When life knocks you off the path

A six-step process to come back to yourself and your creative dreams

Hey Reader,

I don't know about you, but I am not the same person I was two years ago. Heck, I'm not even the same person I was two months ago.

Life is changing rapidly right now, and I don't think it's just because I'm in my 40s — although perimenopause is real. (Where are my perimenopause buddies?)

I don't think it's just because I had my dream come true and my book is in airports and bookstores all over the world. I don't think it's just because politics are changing, or because my relationships are changing, or because the world around me is constantly shifting and it feels like there's a different war or atrocity or oppression happening every single day.

It's the combination of all of that and more.

Without a North Star — without taking time to really ask what legacy I'm leaving and where I want to be headed — it's so easy to let an algorithm decide for you. Or a friend distract you.

Or life just... happens. And one day you realize you never quite lived the way you meant to.

One of the things grief has taught me is that things rarely happen on the timeline we want.

When my brother got cancer, it shook my whole world. The same way it shook my world when my dad got cancer. When my mom got cancer. When my nephew got cancer.

I've had health crises I never saw coming — an emergency gallbladder removal less than a year after a hysterectomy. And I've had moments of pure joy I also never saw coming — like my book being in airports across the country its very first week out.

Life is going to hand you major, wonderful things. And life is going to hand you hard, horrible things.

If you don't have a North Star, if you don't have a legacy you're working toward, if you don't have a destination, it's really easy to lose yourself.

I've gotten knocked off the path more times than I can count. But by coming back to a ritual I created for myself — what I now call the Creative Life Blueprint — I've been able to return, again and again, to who I am, what I want to do with my life, who I want to be, how I want to show up for others, and what I actually want to prioritize.

Today I'm sharing that with you in two ways.

1. For free on Substack

I've written out the full framework in a post and am sharing it with the public for free.

Because I truly want you to have access to the tools that have helped me live a more boldly creative life, no matter what your energy or money commitment levels are right now.

2. Small Group Coaching Program April 21 - June 3, 2026

Seven weeks. Six people. One time only.

I'm going to hold your hand and walk you through the whole process, step-by-step. Plus, you'll get to meet five other fellow humans working together to build a boldly creative life.

If this sounds exciting, reply "CREATIVE" and I'll send you more info.

No robots. No hard sales push. Just a conversation about whether it's right for you.

Whether you join the group coaching program or work your way through the Substack post on your own time, I hope you take time to reset and realign to a more joyful and boldly creative life.

Because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

Lauren

P.S. I'm offering the Creative Life Blueprint group coaching program only once and we start April 21, so if you want in, reply to this email and let me know!

Only get emails you love.

I want you to light up when you see an email from me in your inbox. To help with that, I have broken my communication up into three spaces:

• Course + coaching emails – sent through my program platform Thinkific.
• ​Unscripted – intimate letters on the creative process, hosted on my Substack.
• School for Writers® – emails focused on helping you thrive as a creative, hosted on Kit.
  • You're reading a School for Writers® email right now. :-)
  • You can update your School for Writers® email preferences here.
  • Or you can completely unsubscribe from my School for Writers educational emails.

All other changes must be made on their respective platforms.

*Some of the items mentioned in this email we may have gotten for free and we may get a % if you buy a product through one of these link. We have a strict policy here at School for Writers to only suggest things to you that we love ourselves, regardless of affiliate status or price paid.