#BEYOUROWN MEETS LAUREN PICCINI

Lauren Piccini helps women get unstuck and reclaim their power so they can live the life they’ve been dreaming of. Creator of Girl on Top of the World, Lauren inspires thousands of women daily to get out of their comfort zones and release the shackles of everyone else’s expectations. She uses transformative Life Coaching to help women embody the best version of themselves and takes them from feeling invisible and alone to becoming the master of their lives.

Hey Lauren! Great to have you, how has your day been so far?

Thank you so much for having me! I’m really excited to be here. My day has been great, pretty hectic as per usual, but trying to maintain balance.

What is a normal day for you like?

I wouldn’t say any of my days are normal, they vary each day, but I always make sure to include my key components. I usually start my days with waking up and going for a walk in my neighborhood, I come home, have some tea and breakfast and start planning my day. I spend a lot of time on Instagram engaging with my tribe. I love getting to know my followers and creating content that enables them to become the best version of themselves—this is how I spend most of my day, along with my 1:1 client sessions and sessions with my own coach. I can’t forget the gym! I believe exercising is one of the most important keys to success.

I work out at least 4 times a week, whether it’s taking a SoulCycle class, going for a run or hitting the gym. I work at a restaurant a few nights a week, so after a full day of my biz, I run there for the remainder of my night. If I’m not at the restaurant, you can usually find me cooking at home or exploring new restaurants around New York City.

When did you launch Girl On Top Of The World and what was the motive behind it?

Girl on Top of the World originally started off as a blog in 2013. My goal was to create a platform for women to empower them to become the best version of themselves, regardless of what it looks like to others. My whole life, I’ve never taken the traditional path. I mean, I graduated High School and went to college, but after college, my life was anything but traditional. While my friends were settling into their cubicle jobs, I couldn’t sit still. I did event planning, managed retail stores, worked in restaurants and always had a side hustle. I watched my friends settle in every aspect of their lives and sacrifice their happiness for what other people expected them to do. They constantly complained about their miseries and felt helpless and lost in their own life. Even though my life didn’t look perfect on paper, I knew I had complete control over it and where it went and I wanted to show women that they can experience this as well.

What has the journey been like for you so far?

Well, shortly after launching Girl on Top of the World, something sparked inside of me. I knew I was meant to create something BIG and meaningful, but I also knew I had to grow into the person capable of achieving this level of greatness. I originally grew up in Connecticut, which is about 2 hours east of New York City, and growing up there was great and beautiful, but it wasn’t the right environment for me. I’ve always had dreams of living in New York City and knew that’s where I would really thrive. But, of course, everyone around me just talked about how expensive it was and how I’d never been able to survive.

One day, I had enough. I made the declaration that I was moving in May of 2015 and I had 6 months to save up my money to be able to afford an apartment in NYC. Let’s just say, every possible obstacle crossed my path over those 6 months. I allowed my coworker’s objections to run my thoughts, potential roommates bailed on me, I couldn’t find a job. And by May 1st, I didn’t have anything I set out for. I was a wreck. I sat in my bed for an entire day crying, feeling sorry for myself—I felt like someone had just snatched my dreams right from the palms of my hand.

My only option left was to go on Craigs List, apply for every restaurant with a posting and search for rooms to rent. I went to NYC two days later, got hired at every restaurant I walked into and put a deposit down on an apartment even more beautiful than I could’ve imagined (below budget, by the way!). I made it happen. I couldn’t believe it. I remember sitting on the steps of the New York Public Library that night, calling my best friend and sitting in pure disbelief that I just made this happen. All within one day.

The journey definitely hasn’t been easy. I lost friends, relationships, and security but I’ve gained SO much more. I’m surrounded by those who are on the same path as me, who support me and really understand my goals and where I want to go. And as a result, I transformed into someone who is capable of achieving everything I set my mind to.

How did you start your career as a life coach?

It actually came to me in the middle of a Soul Cycle class. One of my friends asked me to help her figure out her passions and what her next steps should be. I agreed and realised that this isn’t the first time it’s happened. It’s happened hundreds of times throughout my life, and in the middle of class that day, I decided to just go for it. I had a lot of reservations about Life Coaching. I was 25 at the time, so I thought no one would take me seriously because of my age, but I decided to go for it anyway. My Mom has also been a Life Coach for almost 10 years now, so I mentored under her for a while and finally decided to go for it on my own.

I am so grateful for the brand I created around my blog because when I finally launched my business, I had over 10,000 followers on Instagram who knew me and my story, trusted me and wanted to learn more. This platform has been a huge benefit to me and my business.. I really don’t know what I would do without it!

What gives you ultimate career satisfaction?

Honestly, it is pretty simple.I love knowing that by sharing my story, I’m impacting people from all different corners of the world. One post has the power to impact and change someone’s life. You never know who is reading or listening, not everyone comments or likes or vocalises their feelings, but I can tell by the number of messages I receive that I’m helping people change their lives even if I’m not working with the 1:1. It’s what keeps me going even when I feel like giving up and going back to my old life.

What does success look like to you?

I’ve struggled with this question for years. I’ve always put a monetary value on success. I thought that when I made X amount of dollars, I’d be truly happy. But as time went on, I realised that success to me is more about internal happiness and your relationships with those you care about. Success is being able to work remotely from my laptop, travel when I want to, take the day off to visit my best friends children back home, spending the holidays with my family, living in an apartment that I love, having a tribe of people who genuinely love me for me and not what I can do for them.

Everyone has their own version of success, but when I look at it this way, I feel successful every day, and as a result, I attract more abundance into my life.

What is on the horizon for 2018?

I have a few new programs I’ll be introducing throughout the year along with finishing my first book which I’m super excited about. I’ve been devoting a little time to it each week so my “I don’t have enough” time excuse is no longer valid. I plan on spending a lot of time in Europe this year as well. Traveling used to be something I did on a monthly basis, but have been putting on the back burner for the past few years while I figured out my path. But this year, that’s all going to change. I already have some trips planned to cities I’ve never been to and I couldn’t be more excited!

Lastly, can you give us a 3 step guide keeping motivated as an entrepreneur?

1.I would say the first step is definitely reminding yourself of your “why” Why did you embark on this journey in the first place?  Ask yourself why are you doing this? Then expressing that “why” to your tribe over and over again.

People always underestimate the power of their story. They think that it’s insignificant and that no one will relate, but it’s the complete opposite—it’s what connects you to your audience and others around you. Everyone has struggles and insecurities and it’s a part of our culture to try and mask that. But when you take your mask off and reveal you’re true self, that’s when the magic happens. That’s how I took my Instagram following from 10K to 24K in 12 months. I took the mask off, led to my “why” and took my followers through the dark and scary tunnels of my life.

2. Showing up even when you don’t feel like it. There are some days when engaging with my tribe is the last thing I want to do, but I do it anyways. I force myself to sit down and put the work in because if I worked only when I felt like it, I’d never get anywhere. I usually find that when I sit down and start working, the motivation comes and I have a hard time pulling myself away.

3.Make time for play. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of working your booty off 24/7 especially when you have other things going on like working a full-time job and trying to turn your side hustle into your full-time gig. I’ve totally fallen victim to this, and after a while, it backfires. I go from sitting at my kitchen table for 12+ hours a day to getting severely sick and not being able to get out of bed. But as I incorporated more time for “play” into my schedule, everything changed. I showed up more motivated and productive in my business. Play can be anything you want it to be: it can be swinging on the swings, going for a run, or exploring a new neighborhood, whatever brings you joy.

Instagram: @girlontopoftheworld

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Website: http://www.girlontopoftheworld.com