Lauran Grant chooses to visualize success and let go of her fear of fear as she embarks on her entrepreneurial journey for 2022.
Lauran Grant’s biggest learned lesson of 2021 was to embrace failing forward. She realized her openness to failing translated to faster learning. Lauran sets boundaries for herself, balancing a healthy work and home life, and allows herself to carve out time to enjoy life and be creative. With the help of these practices, Lauran sets clear goals to attack the new year and set her new business, Stratosphere41, up for success. When she isn’t working towards these goals, you can find her traveling to new places, teaching hot yoga, or with her puppy Nugget.
Lauran Grant
Location: Atlanta, GA
Age: 30 years
What I do: Self-Employed in Private Aviation and Owner and Operator of Stratosphere41
Briefly describe who you are, what brings you the most joy in life? How do you unwind and have fun?
I love to unwind by keeping active and doing moving meditation, especially by practicing and teaching hot yoga but I definitely can be a couch potato too. I also love playing tennis (or rather, losing all of my matches LOL), dancing, acting and chatting with friends over dinner & Mezcal drinks! I also walk a lot with my puppy, Nugget. Travel & embracing other cultures also brings me a lot of joy — I will hit my 70th country later this month.
What is the key problem your business or company solves, who does it solve it for and how does it solve it?
Stratosphere41 is changing up the yoga landscape with accessories that know how to bring excitement. We make accessories for the everyday yoga looking to express themselves through their practice and accessories/props.
Reflecting on 2021, what have been your biggest lessons over the past 12 months?
My biggest lesson of 2021 is to embrace failing forward. Whatever you want to do in life, just start… right now!
I lived in a false reality before that ‘if I wasn’t perfect, people wouldn’t like me’ but my therapist taught me that in fact, we connect through authenticity and part of that is sharing the speed bumps and roadblocks.
Post pandemic many people are changing how they approach life and work. Taking away all of the normal parameters we put around things (the hours we work, expectations of others, current clients needs, family needs) what would your “ideal” week look like, include all of your key priorities, such as; health, wellbeing, family, friends, love, hobbies, personal interests, play, joy as well as work? Be specific.
Okay, first things first! Knowing myself, it would be important for me to experience eternal spring so most likely, city-hopping every quarter would be on the list.
Now for the actual day — I would wake up about 7:30 AM without an alarm clock (never before sunrise, it feels so unnatural for my body!), have warm water with lemon or a matcha green tea latte with oat milk, take Nugget for a walk then go to hot yoga around 9:30 AM with my yogi friends to clear my head and sweat out the toxins. Please, crank up the humidity and heatttttt.
My max workdays per week would be four. I am so much more efficient when I take the time out to enjoy life and be creative!
I’d eat a healthy breakfast before I began work! I would never break that boundary in a perfect world. My brain works very well if I honor my ebb and flow phases so I prefer to work in sprints. I tend to have random epiphanic moments so I would keep a journal on me to jot them down during my off time.
I would work around my body and menstrual cycle — ramping up during the follicular phase and taking more time out for facials, nail appointments, the chiropractor, Netflix during the luteal phase.
Mid-afternoon, I would take a break to play tennis or take a dance or acting class, alternating depending on how I feel. I would love to just end my week with family, friends, SO at an intimate dinner and would host one weekly and really mix up who is invited so everyone can meet new people and really divulge into life, our motivations, lessons, feelings.
Where are you right now in your life and career, what is your hope for your next chapter?
I am definitely still in the hustle phase! I have finally reached a point in Private Aviation where I am comfortable but I am embarking on a new challenge within the yoga industry.
What are your top three goals for 2022?
Launch Stratosphere41 and build out that community! Also, to have more fun & save no small pleasure for later!
What has been holding you back and where do you most need help in reaching your goals this year?
I definitely need help building more relationships. With conferences and events canceling often, Zoom fatigue, etc. COVID has made it a bit tricky to nurture relationships with like-minded individuals.
When you feel stuck, how or where do you typically find the help and support you need?
My mom offers a lot of realistic guidance and I listen to various podcasts about others’ journeys and that usually offers insight and motivation. My favorite business-related one is Business Casual.
From your own experience, what process or tips can you share with other Members around creating a career vision for yourself and setting annual goals?
The Law of Assumption works best for me. It helps if I literally visualize a clear mental picture of who I want to be career-wise but it’s important to take it a step further and ask yourself — What does she wear while working? How does she talk, think, spend her money and time? How does she prep for presentations? How does she feel when she gets that raise she’s wanted? What is the tone of her emails? What type of novels does she read? How often does she read? Every detail is important.
I can then assess the gap between my present self and future self and I start taking action from there. Personal and professional habits tend to overlap so I find it’s imperative to create great habits in general and the results of them trickle down into my professional life.
I also write goals down in present tense, in a gracious way.
For example, “I am so grateful I am an advanced certified yoga teacher,” which is already true. Then, I would write on the next line, “I am so excited that I sold 10 yoga towels on my launch day!” The latter has not happened yet but it trains my subconscious mind.
Give/Get: What value do you bring to The Lola community and are there any special offers you’d like to make Members aware of right now? Is there anything else you need support with?
I am a super new member so my first order of business is to support all of the member-owned businesses by using their products/services and building authentic relationships. I will need support with my small business eventually — I would also love to host an event later on.
Member testimonial. In around 50 words or less could you share the biggest value The Lola has added to your life and career since joining? How has The Lola community and it’s Members helped you find success?
I have read through the online forum and learned a tremendous amount so far.
It was also interesting to deep dive into other womxn’s personal stories and learn about their journey.
