Lauren Zoeller: This Is Just the Beginning! - Health and Wellness Nashville

In just a few short years, Nashville’s very own Lauren Zoeller has become a top Yoga and Life Coach. She talks to Health & Wellness Magazine on how she chose this path and shares what she’ll be talking about in her workshop at the Nashville Health & Wellness Fest come June 1, 2019.

Lauren is on a mission and when you read her story, you’ll realize she’s well on the way to successfully achieving that objective- not just in and around Nashville, but on a much broader canvas as well.

Like many driven individuals, Zoeller’s energy and determination was founded in disappointment and misfortune. As a youngster she aspired to be a dancer, a professional dancer at that, it was her entire focus until injury struck and she couldn’t continue, it was a devastating blow she remembers, “dancing defined me, and when that was stripped from me I went into a deep, dark depression.” She took up music at high school in Louisville to try and channel her creative ambitions in other directions, but by her early twenties, troubles with drinking, drugs “and bad company” were still dragging her down.

“I knew it wasn’t me, but my dream had been taken away. I would wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and I wouldn’t recognize the person staring back at me. I had no sense of purpose, I knew something was missing.” For a time there seemed no way out. Then one day, after a visit to her therapist, she walked past a sign that said: ‘breathe, come inside’.

She had found her way out.

The sign was for a small Yoga studio. Zoeller went in, met the instructor who suggested she take a class there and then. She took up the impromptu offer and almost immediately “felt a weight taken off my shoulders”. The energy and enthusiasm she had poured into dance now found a new outlet. “For two years, I went every day. It helped me heal, it got me off drugs and it cultivated a sense of love for myself,” Zoeller explains. Soon, she was a fully qualified Yoga trainer and teacher. She also discovered she was not alone in the troubles she had faced. “Many of my students had similar problems, similar questions, but I was unable to answer them.” She was determined to find out how.

Zoeller began researching how she could help others with their troubles, with reaching their goals. This meant more learning and training, but this time as a Life Coach. She qualified in six months and now believes, “Yoga uncovers everything, Life Coaching helps you process it.”

While this was all going on, Zoeller had graduated from College, formed a Blues Band and moved to Nashville to see if this might be a career option. It wasn’t. The pull of Yoga combined with the satisfaction in helping people was no match for the Nashville music scene to Zoeller. As a result, the band was left behind and the challenge of starting a Yoga Studio quickly presented itself.

“I had no real plan, it was all trial and error, I did Yoga and Life Coaching, but had no programs to offer clients. I listened to them and began to develop my 8 Week Program for groups and individuals”.

In brief these follow a four step process, Zoeller explains:

“Seeding, where we uncover what the problems are and set goals to overcome them.

Second, Rooting, where we uncover their stories that have got them stuck and unable to move on, Third, Growing, where we lay out a road map to help them reach their goals and finally: Blossoming where once we have met the initial set of goals, we set more for the future.

The Group course of 8-10 sessions costs $1500, for individual sessions it’s $2400. And so far it’s proving popular particularly amongst 30-45 year old successful business people, or those that have reached the top of their game, but according to Zoeller, “have spent so much time achieving their personal, or business goals, they’ve forgotten about the rest of their lives. Their relationships are falling apart.”

Zoeller believes that in the process of trying to reach all these goals, other aspects of our lives suffer, even in simple ways, she gives the example of skipping lunch to do more work, to try and be more productive, even though your body is telling you it needs food, or a rest. Ultimately all aspect of your work and home life suffer, she maintains. You have to take care of yourself in order to succeed, and keep thriving.

But is it tougher now than in the past to create and maintain this balance or harmony?

Zoeller suggest a lot of the blame can be put squarely down to our need, reliance, indeed addiction to being in “constant connection with the rest of the World… because of electronics. We are now always connected to someone else, meaning less time connected to yourself. People need to make time just to read a book, turn off the computer, cellphone. You cannot keep depleting yourself…you cannot pour from an empty cup. Electronics will deplete you.”

Unfortunately as a generation brought up with an ‘addiction’ to being connected, Zoeller doesn’t see the problem going away any time soon. She frequently finds clients are fighting the part of her coaching which suggests they should disconnect, leave the phone in another room and concentrate on themselves for just a few minutes. “Like any addiction, you have to want to change, in this case, be disconnected, you don’t need to be in contact with everyone all the time”. But too many just don’t want to make this change Zoeller admits.

But as you would expect from an entrepreneurial 30 year old, Zoeller isn’t relying on our addiction to cell phones and work stress to be her main source of future business. A book is in the works, more speaking engagements, including at the Nashville Health and Wellness Fest-(see side story for more information), moving into the corporate arena and training people to become coaches themselves So helping spread the Zoeller Gospel far and wide. (she’s also helping launch a new dance studio in Nashville as well-Dance Nation West).

Zoeller’s story to date is a fascinating one, and object lesson in 100% self belief, determination and the satisfaction that she isn’t just helping herself, but others as well. Somehow you have to believe that this is just the start of something that could positively effect a lot of people in the future.

More information: www.laurenzoeller.com

Workshop Preview

Why a Lack of Work/Life Balance is killing you-and how you can change that in 3 Steps

You CANNOT pour from an empty cup .

Discover three steps you can take to guarantee a successful Work-Life Balance.

Lauren will reveal her three step PROVEN formula to balance that will change your life

forever.

She’ll discuss: What is work-life Balance. Covering:

Self care gives you ownership of your body and gives you the tools to
Listening is KEY to work-life balance
Results: Increased happiness, heightened performance, deeper
connection in relationships
Why a lack of work life balance will eventually kill you.

Lauren’s 3 Step Strategy to Work-life Balance:

STEP 1: FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU’RE STUCK

– How do currently you feel? How do you want to feel?

⁃ Where are you lacking balance? What is it costing you?

⁃ Set goals to regain balance- and more….

STEP 2: SET GOALS WITH ACTIONABLE ITEMS TO REGAIN BALANCE

⁃ Set a Self Care Schedule

⁃ Schedule down time with people who refill your cup

⁃ Start a morning routine

⁃ Meditation, yoga, journaling, scheduled down time..and more.

STEP 3: ACCOUNTABILITY

⁃ Find someone to hold you accountable ⁃ Create ZERO room for failure in regaining your health..and more advice.

Get to Know Lauren

Favorite food? Indian
What book are you reading at the moment? The Healing Self by Deepak Chopra and Dr. Rudolph E. Tanzi
What would be your perfect career outside of coaching? A lead role in several broadway musicals
Favorite musician or group? Tedeschi Trucks Band
Favorite movie of all time? Little Miss Sunshine
Favorite book? The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein
If they made a film of your life which actress would you want to play your part? Natalie Portman
What is the one thing that can always brighten your day? Yoga, and my cat Ellie
Favorite Quote? “Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here.” – Marianne Williamson
Favorite Nashville restaurant? Taj (My little secret 😉
Who/what inspires you most and why? My grandmother. She is no longer with us, but she was and still is my source of inspiration. She loved unconditionally, and I strive to do the same daily. I am also greatly inspired by Gabrielle Bernstein. She teaches to always choose love over fear. I believe once you can fully grasp that concept, your life flourishes.
If you were President for one day, what would be your first ‘Executive Order’? Meditation is offered as a class in every school across America.