Meet Lauren LoGrasso | Award-winning Podcast Host and executive producer, Singer/Songwriter, Public Speaker and Creative Coach

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

Hi Lauren, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“My current favorite quote is one that comes from my colleague and legendary audio producer, Bill Schultz. Bill taught me the simple following phrase, “If you don’t have a repetition problem, you have a problem.” Now, as an Aquarius, and somebody who deeply dislikes being like anything or anyone else, even a previous version of myself, at first, I thought this was ludicrous…However, when he explained it, it made sense to me.

Bill worked in radio for many years. He worked at one of the top stations on the East coast. On his station, they would always repeat the top songs over and over again. At this time, his station was number one in the market. So when thinking about how they could increase their numbers even more, they thought… ‘Well, most people who call in to complain right now are upset about the fact that we’re repeating songs, so if we stop repeating songs, think of how popular we will be then!’

So they stopped repeating songs and started putting different, new songs, into the rotation…And the complaints *did* stop. But guess what else? With the lack of repetition, their ratings went down drastically and they dropped out of the number one spot.

So after that, they started repeating songs again and guess what happened? Ratings went through the roof and they bumped back up to the number one position. People started complaining again, but there they were, on top. Therefore making the phrase come to light: ‘if you don’t have a repetition problem, you have a problem.’ People think that they want originality, but what they really want is comfort.

So here’s a call to action for artists, creators and entrepreneurs: Don’t be afraid to repeat your content. Chances are a lot of people haven’t seen it yet and they deserve to see it. The people who have seen it have probably forgotten and need to be reminded. And the ones who remember it, probably want to be comforted by its familiarity, even if they momentarily get annoyed. Either way, it increases your likelihood of getting seen and decreases the likelihood of getting burned out trying to reinvent yourself all the time.

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.
For those that don’t know, I’m an award-winning podcast host and executive producer of my show, Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso, a People-Magazine featured singer/songwriter, public speaker and creative coach. What sets me/my work apart is my commitment to being a multi-passionate creative and the honesty I approach my work with. All of my work, whether it’s my music, podcast, producing or even my public speaking career, centers around empowerment, mental health, resiliency, self-knowledge and honest reflections on love and life.

The music that I am writing and putting out is a direct reflection of my life. My upcoming song, “Secrecy” is all about confronting the personal shadow, shame talk, unhealthy family patterns and bringing deep secrets to the forefront. AND you can dance to it–best of both worlds HA! It is my most honest song to date. It’s kind of scary to be that vulnerable, but I am proud of myself that I am going there with this next batch of music.

With everything I am making right now, I’m really asking: what message do I want to share with the world right now? I think as artists we have to ask that–our work, no matter its reach, is our legacy. What do you want people in the future to think of when they hear your music, read your writing, go to your business, etc.? It’s important to think of the greater story that your entire body of work is telling about who you are as a human and what you stand for.

To answer your other question, no, my career journey was not easy and still isn’t in many ways. I started out as an actor, transitioned into music, continued doing music and found my way into radio, which led into podcasting. These days, my career is mainly focused on music, podcasting, speaking and coaching. It has been all about pivoting, reinventing myself and finding dreams on the way to my dreams.

I feel that, for the most part, life is rarely a completely smooth road. I mean it will be smooth for a while, but then you’ll hit another bump and you have to figure out how to get yourself back on track and/or decide if you need to journey a new road, entirely. What I am trying to do is to stop looking at these bumps as failures and quit wasting time getting distraught when they come up. What I aim to do instead, is look at the bumpy times as an opportunity for reflection. If something is not in flow, it’s a chance for you to ask whether the path you’re on is really serving your greatest good, and if not, reassess.

One specific challenge I’ve faced is that I’ve never really had a full team or representation for my music. I am indie all the way. In a way this is good, because I’ve had absolute independence and authenticity in building my brand, but in another way, it has been difficult because (outside of my friends/co-writers and collaborators) I don’t really have anyone guiding me, pushing me or cheering me on. The way I’ve overcome this is by being my own cheerleader, doing my best to see from above and forming a really strong community of creatives that I can bounce ideas off of and go to for artistic and career advice.

For instance: my friend Liz Fohl, writes music with me and she is also always is my go-to for notes on mixes of my songs, cover art, and music business advice. We also just wrote music for a children’s show together, which is one of my favorite things I’ve ever done in my life!

When you’re building and don’t yet have a team, I think it’s vitally important to really build your own taste and learn to trust yourself, but also, to build your own team of peers until you get the management, agent, label, what-have-you, that fits your work/goals!

One more thought that makes the journey a little easier: say what you want in life…Out loud and often. Every time I’ve ever achieved anything in my career it has been as a direct result of bluntly telling others (and myself) what I wanted.

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.
Well, if it was their first time here, we have to do all the classic LA things- The Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theatre (FOR NO LONGER THAN AN HOUR OR TWO because Hollywood is a tough place to exist for much longer than that haha), Griffith’s observatory, a hike on Runyon, the Santa Monica Pier, The Tar Pits, Erewhon (even though I’ve never been there lol), Malibu, The Grove, a Farmer’s Market somewhere, Universal Studios, too because I have the year long pass and I need to use it again and the studio tour is amazing!

For more entertainment type of stuff, I’d love to take them to see live music at Bar Lubitsch and/or Hotel Ziggy, some comedy at The Comedy Store, an improv show at UCB and the Hollywood Bowl, if someone cool is playing.

For Food, I’d recommend my favorite place in Toluca Lake- Hungry Crowd, which describes its fare as, “New age American with a lot of Korean love.” IT IS incredible……It’s my favorite restaurant. I am also obsessed with The Great Greek in Sherman Oaks, KBBQ in Ktown, Mexican at Los Amigos in Burbank, a classic LA Street dog, really good sushi (fave spots are Sushi Yuzu and Kabosu), Foreman’s Whiskey Tavern for a great cocktail, Aroma Cafe for vibes and Castaway for the views. Oh the pasta at Pasta Sisters is also pretty unforgettable.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this article to my third grade teacher, Mr. Rand Swansey. He was and continues to be one of the most important people in my life. After a rather treacherous second grade year with a teacher that decimated my self-esteem, Mr. Swansey believed in me and changed my life. He saw me and helped me accentuate my gifts, made me feel capable and taught me the power of hard work to achieve goals.

I was on a bad track academically before I met him, due to my second grade teacher’s lack of competence…if I hadn’t had Mr. Swansey, I don’t know what would have happened to me moving forward. He helped me see that I am intelligent and that I have the ability to excel in all areas, if I put my mind to it. The belief and the love he poured into teaching me is part of the foundation of every success I have.

I also always have to give credit to my parents. They are my number one supporters in life and my career and have given me unconditional love from the time I was born. I am so grateful and lucky to have such incredible parents who have always loved, believed in and seen the very best in me. I am so deeply grateful for the people in my life.

Website: https://linktr.ee/laurenlograsso

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlograsso/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenLoGrasso

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_a_G54T99F2zxuO31Xtbcw

Other: Podcast: https://tr.ee/w7TmyxmMf7 Follow my music on Spotify: https://tr.ee/8eqFcBKTQG

Image Credits
Farrah Aviva