Meet Lauren Fractor | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist & Creator of Ladies of Los Angeles

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

Hi Lauren, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind the success of Ladies of Los Angeles is my commitment and my moderator team’s commitment to authenticity, genuineness, and efficiency. Ironically, all three of my team members, myself included, work in the mental health profession. This has allowed for us to see situations and challenges that arise in the group from a different lens and perspective and we feel more comfortable handling these issues. We use an empathic, yet assertive approach and that makes us strong group leaders. Moderating a large social media group takes a lot of effort and hard work, but because we are able to work together efficiently, we have seen the group grow exponentially in the last few months, let alone the last year. This contributes to the success of the group and the brand as a whole, which has allowed us to continue to support other women, local businesses, local LA events, and create meaningful friendships.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I knew from an early age that I wanted to help others, but was unsure exactly my path. After taking a psychology class in high school, I realized I wanted to be a child psychologist, since I loved working with children. I went to Arizona State University for my bachelors in Psychology and my minor in Child and Human Development. After college, I knew I was not ready to enter my masters program, so I took a job as a preschool teacher. This was a fun experience and affirmed my love for working with children. I started my masters in Counseling with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy at Cal State Northridge and moved back to my hometown from Arizona. Throughout those next 2.5 years, I realized I did not want to work with young children, but rather teenagers, young adults, and adults. For over 5 years, I worked tirelessly, through the pandemic as well, to finish my 3,000 hours needed for California licensure and was officially a licensed therapist at the end of last year. Currently, I work in private practice with the above demographic, and love being able to support those who need it. This has been a very long road from age 18 to 29, when I got licensed, but it has helped me grow and evolve into who I am today and it has helped me become an efficient leader. I am Lauren first and foremost, therapist second. Having the right support system around you is more valuable than anything else and that is why I was able to achieve my passion for helping others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Funny enough you ask that, my best friend is actually coming in to town this upcoming weekend! I used to live in Studio City, but as of last week, I am now calling Brentwood my home. This weekend, we are going to Elephante and Belle’s Beach House for delicious food, drinks, and rooftop view of the water. Some of my favorite sports are located in Hollywood, including Desert 5 spot for cool rooftop views and live music, Beauty and Essex for delicious food and ambiance, and Lost Property for amazing whiskey cocktails. I am a huge fan of live music and concerts, so the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theater are musts for outdoor concert venues. My friend is a magician at the Magic Castle and it is one of my favorite spots…if you can get an invite. Brentwood and Studio City have many of the same coffee spots, but I enjoy Alfred and Lala Land Kind cafe in Santa Monica. Will Rogers State Park has amazing hiking views, as does the Griffith Observatory hike near the Hollywood Sign. My favorite beach is Zuma beach in Malibu and driving along PCH is gorgeous. I can’t forget the classics, including, Musso and Frank in Hollywood or Langer’s downtown for the best pastrami. LA is such a fun city and there is so much to explore and eat! Find yourself an authentic taco truck or go to Happy Ice for an icy cool treat.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not be the person I am today without the love and support from my family, specifically my parents. They fostered my creativity and passions from a young age and inspired me to “be me.” This led me to feel more confident and self-assured as I entered my teen years and eventually my 20’s. During my 20’s, I found myself without a group of girlfriends, after many had moved away or lived in a different state. I credit my early success to meetup.com, where I was able to attend meetup events and meet some of my best girlfriends. After attending many events, I decided to start hosting my own and it was a major success. This got me in the flow of hosting events and creating friendships, which led me to create my Facebook group, Ladies of Los Angeles.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ladies_of_losangeles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ladiesoflosangeles