Hello! I’m Lauren Ruef, a ghostwriter turned women’s empowerment coach.
I know what it’s like to feel invisible to the world.
I spent the first decade of my career as a ghostwriter in the leadership and self-help space writing book manuscripts for CEOs of major corporations. In this role, I handled powerful ideas about influence and change. But a problem surfaced when I noticed the feeling of disconnection and incongruency that my work produced. I was writing about theories I was not applying to my own life.
As a wallflower most days, I was always too scared to put myself out there. So I played it safe, working behind the scenes, but always craving more for my life. When I started writing a regular leadership coaching column for Forbes (under the byline of my boss), I realized just how much my insecurities were taking advantage of me. It was time to stand on my good ideas.
I didn’t want to exist this way anymore, so I started working on my confidence. And then it became my full-time job.
I read dozens of psychology books on success and assertiveness. I studied the patterns of world-class communicators, got professional speaker training, moved around the world, and learned the secrets of the most confident individuals in my path. I developed a curriculum based directly on these learnings and shored up a proven system I teach to other women.
Confidence is about risk and stepping out before you are ready. And this embodies my ethos as a life coach. To achieve confidence, you must try something you haven’t done before. This is the power of the one-to-one coaching model. Behavioral tips and tricks have a short half-life and direct mentorship is the best way to achieve your goals.