Daily Inspiration: Meet Lauren Mages

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Mages

Hi Lauren, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career as a Certified/licensed athletic trainer. I had a dream of working in the MLB, which as a woman was almost unheard of at the time; however, I decided to switch my focus to Division 1 women’s softball. I loved the sport, the girls, the atmosphere of collegiate athletics, but it is an incredibly demanding job full of politics and ethical dilemmas. This took a toll on me very quickly so I decided to follow a path of self-preservation and move towards sports medicine physical therapy.
I learned so much during my time in a physical therapy clinic including that I truly loved the act of physical rehabilitation more so than the emergency responder part of my previous job. After a few years in the PT setting I realized how restricting health insurance was for both patients and providers, and for me personally, I really didn’t have an opportunity for upward mobility in this setting. I decided to obtain my comprehensive Pilates certification and started my own Pilates business where I focused on total body movement for all populations of people.
My business continued on in that general manner until I had my daughter in 2022, and I decided to niche my business to women’s pelvic health. It was becoming increasingly apparent that as a society we are lagging in the pelvic health arena with so many women suffering needlessly, and that we also required better integrated care. In the spirit of integration, I eventually obtained my Functional Medicine Health Coaching certification and have been diving into the world of bioenergetics to create an experience that encompasses both the mind and body for women on deep healing journeys.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Learning your entire 6 years of advanced education for a profession that is very specific, and then realizing said profession is “not for you” is incredibly difficult. All throughout my 20s, and therefore the first part of my professional career, I was filled with anxiety, fear of the unknown and completely uncomfortable identity shifts. The learning process has always been easy for me. I LOVE to learn and gain new skills, but the ego-death I had to go through in order to create my business was very hard.
My business has also gone through several transitions as I’ve slowly peeled back the layers of what my true purpose is all while prioritizing and learning balance around my family life. “Momprenuership”, a term I’ve come to love, is probably one of the hardest, rawest and most vulnerable risk-taking ventures you can choose in your 20s and 30s. However, I’m doing it! I wouldn’t take back anything I’ve gone through so far in order to get to where I am now and where I see myself going.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Right now in my business, I am calling myself a pelvic health movement specialist as bridging the gap between physical therapy and fitness is the “front door” to my services. However, once you’re inside my “house” you’re experiencing a plethora of things besides movement (if there is permission to do so). We may need to strategize about a new health goal one day, sit with a physical emotion that keeps rearing it’s head and creating what I call “symptom chasing” in the body, or even just working on simple energetic grounding techniques to make your mind and body feel safe enough to release and move. I believe this is truly what sets my business apart from other traditional Pilates studios, PT clinics and therapists as well as personal trainers. The physical body is only one aspect of our healing, and if we’re only focusing on the musculoskeletal body we’re missing an amazing opportunity to communicate with parts of us that want to be heard in order to relieve pain and correct movement challenges.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in divine timing, intervention, guiding and pausing. There are a lot of ebbs and flows within a business. Some months money is flowing, clients are committed and everything is operating smoothly. Other months it’s like things dry up. You experience slower days, money is tighter, equipment needs to be replaced, and you find yourself saying “when it rains it pours”.
What I have learned and strive to remember is that when these “lulls” happen it’s time to examine how I’m feeling about my offerings, logistics, investments, etc. It could be that I am meant to be in a void-like state in order for something bigger and better to come through that will not only make me happier and guide me closer to my purpose, but that it will also morph my business into a realm that is lacking and needed for people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mindandbodyvitality.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.body.vitality/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089906756874