Lauren Maillian on The Path Redefined
In this inspiring episode of No Boxes: Just Verses, we sit down with the one and only Lauren Maillian. Are you a leader who has faced setbacks and wondered if you can ever get back on track? Lauren’s story is a powerful testament to the value of resilience, reinvention, and a deep commitment to family and purpose. From her early days as a fashion model to becoming the youngest self-made winery owner in the U.S., this conversation reveals the songs and stories that shaped a true entrepreneur who has redefined what success looks like on her own terms.
Lauren Maillian is a global CEO, three-time entrepreneur, investor, and award-winning marketer. She is the founder of LMB Group and former CEO of Digital Undivided. Lauren is also a bestselling author and was the youngest self-made winery owner in the United States. She is a recognized voice in marketing, leadership, and entrepreneurship, and a passionate advocate for women and minority founders.
Watch on YouTube:
Key Takeaways:
From Looks to Legacy: Learn how Lauren used her early career as a fashion model as a way to build capital for her entrepreneurial dreams, proving that a leader knows how to leverage their assets for a greater purpose.
The Power of the Pivot: Discover how a challenging personal setback forced her to redefine her path and find her true strength and capabilities, leading to a profound season of personal growth.
Redefining Success on Your Own Terms: Hear why Lauren believes a leader’s journey is not a straight line, but a series of intentional pivots, allowing you to get to the top on your own terms.
A Leader's Routine: Find out why a leader's routine must be built on persistence, faith, and a clear vision, especially when you are an entrepreneur and no one is bringing you a paycheck.
Lauren’s journey is a powerful reminder that you can redefine your path again and again. Join us in building your own "unboxed" journey and check out the show notes to get Lauren’s unforgettable playlist!
Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, rate, and review the podcast!
CONNECT WITH LAUREN MAILLIAN:
CONNECT WITH SHANNON:
LinkedIn Shannon | LinkedIn NBJV
Theme Song: Pedal to the Medal by Martin Luther (Spotify | Apple Music)
From Top Model to Top Entrepreneur: How to Redefine Your Path
Have you ever felt like your career was a straight line, but suddenly life threw you a curveball that made you question everything? Many of us believe that setbacks are a sign of failure, but what if they are actually the greatest gifts? What if the most painful moments in your life are the ones that force you to redefine your path and discover your true superpowers? In an interview on the No Boxes: Just Verses podcast, trailblazing entrepreneur Lauren Maillian shared her inspiring story of how she went from being a successful model to becoming the youngest self-made winery owner and a global CEO by turning her most difficult moments into her greatest strengths. This article is for you if you're ready to embrace your journey, redefine your idea of success, and get to the top on your own terms.
Are you ready to stop letting a rigid plan control your life and start living a life of purpose? This content is for you if you are willing to embrace a non-traditional career path and see setbacks as an opportunity for growth. You don't need a fancy background or a perfect plan to get started. All you need is a willingness to be persistent, a desire to be self-assured, and the faith that your path will work out in the end.
Step 1: Use What You Have to Build What You Want
It's a common mistake to think that you can only make money in a job that is directly related to your long-term goals. But a smart leader knows how to leverage their current assets to create a foundation for the future. Lauren shared how she used her early career as a model not just for fame, but as a way to generate capital for her entrepreneurial dreams. She saw her beauty as a valuable asset that she could leverage to make money while she was sleeping. This mindset, which she learned from her parents, taught her to think strategically about every opportunity, turning her time in front of the camera into the financial foundation for her first business: a winery.
Conclusion:
A true entrepreneur leverages their current assets—whether it's their skills, network, or reputation—to build a financial foundation for their future goals.
See your current job or skill set as a tool to generate capital for your future.
Learn how to make your money work for you, even while you sleep.
Be strategic about every opportunity, even if it seems unrelated to your goals.
Remember that your power is in your influence, not in a single talent.
Step 2: Let Your Pain Fuel Your Purpose
Life will throw you curveballs, and many people let their painful moments become the end of their story. But a common mistake is not recognizing that your most difficult moments can be the ones that force you to discover your true strength. Lauren shared her deeply personal story of going through a divorce with two kids under two. This was a painful, traumatic period that could have easily derailed her life. Instead, she chose to see it as the pain she "needed the most" to prove her strength and capabilities to herself. This period of resilience forced her to redefine her path and led to her bestselling book. She learned that a traditional version of success wasn't what she wanted, and she was able to build a new life on her own terms.
Conclusion:
Your painful moments in life can be a powerful catalyst for growth and a deeper sense of purpose.
See a setback not as a failure, but as a new chapter in your story.
Use your most difficult moments to prove your strength and capabilities to yourself.
Learn to lean into the pain so that you can discover your divine strength.
Redefine what success looks like on your own terms, not on what others expect.
Step 3: Stop Worrying and Start Influencing
Worrying can feel like a productive activity, but the truth is, it keeps you from focusing on what you can control. Lauren shared a powerful lesson that guides her to this day: "Your energy is better spent on your influence than your worry. She realized that she was spending years worrying about things she couldn't control. So she trained herself to redirect that energy into creating her own reality and building her career brick by brick. This mindset is what allowed her to be a successful single mom and entrepreneur, constantly working and pushing, even when no one was there to give her a paycheck.
Conclusion:
A leader's energy is a finite resource that is best spent on creating a positive influence, not on worrying about things you can't control.
Practice a routine of being persistent and pushing, even when you're tired.
Redirect your worry into focusing on what you can influence.
Have faith that things will work out, even if you don't know the answers.
Remember that a leader's job is to create momentum, not to be a victim of circumstances.
Step 4: Redefine Your Path Again and Again
We often think of a career as a one-time thing. But in reality, a fulfilling life is a series of evolutions and redefine-able moments. Lauren shared that after her divorce and writing her book, she thought her life was set. But she found love again, and she and her family made a huge pivot to live abroad. This unexpected change was a part of her "path redefined" and a new chapter of growth and joy. She's now updating her book to include these new lessons, proving that a leader's journey is a continuous process of evolution. She believes that you can redefine your path again and again, and that is what makes life so meaningful.
Conclusion:
A successful life is not a one-and-done journey, but a continuous process of evolution and redefinition.
Be open to finding love and new opportunities when you're not even looking for them.
Don't be afraid to make a big change, like moving abroad, to find your next chapter.
See your life as a series of redefining moments, not as a single, static path.
Remember that your journey is a gift, and it's your job to keep pushing and creating.
Conclusion: Your Unboxed Journey to Authentic Leadership
You've learned that a life of purpose and leadership isn't about following a straight line. It’s about leveraging your assets, turning your pain into purpose, and spending your energy on influence, not worry. The big idea here is that your life journey, with all its unexpected turns, is what makes you the perfect leader for the moments you are in. Lauren’s story is a powerful reminder that anything is possible when you have the courage to redefine your path again and again.
Now it's your turn to apply these lessons. Start by asking yourself:
Final Steps to Take:
What can you do today to leverage your assets for a future goal?
What is one painful moment in your life that you can reframe as a source of purpose?
What are you worrying about today that you can redirect into influence?
How can you start seeing your life as a series of redefining moments, not as a single path?