AMPstigator (2025)

16/09/2023

Ooof. Does this one hit you like it hits me? It’s so easy to go with the prescriptive program for everyone else. I like to call it The Blindness Playbook. This is where you blindly follow the rules, the direction, the path that you’ve been told to want your whole life.

So when the incomparable said this in Ep. 34, I knew it would hit some people straight in the heart. She shared just how often she has this conversation with women who come to her for help writing their book. She helps them uncover what it is they’re really trying to do.

For many of us, our entire career has been shaped by what other people want for us. Until we start taking ownership of what WE KNOW IN OUR HEARTS will be right for us, we’ll never get to that deep, deep knowing that we’re on the right track.

You can stream this empowering episode right now: Ep. 34 NOTHING TO PROVE w/ Rea Frey. Link in BIO!

11/09/2023

I’ve spent 17 years working in front of a camera as a TV News Anchor, but nearly three years ago I was called to create a new challenge… .

I rented a small studio in Germantown to spend money I didn’t have on a podcast that had to stay a secret. Sounds like a great recipe for success, right (LOL)?!?

When I look at this picture from that initial SECRET branding shoot two years ago, I’m reminded of how resolute I was. Some unknown force was pushing me to create this thing that seemed to have all downsides and zero upsides.

✔️Major expense to hire a crew, rent space and shoot dozens of hours of video for podcast episodes
✔️Teach myself how to code and build my own website which offered zero transferable skills to my day-job as a TV News Anchor
✔️Potentially be in breach of my talent contract. 😬😬😬That’s SCAARRRRYYY

“WHY WOULD ANYONE TAKE ON THAT KIND OF RISK!?”

Yeah, I asked myself that, too. At the time, I had no other way to articulate it other than to say “I’m being called to start this thing. I have no idea why. Maybe it’s to change lives. Maybe it’s to change MY life. Maybe one day the reason behind the calling will be revealed.”

My sentiment hasn’t changed. But I have a feeling I’m about to find out why.

What are you magnetizing right now?

09/09/2023

When I put out my most recent NEW podcast episode in July, I told you I was taking a break from new content to write and prepare for my TEDx Talk Aug. 26th) and I’d be releasing new episodes with a new theme in September.

When I said that, I was CERTAIN what my next season would be all about. I had a plan for targeted episodes, complete with planned meet-ups to begin building the kind of community engagement I want for my incredible podcast listeners (*ahem, YOU!*)

But since planning and preparing for my talk, something’s changed. I’ve found my interest shifting ever-so-slightly. While I was CERTAIN Season 4 would be all about self-healing, I’m starting to feel a shift in the direction. So now I’m asking myself the exact question you see on this quote: WHAT’S NEXT?!?

You know when you feel like there’s something just under the surface but you haven’t quite put your finger on it? That’s where I am, RIGHT NOW.

I know how to get there, but I also know it’ll take time. Keep watching my feed to see what I come up with. I’ll let you know when we’re shooting new episodes soon!

06/09/2023

Hi there! 👋 I’m Lauren! My family calls me Lu, my kids call me ‘mom.’ While you may know me as your friendly neighborhood TV News Anchor, at my core I’m a storyteller, a passionate seeker of the truth aaaaaand a sacred rebel!

I launched in Feb. 2022 as a way to tell the stories I wanted to tell in the way I wanted to tell them (tight time limits never allow for the full story). By the end of the first year, Spotify ranked these conversations in the Top 10% of the Most Shared Podcasts GLOBALLY on Spotify.

When you listen (and watch clips here on IG), you’ll get deep conversations around personal identity, healing, spirituality, life-lessons, holistic wellness, wisdom and what it takes to make a damn difference.

you’ll hear long-form interviews with my special guests and solo-episodes with yours truly where I share deeply personal stories that will teach and inspire YOU.

Haven’t listened yet? Stream wherever you get your podcasts. Recent episodes are always linked in the bio.

(Oh, P.S…. Have a great idea for an episode? DM me!)

04/09/2023

Hey sis, take a breather! Before you say ‘yes’ to that meeting or ‘I’ll do it now’ to the last minute request that will take the next 2 hours of high-intensity hustlin’... ask yourself this question: do I really want to do that?

Before you say ‘SURE THING. I’ll take that on,” instead say “Let me evaluate what energy I’m willing to expend.”

Because after a few moments of thought - you may decide that you’re not willing to expend ANYTHING. Your energy is precious. Your focus is paramount. You don’t need anything taking you out of your zone of absolute genius.

18/08/2023

Let’s face it, we’re afraid to ask the tough questions! As a TV News Anchor and podcast host I’ve asked well-over 10,000 questions ON CAMERA, and I know sometimes having the courage to ask the question is the hardest part!

That’s how I felt about the question “What do I want?” That was the one personal question I could never quite answer. I bounced from job-to-job, market-to-market until at age 36 I took on the hardest question of my life.

It took months of excavation before I came up with the answer that would lead down an unbelievable path of self-discovery: AMPstigator. I wanted to start a podcast where I could share deep, life-giving conversations with people that would otherwise never make it on TV.

Initially, the interviews were all about finding purpose. Now it’s transitioned to something bigger.

When you press play on any of my episodes, you’ll come face-to-face with concepts that force you to examine your own life. I share personal stories of my own epiphanies and pitfalls. It’s the type of behind-the-scenes stuff you would NEVER hear from a news anchor.

You can stream wherever you get your podcasts. Links to all my recent episodes are in the bio.

14/08/2023

When was the last time you celebrated yourself? Not for a birthday or a big professional victory. I’m talking about a pat-on-the-back when you did something hard.

You had a tough conversation? Celebrate it.
You advocated for yourself? Celebrate it.
You set a healthy boundary? Celebrate it.

We don’t celebrate enough. We don’t mark special times. We don’t allow ourselves to just stop and breathe in the moment.

When I take a moment to do that (to feel my humanity, bask in what I’ve overcome, connect with my humanity), I’m filled with gratitude and a real sense of satisfaction. I say to myself ‘I DID THAT! AND I’M PROUD!’

Research is pointing to the necessity of positive self-reinforcement when we’re trying to create new neuro-pathways. We have to tell ourselves ‘GOOD JOB’ to make something stick.

If you need help finding what to celebrate, it starts with getting quiet and asking these questions:
What is an important event, decision, accomplishment that I want to mark?
What made it so memorable?
Who was I on that day and how have I changed?
What will I do to honor myself and my growth?

Maybe it’s a pedicure. Maybe its a latte. Maybe it’s a hike. Just tell yourself “I’m doing this to honor myself and mark this incredible moment.”

I encourage you to think differently about the things you’ve overcome. They deserve a moment of recognition and reflection.

I’m grateful for YOU!

09/08/2023

Rest is awkward. It’s unfamiliar. To many of us, it feels pretty uncomfortable. We’re supposed to spend more than ⅓ of our lives resting for growth, regeneration, and optimum health.
But why don’t we understand how to rest?

First of all, we equate rest with idleness and laziness. Mental images of rest immediately connect with unproductiveness. “I’ll rest when I die,” people often say. We think resting makes us lazy, when in reality, we won’t be able to function without it.

Next… We think the work our bodies do unconsciously isn’t real work. When we rest, our bodies regenerate. When we sleep our brain rewires, our muscles repair, our skin renews, the pumping proteins in our heart are repaired and recycled 3-to-4 times. Yet, we think those things that happened subconsciously weren’t important?!? If it isn't conscious, your brain tells you it probably didn't happen.

Third… We think our work HAS TO GET DONE and so we drown in the urgency. You and I both know the work will be there tomorrow and you’ll be better equipped to handle it after you’ve RESTED!

I used to have a skewed view of rest, and exactly one year ago, I paid dearly for it. I spent weeks in a hospital bed and dozens of hours in therapy healing the trauma of the experience. My body failed me because I wouldn’t rest. Let me be the cautionary tale.

If you want to hear my story, stream Ep. 31 AT WHAT COST? wherever you get your podcasts.

07/08/2023

One year ago today I woke up at 2am with a deep knowing that something was terribly wrong in my body. My husband was asleep next to me and my 3 kids were all in their beds. I’d felt pain on the right side of my stomach for 36 hours and had a sickening feeling the pain and fever weren’t going away.

I got out of bed and went downstairs. By 4am, something told me to just go to the hospital. I quietly went upstairs to get a few things and then drove myself there.

“I’m hoping we can go fast,” I told the ER doctor. “I’m supposed to wave the green flag at today’s IndyCar street race downtown.” He laughed at me and said “we’ll see what we can do.”

In my mind, I thought 6 hours would be plenty of time to check out the pain and get a verdict on what was wrong. “If it’s really bad,” I thought, “I can come back after the race for treatment.”

An hour later, the doctor came back into my room and said “You won’t be waving the green flag today. You need emergency surgery.”

In that moment I learned my appendix was about to burst and they were calling in a surgeon. The ER doctor marveled at how I intuitively knew it was serious because “why else would you drive yourself to the hospital at 4am on a Sunday?”

What should’ve been a routine surgery became a nightmare that unfolded for weeks as I battled extremely rare surgical complications. People on my care team told me “I’ve only ever HEARD of this happening. I’ve never actually SEEN IT myself.”

After my appendectomy, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria embedded itself in my abdominal wall. It grew two different abscesses – the first was the size of a large orange. The second was destined to become that size until doctors found the right antibiotic.

I shed countless tears, spent hours in agony, struggled to sleep and could barely sit up. My husband had to be with the kids, so during my off-and-on three week stay in the hospital, I was almost entirely alone.

I’m still healing the physical and psychological wounds from that time. It’s why I’ve chosen to take time off to mark the experience.

Please remember, if ever something doesn’t feel right in your body, listen to that intuitive part of you that says “get help.”

07/08/2023

One year ago today I woke up at 2am with a deep knowing that something was terribly wrong in my body. My husband was asleep next to me and my 3 kids were all in their beds. I’d felt pain on the right side of my stomach for 36 hours and had a sickening feeling the pain and fever weren’t going away.

I got out of bed and went downstairs. By 4am, something told me to just go to the hospital. I quietly went upstairs to get a few things and then drove myself there.

“I’m hoping we can go fast,” I told the ER doctor. “I’m supposed to wave the green flag at today’s IndyCar street race downtown.” He laughed at me and said “we’ll see what we can do.”

In my mind, I thought 6 hours would be plenty of time to check out the pain and get a verdict on what was wrong. “If it’s really bad,” I thought, “I can come back after the race for treatment.”

An hour later, the doctor came back into my room and said “You won’t be waving the green flag today. You need emergency surgery.”

In that moment I learned my appendix was about to burst and they were calling in a surgeon. The ER doctor marveled at how I intuitively knew it was serious because “why else would you drive yourself to the hospital at 4am on a Sunday?”

What should’ve been a routine surgery became a nightmare that unfolded for weeks as I battled extremely rare surgical complications. People on my care team told me “I’ve only ever HEARD of this happening. I’ve never actually SEEN IT myself.”

After my appendectomy, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria embedded itself in my abdominal wall. It grew two different abscesses – the first was the size of a large orange. The second was destined to become that size until doctors found the right antibiotic.

I shed countless tears, spent hours in agony, struggled to sleep and could barely sit up. My husband had to be with the kids, so during my off-and-on three week stay in the hospital, I was almost entirely alone.

I’m still healing the physical and psychological wounds from that time. It’s why I’ve chosen to take time off to mark the experience.

Please remember, if ever something doesn’t feel right in your body, listen to that intuitive part of you that says “get help.”

04/08/2023

The research is pretty clear around the benefits of being inspired. You’ll experience more creativity, optimism, competence, self-esteem and even FLOW. Inspiration is even a predictor for how many U.S. patents someone holds. But inspiration is also elusive because it happens so spur-of-the-moment.

Up until 20 years ago, inspiration was elusive. 2003 was the first year that researchers began quantifying and studying it. But since then, researchers have come up with 4 things you need to do BEFORE you can be inspired:

First, you have to be “open to experience.” That means you have to be willing to do things differently, experience things you haven’t experienced, go places you haven’t been, try foods you haven’t tried, read something you’ve never read.

Second, you need “mastery of work.” This means you have to be so good at something that you can go on auto-pilot. Mastery indicates you understand the process and can identify when someone or something presents a new way of doing that work.

Third, you need “small accomplishments.” This is like a jolt of caffeine to your creative process. When you get a little positive reinforcement, you think “YEAH! I’LL DO MORE OF THAT!” Inspiration works that way, too. Inspired accomplishments inspire you to do even more.

Fourth, you need “exposure to inspiring role models.” Other people can be such powerful generators of inspiration! We can inspire others with our story of how we overcame, or the choices we made in a tough patch of life. Researchers find it’s one of the four ways to boost your own inspiration.

To learn more about the components of inspiration and to hear a mini-meditation to help you find what inspires you, listen to Ep. 22 of “NEED INSPIRATION?” Link in bio.

01/08/2023

My first (and only) rehearsal for this month’s upcoming TEDX talk is in THE BOOKS. Can I be honest with you? 6-seconds into the rehearsal I realized my talk is missing the mark. It’s not provocative enough. It’s not shocking enough. It’s not thoughtful enough. It’s not ME ENOUGH! Afterward, I spent an hour going through it with a soul friend who said to me “Lauren your arguments are intellectually-sound. But it’s completely missing your heart, your fire, your anger, your sense of injustice.”
That’s when I knew… it’s time to light some shhhhhh on firrrre 🔥 🔥 🔥 The countdown is on for my Aug 26th talk! ALSO, thanks to for sharing rehearsal space with us!

30/07/2023

I spend my life asking questions. As a broadcast news anchor, I’m literally paid to do it. So I’m amazed when someone asks me a question I’ve never heard.

I was being interviewed in a podcast and the host asked me “what does your self-talk sound like?” I had never heard anyone ask that question! After a pause I answered resolutely: “Questions. I talk to myself in questions.”

What would happen if…?
Why can’t I just…?
Who’s gonna stop me?

I see questions as the foundation of everything. It’s how I started my own journey of self-discovery when I finally began to ask myself the questions I had never been brave enough to answer. The biggest one was “what do I want?” But it started with smaller questions, first, like “is this how I want my life to look?”

If you need help cultivating your own questions, start with the simplest ones:
What do I like to do?
What makes me really happy?
When am I totally and completely stress-free?
What could I do for hours-and-hours and never get tired of?

Answering these simple questions helps you draw awareness to the things you don’t love. What completely drains you is suddenly quite clear.

In the beginning even yes-or-no questions can start you down a path of true self-discovery and prepare you for the eventual mother-load of purpose-laden questions that bring you a greater depth of understanding of what you’re here to do.

Sometimes, the question is even more important than the answer. Just take it step-by-step. You’re here to do something beautiful! I believe in you and I’m always in it for your growth!

25/07/2023

If this post dropped onto your feed today, IG clearly agrees with me that you need to take a break. If you’re feeling cynical, exhausted, or even just feeling good-ole-fashioned-anger… then you need to take it as a sign that you’re on the speed train to BURNOUT.

Do you wear hustle and burnout as a badge of honor? So proud of the length of your to-do list or the fact that you’re so overwhelmed? Chances are: you’re carrying too much stress and it’s impacting everything in your body.

Personally, I’ve had a wholly unhealthy relationship with stress. Spending nearly 2 decades in the TV News industry has done a NUMBER on my stress level. That’s why Ep. 51 of AMPstigator with stress expert was so incredible for me and I bet it’ll be crucial for you, too.

In this episode we talked through:
-How to know your stress baseline
-When is stress at a HEALTHY vs. CHRONIC level?
-What does too much stress do to your body?
-How do you combat your chronic stress?

If this sounds like something you need, stream Ep. 51 STRESS LESS with Rosa Castano (). In it, she shares how the overwhelming amount of stress you’re carrying has a deeply negative impact on your health.

It’s time we start championing rest and relaxation. Give yourself permission to take a freaking break!

Let’s make this a hustle-free zone. I’m over it. What about you?

Stream Ep. 51 STRESS LESS of wherever you get your podcasts.

20/07/2023

This post is dropping in with one simple message: YOU ARE WORTHY. There’s nothing you have to prove. You already deserve the most beautiful, juicy, abundant, miraculous life. The only question you have to ask is: DO I BELIEVE IT?

Somewhere along the way we started believing that working hard made us GOOD; it’s how we would earn our salvation. I believed it, too. But I don’t anymore. Pain and hardship taught me: life doesn’t have to be painful and it doesn’t have to be hard.

Certainly, there are peaks and valleys – times in our lives where work is necessary to create that thing we’re birthing. AND WE’LL LEARN LESSONS ALONG THE WAY. But don’t get it twisted: The work doesn’t make you worthy.

You already are.

For a deep dive into this concept, stream the latest episode of (Ep. 65 DO LESS) right now. It’s the final episode in my 8-part series called “Two Words that will Change Your Life.”

It’s a 13-minute listen. Link in bio.

16/07/2023

If I can share any wisdom with you today, it’s this: DON’T AVOID PAIN.

In the hundreds of hours I’ve spent in conversations with people who have found purpose, what’s emerged (almost unanimously), is that pain was the final outpost before purpose emerged. Pain is fiery, dry, exhausting, and lives up to its name: PAINFUL. It often comes after a loss, a life-altering event or a major disappointment.

But the beauty in pain is that it pushes our awareness into the depths of ourselves where purpose resides.

In case no one’s told you… Without pain, you may never access your true nature.

So if I can share one thing today, it’s this: DON’T AVOID PAIN. Because if you let it, pain WILL lead to purpose.

15/07/2023

After we experience pain, we spend our lives trying to return to status quo. We try to get back to who we were before that pain. But we have to realize, we were literally changed by the pain.

And you have to FACE IT.

We’re trying to live our lives as the person WE WERE… and not realizing we’ve become someone new. Someone who’s learning to live with pain. So if we’re constantly changing, but then simultaneously fighting the change, we get stuck.

There’s actually an antidote for your avoidance. It’s to gradually FACE THAT THING you’re afraid of. This goes for your thoughts, too. Avoiding thinking of something (like a memory, for example) will only make the impact of its intrusion greater. And you’ll become less and less able to cope with it.

When you deliberately face that thing - the painful memory, the place, the story - it becomes less and less likely to pop into your awareness uninvited.

Do the healthy thing: FACE IT. Hear more in this week’s Ep. 65 FACE IT. Link in bio.

AMPstigator

16/09/2023

11/09/2023

09/09/2023

06/09/2023

04/09/2023

18/08/2023

14/08/2023

09/08/2023

07/08/2023

07/08/2023

04/08/2023

01/08/2023

30/07/2023

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