Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Vestal.
Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a movement and mobility professional with a science-based approach to breath, movement, and stress regulation. Today, I create personalized plans that help motivated women move with more ease, experience less tension and pain, and manage stress more effectively. But it didn’t start out that way.
I spent nearly 20 years working in the fashion industry – mostly in Manhattan. At the end of 2015, I moved to Memphis to be in the same city as my now husband after spending the majority of our relationship long distance. More than ten years and two kids later, so far so good!
For the first few years in Memphis, I continued working remotely in fashion wholesale. During that time, I signed up for a yoga teacher training at Hot Yoga Plus. I had practiced yoga fairly consistently since college, but my practice in Memphis became something more integral to my overall wellbeing. It gave me an hour at a time to be fully present and required me to leave my phone (and emails, texts, Slack messages, and calls) outside the room. As a former collegiate and semi-professional soccer player, yoga ended up being a great complement to my typical movement. Happily but unexpectedly, it helped relieve a lot of the aches and pains in my knees and hips too!
After completing my 200-hour yoga teacher training, I became increasingly interested in the science of breath. There is a strong emphasis on breath in yoga, but I wanted a deeper dive – I wanted to understand the why behind it. What was actually happening physiologically? Why could something as simple as breathing (that we do everyday without thinking about it!) be such a powerful tool for change, calm and resilience?
My nerdy curiosity sent me looking for answers through multiple breath certifications and eventually led me to connect with Taylor Somerville at Symmetry, where we worked together focused on helping high-achievers take back control of their lives so they have more time, more energy, and less stress. Along the way, I continued my education, most recently completing the School of Breath Science Practitioner certification, which felt like grad school, in the best way.
Over the years I continued to deepen my training in yoga, breath, Pilates, and strength training. My friend Adrienne Albertine Cohen was a huge cheerleader of mine early on, encouraging me and giving me the opportunity to learn from her and teach at her home studio, which is still one of my favorite places and communities. Ultimately, I made the decision to leave the fashion industry and focus on this work full time. The more I worked with people, the more I realized that so many don’t understand what their bodies are trying to tell them, how to pay attention to those signals, or how to manage their stress response.
I’ve found that practical tools, personalized guidance, science-backed principles, and tailored support can dramatically change how people move through their lives. That realization became the foundation of my own business, and honestly the foundation for how I try to live my life with two small children!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is it ever a smooth road?! I guess sometimes, but that’s part of the work that I do – figuring out how to get through struggles, enjoy the good, and not let yourself get tossed around by the ups and downs of life. It has definitely been hard! Thinking about reinventing myself professionally after spending such a long time in a different industry was at the same time exciting, intimidating and scary. Starting over required humility and a beginner’s mindset. I struggled for a long time with the decision to start my own business, but ultimately I chose to bet on myself, my work ethic, and what I wanted to offer. I had to be ok with understanding that the business would inevitably evolve and change. But I wanted to build a work-life for myself that would allow me to work on my terms so that I could be present for and with my kids and family while doing something that I find incredibly purposeful. I also want to show my kids that they can pursue what feels meaningful to them and do hard things. There is sacrifice, but this journey also makes you consider that every “yes” means you’re saying “no” to something else. Make sure that those things align with your values and what you actually want.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Today, through my Body Blueprint Method, I help women build strength, move with more ease, reduce pain, and better understand what their bodies need through a personalized combination of movement, mobility, strength, and breath. I also work with organizations and teams, teaching practical strategies for stress regulation, resilience and increased capacity – because as one recent corporate client put it, “screaming internally isn’t a wellbeing strategy”.
I built a coaching app especially for my clients so they can track their plan, reference corresponding videos/audio resources and see their progress in a way that speaks to their individual goals. One recent client improved her overall wellbeing by nearly 30% and decreased her perceived stress by over 25% – and that was in just four weeks! One of the most rewarding parts of what I do is watching clients put in the work, use the tools at their disposal, and realize they can navigate difficult situations with more grace and composure than they could previously. They often discover that they are far stronger and more capable than they originally thought.
What sets my work apart is that it’s highly individualized. I don’t believe that “one-size-fits-all” applies when it comes to strength, movement and breath. Each person, body, goal, lifestyle, and nervous system is unique, so I tailor the approach to the individual. My work blends movement, mobility, strength, and breath in a way that is practical, science-based, and designed to fit into real life. Life rarely goes according to plan, so instead of an “all or nothing” approach, I believe in practice and consistency over “perfection”. I help clients train adaptability because that is ultimately what builds resilience.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Looking back, if you had told me 15 years ago that I would be living in Memphis, guiding people in the way that I am now, I probably would have laughed in your face. My path has been unexpected, but I think it’s proof that we always have a choice and that we are more resilient and adaptable than we often give ourselves credit for – I see that in my clients as well. We all have the ability to make different choices, evolve, and build a life that feels aligned with who we are and how we want to live. You have to take the first step and then keep going, embracing change one step at a time. And find good people who will support but also challenge you, and remind you who you are and what you’re working towards if you start to doubt yourself.
The tools I have gained personally from these practices help me be a calmer, more patient mother and wife, and they are things that I continue to work on every day too. We never fully “arrive” but that’s part of what I love about this work – there’s always more to learn and grow into.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laurenvestal.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vestal.lauren
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmvestal/
- Other: https://laurenvestal.substack.com/
Image Credits
Jake Bowman
