Don't F*ck This Up

In this conversation, Lauren Alvarez interviews Chris Grdovic, Chief Partnerships Officer at Goldbelly. They discuss Chris's career journey, including her time at Food and Wine and her experience on the very first season of reality TV show, Top Chef. They also talk about the importance of collaboration, trust, and caring in building successful teams. Chris shares her insights on creating a fun and approachable environment in t...

In this episode, Lauren hosts fashion’s favorite spiritual stylist and the founder of AuraWear, Susanna Merrick. Susanna discusses her work as an aura reader and stylist, and how color can influence our energy and style choices. She shares her personal journey of discovering her gift of seeing auras and explains their connection to our energy and emotions, the power of color, and how it can be used as a tool for intentional dressin...

It's time for season 2, and on this all-new episode of DFTU, Lauren welcomes Lisa Conn, CEO and Co-Founder of Gatheround, to share her insights on leadership, virtual spaces, and work-life balance. Lisa discusses the natural roles people play in challenging situations, the impact of virtual environments on behavior, and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude. She defines success, explores the motivation behind her a...

On today’s episode of Don’t F*ck This Up, Lauren welcomes stand-up comic and writer, Tamara Shevon. Tamara opens up about her spontaneous post-graduation move to Beijing - and how living in China led to her trying her hand at stand up comedy. We talk about the importance of putting in the work, having respect for the craft, and why you can’t cut corners in comedy, as well as distinguishing between overly critical comments and const...

This week on Don’t F*ck This Up, Lauren hosts a conversation with the Founder and Star Baker of Totally Sweet Baking, Brooksie Edmondson. Brooksie shares what it took to go from retail store manager with a vegan baking side hustle to full-time vegan baking company owner with a burgeoning list of wholesale clients. We discuss taking risks and having the right support systems in place, why growing your company is not always linear, a...

This week on Don’t F*ck This Up, Lauren hosts the CEO, Founder, and Inventor of Shhhowercap, Jacquelyn De Jesu Center. The multi-million dollar patent portfolio holder takes us through creating her wildly successful product and what it takes to build a brand that pulses and lives. 

We talk about some important things: being intuitive, rising above the imitators, and the tension between being a ball-buster and being vulnerable. Plus,...

In this week’s episode, Lauren hosts Jazerai Allen-Lord, sneaker icon and Founder of True to Size. Jazerai opens up about turning her passion for community, culture, and sneakers into a career and we discuss finding community in the early internet days. Jaz shares how she gained confidence through other’s beliefs in her abilities, and the pivotal coaching she received when starting her own agency.

We also get personal, and the ...

This week, Lauren sits down with Karen Karch, the Founder, Creative Director, Designer, and Owner of Karen Karch Jewelry. Karen is all about defying convention: from being the subject of her own internship at Parsons and pioneering the “Dangerous Jewelry” movement, to her innovative approach to fine jewelry design and the evolution of her iconic bridal line. 

We discuss the importance of learning the hard way, the challenge of ...

This week, Lauren sits down with marketing executive, confidence coach, tarot practitioner, and the founder of The Girl Mob, Yari Blanco. 

Yari reflects on lessons learned during her year-long sabbatical, from navigating friend breakups and confronting her people-pleasing tendencies, to relinquishing the idea of control and changing her relationship with money. 

We discuss being the hero - or the victim - in your ...

On this week’s episode of Don’t F*ck this Up, Lauren has the opportunity to catch up with hairstylist and educator, Kate Schlichter. She’s the owner of Lost Hills LA and the founder of forthcoming haircare line, TOSL.

They discuss Kate’s roots as a PNW punk rocker, her huge move to London, and the realities of training at industry juggernauts, Vidal Sassoon and Bumble and Bumble.

Though she never set out to own h...

It’s Episode 23 of Don’t F*ck This Up, and this week, Lauren sits down with marketing and brand strategist and the founder of The Curious Bird, Anjali Lewis. Anjali shares her career journey filled with pivotal moments and invaluable lessons - from fashion, to publishing and editorial, to planting a stake in the ground with her own consultancy. 

We discuss what it means to build a career out of necessity, early bosses who ...

We’re back from the break, and this week’s episode of Don’t F*ck this Up is right on time for Valentine's Day, because it's all about pleasure. Lauren is joined by board-certified gynecologist, sex medicine and menopause expert, Dr. Karen Toubi.

From vivid memories in 7th grade, where she declared her future as a gynecologist, to her unwavering commitment to revolutionizing women’s health, Dr. Toubi shares her h...

On this week’s episode of Don’t F*ck this Up, Lauren sits down with the incredible Jess Rona, entrepreneurial powerhouse and founder behind the multidimensional brand that is Jess Rona Grooming. You might have always wondered, what happens when you’re both a top improv talent and an award-winning groomer? Well, in Jess Rona’s case, you make a web series, film a library of educational content, open a brick and mortar, attract some a...

On this week’s episode of Don’t F*ck this Up, Lauren is joined by negotiation coach and founder of The Finishing School, Alison Taffel-Rabinowitz. 

An unstoppable force on a mission to revolutionize your job hunt game, Alison is all in when it comes to empowering individuals to unleash their storytelling prowess, land their dream jobs, and secure the bag - $1M in raises and counting!

Alison and Lauren spill the beans on sta...

On this week’s episode of Don’t F*ck this Up, Lauren sits down with the trailblazing Cindy Gallop. Cindy is a brand and business innovator, the Founder of Make Love Not Porn, the Founder and CEO of If We Ran The World, and is globally considered the Godmother of Sextech. 

As a fearless advocate for change in every industry she encounters, Cindy takes us on her journey of spearheading the social sex revolution. She sheds li...

Episode 18 of Don’t F*ck This Up is here, and this week, Lauren hosts storyteller, creator and communications specialist, Mike Platco.

We discuss his unexpected career path that took him from wrestling rings and calligraphy pens to Snapchat doodles, the TedX stage, and collaborating with Disney.

Named one of the 50 most creative people in business by Fast Company, Mike shares why failure is always an option, the...

Episode 17 of Don’t F*ck This Up is here, and this week, Lauren hosts an invigorating conversation with writer, creative director and cultural expert, Massaër Ndiaye.

They hash out the realities of working cross-culturally - and across the globe, why chasing relevancy will never satisfy, and the importance of having diverse teams at all levels.

Massaër also lets us in on what it’s like to move from Paris to Menl...

Episode 16 of Don’t F*ck This Up is here, and this week, Lauren sits down with director, writer and producer, Gavin Bellour. They discuss his incredibly dynamic career straddling the commercial, editorial, content and advertising worlds, the happy accident that led to his first gig, and the struggle to find balance between being over- and under-prepared. 

Gavin also offers a hearty helping of advice to aspiring directors a...

Episode 15 of Don’t F*ck This Up is here, and this week it’s an incredible conversation centered around career, design, and choice with Abby Mills, Staff Product Designer at Faire, and the founder of Abby on the Internet. 

Abby and Lauren discuss how to go for things outside your comfort zone, the downsides of 100% remote work, and the important distinction between management and leadership. 

Plus, Abby shares how...