Meet Lauren Lefkowitz | Executive Leadership Coach

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

Hi Lauren, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I was living in a world where everything was ‘fine’, and frankly, I could have lived there forever.

I had a career I loved, until I didn’t. I was making enough money, but not as much as I could have. I liked the company I worked for, sort of. I had a side gig in career consulting and coaching, so that filled me up enough, kind of. I had a variety of interesting work, and as a workaholic and chronic hand-raiser, I became the Vice President of Whatever-You-Need, which was…well, that was less than fine, but I wasn’t ready to admit that right away.

Plus I was already in my 40s, so I thought this *waves arms vaguely* was just…it. You grow up. You choose a life. You choose a career. And then at some point, when you’re old enough and have enough money…you retire. If you’re healthy enough, then you get to have fun.

Then, in one moment, everything changed. On a snowy work-from-home day, while I was wrapping up the last project at work I had any passion for, I had a freak slip-and-fall accident in my home, breaking both of my shoulders, literally and figuratively losing the ability to be the hand-raiser I had become over the course of my career. During the several months of recovery, I promised myself that when I returned to work, I would set boundaries, work less, figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, and find some hobbies. A promise without a plan, though, is simply a wish, and of course I went back to my workaholic ways.

As I ramped back up to 80-hour, 90-hour, and 100-hour weeks, all of the ‘sort ofs’ and ‘kind ofs’ and ‘so-sos’ and ‘hey-this-isn’t-greats’ in my work – and my life – piled up, I began to realize that if another 10 years went by with me being ‘fine’, that fine would turn to awful and awful would turn unbearable.

I began looking for other jobs, but the jobs I looked at all felt the same as what I already was doing. And I didn’t enjoy what I was doing anymore. I realized that the only work I was enjoying was my side gig and the rare opportunities I had to coach colleagues at work. I also started to recognize that I was helping other professionals chase their better lives, their passions, deepen their own belief in themselves, and I was living in ‘fine’, and assuming that the possibility of a better life existed only for other people, only for my clients.

At last, I made all of the connections in my brain and I made a decision. Fine was no longer going to be fine for me. I wanted better. I deserved better. So I took some time to hire my own coach, learned to set new boundaries, learned how to not work 80+ hours a week, and gave myself the time, energy and resources to begin building my hobby-level side gig into a full time business.

Now, I own a thriving executive coaching business – and my tag line? Fine is a Trap. I work with other professionals who have gotten stuck in this trap, who have been living for work that they no longer enjoy, who occasionally dream of a bigger job, or a different job, or even a smaller job, but don’t know how to get from here to there. Everyone deserves to have a career – and life – that’s amazing.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I so firmly believe that fine is a trap and that as humans, we have the right and responsibility to create the lives we actually want. I work with executives and emerging leaders, partnering with them to break the very common ‘work, sleep, repeat’ cycle, figure out what they don’t want anymore, how to untangle from the things that no longer serve them, and then figuring out who they want to be when they grow up, no matter what age or stage they are in.

Whether it’s to be happier and more successful where they already work, figure out how to go after their dream career, set boundaries in a powerful way, or stop being a workaholic, I partner with people to make conscious, sustainable choices for their careers – and lives!

I also cohost a podcast with Executive Coach John Spears called I Could Talk to You All Day, a podcast for executives and emerging leaders. It’s real talk about what it’s actually like to be a leader. We’re here to have a candid conversation with you about what it’s really like to be a leader while also being human.

And finally, I lead a virtual coworking group for high achieving procrastinators, called Procrastinator’s Power Hour. We meet twice a week for community, accountability and focus.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Without a doubt, make the World of Coca-Cola a stop on your trip. It’s a really fun and interesting stop and as an avid Diet Coke drinker, is very cool to see how it all comes together! In any city I visit, I love to just wander around, see how the locals just hang out, and sit in parks and people watch!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The number of people in my life who have offered me love and support and growth in transitioning from corporate workaholic to I-love-my-career-and-life human is too many to list here. From friends to coaches to inspiring people I’ve networked with, I’ve learned that as independent as I am, asking for, and being willing to receive, help is the very best gift.

A few of the authors/leaders I’ve followed out in the wild, who have really helped me break some of my patterns and recognize that I can just have joy and freedom if I decide I deserve it are Brene Brown (The Gifts of Imperfection in particular, Shawn Achor (The Happiness Advantage) and James Clear (Atomic Habits).

Website: https://www.laurenlefkowitzcoach.com

Instagram: @lauren.coach.fineisatrap

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenlefkowitz

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenlefkowitzcoaching

Other: Podcast: https://anchor.fm/icouldtalktoyouallday Linktree: https://linktr.ee/laurenlefkowitz

Image Credits
I Could Talk to You All Day image by Dana Weinstein.