Empowering Careers: From Childhood Dreams to Leadership Catalysts

The Live Into Your Best Life Podcast

Special Guest Lauren Neal

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In this insightful episode, Paulie chats with Lauren Neal, a project management expert and author, about her journey of self-discovery, career development, and her mission to help women feel valued in the workplace. Lauren shares personal anecdotes, professional experiences, and valuable lessons from her book Valued at Work.

Lauren begins by reminiscing about her childhood, particularly how a comment from her dad calling her "my little engineer" and a toy elephant with wheels sparked her interest in problem-solving. This early encouragement set her on a path toward engineering and project management, even if she didn't realize it at the time. Her story emphasizes the importance of recognizing and nurturing innate skills from a young age.

Reflecting on her high school years, particularly her involvement in the yearbook committee, Lauren explains how she quickly rose to the position of co-editor. This role required her to integrate various components like photography and page layouts, which unknowingly developed her project management skills. These early experiences have continued to influence her career.

Transitioning to her professional life, Lauren discusses how her love for solving problems and integrating solutions naturally led her to project management. She highlights the themes running through her life and career, demonstrating how early interests and skills can shape our professional paths.

Delving into the inspiration behind her book, Valued at Work, Lauren shares her frustration with feeling undervalued and invisible in male-dominated environments. Encouraged by her partner and motivated by a book proposal challenge, she decided to write a book to help women in similar situations. She found that many women shared her feelings of invisibility and undervaluation at work, prompting her to create a narrative approach featuring two male characters discussing real experiences of women in STEM fields.

Lauren explains how she used real stories from interviews and LinkedIn posts to build the book's narrative, aiming to make it both engaging and relatable. The characters, Marcus and Steve, represent common archetypes in the workplace, allowing readers to see different perspectives on inclusion and leadership.

Lauren's book has received positive feedback, particularly from women who feel validated by the experiences shared. Men who have read the book have also found practical ideas to implement in their organizations. Lauren emphasizes the importance of recognizing everyone's value and fighting the natural impulse to favor those who are similar to ourselves.

In her speaking engagements and through her Leadership Catalyst program, Lauren aims to help teams become more inclusive, self-organizing, and effective. She encourages listeners to network, find their passions outside of their day jobs, and share their experiences with trusted individuals to realize they are not alone in their feelings.

Lauren concludes by advising listeners to connect with her on LinkedIn, where she is active and shares her insights. She underscores the importance of carving out elements that are truly oneself and not tying one's identity solely to a 9-to-5 job. The episode wraps up with a reflection on Lauren's journey from a little girl inspired by a Lego set to an advocate for workplace inclusion and leadership development.