We were lucky to catch up with Lauren Forrest recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Lauren with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I got my work ethic from my mother. She has always modeled an exemplary path for me to follow. My mother strived to ensure my life was easier than her upbringing. I appreciate and admire her for that. I followed in her footsteps, becoming an educator who has worked in all sectors, both domestically and internationally. I always knew I would work with children, but I never thought it would start inside of a classroom. I specialize in getting results by impacting people. As an educator, I work with students during the day and adults in the evening because I’m also a licensed financial professional. I focus on legacy building. I enjoy challenges and trust me, children are more manageable than adults. So, I put in the work to make sure students are successful and people in my community are aware. I’m purpose driven because I’m focused on the goal of advancing the people around me. Trust, I do get discouraged based on life, obligations, and just the day to day occurrences, but that’s when I have to take a moment to fill my own cup so that I can stick to the goal of positively impacting my community.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I love education. That’s why I know I’m living in my purpose because I have avenues to educate children and adults. As a Remedial Math Specialist during the day, I help numbers make sense to children. Later in the day, I do the same for adults by showing them the best way to make their money work for them and how to properly protect their families. Presently, I’m focused on getting more licenses in more states so that I can impact more people. My motto is “impact over income”, but I promise, income comes along with the territory. I am always focused on informing, building my business, or learning more to add to my repetoire of skills. I enjoy the work because I know I help students when the “aha” moment happens and the skills stick and stay. By focusing on the parents, I help them prioritize the family unit. The main goal is to break generational curses and ensure they have a safe house set up for their loved ones, leaving a legacy. As a licensed financial professional, I assist families with financial coaching, retirement planning, life insurance, auto & home solutions, and more. This work is rewarding because in a male dominated financial world, there are women of color who are making a difference to inform and help people. Overcoming the challenges to take up space is crucial. Representation matters.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Qualities: resiliency, growth mindset, goal setting
Advice: Be open to change and redirection. So many times I had my own way, but as a believer, I had to trust the way that was before me. Be humble. Don’t think you’re an expert in all matters. There is always something to learn, so be open to other perspectives, opinions, and opportunities. Get a mentor. Once you identify what it is that you want or want to do, find someone whom you respect who can coach and advance you to become better.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always interested in collaboration, expanding, and speaking engagements. I want our people informed and the more opportunities I have to connect with the community, I will take advantage to crusade for legacy building. I want to collaborate with businesses and people who are impacting the community, may have non-profit organizations, care about the advancement of the culture, and on a mission to build others up through information output. You can reach out to me through my IG (ms.la.forrest) or calendly to schedule: https://calendly.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://calendly.com/claudielauren/ds
- Instagram: ms.la.forrest
