We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauran Grant and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauran, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Now that I think back, risk has always played a massive factor in the most exciting parts of my life!

I risked it all in my twenties to move to Dubai, not knowing a single person, and it ended up being one of my significant growth spurts. An adventure for one year turned into over three years of cultural immersion!

I am now learning how to take risks while running our indie yoga brand, Stratosphere41. Yes, I am failing A LOT more than usual, my ego takes a beating, and there are fleeting moments of doubt. But the critical thing to me now is to learn quickly from mistakes and propel forward!

It’s no easy feat, but I read something recently that said, “The person you look up to was brave enough to suck at something new.” I live by that statement now, literally! If I won’t bet on myself, how can I expect anyone else to do so?

What should our readers know about your business?
Stratosphere41 is an indie yoga brand based here in Atlanta. We make yoga accessories that know how to BRING IT. Our mission is ‘Be Authentic AF’ because that’s something that I struggled with for a very long time, especially within the wellness community. It’s still an ongoing battle at times. I always felt out of place, so I want to create a haven for everyone to show up as their true self, whether or not it looks the same as the next person!

It wasn’t easy getting to this point! But, I am finally in a place where I can admit that freely and I wish I could shout it from the rooftops. I worked long hours and days balancing two jobs for years to save enough capital to fund Stratosphere41. I felt like I was behind many of my peers because I pursued a less conventional path, and I succumbed to shame and self-doubt for a while. Entrepreneurship can be such a rollercoaster and can take a toll on your mental health! Quite frankly, the healing process has looked downright ugly and messy. It’s taken a lot of therapy, beat bumpin’ yoga, accountability, girl power rap music, improv, and a bucket full of tears to make it to this point.

If anyone feels like the above, I want them to know they aren’t alone. That’s why our mission is so important to me. I don’t have all of the answers, but through Stratosphere41, we want to remove the shame from these challenging conversations surrounding authenticity, confusion, social issues, comparison, etc., so we begin to learn and heal together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love a good itinerary! We would wake up and grab a matcha green tea latte (iced or hot would be dependent upon the weather, ofc!), then to Yonder Yoga (Buckhead), Sculpthouse, or Lion Chaser for a quick workout. After that, we would grab a smoothie at dtox on the way home. Wait, actually, we cannot skip a good, Southern breakfast at Buttermilk Kitchen; hello, the French Toast?!

We would need to go to the obligatory places like the aquarium, World of Coke, Atlanta Botanical Garden, etc. Hopefully, my BFF would be here during a concert week like this August with Odesza. Total-lawn-with-friends-situation. We also have to catch a game since sports are huge for the South! The Beltline or Fetch are both really fun to people-watch and I could bring along my dog, Nug aka The Mayor of Buckhead. There are so many great festivals depending on the time of the year!

Dinner reservations at first and foremost Del Bar because I love the ambiance, and I’m partial to Middle Eastern cuisine. We would have to walk around The Shops and eat at Le Bib or Le Colonial. Forza, The Consulate, or Barcelona are so yummy, too! Difficult to choose. Our rule is always two craft cocktails with dinner, and home by 10:30p. Hopefully, we are up for a nightcap somewhere, though, lol!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would definitely like to give a huge shout-out to my mom on this one! She has always supported my crazy, enormous ideas. But, she still reminds me to stay focused on my purpose and mission, and the rest will come naturally. My mom recently told me that she’s in awe of my tenacity, but little does she realize that I learned it all from her! I watched her dust herself off repeatedly, and she made many sacrifices to give me a better life than she had at my age. Whenever I feel like I’ve failed, she always reminds me that I’ve learned a lesson to take with me on the journey.

Website: http://www.stratosphere41.com

Instagram: @TheLauranG

Other: Our brand’s page: @Stratosphere41

Image Credits
Claire Armstrong & Jenni Nikki Ember

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