Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Schramm. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the story behind how you got your first job in field that you currently practice in.

At 19 I dropped out of college + moved home with my parents. Business school didn’t feel like it was for me and I wanted to explore something else while I gave myself some time to figure out what I wanted to do instead. I discovered and fell in love with yoga in high school so I proposed taking a semester off and completing a yoga teacher training on a loan from my parents in either India or NYC — knowing this proposition would at the very least land me in the city. They agreed, with my promises that I would get back and reenroll in school (which I never did). I completed my training + started teaching classes at the LES studio which was just 45-minutes from where I grew up, but somehow, another world. An introvert at heart, instructing groups was tough for me so when I discovered. the Equinox had an Academy I enrolled in that soon after receiving my yoga cert and after another 4 months of my weekends being treated like a 9-5 job, I graduated and was offered a position at the Printing House location in the West Village (closest to NJ). I worked there for 3.5 years and received an incredible amount of guidance and experience.

Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I chose fitness after growing up playing sports and having the privilege of working with a trainer in high school to build strength in our basketball team’s off-season. I also played tennis and ran track (sprints and hurdles only — not even the warm up mile). What I loved about training is that it was a controlled environment — no opposing team to worry about — just show up and (hopefully) do better than you did last week.

After dropping out of business school, I made my way into training because it felt like the only thing in life I had at least some experience in — and I never looked back. I’m competitive by nature and so I made a game for myself in regards to how many intake sessions I could complete, how many certifications I could take, and how many clients I could handle. This game turned exhausting fast, but I had the drive and the energy at the time and no one could tell me no (still can’t).

I had the pleasure of working with all kinds of populations in the gym and I got the opportunity to learn so much about the body and its capabilities and limitations. I got a first-hand lesson on willpower from every single person I worked with, on a daily basis and I learned so much about human nature — getting to peak inside the minds and emotions of those I spent more time with than they did most of their families and friends.

I loved the challenge of working with all kinds of clients, but fell into a groove with the pre/post-natal and female population eventually — I loved helping women feel confident in their bodies and in the gym (that often felt so foreign to them as they hadn’t been taught how to lift or workout like their male counterparts often had).

After 3.5 years at Equinox, I went private and worked for myself for about 6 years before COVID hit and changed the landscape of my in-person career. Things moved online and during that time I got casted by Nike to be part of a shoot they were doing for the NTC app (free online guided workouts). I was asked to audition and was later signed on as a Global Nike Trainer, which to this day I still consider the coolest role in the world. I’ve been with the brand for going on 4 years now and have loved every opportunity to expand my skills in public speaking, leading large groups, modeling, and recording workouts of my own.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When COVID hit, my business took a huge hit — I was no longer able to see my clients in person and some of them weren’t interested or able to do our sessions over zoom.

Instead of trying to rebuild on such a rocky foundation, I packed up, moved back in with my parents (from my NYC apartment) and took a much needed rest — after grinding for 7 days a week for 9 years of my career, I needed more than a 5 day/4 night trip to the beach to get me back to myself.

Things ended up working out on their own — I auditioned for Nike and got signed as a Global Trainer and I accredit my ability to submit such a thorough application to the fact that I had the extra rest, time, and energy from taking that time off.

You never know what’s next, but prioritizing yourself through the building process of your business will get you much further than ignoring your needs.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

1000 times — there is nothing like helping others and I feel so grateful that I get to do it through a modality that I myself love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laurenschrammfitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenschrammfit/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenschramm