When I Grow Up: Becoming a Freedom Catalyst

Today I'm happy to introduce you to Lauren Dobey! I "met" Lauren in one of the many Facebook groups I'm in, and I was intrigued by what she does. I mean, have you ever met a freedom catalyst before? 

As a child, I wanted to be a ­______ when I grew up. I had always wanted to be the next Nancy Drew. If you aren’t familiar, Nancy Drew is a detective book series for girls. I LOVED reading those books and trying to figure out who the criminal was. I even had a little detective kit that I would carry around. I loved all things about mystery and piecing the clues together to solve the crimes.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but my childhood interest in detective work influenced my adult desires to help women uncover the parts of themselves that they’ve kept hidden. I am like a detective for your soul!

Tweet: "I am like a detective for your soul!" #whenigrowup #mrsrobbinssparkles http://ctt.ec/fKb48+

What is your official job title?  I like to call myself a Freedom Catalyst.

Ok, now what does that really mean?  I believe Freedom Catalyst paints a picture for the way that I wish for every woman to feel—free. I desire for each and every woman to live a life that sets them free and that is an expression of their true, authentic self. As women we are often told to “follow the rules” and be the “good girl” and I think that really limits our dreams and visions. Our life journeys do not need to follow a linear path and it can even be totally opposite of what we “think” we’re supposed to be doing. Our evolution does not have to look like anyone else’s; it is our unique life to live. The only truly right path is the path that is in perfect alignment for the individual. During client sessions, we look at all areas of their lives to determine what is out of balance, underwhelming, or just plain-old sh*tty and to discover new possibilities for them.The work that I do with my clients has led some of my clients to create a new business, leave an unhealthy relationship or to quit their unfulfilling day job. Ultimately, the results that they receive during our work together affects all areas of their lives. My goal is to help them fall in love with their lives again.

Tweet: "My goal is to help them fall in love with their lives again." http://ctt.ec/aj1vu+ #whenigrowup

What is a typical day like?  Being an entrepreneur means that my days can vary and can sometimes be very hectic. To give you an idea of an ideal day, it would begin with me waking refreshed and energized without an alarm around 7:00am. After I get out of bed I take my two dogs for a walk. Then I begin my morning practice which consists of a green juice made with organic ingredients, some journaling and some meditation or self-hypnosis. These are the foundations of a grounded and balanced day for me. On most days I try to get to the gym in morning. I begin working at 9am or a little later. My working hours can vary day-to-day. I take client coaching calls, work on my marketing and connect with potential clients. I try to take a break from my office and meet up with a friend for lunch. Since working from home can be really isolating, it's important to me to put an emphasis on personally connecting with friends.Throughout the day I will take breaks almost every hour to do some grounding breathwork or mindfulness meditation. I like to wrap up my workday by 6pm, unless it is one of the two days per week that I take client calls in the evening. Often I have a social event or activity in the evening out in Manhattan. But, if I’m home at night, I wind down by making a healthy dinner- I love to cook! After dinner, I fill my bathtub with tons of bubbles and lavender essential oil to ease myself into further relaxation. I may watch a little bit of TV (I love Scandal!) or read some inspiring books for the remainder of the evening. I have an gratitude practice that I complete before lights out at 10:30pm.

How did you end up in this career?  This career found me. I had been on a path of self-discovery after first a painful divorce and then the illness (and eventual death) of my best friend. I knew that there was more to life that working hard in unfulfilling work. I began to really, truly understand the mind-body connection. I immersed myself in books, seminars and programs that eventually led me to study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) to become a Health Coach. After some time, though, I decided that I wanted to focus on other aspects of a woman’s life, not only their health, and that led me to begin my work as a Freedom Catalyst.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career?  After IIN I decided that I would love to learn additional, deeper transformational coaching skills so I enrolled in the Transformational Coaching Method program by Holistic MBA. This program gave me a broaded skill set to help me facilitate much deeper change work with my clients.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career?  My advice it to follow your own guiding light and try not to follow what others are doing. If you do, it might feel like you are wearing a pair of pants that are a size too small. Follow your truth, your dreams, your desires. Do not be afraid to change directions, or even quit something that doesn’t feel right, because it doesn’t have to be viewed as failure. You can choose to view it as a learning experience. What you’ve learned will likely serve you in a way that you might not understand at the moment. I deeply believe that life is made up of building blocks of experiences and each one of those blocks is shaping us to be a well-rounded, fully lit up women.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up?  My dream is to continue to share my message with the world in an even more visible way via television or media. I also have the intention to create global events for women to have unique, profound experiences that nudge them step outside of their comfort zones so that they see just how amazing and capable they are.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”?  Just keep taking steps forward, no matter how small the steps or how scary it may feel. You will astonish yourself when you realize what you can accomplish when you set the intention to push yourself slightly outside of your comfort zone. You’ll look back and think “wow, I’m pretty f***ing amazing!”

And that's Lauren! What an awesome career, huh? If you'd like to learn more about her and her services, head to laurendobey.com. 

Previously on MrsRobbinsSparkles...

Winter Capsule Wardrobe is Moving Out!

Wow, spring is already here you guys! It's time to say good-bye to my winter capsule and hello to spring.

I still haven't figured out the best way to take pictures of my daily outfits, and I never took a picture of every single item. I really did try to take pictures daily, but this is how they usually turned out: 

 I'm not a fashion blogger and never will be. And that's ok! 

But here's the rundown. My day-to-day work wardrobe is incredibly boring. Black pants, rotating sweaters, and black heels. Nothing special. However, I do get to wear jeans twice a week to the office. I still have to keep it professional, though. Here's my attempt at an outfit layout:

See, not a fashion blogger.

But basically I lived in skinny jeans, black boots, and some variation of a shirt and sweater! I rotated out a few necklaces and earrings, heels or flats instead of boots, and threw in the occasional dress for a change of pace.

And I loved it! It's pretty much the same items I wore the year before, but it was so much easier to choose what to wear without all the other clothes crowding them out. My closet (well, my side of it anyway) stayed very clean and streamlined, and it was wonderful.

I have to confess that I did buy a few things though. I purchased two pairs of Seven jeans, a pair of Sam Edelman heels, ankle boots, and a North Face jacket. I regret nothing, because I purchased everything except the jacket from ThredUp where I had store credit, and I purchased the jacket off a garage sale group on Facebook. The jacket and the ankle boots are the only things that won't roll over into my spring wardrobe, and the jacket came in super handy in NYC so I consider it money well spent!

This weekend I spent some time rotating out the winter items and bringing in spring. I'll keep a few winter items handy because you never know when those cold temps will make a comeback. But I'm really hoping it's all 70 degrees and sunny from here on out :)

Did you try a capsule wardrobe this winter? Or are you thinking about trying one this spring? Tell me all about it!

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

Must-See TV in NYC

I still haven't caught up on sleep...or work, or blogging! I have several posts in draft mode, but they aren't ready yet. Instead I'm talking about some of the super touristy things we did while in NYC. Specifically, the must-see TV spots we visited!

Last Sunday James and I had plans to meet up with a friend of mine near Union Square, so I decided we had to wander around Greenwich Village and visit a couple must-see sights. 

The Friends building was an absolute must for me! I spent most of my freshman year of college watching Friends. My roommate and I owned all ten seasons on DVD and just played them on a loop. So I obviously had to make a stop here.

And then it turned out Carrie Bradshaw's stoop was right around the corner! Apparently a lot of people visit, so there was a sign up.  And there was some construction related trash right next to the stoop, but we made it work!

Finally, we went to McGee's, the bar that inspired MacLaren's Pub on How I Met Your Mother. We meant to go on Monday night, but we didn't make it until Tuesday morning. In case you forgot, Tuesday was St. Patrick's Day. A pretty big deal in the Irish pub world! We got there right when they opened at 11, and I was disappointed to find out they weren't serving their HIMYM themed drinks. I'd already decided what I wanted to drink - A Pineapple Incident. (They have a Robbin Sparkles drink, but it is Crown and Apple Pucker and sounded nasty!)

Instead James and I had two very expensive Bud Lights. We hung around long enough to finish our drinks, and then we left. I'm sure the place could be a lot of fun on a normal day, but they were definitely preparing for the St. Paddy's Day craziness. 

There were other TV related sights I wanted to see, but these were the three that were must see for me! I'll be back with lots more about the NYC trip soon :)

 Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...