Meet Lauren Dow | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Dow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After becoming unemployed during COVID-19, I knew there was a significant shift I needed to make in my life. For almost a decade, I had been working in a field that didn’t fulfill me. My mental health was at a significant decline, and I decided there was no better time than now to take charge of my future (and my present) by focusing on writing and publishing my first book. From there, the rest continued to spiral in the best way possible. I now have officially released my first novel, In Body I Trust, for preorder and am currently working on building the website for my next endeavor along with being an author, but to also create an independent publishing house, New Luna Press. NLP’s mission is to help aspiring writers become published authors. There are so many individuals that have stories to tell. They just don’t have the tools or knowledge to be able to do so. I want to help other people tell their stories because I discovered how healing and powerful it was to tell my own. So now, I can proudly say that I’m a published author, with my own independent publishing house in the works!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being an author isn’t something that just magically happens. You don’t just write words on a GoogleDoc and tada! You’re officially an author! There is so much work that goes behind it and I commend all of the self-published authors out there who have paved the way for me. I had no idea the amount of work that went into it. I’ve always been the type of person that when I set my mind to something, I hyper-focus on it until it’s done. It can be an incredible thing, but it can also cause burnout to happen – which it definitely did for me. During this time, I had relapsed in my eating disorder recovery and was working diligently every single day to regain my strength and reconstruct my mental health. Oh, and I’m going through a breakup. And my life was turned upside down on its head. So I’m writing and publishing my first book, trying to start an independent publishing house, my heart is broken, my home is broken, and my body, mind, and spirit were in need of help. Yet, here I am. Doing every single bit of the work and I’m better than ever. And I attribute it to one very important thing: I asked for help. For once, I used the tools I had to look deep within myself and ask, “What do I need right now?” What I needed was support from people I love and who love me. I needed help in dealing with my emotions from my therapist. I needed help in managing my laundry list of to-do’s from my accountability partner. I needed a hug from my best friend. And when I asked, I received. When I put myself and my needs first, I was able to come out the other side fuller, and more enthusiastic about my work, my creative spirit, and my life. My mission is simple. I want people who suffer from mental illness to know that they are not alone. I want people to know who are sad, hurt, stuck, or lost that they are not alone. I want people to know that their story is worth being told and deserves to be heard. My mission is to love.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A day in the life of Denver is interesting these days, but I would take them to the mountains. You can see every coffee shop and museum and art gallery in the world, but nothing is as perfect as Mother Nature in real life.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to the Eating Disorder Foundation (EDF) in Denver, Colorado. My experience through eating disorder recovery was a lonely road that was scary to take. When I found EDF, they provided a safe space, a community, and a home for me to come to when I needed the love, support, and encouragement to keep going. They deserve so much credit because without them, my book would not have come to fruition.

Website: laurendow.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurendowwrites/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmichelledow/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenDowWrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurendowwrites

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnt4K2HNrk2P-QjbwV22bxw

Other: Find Lauren Dow and her books on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20814062.Lauren_Dow Preorder “In Body I Trust” on Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-body-i-trust-lauren-dow/1138740365?ean=9781736572504 Preorder “In Body I Trust” on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Body-I-Trust-Lauren-Dow/dp/1736572504/