Meet Dr. Lauren Cook: Therapist, Speaker, and Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Lauren Cook and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Lauren, what do you attribute your success to?
I try to continually tap into persistent bravery. That can look like reaching out to people who are a few (or several) steps ahead of me, believing that I’m capable, and using my voice to offer value to others. We all struggle with imposter syndrome and if I fell into the trap of doubting myself, I would have never believed that I was worthy of speaking to thousands of people, getting my doctorate, or starting my own business. And here’s the thing–you often have to start believing in yourself before others can see it. So show up, speak up, and sit at the tables that you’re doubting you deserve to sit at. You have something to contribute and you need to give yourself an opportunity to share it!

What should our readers know about your business?
I consider myself an entrepreneur as I love speaking, writing, developing conferences, hosting conferences, and working as a therapist. I like every day to be a little different and I’m grateful that I have been able to create a work week that allows me to connect with amazing professionals in several different industries on a daily basis.

This journey has not been easy! It’s an evolution. But I really credit knowing my values as the key reason that I’m where I am today. I have known that I wanted to serve others and support clients in achieving their goals, building meaningful relationships, and living a life that feels in alignment for them. Thus, getting my doctorate in Clinical Psychology has been worth the years, expense, and hard work that has been a part of the process.

I’ve learned that great things do not come easily. There’s rarely a case of “overnight success.” It’s daily effort that pays off, bit by bit. And more than the outcome, I’ve learned it’s about the process. This has been a hard lesson to learn as someone that likes to stay on task but it’s been a game changer in understanding the why behind the work that I do.

My hope is that people know that I’m here to help them live what they believe and love who they are. If I can do that for a few people or a million people–it’s been worth it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I’m in the Pasadena area, I’d take them all around San Marino and Pasadena. I love the quiet charm of this place and we’d definitely have a meal at Julienne’s. Other highlights would include going to the Huntington Gardens (it’s where my husband proposed!) and we may go find a great hike through All Trails app. For dinner, it’d be a tie between Bavel and Bestia downtown! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people! But I want to give my shoutout to Gretchen Rubin because had she not turned down my request to write a teen edition of The Happiness Project with her, I would have never written my own book! It’s the best gift she could have given me and I admire her greatly.

Website: www.drlaurencook.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.laurencook/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurencook/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrLaurenCook

Image Credits
Leah Huebner took the headshot images