We recently connected with Lauren Martell and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

First, I want to introduce myself. My name is Lauren and I’m unique because I have two businesses in two different fields. I am a licensed mental health therapist in private practice and a content creator/UGC creator. My content focuses on fashion with a little bit of beauty and motherhood.

I love being a business owner;.I never really quite “fit in” at any “regular job.” I’m naturally very independent so office culture felt really confining. Being a business owner felt natural to me and I adjusted to it easily. But after I had my son in February of 2024, I thought about what it would be like to go back to a regular job. My sons birth was really traumatic and I almost lost him. This experience really changed me in ways I cannot explain. I wasn’t sure I would be able to continue owning not one, but two businesses while dealing with the trauma, having a newborn and adjusting to motherhood. I started therapy and slowly started back into my private practice. I also started getting dressed again; having fun with fashion in my new body and sharing on my social channels. I realized that being a business owner brought me a lot of joy. Helping others and expressing myself through fashion are both very important parts of my identity. Letting go of that would have been detrimental to my mental health. Right now, I’m juggling both businesses on a smaller scale but I continue to push myself through trainings and brand collaborations. I’m really happy with where I’m at and cannot wait to see where the future takes me.

Lauren , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Lauren Martell-Cobbs, I became a therapist after receiving a Masters in Counseling in 2017. Prior to that I received dual degrees in Psychology and Criminology. I decided to become a therapist after a job working with kids after graduating with my bachelor degrees. It was during this time that I discovered fashion blogs and tumblr. It was also the time that instagram launched. I saw fashion bloggers starting to share their outfits online and was inspired to do the same. While my content has fluctuated, I have been sharing my outfits and aspects of my life on social media for over a decade, all while pursuing a career in counseling.

My fashion content has shifted throughout the years. I lost my sense of style during pregnancy so after I gave birth, I decided I wanted to enjoy getting dressed again. I started becoming open with my audience about my body changes and how they have affected my mental health. It was hard, but I started sharing my outfits again. I realized I was helping other Mothers, especially millennial ones, to express themselves through fashion. Mothers really struggle with feeling like they have lost themselves. I think fashion is a way to bring that back. Millenials are also in a really unique position because we were the first to create fashion content but are now often filling lost in how to “dress our age.’ My goal is to help millennial mothers look and feel their best through fashion. I’m really proud of the content that i’ve put out the past 10 years (even though I cringe looking back at some) because they all represent a version of me. I want my audience (and potential brand partners) to know that I’m passionate and heart driven creator who is dedicated to inspiring, educating and entertaining.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I still have a fairly small audience, but i’m really proud of it. I built my audience through consistency and community. I regularly interact with my audience and I share aspects of my personal life. My best advice for someone looking to grow their audience is to show up (even if you don’t have it all figured out) consistently and engage, engage and engage. You can’t expect people to engage with you if you aren’t willing to. Find a few creators in your niche and interact with them; leave meaningful comments and ask questions. That builds trust.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I once had someone hack into my instagram account and give me thousands of fake followers. I got my account back but I spent hours deleting fake followers. It really ruined my reputation with instagram and I also lost real followers in the process. I wanted to quit but I realized I couldn’t let one step back stop me from something I loved.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: laurenmarymartell
• Facebook: Lauren Martell
• Linkedin: Lauren Martell
• Other: tiktok: laurenmartellcobbs

Image Credits

photos credits: Kayleigh Maes of Kayleigh Maes Creative: