Hi. I’m Lauren.
I write and teach about how business can generate more than profits, and curiosity as a foundational skill for life, leadership, and communication. Since 1997, I have worked on and with the internet, in a wide range of roles, from front-end designer-developer to digital communication strategist, and everything in-between.
I’m obsessed with intersections and thresholds, both/ands, and the power of collaboration.
My work has been published in The Atlantic, TIME, and Quartz, and is informed by more than two decades of being curious for a living.
I’ve founded two companies, worked with hundreds of clients in a variety of sectors, advised a couple of startups, coached dozens of business and nonprofit leaders, and taught courses for web professionals for LinkedIn Learning. I have a couple of books to my name, and I’ve been blogging since 2000, on and off. The through-lines of my work are: digging into the heart of the matter, articulating it as clearly as possible, and helping people move forward in closer alignment with their purpose — whether that’s in business, in communication, or in community.
Right now I’m focused on my email newsletter, where I’m exploring possibility models for businesses that support thriving for everyone. You can also find me working with the good people at &yet, making weird things for the web.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you find something here that supports your growth, however you define that.
Books & courses
A free workbook for your next creative project
I’ve worked on countless creative projects: solo endeavours, collaborations, client-facing ones… the list goes on.
This workbook – a companion piece to my Curious for a Living e-book – distills the most crucial questions (in my opinion) to ask yourself as you’re rolling up your sleeves. Download it here – no charge.
To succeed in business, start by defining success
File under “oldie but goodie”: The Boss of You, was published in 2008, but people are still telling me that they return to it again and again for rock-solid, real-world advice on building a business the grassroots, bootstrapped, liberating way.
We wrote it with the intention of creating an accessible, feminist antidote to conventional business books, and I remain proud of it.
Ask better questions; become indispensable
Your most meaningful work comes from asking the right questions. This e-book is a practical guide to doing just that, and building more satisfying–and lucrative–relationships with clients and collaborators. It covers:
- How to avoid being labeled a “builder of stuff” and become an indispensable advisor and co-creator
- The drives that inspire great creative work
- The business case for curiosity
- How to work with wrong answers
Courses on LinkedIn Learning
More of a visual learner? Want more insights gleaned from many (many) years of working on the web and other creative projects? You might dig my LinkedIn Learning courses.
I teach topics like:
- Collaborative design
- Web career advice (and interviews with industry leaders)
- Planning a web design portfolio
- Running a web design business