Overcoming Fear: How to Break Free and Empower Yourself to Achieve Greatness (or at least date, write your book, start a podcast… ) with Stacey Lauren
Are you ready for a shift? Want to get off the hamster wheel and manifest a life of meaning? Are you feeling stuck or scared to take that leap of faith? Listen and learn the simple formula right now for your transformation and personal growth.
Your friends are going to ask you where you got your strength!
Community Builder and Entrepreneur Stacey Lauren unveils her transformative "Do the Thing" philosophy that helps you break barriers and embrace challenges. Whether you’re looking to write a book, find your life partner, start a podcast, pursue your dream career, Stacey's insights offer you a practical roadmap to get you there!
“So many times we're stuck doing the same thing and it's like, just bring something new in your life and literally in one minute you can change your entire energy, your mood, and your experience just by doing something new. Your whole life changes in an instant.” - Stacey (07:57)
Discover the power of small, actionable steps and how to pivot with purpose. Learn about the 'I'M GAME' formula – an innovative approach that’s easy to follow and understandable. Mastering your mindset, setting achievable goals, and building accountability that will truly transform your life.
“It's ridiculous how amazing it is because you're really able to feel into this new persona that you want to be. You don't need to be this comfortable safety zone person. You can be a daredoer and say, ‘I'm game’.” - Stacey (12:37)
“Once you've learned something, even if you're only one week or two weeks in, figure out who you could teach it to, because when you can teach it, you're getting that fulfillment and that contribution back and it reintegrates the learning.” - Stacey (17:23)
Embrace the unknown with Stacey's strategies for taking action, overcoming fear, and building a supportive community that thrives on shared successes. Tune in now and say "I'M GAME" to embark on your journey of your dreams and empowerment.
In This Episode:
(01:56) - All great things in life can sometimes happen by accident
(06:34) - The dating dare challenge and the formula
(07:57) - How doing something new in your life can change your energy
(08:55) - The secret to dating that you need to know!
(10:19) - The importance of having a community and being surrounded by like-minded people
(12:21) - You can be a daredoer!
(13:23) - The ‘I’M GAME’ formula that will transform your life
(15:45) - The difference between ‘my people’ and ‘like-minded people’
(17:23) - How educating others can give you fulfillment and reintegrate learning
(18:38) - Asking for help is the best way to get started!
(20:14) - Game-changing strategy to overcome your fears and self-doubt
(24:15) - Start taking that small step towards your goals!
(27:54) - Tap into your unique voice and have that belief that you can do it!
(30:19) - It’s okay to be with the unknown
Resources and Links
52 Weeks of Hope
Stacey Lauren
-
Lauren Abrams [00:00:00] Are you a burnt-out overachiever buried in responsibilities? Do you miss laughing with your friends just laughing from the gut? Do you feel like life's passing you by? If you've been wishing for some kind of shift, you're in the right place.
Welcome to 52 Weeks of Hope, the show where we take you off the hamster wheel by ditching the to-do list for the to-don't list. This is where you get to learn how to make that lonely ache vanish, learn self-compassion techniques and to give yourself grace. I'm Lauren Abrams and I get to help you feel that magic again. Since going through my own dark night of the soul so you can learn from my experience and the mentors and experts I meet along the way. And today we're talking to a community builder entrepreneur podcast and the one who helps you overcome limitations and achieve ambitious goals, Stacey Lauren. Do you want to travel the world, start a business,meet your life partner, or have the best parties? You're in for a treat because Stacey is here telling you how she helps you create your dreams. Her philosophy of don't wait for opportunity created shows in her community of Do the Thing, which is the funnest community I've ever seen. They date, they create, they meet people. You get to learn right now how to step away from the mundane and create your burning desires. Go beyond your limits and you don't have to do it alone. You get to learn how to create what you want in your life right now and still be successful, make money, and own your time and your life. I'm so excited for this conversation. Welcome to 52 weeks of Hope Stacey.
Stacey Lauren [00:01:27] Hey, wow, that sounds amazing
Lauren Abrams [00:01:30] Yeah. That's you. Okay. True, Do the Thing really is it is like the funniest podcast and community ever. When you had me on I was doing all the research before because I didn't know what show was going on. I'm like, this is so fun. How did you come up with the Do the Thing? And now, of course, we get to create our own opportunities. You either have that mindset or you come into that mindset. But how did you come up with the Do the Thing?
Stacey Lauren [00:01:58] Yeah, it's crazy because it's like all great things in life, I think sometimes can happen by accident, right? As long as you're open to whatever that is. And I was writing a book and I had just exited my business, and I decided to write a sales book because I owned a staffing company, and I saw so many people stuck by the word sales, and like they wanted to make more money, but they weren't willing to take a sales job. And for people who can't see me right now, I'm doing the quotations around sales, and air quotes. Yeah, the air quotes. Yeah. If you're just making an hourly rate and then you have the opportunity to do a sales job, it changes everything. And then also if you want to open a business when you learn how to do sales, then that just makes any business work. Basically if you as long as you know how to sell. And so that was the book I was writing to come fear while selling. And then also changed my perception of selling because I don't look at selling as sales specifically. It's more like the best service that you could do for people when you can be able to help people get what they want from a product or service that you have. And I was in the middle of writing the book, and I was in my mastermind talking to them about the book, and they were all excited. And then all of a sudden I said, you know what? The thing is, though, I'm realizing it's so much more than sales because I had just recently started dating, I was divorced, I think, like at that point a year and a half. And so I had just started dating, and I realized through my dating experience that my sales strategies helped me with dating. But it wasn't in what most people think I mean by that, which is like, oh, you have to be polished and know what to say. It wasn't about that. It was what sales brings you with positive thinking and goal setting and knowing how to handle rejection. And then anyway, I'm recording myself talking because that's what we do in the mastermind, because you get like 15 minutes to talk. And then I was like, you know what? I really want to help people just Do the Thing. And I said it a few times and I listened to the recording and I was like, wait a minute, am I not writing a sales book? Then I'm writing a book called Do the Thing, and then it just everything really just started from there.
Lauren Abrams [00:04:03] So how did you start creating a community? I don't know what I heard first, but I saw you doing some words with a stranger. It wasn't like stranger danger, stranger. It was just somebody who seemed safe. And it was about getting over a fear of talking to someone, and you were showing yourself doing it like, yes, you can do this. And so the challenge, I guess, was to do a lot more. And I went, this is just so fun.
Stacey Lauren [00:04:29] Yeah, exactly. So I was doing so pretty much I was writing the book, I met with a book strategist, and she had said that I really needed to share the story of when me doing the thing was hard, like the hero's journey, right? The struggle part of doing the thing. And at the time, I really didn't have that struggle story because I've always done the thing. If I wanted to sell, I would sell. If I wanted to start a business, I would start a business. If I wanted to travel, I would travel. And so she then was like, the book's not going to be any good. And so she's in order to have it be a good book, you need to interview other people that have had a struggle story. So then people are feeling a part of this journey of realizing the hard to success. And so that's when I pretty much was like, okay, for minute interview people, then I might as well at least record them. So then maybe someday I could do it on a podcast. And so that was when the idea of the podcast started. But then it was funny. I interviewed a friend of mine on video and she had this, everything was perfect. Her computer was perfect, and her screen was like the high-up and the lights. And I watched the video of our interview and I was like, crippled with like, insecurity. Oh, I don't look good. And I didn't like it, and I just paused it for a while and I didn't want to like, even I was like, I even message the guy. I talk about Adam a lot in my podcast. He's the founder of my podcast platform Comcast, and I messaged him, I'm like, I don't think I can do this thing. And then he was the one that got me to not do the video. So my first 80 episodes are just audio because he's like if you don't like video then just do audio. And I'm like, oh, I didn't think about that. And this is great because now one of the things I do is help people start a podcast. And because I had that kind of like problem, I'm able to help anyone else that might have that problem. Now I would be on video, I can be on video all day long and I'm fine, but I'm also more comfortable in my own skin than I think I was when this whole thing started.
Lauren Abrams [00:06:25] Yeah. I get that totally. So talk about the thumb more thing. Oh, yeah.
Stacey Lauren [00:06:30] I think that they're back to this. So once I saw through the podcast I dissected a formula which helps people Do the Thing, which is that's when the challenges start. Because I wanted to test the formula. And the first challenge that I came up with was a dating dare challenge. And then since then, I've done a lot of other challenges. But the thumb war was specifically for the dating challenge. I just did it as probably like three weeks ago, and normally my challenges are at least 14 days, but this one was only five days and honestly, I wasn't even going to do it. But everyone in the group really wanted another challenge before the end of the year. And so I said, okay, I'll just do a quick one, a five-day one, and then I just decided I'm like, they need to have fun. I just need them to have fun. So that's where I came up with the idea of the thumb war. And I pretty much do these stairs and I'm like, okay, I dare you to thumb wrestle someone. Technically, you could thumb-wrestle a friend or someone at work, or you can thumb-wrestle a stranger. And so I had given the dare I posted in the group, and then I don't know where I went, but I was driving in my car, and then I'm on my way back and I'm like, oh my God, I just gave them a thumb wrestling dare. And I'm like, I need to show them how to do it. So that's when I literally just pulled over on the street and then I thumb wrestled the stranger. And then I posted the video. And then that's when people started thumb wrestling strangers, and it was like the coolest thing. And some people didn't do a stranger, they did someone they knew or someone they worked with. But it was like I wanted to just add fun, you know? It's like we're so many times we're stuck doing the same thing and it's like, just bring something new in your life. Literally in one minute, you can change your entire just like, energy, your mood, your experience, just by doing something new.
Lauren Abrams [00:08:10] Yeah. And I think that's amazing. So you started Do the Thing with dating and you have a whole dating challenges, and you have I don't know what other kinds of challenges you have.
Stacey Lauren [00:08:23] Yeah. So it started with the dating challenges. And then I do these expert panels before I do a challenge where I bring in different experts about a topic. So for the dating expert panel, I had Adam again, the founder of Comcast. He came and it was funny when I asked him to be on the Dating Challenge Expert panel, he's like what in the world why do you want me? Because he like, created the software and I'm like, oh, because he had a podcast where every day he did a new episode. And so I knew that he had a lot of experience with rejection. And so when you're dating, if you can get over the fact of being rejected, you could go up to anyone at any point and not worry about any of it and not let it affect you, you could still keep a positive attitude, which I think is really the secret to dating. We're writing a new book right now, but anyway, he had actually given a dare to the listeners and said, okay, I dare you to start a podcast. And the first dating challenge, I dared them and it was a bonus dare, but no one took me up on it and they thought I was a little bit nuts and no one did it. But then the second dating dare challenge, I wasn't going to do that dare again. But one of the people that was listening said, hey, I just listened to your episode and I heard that you're helping people start a podcast, is that something that you're still doing? And I was like, sure, I wasn't. But I was like, sure, no problem. So I did a Zoom and we basically got people to come on the Zoom that we're interested. We helped some people start podcasts, and then from there I decided to do a challenge, and that's why I have another group that's not a singles group, that is the one that I did the podcast one. So now there are two separate groups. So the singles group, we do things like dating challenges. You get fed. We help start a book and find your voice. And then the other group is like starting a podcast. Going live, like on Facebook or Instagram. That was where the two-hour cocktail party challenge was held. So it's just like pretty much one of my community members said, Stacy gets a a new challenge when she wakes up in the morning. Like, it was like I had a really busy year with a lot of challenges. It was just because it was so much fun, because people get massive results in such a short amount of time, and the transformations are like, ridiculous. But it's not because of anything I'm doing, it's because of the formula. And then the people are connecting together and they're able to see the other person doing it. So that's what's getting the transformations is because it's like the peer-to-peer mentoring support through the community.
Lauren Abrams [00:10:45] Yeah. Community is so important. It just is having like minded people come together is just the key. So you want to talk about your formula because I know there are times when you're trying to figure it out that I heard on some of your episodes and then you're trying to get an acronym. Did you ever get an acronym?
Stacey Lauren [00:11:03] Yes. I love to hear, like are so embedded with that. So good. Yeah, it was funny. So it was 80 episodes and I all of a sudden started hearing the same words. So I had what mindset was one of the first ones obviously that come up when you're doing the thing right. You have to be able to deal with your mindset. And that's when I started to bring experts in and specifically speaking about some of these pieces, and I was like uncovering even more and mindset. We talked about the theme or one of the things people don't realize that mindset is fun, right? It's bringing fun. And so I always make sure that I'm bringing some kind of fun element because that helps people, like, really get through hard things. Anyway, that was like one of the words that came up identifying the why was another word goals, accountability. And so all these words were coming up. And then I started to put them on index cards, and I wrote them down, and I put them on my kitchen table, and they're just like sitting there for a while as I'm like looking at them. And one of my friends heard we were doing a conversation and she was like, what about oh wait, I think I saw the word game come up. But then there were like three extra letters and I didn't know what to do with them. And then all of a sudden she was like, what about something like Game On? And I'm like, oh, that's cool. I didn't think about putting two words together. And anyway, I ended up, I think combining two because it ended up being really similar under categories. So anyway, I'm Game is the acronym. And so it's really fun because whenever I'm doing a challenge, that's what people are called dare-doers. And then they're like I'm game. And so it's so it's ridiculous how amazing it is because you're really able to like, feel into this new persona that you want to be. Right? Like it doesn't. You don't need to be this, like, comfortable safety zone person. You can be a dare-doer and say, I'm game.
Lauren Abrams [00:12:51] Oh that's fabulous. Yeah, that's really good. So how somebody listening because everybody cannot be in the community as frustrated actually maybe they can I don't know. But what are some tips that people can do to get out of fear and into they want community? They want to be able to do all the things that I said in the intro. What are some steps they can take?
Stacey Lauren [00:13:13] Yeah, thanks. That's a great question. So I could walk you through the formula if you want. So when you're doing something new you could look at that new thing you're doing and the I and I’m game is to identify the why. So really just identify why you want to do it. Why is it important to you? What are the benefits you're going to get out of doing it? What are the costs that could come from you not doing it? And that's like the first step. And then from there you do the M which is mindset. That's the M in I'm and mindset. The first dare that I have people do in every challenge is what are some excuses that could come up for you by doing this thing. So I recommend you guys really think, what are the things that are kind of come up for me that are the reasons why I can't do it? And then you think of what you're going to be able to do instead of that excuse holding you back because when you first decide you want to do something, that's when you have all your energy and your motivation and your excitement to do it. And that's when you're able to be the most creative and really think of that plan because you're already like, oh my God, I'm going to do it. And so when you're in the middle of doing the thing and you get nervous, scared, you don't want to do it. If you've already decided how you're going to overcome it, then you're not burning energy like when that thing comes up. And so I love that. That's one of my favorite kind of like mindset tricks. And then also, of course, I mentioned the fun thing, make sure you're having fun because who wants to Do the Thing if it's not fun? And then the end game is goals. And I look at goals differently than a lot of people do. A lot of people they want you to do Smart goals, and they want you to plan out this whole thing and spend all this time and do this for our project planning, business plan, blah, blah, blah, whatever. For me, I say, just have a rough draft goal. If you know all that's great, do all that. But if you don't, just have an idea. What you want to do, and just your goal is just one thing. It could be the smallest thing in the direction of something that you want, and then all of these things start to open up to you. And then the end game is accountability. And so accountability is something where you could do that yourself. You could either like mark like a paper and check box, something that you've done, or you could get with a friend or get with a group.
Lauren Abrams [00:15:25] Like Accountability Partnership Merge.
Stacey Lauren [00:15:27] They're so cute. And you really want it to be with someone who has a shared goal as you. That definitely helps because then you're able to hold each other accountable. And then now I'm transitioning to my favorite piece of the formula, which is the M end game. And it's my people. So this is different from like-minded people. Like-minded people are the five people that you want to be around like you want to be the average of the five people. This is different than that. My people are people that have the shared goal or like the shared purpose as you. And by being around them, you're getting that community and the connectedness that you need to grow. My favorite example is let's say you have really positive, supportive, encouraging friends and you want to run a marathon if one of them is not if none of them are runners, then it's really hard for you to get motivated by them. To run the marathon, you really need to join a running group or be around other runners. And so to me, that is one of the most important pieces. And that's why I have the Do the Thing community because we have a common goal. If it's starting a podcast or writing a book or dating that gives you that, like vulnerability and that encouragement to be able to do something hard. I've recently done this with stand up comedy. That's one of my new thing that I'm like having that.
Lauren Abrams [00:16:43] Yeah.
Stacey Lauren [00:16:43] And yeah, I see my friends that have done try to do stand-up comedy but have only done like a private coaching with someone. It's they can't do it because you're not getting fed off of the group and that like thing where other people are doing it too. So anyway, so that's really good. And then the E, which is the last piece is Educate. And there are two parts to educating. One is educating yourself, like listening to podcasts like this and being able to learn from experts and people that are already doing it. Mentors, coaches, all that type of stuff. Books, podcasts. But my favorite part of educate is actually educating others. So once you've learned something, even if you're only like one week or two weeks ahead, figure out who you could teach it to, because then you can teach it. You're getting that fulfilment and that contribution back, and it reinvigorates the learning.
Lauren Abrams [00:17:35] Yeah. Totally does. And you're being of service.
Stacey Lauren [00:17:38] Yes.
Lauren Abrams [00:17:39] Yeah. I love that second part of education.
Stacey Lauren [00:17:43] That actually came out I think I was interviewing someone because again this formula was developed in real-time. It's cool for anyone who listens to my podcast from the beginning. You'll hear it evolve. It's really neat because it's I'm dissecting it with each person, like how they did the thing. And I'm like, okay, how what did you do next? What did you do next? That's where I'm getting the patterns. And then each piece got developed even more. And so educate, originally was only one part which was the mentor, the book, the coach and all of that until I interviewed someone that had been through a 12-step program and she was talking about the educating others piece, where that's part of it, and that's when I was like, oh my gosh, I think that's actually in everything. And so that's where that came up. But it's evolved over time.
Lauren Abrams [00:18:28] Oh that's amazing. I love that. And what would you tell somebody that's afraid to take the step? They know they want to do something, but they're afraid.
Stacey Lauren [00:18:38] I would ask for help. Because to me, when you can ask for help, that at least gets you started. And also don't expect to do, it's okay to suck in like really is it is okay to suck because like when you can overcome that fear of what something looks like or what people think about it and like you're just okay with just whatever it is, as long as you're moving that you're doing the thing, then I think that's like the best way to get started.
Lauren Abrams [00:19:06] Yeah, no, it's so true. And nobody's paying that much attention anyway.
Stacey Lauren [00:19:10] So they don't care. That's what I say every day I'm like, they do not care.
Lauren Abrams [00:19:15] Yeah. I love the way when you first went on video you're like you know, vice paying attention. Okay, why don't you get over that first hurdle like you're realizing nobody is faking it?
Stacey Lauren [00:19:24] That just I know it's so funny. It's so funny. These things that we think, like, are like a thing I remember even when I first went on YouTube my picture was all over it, which is changed now because it's like I couldn't it was just too much me. My picture is all over and I'm just like, oh my God. It's like horrible thinking, like, all these things are going to blow up. But it's no one cares. Literally, nobody cares.
Lauren Abrams [00:19:45] So nobody's ever said you put that because supposedly the more caricature your face is on YouTube, the better. The more click you'll get, the more of a caricature. And as I was like, I'll try to do big eyes and super big smile. And anyway, yeah, that's supposed to be what works. So what do you do when you're in fear or you start second-guessing yourself? Do you have people you go to? Adidas walks through it and you're like, yeah, these are real. I'm just going to keep going.What do you do?
Stacey Lauren [00:20:14] Yeah. So I've had this thing since college, which I sold bookstore to door in college. That's how I put myself through school. And it's three words. Are you ready? My favorite three words. It's action cures fear. And so it's just action. And a lot of people think it has to be some like big scary action, but it could be the littlest thing. That's why I mentioned asking for help. That's an action. You're asking someone for help. And that is an action, because I feel like a lot of people think they have to know everything before they start. But it is actually so much fun when you let go of that perception and you're like, I could just figure things out. I only need to know the next step in front of me. I don't need to know the 20 other steps ahead of me. I could just figure out this one step and then you're going to like, that's going to build over time. And it compounds, which is like the coolest thing.
Lauren Abrams [00:21:02] Yeah, 100%. I saw the industrial tools to put myself through college.
Stacey Lauren [00:21:07] Oh my gosh. We were like literally that is so nice.
Lauren Abrams [00:21:10] I was going to wait for a Denver query to tell you what I couldn't. That's so funny right now. So what's the hardest challenge you've ever gone through and how did you get through it?
Stacey Lauren [00:21:19] Okay, let's think what is the hardest challenge I've gone through? I think it is the exit of my business. Yeah, I would say for sure it was that because like I said, I got divorced. We had opened the business together. We owned it for 20 years. And then I was the CEO. He was the CFO, and we tried to since we had two separate, totally different roles, we tried to keep it going for a few years and then didn't work. So I ended up selling my half of the business to him. And when that was over, I had 60 employees like internal and 600 external. And so it was a lot. So I just felt really alone, like really disconnected, like all these people that I felt were my family. And they're part of like my everyday talking and this and that and fire and help. And phone and this and all that stuff. It was hard. And then on top of that, we had like Kid Complex and all the stuff that goes along with divorce. But the exit of the business brought all of that to the surface, from the kids to the business to a loan. And who am I and what am I even doing? And what have I been doing? And like identity and all the stuff. So yeah, it was like that was definitely so how I overcame it was one of the ways I went to a fitness camp. That sounds so random, but like literally.
Lauren Abrams [00:22:30] I'm like, I'm always like, there are people. Yes, I was there.
Stacey Lauren [00:22:33] I was going to go to, I was calling, I actually was thinking I was going to I was on the phone with a psychiatric hospital that's where I was going to go. And then I just had this like all of a sudden moment where I was like, wait a minute. I did this fitness camp in the past, I just needed a safe place, but I needed to be led by someone other than me and be around people who were like, encouraging and supportive. My people part of the formula. So instead of a psychiatric hospital, I went to Fitness Scout. But anyway, so I did that and that was for a week. And that just brought life back to me where I was like, you know, how can just suck in all these people's energy and like, you're moving and you're being active and you're giving yourself good food and you're around people that like, want that too. There was something about it that brought it back. And that's where I met the book strategists. And that's also where I met my other friend, who was the one that told me the Game on and I'm game. It's crazy. I'd get chills thinking about those two people I met at that fitness camp. Like, obviously that was the right decision, right? And then soon after that, the podcast started. So that's like that progression of like how I moved through. It was me just making that decision, meeting a couple of people and then getting started with this new journey that I was about to go on.
Lauren Abrams [00:23:44] That's amazing. I actually love that in one week.
Stacey Lauren [00:23:48]Yeah. It's amazing.
Lauren Abrams [00:23:50] That is amazing. And what are some of the best messages that you've received? I interviewed all these experts. So what are like what really resonates and the messages you've received?
Stacey Lauren [00:24:03] Honestly like I feel like what it really is, what it comes down to is my favorite thing is just like because everyone thinks they have to do all this craziness, but it's literally the advice I gave earlier. It's just that one little step in the direction of something that you want. That's my favorite thing because I think so many people can overthink and over plan and get into all of these, like, things that like when you realize, okay, whatever I want in life, I just need to make the tiniest move and that's going to help me get there. It's just there's something about that I really love.
Lauren Abrams [00:24:40] I just want you to know, that this is not the first interview I've done today. I've been interviewing all day. I don't usually do that batch record and all that. I've had that same response. I don't even ask that question.I've been asking, what's the best message you've received? I don't usually ask that question. And I've asked that all day and I've had the same response. And so I interviewed many people from Tony Robbins. It's exactly the same one step in the direction of what you want. Like take a step, take an action, no matter how small. And I always say, even if it's 10 or 15 minutes in the direction of your goal or your dream, I think I said on your podcast, God doesn't drive parked cars like you have to take an action. You can't sit in the corner and wish like the universe rises up to meet you. I don't know how it works, but that just does. I love that spot.
Stacey Lauren [00:25:35] Yeah. I think the reason why it's so powerful and probably why so many people are saying it after they've interviewed hundreds of people is cause we're all looking for this like secret, right? And we all think it's like this. We all think it's like this. Oh my God. They're going to say like the most amazing thing on the planet thing,
Lauren Abrams [00:25:51] And I'm like, no, yeah, I'm going to use AI to transcribe this part. And okay, here it's about ready.
Stacey Lauren [00:25:59] Yeah. And when you realize like literally if you count all the people that you've interviewed today and the thousands of people between all of us that we've interviewed, I think it's like the simplest thing that means that we can all do it, no matter who we are, we could do it today.
Lauren Abrams [00:26:12] Yeah, I do, that's saying, I tell you, I am in love with your community because you don't have to do it alone. You get results. Everyone likes you, you come on and you've got something and woosh! You have so many people from all walks of life coming in, going, yeah, I'm in whatever it is. And then they start doing it themselves. If you're not, even if you're like, I'm busy, like, well, I'll do it. And yeah, that's how good Stacey is. And here everything like they're like, they're going to do without you if you're not.
Stacey Lauren [00:26:41] Yeah. It's cool because like after the last dating challenge, they were like, what about. We're like, the joke is like, we want another dare. And I was like because I'm doing other stuff right now. I'm doing this audience accelerator program that I'm working on, helping people basically create the community that I've created with you, the thing. And so that's been one of my focuses. So my next challenge is going to be a bucket list challenge. But other than that I'm really working on the Audience Accelerator. And so anyway, so the people in the singles community were like, but we want another dare. So we did a zoom and that's when they did but Dare Each Other session. It was so much fun. And that's when I realized, like, how powerful this thing is, because we went from like people in the group that were like, scared to say hi to a stranger are now like on the zoom, a few challenges later saying like, oh, let's do stand up comedy. Let's start a podcast. And like all these things that I'm like, oh my God, you guys have gone so far, right?
Lauren Abrams [00:27:32] That's amazing. Yeah, that's going from zero to mark five. Like the two ends of the spectrum. That is it says so much for you and what you've created and the domino effect of it. And we get to be a channel. Look at what you've done. I think it's just amazing. So that's a good segue. Do you have a message of hope you want to give? Cause I think you are a message of hope.
Stacey Lauren [00:27:54] Yeah. It's just the belief that you can do it and then really tapping into what that thing is that has been the hardest for you and realizing that man, you get that thing more than anyone else can get it. And your unique voice is the thing that's able to help connect other people to it. And so the belief that what you have to say is actually the thing that there is someone, somewhere at some point, and it could even be something that you say now that comes back in a month later, a year later, two years later. They need to hear it right at that moment. And you've given them that and that thing, that hard thing, that thing that was so hard for you that you're on the floor and you were crying about and you couldn't get over it. That's the thing you're able to impact people with.
Lauren Abrams [00:28:45] Yeah, even though it sucks at the moment like it's the greatest lesson. You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't go through your divorce and give up your company. Which sounds awful to listen to, but look at what you've created and how many people you've helped. Like you've helped so many people through that. And I know you got to travel with your daughter and do all these amazing things since then, which is really incredible. So what's next? What's next for Stacey Lauren?
Stacey Lauren [00:29:17] Yeah, it's a good question. Right now I'm really excited about just helping people find their voice. That's one of my big things, is getting connected to their voice and really uncovering that, speaking their truth and being able to tap into what that is and stop hiding. Right? Come out of the shadows and be able to, like, share it in whatever way that means to you. And then from there, also helping people, just like once they've tapped into their voice, then helping them create an online community of people that love them, and also so then they can maybe make a living out of it, which is amazing to be able to do and then impact people along the way.
Lauren Abrams [00:29:59] I just love it. Is there anything else that I should have asked you that we're going to be done and you are like, Lauren didn't ask me this?
Stacey Lauren [00:30:06] That's such a great question. It's so funny. I used to ask that question too, and I'm like, but being the person receiving it, I'm like, what does that answer mean? You are such a good interviewer. I'm like, no, I can't even think of anything I feel. I think just parting words for the listener is just being okay with the unknown, you know, and not having an attachment to an outcome. So that would be the only thing I would just make sure you guys know. It's like really divorcing yourself from that outcome of what you want to happen. You can have a wish for what you want to have happen and then make the steps towards it. But know that it may not look exactly how you're imagining it to look. It could look differently. Like me, right? Like I haven't finished my book yet. This whole thing has been because I started a book and I'm like, eventually wanting to finish it. But I'm also okay with me. Not because all of this stuff wouldn't have happened if I had not wanted to write it.
Lauren Abrams [00:30:58] Yeah, it's so true. But be ready to pivot because it might be something even better.
Stacey Lauren Yeah, totally. I love that.
Lauren Abrams Of course, we have links to everything. Stacey Lauren, this has been so great. Thank you so much for being a guest today on 52 weeks of Hope.
Stacey Lauren [00:31:14] Thanks for having me.
Lauren Abrams [00:31:15] Yeah.
