her life, and what you can expect going forward from this podcast. She is so excited to relaunch her podcast, continue building her business, and welcome guests to the show who can help you grow your business and brand. Lauren shares how she discovered her secret weapon and how she’s using it to find balance in her life. She’ll ask real quest...
Jul 12, 2023•13 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Today on THE REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren’s guest is Molly Grisham. She built a personal brand business around her business of leadership. She’s a dynamic keynote speaker and an experiential facilitator who helps to build and sustain teams in a wide variety of industries and THIS FALL Molly and Lauren will be hosting a retreat together for entrepreneurial women! Apply for the retreat here: https://go.mollygrisham.com/retreat-fall-2022 Molly Grisham believes that teams don’t grow apart-...
Jul 07, 2022•45 min
Today on THE REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren’s guest is Mike Zeller. He has founded or partnered in 16+ ventures in five different industries. Collectively, his businesses have done over $100 million in revenue. Mike Zeller has mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs on six continents, covering all ages and ranges of experience. He’s also mentored some of Hollywood's top voiceover actors, NFL athletes, and other peak-performing executives. He is the author of two books, The Genius Within: Your...
May 03, 2022•37 min
Today on THE REAL PERSONAL BRANDING podcast, Lauren’s guest is Chelsea Brinkley. She is all about the work-from-anywhere life. She’s always traveling, and her routine and commitment to systems are what make this possible. Chelsea Brinkley believes you can do great work from anywhere and that your life does not have to revolve around an office building. This idea has made her a coach to remote workers and a hired gun for entrepreneurs who want to get the systems and processes in their business on...
Apr 25, 2022•33 min
