Hey there. I’m Lauren. And I have absolutely no idea how to start this.

I’ve rewritten this opening a few times now. The first version was too formal — it sounded like a
LinkedIn bio that had developed feelings. The next was too casual, the kind of breezy ‘hey babes!’ energy that makes me cringe a little even when other people do it. Especially, when I’m forcing myself to write like that. The third got philosophical way too fast. You don’t need Nietzsche in the first paragraph. Probably. At least that’s what they tell me.

So here’s the truth: I built this space because I needed it to exist, and it didn’t yet. Simple as that. Complicated as that.

Gentle Strength

That phrase has lived in my head for a long time before it became a brand. It came from noticing something in myself — that the times I felt most powerful weren’t the times I was hard, or loud, or armored up. They were the times I stayed soft on purpose. Chose to stay open when closing would have been easier. Kept going without becoming someone I didn’t recognize or returned just from the edge of about to be lost for good.

That’s gentle strength. It’s not passive. It’s actually one of the harder things I know how to do.

A note: I’m a proud ambassador for Just Strong — a brand built for women who are learning to take up space unapologetically. If you’re looking for pieces that actually move with you and remind you why you started, they’re worth checking out. Use code LAZE813909 for 10% off.

So what is this place, exactly?

Honestly? A lot of things. Which I know is not the clean elevator pitch you’re supposed to lead with. But I am a lot of things, and I’ve spent enough time trying to fit into one neat category to know it doesn’t work for me.

Here you’ll find writing — fan fiction, poetry, original work, all of it unapologetically. You’ll find wellness content rooted in functional medicine and the deeply personal journey of figuring out what actually helps your specific, complicated, beautiful body and brain. You’ll find my charity work, the causes I lose sleep over, the ways I try to show up for my community. You’ll find modeling and media, creative projects, tabletop gaming, a newsletter, and eventually a shop and a YouTube channel because apparently I contain multitudes and I’ve stopped apologizing for it.

What ties it together is the philosophy. Everything here is an attempt to live gently and strongly at the same time.

A little about me, briefly:

I’m a writer, a model, a community advocate, a chronic overthinker, and a person who has been through some things and came out the other side still fundamentally myself — which feels like the greatest achievement of my life so far. I’m Jewish and Buddhist, which confuses people at first and makes complete sense once you know me. I have tattoos that tell a story I’ll share with you soon. I care deeply, sometimes too much, and I’ve learned to treat that as a feature rather than a bug.

Why now?

Because there’s never a perfect time and I got tired of waiting for one. Because I kept having conversations — online, in person, in my own head at 3 in the morning — where I thought: this should be somewhere. I should be somewhere. So here I am. Here we are.

I don’t have everything figured out. This site will grow and shift as I do. Some posts will be polished. Some will be raw. All of them will be honest. Because I can tell you as someone who once hit the bottom — honesty is something you can always carry with you and hold close.

If you found your way here because something about the words ‘gentle strength’ felt like something you needed — welcome. You’re in the right place. Pull up a chair. I’m really glad you’re here. We can share tales by the imaginary fire, trade recipes, sing really badly or just kiki.

— Lauren 🖖🏻