May 7, 2025 • 45 mins
Hey listeners, we talk a lot on here about creating beautiful homes that will bring you joy, but what about a beautiful life that does the same one that feels as good as it looks? Well, today, we are getting a little more real. No talk of draperies, no paint colors or gallery walls. Just the messy, beautiful truth of what it means to find your joy in unexpected places AND being open to share it.
And if you've thought, I am too old to do something like that, or I've missed my chance, well guess again because our guest is the perfect example of how it's never too late to create a life led by joy again and again. Believe it or not, her story starts with a cookie and discussing her gynecologist appointment with a stranger. I am not kidding.
You are going to love her story, but most of all, we hope that it helps bring the idea of not just creating a beautiful home for you, but to create a beautiful life and to share it with others.
You are going to love it. Let's get to the story.
Find her online: CheerfulBaker.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey listeners, we talk a lot onhere about creating beautiful
(00:03):
homes that will bring you joy,but what about a beautiful life
that does the same one thatfeels as good as it looks?
Well, today we are getting alittle more real.
I.
No talk of draperies, no paintcolors or gallery walls.
Just the messy, beautiful truthof what it means to find your
(00:24):
joy in unexpected places andbeing open to share it.
And if you've thought, I am tooold to do something like that.
Or I've missed my chance.
Well, guess again because ourguest is the perfect example of
how it's never too late tocreate a life led by joy again
(00:44):
and again.
And believe it or not, her storystarts with a cookie.
And discussing her gynecologistappointment with a stranger.
I am not kidding.
You are going to love her story,but most of all, we hope that it
helps bring the idea of not justcreating a beautiful home for
you, but to create a beautifullife and to share it with
(01:07):
others.
You are going to love it.
Let's get to the story.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:13):
We are so excited to introduce you
to a sweet friend of ours thatwe've known.
was trying to think about thisahead of time.
I think Dwayne, you may haveknown Lauren longer than the
rest of us have, but it has tobe close
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:24):
Uh, yeah.
You wouldn't have known Laurenif wasn't for me.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:27):
that, well, I know that.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:29):
Well, Lord.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (02:30):
Dwayne and I have been friends for,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:32):
Don't
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08 (02:33):
probably 26 years.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:34):
my
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:35):
26 years.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:37):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_0857 (02:37):
years.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (02:38):
Mm-hmm.
She knew me when I had hair.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:43):
Yeah, it was before Stacey and I got
married, and we've been marriedalmost 26 years, so we've
probably known each other 27, 28years.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (02:50):
Mm-hmm.
True story.
Oh yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:53):
you
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:53):
And we still like each other.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:55):
We do.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:56):
And that's a miracle when Dwayne's
involved.
Um, for those that don't knowLauren, Lauren is a category of
person that, we describe as ajoy dropper.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:08):
Aw,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:08):
a term that I stole from our
friend Amber.
but she was describing,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08 (03:13):
dropper?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:15):
I
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:15):
No,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:16):
I guess it depends on the day,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:19):
I'm too old for that.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:20):
Yeah, no.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:22):
I
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:23):
Uh,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085 (03:23):
there's something for everybody.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:25):
but she is one of those people.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:28):
love again.
Oh.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:29):
Yeah, he did.
He did.
She is one of those people thatwhen you are around, your spirit
is always lifted and you'realways happier after you've seen
her than before.
Is that fair?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:42):
Gosh, that makes me wanna cry that
those are the nicest things.
Thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:47):
It's the truth.
It's the truth.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:49):
in a little bit.
Don't
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:49):
Yeah.
We'll get you later.
Yeah,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:52):
But that, but
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:53):
no, it's the truth.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:54):
It's just always, she's just like a
little beam of light,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:57):
You know, are there's people around
your life?
We had a, a former employeename, not to be mentioned, but I
termed her, deemed her eor,right?
Huh?
Everything's nothing.
I'm, I have a townhouse, but Ihave two steps to get in, and I
got a Lexus, but it's two yearsold and my son's only visit
three days outta the week.
(04:17):
I'm like, oh my God.
Quit complaining.
Right?
And so there's eos and thenthere's you.
There's joy droppers when youwalk in.
There's smile, there's happywhen they leave you.
Like that was just a littlefresh ray of sunshine.
So,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:29):
Oh,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:30):
you may not get it, you may not get
that.
You're a joy dropper, but youare.
When
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (04:35):
thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:35):
all said and done,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:36):
So for those of us who know her as
a joy dropper, we love thatabout her.
But the other side of Laurenthat I find is so fascinating is
that I have no idea how old youare, Lauren, and I'm not gonna
ask, but you have had so many.
Acts in your life as far as likewhen we, how, just as when we've
(04:57):
known you of like
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (04:58):
True.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:00):
and from our perspective, it's
always seemed like you've beenvery successful at what you've
done, but more than anythingyou've been able to find the joy
in all of those things.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:09):
Yes,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:10):
So,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:11):
true.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:12):
um.
Thinking back to when weoriginally met you, you were
already friends with Dwayne, butyou were, selling
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08 (05:22):
Southern living at home, Southern living
at home.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:27):
Yeah.
And so she would bring incontainers?
And we would, I don't rememberhow we did it twain.
Do you remember?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (05:32):
That's how we did it.
I'd bring in containers and,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:34):
yeah,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:35):
you all would put the flowers in
them.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:37):
Lord, he probably already
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:38):
yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:38):
about it.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:39):
Lord.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:39):
Well, I kind of did truthfully, it's
like, just like with Lauren,I've had 4,000 lives.
I'm like, I don't remember that,but Okay.
Yeah.
Well, I don't remember thespecifics, but what I'll say is
this, Lauren's always hustling.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:52):
she's a
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (05:53):
That's what I
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:54):
I am a hustler, hard work hard
worker.
Let's say hard worker.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:58):
hard
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:58):
hard worker.
She's a right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:00):
I mean, you, you absolutely,
you're a hard worker, buthustler, like
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:04):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:04):
have always been busy and it's always
kind of been whatever you'vebeen involved in, there's always
been like this creative aspectto
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:11):
I say it that way in that I ain't
gonna have to worry about Laurenand Right.
Feeding her babies and stuff.
'cause if she going, if that onedoesn't work, I move on to the
next thing.
Or I'm gonna find this other newshiny object that I'm gonna make
this work, she's gonna be fine.
So when I say that she's aworker, absolutely.
Yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:27):
Okay, so she did that and then I know
that there was some time inbetween.
But now she has written a book.
She was on food network'sChristmas cookie Challenge, now
she has her own, business whereshe, draw and design cookie
cutters
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:44):
Yep.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_0857 (06:45):
cookie makers all over the country.
And I'm like, where the hell didall this come from?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:51):
I know from a little, little bitty
kitchen in a little town inKentucky.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:56):
Well, okay, so out of all that, guys,
where do you wanna start?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:58):
Well, I really think he has to start
with the cookie thing, right?
Because the cookie thing led tothe next thing, to the next
thing, to the next thing, right?
let's backstory is, is this.
You are incredibly artistic,right?
And creative.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (07:12):
Yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (07:12):
we talk about a cookie, you gotta
look up the Cheerful Baker,right?
And you gotta see her.
Right.
These are cookies that areKathy, um, Lauren, um, has, uh,
I dunno if you still do or not.
You have classes in your houseand you bake cookies and you
show'em how to decorate.
So my wife and daughter havedone it at least once, if not
twice.
(07:34):
you can make a pretty cookie.
And boy do they make prettycookies, right?
But more important, they tastereal good.
'cause a lot of times you getthese cookies and it tastes like
a piece of dry toast or brick,and then Lauren's cookies are
real pretty, but they taste realgood.
And that's what impressed Kathythe most.
It's like, oh, I can eat thecookie too.
So anyway.
So what's your, what's yourcookie recipe?
(07:54):
Or at least a secret to it.
What's your little, what makesyour cookie good?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (07:57):
Years of experience, like I started
making cookies.
You can look on my Facebook, andthere's a picture of me sitting
on the counter with my mom.
I mean, I've been baking a longtime, and it makes a difference.
You know, the basics of making acookie, how long you cream the
sugar, what kind of sugar andthe butter, what kind of butter
you use.
(08:18):
I mean, all those.
Things make a big difference inthe product, and I'm thankful
that my mom taught me all thosegood things.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (08:25):
Who's an earth angel Also, I think
that's part of, if you were toever meet Lauren's mom and dad,
they are joy droppers, right?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (08:32):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:32):
are
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:33):
I'm gonna say it this way.
They are advanced age and maybethey're starting to slow down a
little bit.
Right?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:39):
Not
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:39):
But
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (08:39):
really
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:41):
not really.
Well,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:42):
no.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:42):
at it, okay, good.
That's a, that's a good thing,right?
'cause I haven't seen'em in awhile.
I haven't seen your mom in awhile.
Uh, but you say that and it'slike, you would not guess their
ages, right?
'cause of how they act orpersonalities, how they, how
they dress their, every, theiraura.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (08:56):
Right.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (08:57):
doesn't say, this is what my age is.
And you go, you are what?
Anyway.
So part of your, part of yourjoy has to be from their
influence and their personality.
So, and her encouragement ofyou.
So really, you've been doingthis a long, long, long time to
get this perfected recipe.
And what think of, I, I don'tbake, I don't, that scares me.
(09:19):
But baking kind of like science,but then you're putting art, art
on top of that?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (09:24):
It is.
And I think that's why I likebaking, because it is science
and I've always loved scienceand my husband's really funny.
You know, we both love to cookand he'll say.
Put a little bit of this and puta little bit of that.
I mean, and he's always saying,you need to throw in a little
red pepper.
That's what's gonna be on histombstone.
Just put a little dash of redpepper.
(09:45):
And I'm like, you know, youcan't do that with baking.
And honestly, you know, all fourof us are very, very creative
and I think that's why I'vealways been drawn to you guys
plus your, you're nice fellas,but you're creative.
And I love creativity andcreative people.
When you're creative, sometimesyou can, you know, flip from
here to here.
(10:06):
It's hard to stay focused.
And I think one thing that Ilike about baking.
Is, it slows my brain down.
Because you have to do itexactly like the recipe says.
You have to follow thedirections.
Exactly.
And that's really the only placein my life where I do that.
And so I find that it reallysettles me, honestly.
(10:27):
And you know, when I starteddecorating cookies, one reason I
started, well, I thought itwould be fun, but also, you
know, it was a tough timebecause my kids were little and
my oldest one.
Had a learning disability thatmade life very, very difficult
for him.
And you know, hard for usbecause we were trying to get
him the help that he needed andstruggling to find him the help
(10:49):
that he needed.
And so for me, baking and cookiedecorating really slowed my mind
down and I could sit and focuson something and kind of push
out the outside noise.
And find my happiness becauseyou know, when you're decorating
cookies or you're puttingtogether a floral arrangement or
(11:11):
decorating someone's mantlepiece or Christmas tree or home,
you can kind of put aside thethings that are happening in
your life and just focus on whatyou're doing.
And I think we all needsomething like that in our
lives.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (11:23):
Well, maybe you can.
Dwayne can't.
He talks the whole damn time.
He will talk about anything andeverything.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:27):
He does.
And it's funny that, it's funnythat you say that.
'cause usually when I'm on aninstall, whether it be a.
One room a whole house, orChristmas or whatever.
I don't bring my phone in withme because I don't wanna be
distracted with it.
And people are like, well, Iknow you're there.
Why didn't you call me back?
It's like, well,'cause I'm busyI'm in my own little world.
(11:48):
So I get, I get how you escapingyour
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (11:51):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:52):
Yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:53):
That explains why when we call you
don't answer and then you callback.
Okay.
I, I really didn't know that.
I just learned that.
I, I didn't know that.
Hmm.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:59):
I,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (11:59):
Yeah, that's very helpful to
stuart_1_05-01-2025_0857 (12:01):
aside.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:01):
a business down when you don't
fucking answer the phone, butthat's okay.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:05):
I have two very competent business
partners
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (12:08):
Well,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:08):
You have
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:09):
have one.
You have
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:11):
21.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:12):
won very
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:13):
I'm taking myself out.
Yeah.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:15):
that is correct.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:18):
So in the, so cookies, you were
doing that.
It was being able to, to slowyour mind down, which I would've
never thought about.
But that makes so much sense,especially if I think for the
three of us where our minds alsogo 24,000 different directions
all the time.
and then how did food networkhappen?
Because that was in 2022, right?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:35):
No, it was in 2020.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:36):
oh,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:37):
it was, it was crazy.
So, well, maybe 20, 21.
You know, I, I'm creative datesmean nothing to me, but, um, it
was season six, I can tell youthat.
But no, it was the craziestthing because, you know, I was
making my cookies and it's sofunny, Dwayne, because I did
used to have cookie decoratingclasses in my house, and I
(12:57):
think.
Kathy probably came and yourdaughter came to the very first
one.
I don't do'em in my houseanymore.
I do'em at a winery inVersailles.
But that, when you mentionedthat, I thought, oh, that is a
memory.
That was a long time ago.
But anyway, you know, I, I wasdecorating cookies.
I was, I started to sell cookiesand, during Covid, I couldn't
(13:21):
sell cookies'cause nobody wasdoing activities.
So I got involved in thisInstagram group.
And we were trying to, learn howto create videos and do things
on Instagram.
And I thought that was so muchfun.
And our mentor said to us, ifyou aspire to be on the food
network, which that we all do, Imean, I don't wanna say we all,
(13:45):
but as a cookie decorator,there's a lot of chatter about
that.
You know, you want to be on theChristmas cookie challenge.
And I never thought that waspossible for me.
I really didn't, because again,I'm a mom.
Who makes cookies.
Who lives in a teeny tiny townin Kentucky.
So if you would've asked me whenI first started, do you think
(14:05):
you could ever end up in thefood network?
And I'd have been like, are youinsane?
No.
And I'm a dreamer, but I justwould not have thought that that
was gonna be anywhere in mylife.
So.
In Instagram, he said to us, if,if you want to do that, you need
to set yourself apart.
So you need to make sure thatyou have your photo and your,
(14:28):
all your information on yourInstagram, but you need to do
things that other people don'tdo.
So I started dancing.
I mean, I think I've probablytaken down all the videos, but
I, I would, I would dance in my.
You know, in my kitchen and Iwould dance when I was making
cookies.
And I just had a lot of fun.
(14:48):
And then during that time Ichanged my name to the Cheerful
Baker because my brother's aminister and he preached this
wonderful sermon during CovidVID, and he said, our lives are
gonna be changed in some way.
How can they be changed for thebetter?
And so everybody had sort ofteased me.
(15:09):
It's funny you said IOR becausemy nickname in my neighborhood
was Tigger because I'm happy andI bounce around all the time.
And so there's a verse in theBible that says A joyful heart
makes a cheerful face.
And I thought, you know, that'sme.
I'm joyful because I'm aChristian and I'm happy most all
the time.
(15:30):
So I thought, I'm gonna makemyself, I'm gonna turn into the
cheerful baker.
So I couldn't believe therewasn't a cheerful baker.
So I think my name being thecheerful baker and the fact that
I did all these fun things onInstagram, I think that's how
they found me.
Because if you watch theChristmas cookie challenge and,
(15:51):
and the next time you watch it,you'll see this.
There are differentpersonalities and one person is
happy.
And so I, I mean, really youwatch and you're like, oh yeah,
that's, that's the Lauren onthis show.
So I think both those thingstogether, they found me and they
contacted me through Instagramand they said, we would really
(16:12):
love to talk to you about beingon the Food Network.
And of course, I immediatelylooked at the person who had
sent me the message.
There was nothing about the foodnetwork and I, I didn't think
that it was real.
but then I thought, well, I'll,I'll respond.
So I said, yeah, sure.
You know, I'll talk to you.
I have a doctor's appointmenttomorrow.
I'll be done about one 30.
Why don't, why don't you callsuny?
(16:32):
She calls and she's like,Lauren, how was your doctor's
appointment?
I'm like, oh, it was thegynecologist.
You know how that is.
It was great.
Because I was not at allprofessional because I thought
that some, I didn't think thatit was a real thing, but that
worked to my advantage becausewe laughed.
I talked to her the whole wayhome and she said, have you ever
(16:53):
watched the Food Network?
And thought I need to be onthere.
And I'm like, are you kiddingme?
I've never thought that.
And so we laughed and laughedand by the time I got home,
which was about a 30 minutedrive, she said, you know,
you're a lot of fun.
I'm gonna send your name in.
To the producers, and I'm like,okay, ha ha, ha.
(17:14):
Well, within an hour I had avery professional email from the
Food Network,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (17:20):
Wow.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (17:21):
and a lot of interviews.
No, but I couldn't believe whenI found out that it was real, I
thought, oh my gosh, I can'tbelieve the things we talked
about, but.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (17:30):
Yeah.
I was like, oh lord.
There's too much informationhere.
Right.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (17:33):
It was, but I was just trying to
have fun and I was probablynervous.
You know, when you're nervousit.
When I'm nervous, I talk toomuch.
So, um.
They, they chose me and, am Ithe greatest cookie decorator?
No.
I mean, I'm fine.
There's lots of great cookiedecorators, but they said to me
at the very end of the interviewprocess, I.
(17:57):
They said, Lauren, you have agreat personality for
television.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (18:00):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:01):
took that as such a compliment
because, you know, I just, I amhappy.
I look at the glass half full.
I try and make the best ofsituations and I just like to
smile and laugh, and that's whatthey were looking for.
So that was crazy.
I still can't believe I did it.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:19):
What I love from that whole story is
that you found something thatbrought you peace, brought you
joy, and you turned it intosomething by being your
authentic self.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (18:29):
Right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:30):
too late for a mother of two to have
a new dream.
And I love that.
Like that's e every time.
'cause people always feel likeif they haven't done something
by the time they're 30, if theyhaven't done something by the
time they're 40, it's too lateto dream.
Right?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:45):
Well listen.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (18:46):
that.
I
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:47):
I don't mind telling you, I, I'm
almost 57, so this happened whenI was 51.
So if it's not too late for me,I mean, it's never too late.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (19:00):
Yeah.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:01):
you know, one of the coolest things
about that whole experience was,if not probably the best, was at
the watch party and Dwayne wasat my house for the watch party.
Watching my children watch me onTV and the pride that they felt
was really incredible.
(19:23):
That was great.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (19:24):
Yeah,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:24):
fun, wasn't it, Dwayne?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:26):
It.
No.
True fun.
Had a great crowd.
Now tell the the audience, it'sa competition, tell'em about you
winning the competition.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (19:37):
Well,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:38):
Oh wait, you didn't,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:40):
I didn't.
Oh, thank.
Okay, now.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (19:43):
chose.
They chose Now you were sogracious about the, uh, the
competition and the girl thatwon and I wanna.
you as I remember it, but yousaid, um, that she needed this,
she needed this encouragement,she needed the money, whatever
the things that, whatever yousaid
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:00):
Yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (20:00):
needed it.
So you instantly took your ego,your wanting to win out and said
to the side, and you were trulyI felt the energy you were.
Happy that this young girl fromwherever, won.
How, how did you, how do youreconcile that?
How did you get to that part ofyour heart to be able to go?
I, I'm good with this.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:22):
You know, when I was going to the
food network, a friend of minesaid to me, you know, you're
going to talk about Jesus.
And I'm like.
Am I really, because althoughbeing a Christian is a big part
of my life, it's not somethingthat I have ever felt real
comfortable just going up tosomeone and talking about.
(20:43):
So,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:44):
You
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:44):
um,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:45):
faith versus preaching
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:46):
yes, yes.
So she said that to me.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:49):
have, you have to have a Diamond Cross
on today to show that you're aChristian?
No.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:53):
No,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:53):
good.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:53):
no.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:53):
move.
No,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:55):
d Wade.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:57):
No, I think you love people.
That's, that's how I like toshow that I'm a Christian.
You love people,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (21:04):
it.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (21:05):
so.
Anyway, I tried to do that, youknow, just during this
competition I tried to love thepeople that were there and the
girl who won was such a doll andshe, she wouldn't mind me
sharing this.
She really suffered from,anxiety, I mean.
Big time anxiety.
And she did not, she almost saidno to coming on the show, and
(21:28):
she was so talented, you know,and she had worked in food
service her whole life and shestruggled financially.
And so, you know, I just triedto love on the people that were
there.
Well, at the end, the producersaid to me, Lauren, we notice
something different about youthat we don't normally see.
(21:49):
He said, you just see this.
We see this light and happinessabout you that we don't normally
see in people that come on thisshow.
And I said, well, you're seeingJesus through me.
So that experience for me wasthe win.
That was the win.
So when I didn't win, of courseI was, I was disappointed at
(22:10):
first, and then I thought, youknow,$10,000.
Won't make a difference in mylife.
Sure, it would be nice.
I would love to have$10,000, butI'm very blessed.
Stacey has a good job.
You know, we have everything weneed.
She could really use that.
You know, she was young, she wastalented, she didn't have a lot
(22:32):
of money, and I thought, gosh,how wonderful for her.
And so I think both those thingscombined.
You know, after the sting of, Imean, of course I was
disappointed, but then after Ireally had time to think about
it, I thought this happened theway it was supposed to happen.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (22:50):
So, you know, we've never had this
conversation.
This is the first time, right?
I was there and I was there atthe real moment.
But why I'm saying that.
Is, that's the energy, right?
This is your first time youhearing this.
You might have heard it fromothers, but for me, this is the
first time you saying it.
That was the energy I felt thatthere was still joy in your life
and you've, and I didn'tunderstand, I really was asking
(23:13):
the question.
I didn't understand how you gotthere.
And it
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (23:15):
Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (23:16):
your love of people.
And so that was fascinatingbecause, um, I have to, I'm
being a true teller, right?
Yours was better.
Uh, now I don't know how theymake decisions and how they
choose and things, and I'm notthe whole background of
everything, but the night of thecompetition that they made the
decision on who's best.
(23:36):
And I'm not saying this Laurenjust score point, or for at
least as I mean this sincerely.
That night.
not nights before, right?
I don't know that.
But that night we saw thatcookie, what you made was the
best.
And so
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (23:49):
Thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (23:50):
she got robbed.
She got robbed.
Big time.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (23:54):
But you know, a lot of blessings
have come from that experience.
I mean, my business grew.
I've been able to teach peopleall over the country with my
subscription box.
You know, it let people kind ofknow who I was, which as you
know, as a business owner,that's.
That's part of it.
So I reaped some incrediblebenefits from that experience
(24:16):
that had nothing to do withwhether I, I won or lost, and I
can put that on my resume, youknow, food network.
That's kind of cool.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (24:24):
So what's this thing that you call
subscription box?
Tell us about this also Bo, beenjoy dropping, trying to get us
to do a subscription box forbows.
Bose on your front door.
So anyway, you tell yoursubscription box and then you'll
get these other people to, uh,help us get rich.
There you
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (24:43):
Yes, I'm, listen, I'm going to, I'm
gonna hold you all accountablenow that you've put it out in
the universe.
So I was teaching classes, Aswe've already talked about in my
house and then when I came back,well, before I went on the food
network, I started making cookiecutters because Stacy, my
husband's really techie and hewanted a 3D printer.
(25:05):
And so I thought, okay, we canprint cookie cutters, and that
sounds like fun.
So I learned how to do that,design'em and print'em.
And then I thought, gosh, I'vebeen given this incredible
opportunity.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (25:17):
Okay.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08 (25:17):
Stacey's techie.
So, you know, I, I had, Icouldn't have done it without
him, but, um, I thought I'mgonna have this incredible
opportunity to be in front of anationwide audience.
How can I harness this to helpput my children through college?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (25:37):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (25:38):
And I thought, you know, I Kentucky
will not allow you to shipcookies.
You're not allowed to ship themoutta state, nor would I want to
because it's a lot of work, youknow, a lot of packaging.
I, I, I have shipped cookies tofriends from college and I
thought, I don't wanna do that.
And so, um, I thought, you know,I love teaching classes.
(26:01):
I love teaching people.
I mean, don't you all love whensomeone comes.
To your shop to learn how to dosomething creative.
It just gives you a lot of joyteaching someone else to do
that.
So I thought, okay, I know howto make cookie cutters.
I know how to teach a class.
I know how to film video becauseof my Instagram experience.
(26:23):
I know about marketing.
I know, you know, all thesethings I've done in the past.
Gave me the skills to be able todo everything that a
subscription box needed, and Ithought I can put in cookie
cutters, I can film a class,teach other people how to do it,
because when I started I couldfind the cookie cutter, but I
didn't know how to decorate it.
(26:44):
Or I could find the tutorial onInstagram, but I didn't know
where to find the cookie cutter.
So cookie.
Decorating has given me so muchin my life.
I mean, stress reliever,finances, fun.
Um, I thought I wanna be able todo that for other people.
(27:05):
So I had a friend who had asubscription box and I had lunch
with her and I'm like, you know,tell me about this subscription
box.
And she did high end home decor.
And so she gave me this littlethin book about how to do a
subscription box.
And I jump in.
I mean, I think Jeremy, you'reprobably the most like me in
(27:25):
that.
Like, you're like, okay, I'mjust,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (27:27):
Yeah.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (27:27):
gonna do it.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (27:28):
Yep.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (27:28):
So that's what I did.
So I put together, it wasn'tvery good.
You know, I got some boxes offAmazon and I tried to make'em
pretty and um, put some cookiecutters in a class that was.
It really wasn't very good and Ihad, I think maybe 18 people
sign up and then it went to 30and then it grew and I became
(27:52):
better.
Now I have a beautiful box.
You know, it's, it's the waythat it should be now.
But the coolest thing about thatis my, like I've never been
money oriented ever.
I just do things'cause they'refun, but I thought maybe I can
pay for.
Caleb my oldest, maybe I can payhis college tuition.
(28:13):
And that'll kind of take somestress off Stacy, because you
know, when we had kids I said, Idon't wanna work, I wanna stay
home.
And he said, that's fine, youknow, no problem.
So I thought, if I can pay thecollege tuition, that's one less
thing that he has to, you know,in his brain worry about.
And so, do you know the firstmonth that I paid his college
(28:37):
tuition?
Was almost, almost to the dollarof what I made from my
subscription boxes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (28:45):
wow.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (28:46):
Wow.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (28:46):
It was incredible.
And so now, I mean, I just loveit.
I, I love when I see cookiesthat people make, because they
learn that from me.
And you know, there I have, I'mlooking at my map up here.
I have a map with people's namesand push pins.
I think there's only, I can'tsee that far'cause I don't have
(29:08):
my glasses on, but I, Wisconsinand we might, I think there's
only two states where we don'thave subscribers in, so that's
really exciting.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_0857 (29:17):
That's
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:18):
gotta get Wisconsin on it.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:19):
Well, this
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:20):
Well, the thing that, as you're
sharing this, everything that'sevolved.
Is because of love, right?
did this because this is yourlove.
You did this because you wantedto love your son.
You did this because you loveStacey.
You wanted to take anotherobligation off him.
All these things are yourcreativity, but ultimately I'm
(29:42):
doing it because there's love inmy heart
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:45):
True.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:45):
these things.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:46):
Yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:47):
saw it that way,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:48):
No, but you're right,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (29:49):
saying.
Yeah, exactly.
'cause I, I was thinking asStacy in, in taking it off his
shoulders or out of his mind.
I'm doing that because I lovehim.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (29:58):
right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:59):
this is one of the reasons why it was
really
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:02):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:02):
that we wanted to share you and your
story with our followers.
'cause you know, obviously ithas absolutely nothing to do
with home design, floral design,and tears, but the point, but
she lives what we say and talkabout on here all the time.
Find your joy, live it, shareit.
be inspired, and you can make alife out of that, right?
(30:24):
Like that
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:24):
Yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:25):
whole purpose is.
And I just think this is a greatstory for people to be inspired
and be able to identify with.
I, I, that's, I just think
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:33):
But I will take Umbridge, what you
just said.
I think she has everything to dowith what we are.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:40):
Oh, the listeners don't know this,
but she's the reason why they'rehearing us in this podcast.
She was, she was
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:45):
yes, yes,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085 (30:47):
Mm-hmm.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:47):
yes,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:48):
like, oh,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:48):
yes, yes,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (30:50):
right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (30:51):
started chatting about it and I was
like, I think
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:53):
yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:53):
this.
I think we're gonna do this.
She was the whole, she was thereason.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:57):
I forgot about that.
You're right.
So
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:59):
this is, yeah, what I walk away from
all this so far is is, this showis not about design, but this
show is about love what you do,be happy in life.
You have the ability to changeyour life and we all are that
right Because we three boys havehad to reinvent.
Ourselves 22 times with thisbusiness.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (31:20):
yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (31:20):
it's the tenacity.
It's about never giving up.
It's about seeing the nextopportunity.
And if the listeners get fromthis, what I wanna get from this
is first, it's never too late.
Don't be an eor, don't give up.
Be a joy dropper.
You can change people's lives.
You, you control your lives.
You, don't cover your head upwith, uh, the blanket and, and
(31:43):
crawl into bed.
can do this.
And I think that's what we areabout is we are joy droppers
that people come in and they'vesaid, this is our happy place.
Well, I had somebody say to meonce, what you do seems so
right?
I, I said this before, and Ijust say to, to all those people
(32:03):
who think that cookies arefrivolous cookie colors are
frivolous, or design isfrivolous.
Okay, fine.
But what we know there's otherpeople that don't think it's
frivolous and it gives themabsolute, utter joy.
And when we understand the joythat we give others, it's
infectious.
Once it's all said and done,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (32:23):
Yes, and I think too something that.
Probably people who listen toyour podcasts are creative.
And I truly believe that all ofus have some type of creativity
within us, whether it's writing,singing, design, um, you know,
baking.
(32:44):
And if you can find that, Itruly feel like that brings you
a lot of happiness.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (32:51):
Mm-hmm.
You know the one thing, let'stalk about your son's book.
We just touched on it verybriefly.
Now you know she's a cookieextraordinaire, but she's an
author.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (33:02):
Now
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (33:02):
Tell us, tell us about the book and
why you wrote the book and how,'cause this is important,
another important layer to whoyou are.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (33:09):
This is the thing I'm the most proud
about and I har don't talk aboutvery often because, because of
why I did it.
So Caleb has dyslexia and like Isaid, school was really hard for
him and when he was young, wewent to this place in Lexington.
It was a learning center.
(33:30):
And what they did is they woulddo the most fun things to help
children learn how to write.
And one activity was they said,take a pen.
You have to use a pen'cause youcan't erase it.
Take a pen and a piece of paperand set a timer for five minutes
and write and don't stop.
And so.
We, we enjoyed doing that.
(33:51):
We thought that that was reallyfun and he was really little.
So one day I was at home and Iliterally thought, I'm gonna do
the same thing.
And I have to preface this by,I'm not a writer, I.
I thank God for chat, GPT.
I mean, I'm not kidding.
I am, I'm really not a writer.
That's not my strong suit.
So I wrote, I sat down, I set atimer for five minutes and I
(34:15):
wrote this little story and itjust poured out of my heart
about a little boy who, uh, andI had no intentions of.
Making a book out of it.
I just wrote a story down and Iput it in my drawer for years,
and it's the story, it's calledThe Boy Who Lost His Colors, and
it's Caleb's story.
(34:35):
It's a, it's a story of a littleboy who is filled with color
because he reaches up and hegrabs some blue from the sky and
he grabs green from his pop'sgrass and love from his mother's
heart, and he's filled with allthese colors and he goes to
school.
And he's frustrated and then hebecomes black and white so
(34:56):
through the story, theillustrator was incredible.
She, you know, she shows himbecoming black and white, and so
his mother says.
I'm gonna help you bring yourcolors back.
So that's what I did with Caleb.
You know, I find I found ways toteach him differently.
I took him outta school andhomeschooled him.
I put him in different schools,Stacy too, you know, that would
(35:17):
help him.
And so by the end of the book,this little boy, the mom peeks
around the corner and she seesall the colors of the rainbow on
the wall.
And she knows that her, that shedid her job, that she filled him
with his colors again.
And so, like I said, I justwrote this little story and then
I shared it with a friend ofmine who.
(35:39):
I was an editor for theLexington Herald Leader, and she
said, Lauren, this is reallygood.
She said, you need to turn thisinto a book.
Well, during Covid, I thought,okay, you know, I'm artistic.
I'll try and illustrate it.
Well, I'm not that artistic.
But then I was in a group ofpeople that were trying to learn
(36:02):
how to draw on procreate.
We did it every single day.
That's how I got through.
Being stuck at home.
There was this incredibleillustrator.
I mean, every time she would putsomething out there, I just
loved it.
So I reached out to her and Isaid, you know, would you be
interested?
Would you illustrate a book forme?
Because all I wanted was onebook to give to Caleb when he
(36:23):
graduated from high school.
Um, and so at first she said no.
And then after talking to her alittle bit, she said yes because
she had done it once before andhad a terrible.
Experience.
And I said, listen, I don't carewhat you do.
I'm gonna give it to you.
You give it back to me, I'll payyou.
(36:44):
Whatever you do, it's fine withme.
Well, it was incredible.
And so this little project, Ithought, okay, maybe I'll
self-publish.
So the reason I say I don't evertalk about it is you can find it
on Amazon.
I only, I really only did this.
To have a book to give to Caleb,but I, I need to talk about it
(37:08):
more because having a child witha learning difficulty is hard,
hard, hard on the parents.
I.
10 times hard on the child.
But when you love your child somuch and you don't know how to
help'em, you just feel likeyou're sinking into this hole
that you can't get out of.
And really that's why I starteddecorating cookies'cause I
(37:31):
needed something to, get me outof my own head.
And so, um, one of the.
One of the proudest moments ofmy entire life was when I went
into my local library and Ilooked my name up on the card
catalog and I found that book,so
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (37:50):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (37:51):
that's my most, that's my most proud
accomplishment is that book thatI wrote.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (37:55):
I saw you doing press, like
locally, like on the TV stationshere, doing for, and of course
was very proud and happy for youand, and at the time didn't get
a chance to look into the book.
And so before we talked to youtoday, I was trying to just make
sure I had all my, like, t'scrossed, and I dotted just to
have to know anything to talkabout it.
And I started reading some ofthe reviews of your book, and I
don't know if you've read them,but it has made a difference for
(38:20):
a lot of people out there.
And one of the reviews I thoughtwas really sweet and she was
talking about her, child and shewas, I pray that this is an
every school library in the
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (38:31):
Aw,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (38:32):
my child needed.
And I
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (38:33):
that makes me cry.
That's so not, it does.
That makes me cry because.
Because the thing is, is, youknow, if our story can help
someone know that there is arainbow at the end of the
tunnel, then that what a, whatan incredible thing that is
because my son is doing great,you know, he's doing great.
(38:58):
He went on a mission trip.
He, he.
Came back, a much happierperson.
He's in college.
He's doing wonderful.
You know, it's hard for him.
It's no fun.
But he pushes through.
He's, he's doing fantastic.
And if, if that can happenwithin our family, it's possible
(39:18):
for anybody.
It just takes a lot of work, alot of prayer, and a lot of
help.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:26):
And a joy dropper of her mama.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (39:28):
Right.
That's right.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (39:30):
more.
I gotta do a, we're running outof time, so I'm gonna say we got
a hard little segment switch to,so Lauren, again, author, cookie
cutter, maker and cookie.
Extraordinary teacher.
But now she's involved yet againin something new.
So let's talk about the supperclub.
Tell us
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:47):
Oh.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (39:47):
this.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:48):
Oh,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (39:48):
'cause I'm fascinated about this one.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:50):
Oh yes.
You all need to check you.
Who, which one of you are gonnajoin the supper club?
That's what I want to know.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (39:58):
Stewart
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:59):
so.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (39:59):
Stewart is, is the bougie gay,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:02):
the
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:02):
and I feel like he is a social
butterfly.
He just bought him a, a Europeanstation wagon so he can pull up
at these mansions and look good.
He's got the best clothing,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (40:13):
There you go.
You're in, you're in.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:15):
Here he is.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:16):
So the Supper Club is, from this
wonderful, amazing woman namedLydia Menzies.
That that is who, started it.
And it's a group of creativeentrepreneurs.
And most everybody is either inthe entertainment industry, home
(40:37):
design, loves doing parties.
Um, a lot of interior designers.
And we get together and we shareideas and we collaborate and we
go on these incredibly funsoiree, but we just put out a
book and it's called The SupperClub, and it's, I think there's,
(40:57):
there might be 52 i, I could bepulling that number outta my
head.
There's a ton of parties, so anykind of party you could ever
want, you flip open this book.
And you can find ideas.
And so I have tons of cookies inthere.
It is a beautiful book.
And we did, we did an incrediblederby party in Kentucky that's
(41:17):
in the book.
Um, we did a golf party inKentucky, but there literally
any party you could ever wannahave, you can find in that book.
So you can go to Lydia Menzies.
Just look up Lydia MenziesSupper Club.
It's M-E-N-Z-I-E-S.
And you can find out how to jointhe Supper Club.
Um, you can find out about thebook, but it is such an
(41:40):
incredibly fun, fun group.
In fact, yesterday talking aboutmy mom, my mom's 89.
You'd never know it.
We went to Nashville yesterday.
Or the day before, and we wentto a supper club event at Draper
James where there was a booksigning and it was fun and
bougie and there were gorgeousfresh flower arrangements that
(42:02):
she showed us how to do.
And we had great food and it's afun group.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (42:07):
Well, we'll put all the information
down in the show notes so peoplecan follow up and find you and
look at your, uh, cookie cuttersubscription box and find all
things Lauren or the cheerfulbaker.
but.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (42:19):
Sounds good.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (42:20):
though.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (42:20):
it is a lot.
Well, I mean, she's, that's whywhen I was, I was telling my
husband last night, I'm like,we're we're chatting with Lauren
tomorrow.
And she was, he was like, oh,um, what, what all you're
talking about?
And I'm like, so I started togiving him like, you know, all
these things and he was like,this is the same person.
I was like, yeah.
I was like, this is just like anexcellent example of someone who
just lives with their heart, whofinds their joy, who just goes
(42:43):
with it, takes the opportunitieswhen they're presented, prepares
for them, and.
She's just got an amazing story.
So I hope our listeners todaygained some, inspiration today.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (42:53):
Well, I need to give a shout out to
Dwayne before we hang up.
Dwayne, you have been probablymy number one supporter through
everything I've ever done.
You have, I mean, I rememberwhen I started doing Southern
Living, Dwayne was like, bringin the containers.
We'll put flowers in them.
When I started doing cookies,he's like, bring cookies into
(43:14):
the shop.
We'll give them out tocustomers, you know?
I go in the shop and Dwayneimmediately finds someone and
brings them over and says, youneed to meet my friend Lauren.
She makes beautiful cookies.
So seriously.
Dwayne, you are incredible likethat.
You are a supporter of peopleand I love that about you.
(43:36):
How when you meet someone thatis an entrepreneur, you do
everything you can to help raisethem to a higher level, and that
is a very special quality inyou.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (43:48):
Thank you.
We're all in this together.
We really are.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (43:51):
Mm-hmm.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:51):
Yep.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:52):
I had be in it a little bit more
with some cookies.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:57):
And they're good cookies.
Well,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:58):
you hinting?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (43:59):
Levits?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:00):
Are you hinting?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (44:01):
brought in and she's like,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:02):
Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:02):
it's got lavender in it.
It's lavender.
Because it's like, that soundsawful.
Well, I ate the
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:08):
They were good,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:09):
okay.
It's good.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0 (44:10):
lavender, lemon.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:11):
Real good.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (44:12):
Mm-hmm.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_0857 (44:13):
Sounds
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:14):
you brought some of those for our
Christmas in July sale.
I remember one year at the storeand oh, Lord, they
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (44:19):
That's right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:21):
Well, Lauren, thank you so much for
joining us today.
I think it's been a,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:24):
Thank you.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:26):
and, and inspirational and
motivational and remember, it'snever too late.
You can do anything.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:31):
Yes, that's right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:32):
we're back every Wednesday with a new
podcast.
If you have not downloaded ourmobile shopping app House
Floral, please do so.
You can follow us along with ourlive sales that we have every
week.
Don't forget, we also have ahotline that you can call and
give us any of your opinions andsome of y'all have some
opinions, um, but we love tohear it.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:51):
And watch out for their subscription
box of beautiful bows,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:55):
Yeah.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (44:55):
right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:56):
we gotta figure that out.
All right,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:58):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:58):
you all next week.
Thanks for joining.
Bye.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (45:01):
Thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (45:02):
Bye.
Hey listeners, we talk a lot onhere about creating beautiful
(00:03):
homes that will bring you joy,but what about a beautiful life
that does the same one thatfeels as good as it looks?
Well, today we are getting alittle more real.
I.
No talk of draperies, no paintcolors or gallery walls.
Just the messy, beautiful truthof what it means to find your
(00:24):
joy in unexpected places andbeing open to share it.
And if you've thought, I am tooold to do something like that.
Or I've missed my chance.
Well, guess again because ourguest is the perfect example of
how it's never too late tocreate a life led by joy again
(00:44):
and again.
And believe it or not, her storystarts with a cookie.
And discussing her gynecologistappointment with a stranger.
I am not kidding.
You are going to love her story,but most of all, we hope that it
helps bring the idea of not justcreating a beautiful home for
you, but to create a beautifullife and to share it with
(01:07):
others.
You are going to love it.
Let's get to the story.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:13):
We are so excited to introduce you
to a sweet friend of ours thatwe've known.
was trying to think about thisahead of time.
I think Dwayne, you may haveknown Lauren longer than the
rest of us have, but it has tobe close
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:24):
Uh, yeah.
You wouldn't have known Laurenif wasn't for me.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:27):
that, well, I know that.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:29):
Well, Lord.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (02:30):
Dwayne and I have been friends for,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:32):
Don't
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08 (02:33):
probably 26 years.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:34):
my
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:35):
26 years.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:37):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_0857 (02:37):
years.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (02:38):
Mm-hmm.
She knew me when I had hair.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (02:43):
Yeah, it was before Stacey and I got
married, and we've been marriedalmost 26 years, so we've
probably known each other 27, 28years.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (02:50):
Mm-hmm.
True story.
Oh yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:53):
you
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:53):
And we still like each other.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:55):
We do.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (02:56):
And that's a miracle when Dwayne's
involved.
Um, for those that don't knowLauren, Lauren is a category of
person that, we describe as ajoy dropper.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:08):
Aw,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:08):
a term that I stole from our
friend Amber.
but she was describing,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08 (03:13):
dropper?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:15):
I
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:15):
No,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:16):
I guess it depends on the day,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:19):
I'm too old for that.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:20):
Yeah, no.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:22):
I
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:23):
Uh,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085 (03:23):
there's something for everybody.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:25):
but she is one of those people.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:28):
love again.
Oh.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:29):
Yeah, he did.
He did.
She is one of those people thatwhen you are around, your spirit
is always lifted and you'realways happier after you've seen
her than before.
Is that fair?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:42):
Gosh, that makes me wanna cry that
those are the nicest things.
Thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:47):
It's the truth.
It's the truth.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:49):
in a little bit.
Don't
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (03:49):
Yeah.
We'll get you later.
Yeah,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:52):
But that, but
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:53):
no, it's the truth.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:54):
It's just always, she's just like a
little beam of light,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (03:57):
You know, are there's people around
your life?
We had a, a former employeename, not to be mentioned, but I
termed her, deemed her eor,right?
Huh?
Everything's nothing.
I'm, I have a townhouse, but Ihave two steps to get in, and I
got a Lexus, but it's two yearsold and my son's only visit
three days outta the week.
(04:17):
I'm like, oh my God.
Quit complaining.
Right?
And so there's eos and thenthere's you.
There's joy droppers when youwalk in.
There's smile, there's happywhen they leave you.
Like that was just a littlefresh ray of sunshine.
So,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:29):
Oh,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:30):
you may not get it, you may not get
that.
You're a joy dropper, but youare.
When
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (04:35):
thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:35):
all said and done,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (04:36):
So for those of us who know her as
a joy dropper, we love thatabout her.
But the other side of Laurenthat I find is so fascinating is
that I have no idea how old youare, Lauren, and I'm not gonna
ask, but you have had so many.
Acts in your life as far as likewhen we, how, just as when we've
(04:57):
known you of like
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (04:58):
True.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:00):
and from our perspective, it's
always seemed like you've beenvery successful at what you've
done, but more than anythingyou've been able to find the joy
in all of those things.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:09):
Yes,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:10):
So,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:11):
true.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:12):
um.
Thinking back to when weoriginally met you, you were
already friends with Dwayne, butyou were, selling
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08 (05:22):
Southern living at home, Southern living
at home.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:27):
Yeah.
And so she would bring incontainers?
And we would, I don't rememberhow we did it twain.
Do you remember?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (05:32):
That's how we did it.
I'd bring in containers and,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:34):
yeah,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:35):
you all would put the flowers in
them.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:37):
Lord, he probably already
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:38):
yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:38):
about it.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:39):
Lord.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:39):
Well, I kind of did truthfully, it's
like, just like with Lauren,I've had 4,000 lives.
I'm like, I don't remember that,but Okay.
Yeah.
Well, I don't remember thespecifics, but what I'll say is
this, Lauren's always hustling.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (05:52):
she's a
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (05:53):
That's what I
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:54):
I am a hustler, hard work hard
worker.
Let's say hard worker.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:58):
hard
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (05:58):
hard worker.
She's a right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:00):
I mean, you, you absolutely,
you're a hard worker, buthustler, like
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:04):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:04):
have always been busy and it's always
kind of been whatever you'vebeen involved in, there's always
been like this creative aspectto
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:11):
I say it that way in that I ain't
gonna have to worry about Laurenand Right.
Feeding her babies and stuff.
'cause if she going, if that onedoesn't work, I move on to the
next thing.
Or I'm gonna find this other newshiny object that I'm gonna make
this work, she's gonna be fine.
So when I say that she's aworker, absolutely.
Yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:27):
Okay, so she did that and then I know
that there was some time inbetween.
But now she has written a book.
She was on food network'sChristmas cookie Challenge, now
she has her own, business whereshe, draw and design cookie
cutters
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:44):
Yep.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_0857 (06:45):
cookie makers all over the country.
And I'm like, where the hell didall this come from?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (06:51):
I know from a little, little bitty
kitchen in a little town inKentucky.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:56):
Well, okay, so out of all that, guys,
where do you wanna start?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (06:58):
Well, I really think he has to start
with the cookie thing, right?
Because the cookie thing led tothe next thing, to the next
thing, to the next thing, right?
let's backstory is, is this.
You are incredibly artistic,right?
And creative.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (07:12):
Yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (07:12):
we talk about a cookie, you gotta
look up the Cheerful Baker,right?
And you gotta see her.
Right.
These are cookies that areKathy, um, Lauren, um, has, uh,
I dunno if you still do or not.
You have classes in your houseand you bake cookies and you
show'em how to decorate.
So my wife and daughter havedone it at least once, if not
twice.
(07:34):
you can make a pretty cookie.
And boy do they make prettycookies, right?
But more important, they tastereal good.
'cause a lot of times you getthese cookies and it tastes like
a piece of dry toast or brick,and then Lauren's cookies are
real pretty, but they taste realgood.
And that's what impressed Kathythe most.
It's like, oh, I can eat thecookie too.
So anyway.
So what's your, what's yourcookie recipe?
(07:54):
Or at least a secret to it.
What's your little, what makesyour cookie good?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (07:57):
Years of experience, like I started
making cookies.
You can look on my Facebook, andthere's a picture of me sitting
on the counter with my mom.
I mean, I've been baking a longtime, and it makes a difference.
You know, the basics of making acookie, how long you cream the
sugar, what kind of sugar andthe butter, what kind of butter
you use.
(08:18):
I mean, all those.
Things make a big difference inthe product, and I'm thankful
that my mom taught me all thosegood things.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (08:25):
Who's an earth angel Also, I think
that's part of, if you were toever meet Lauren's mom and dad,
they are joy droppers, right?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (08:32):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:32):
are
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:33):
I'm gonna say it this way.
They are advanced age and maybethey're starting to slow down a
little bit.
Right?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:39):
Not
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:39):
But
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (08:39):
really
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:41):
not really.
Well,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:42):
no.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (08:42):
at it, okay, good.
That's a, that's a good thing,right?
'cause I haven't seen'em in awhile.
I haven't seen your mom in awhile.
Uh, but you say that and it'slike, you would not guess their
ages, right?
'cause of how they act orpersonalities, how they, how
they dress their, every, theiraura.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (08:56):
Right.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (08:57):
doesn't say, this is what my age is.
And you go, you are what?
Anyway.
So part of your, part of yourjoy has to be from their
influence and their personality.
So, and her encouragement ofyou.
So really, you've been doingthis a long, long, long time to
get this perfected recipe.
And what think of, I, I don'tbake, I don't, that scares me.
(09:19):
But baking kind of like science,but then you're putting art, art
on top of that?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (09:24):
It is.
And I think that's why I likebaking, because it is science
and I've always loved scienceand my husband's really funny.
You know, we both love to cookand he'll say.
Put a little bit of this and puta little bit of that.
I mean, and he's always saying,you need to throw in a little
red pepper.
That's what's gonna be on histombstone.
Just put a little dash of redpepper.
(09:45):
And I'm like, you know, youcan't do that with baking.
And honestly, you know, all fourof us are very, very creative
and I think that's why I'vealways been drawn to you guys
plus your, you're nice fellas,but you're creative.
And I love creativity andcreative people.
When you're creative, sometimesyou can, you know, flip from
here to here.
(10:06):
It's hard to stay focused.
And I think one thing that Ilike about baking.
Is, it slows my brain down.
Because you have to do itexactly like the recipe says.
You have to follow thedirections.
Exactly.
And that's really the only placein my life where I do that.
And so I find that it reallysettles me, honestly.
(10:27):
And you know, when I starteddecorating cookies, one reason I
started, well, I thought itwould be fun, but also, you
know, it was a tough timebecause my kids were little and
my oldest one.
Had a learning disability thatmade life very, very difficult
for him.
And you know, hard for usbecause we were trying to get
him the help that he needed andstruggling to find him the help
(10:49):
that he needed.
And so for me, baking and cookiedecorating really slowed my mind
down and I could sit and focuson something and kind of push
out the outside noise.
And find my happiness becauseyou know, when you're decorating
cookies or you're puttingtogether a floral arrangement or
(11:11):
decorating someone's mantlepiece or Christmas tree or home,
you can kind of put aside thethings that are happening in
your life and just focus on whatyou're doing.
And I think we all needsomething like that in our
lives.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (11:23):
Well, maybe you can.
Dwayne can't.
He talks the whole damn time.
He will talk about anything andeverything.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:27):
He does.
And it's funny that, it's funnythat you say that.
'cause usually when I'm on aninstall, whether it be a.
One room a whole house, orChristmas or whatever.
I don't bring my phone in withme because I don't wanna be
distracted with it.
And people are like, well, Iknow you're there.
Why didn't you call me back?
It's like, well,'cause I'm busyI'm in my own little world.
(11:48):
So I get, I get how you escapingyour
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (11:51):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:52):
Yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:53):
That explains why when we call you
don't answer and then you callback.
Okay.
I, I really didn't know that.
I just learned that.
I, I didn't know that.
Hmm.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (11:59):
I,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (11:59):
Yeah, that's very helpful to
stuart_1_05-01-2025_0857 (12:01):
aside.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:01):
a business down when you don't
fucking answer the phone, butthat's okay.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:05):
I have two very competent business
partners
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (12:08):
Well,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:08):
You have
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:09):
have one.
You have
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:11):
21.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:12):
won very
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:13):
I'm taking myself out.
Yeah.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:15):
that is correct.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:18):
So in the, so cookies, you were
doing that.
It was being able to, to slowyour mind down, which I would've
never thought about.
But that makes so much sense,especially if I think for the
three of us where our minds alsogo 24,000 different directions
all the time.
and then how did food networkhappen?
Because that was in 2022, right?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:35):
No, it was in 2020.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:36):
oh,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (12:37):
it was, it was crazy.
So, well, maybe 20, 21.
You know, I, I'm creative datesmean nothing to me, but, um, it
was season six, I can tell youthat.
But no, it was the craziestthing because, you know, I was
making my cookies and it's sofunny, Dwayne, because I did
used to have cookie decoratingclasses in my house, and I
(12:57):
think.
Kathy probably came and yourdaughter came to the very first
one.
I don't do'em in my houseanymore.
I do'em at a winery inVersailles.
But that, when you mentionedthat, I thought, oh, that is a
memory.
That was a long time ago.
But anyway, you know, I, I wasdecorating cookies.
I was, I started to sell cookiesand, during Covid, I couldn't
(13:21):
sell cookies'cause nobody wasdoing activities.
So I got involved in thisInstagram group.
And we were trying to, learn howto create videos and do things
on Instagram.
And I thought that was so muchfun.
And our mentor said to us, ifyou aspire to be on the food
network, which that we all do, Imean, I don't wanna say we all,
(13:45):
but as a cookie decorator,there's a lot of chatter about
that.
You know, you want to be on theChristmas cookie challenge.
And I never thought that waspossible for me.
I really didn't, because again,I'm a mom.
Who makes cookies.
Who lives in a teeny tiny townin Kentucky.
So if you would've asked me whenI first started, do you think
(14:05):
you could ever end up in thefood network?
And I'd have been like, are youinsane?
No.
And I'm a dreamer, but I justwould not have thought that that
was gonna be anywhere in mylife.
So.
In Instagram, he said to us, if,if you want to do that, you need
to set yourself apart.
So you need to make sure thatyou have your photo and your,
(14:28):
all your information on yourInstagram, but you need to do
things that other people don'tdo.
So I started dancing.
I mean, I think I've probablytaken down all the videos, but
I, I would, I would dance in my.
You know, in my kitchen and Iwould dance when I was making
cookies.
And I just had a lot of fun.
(14:48):
And then during that time Ichanged my name to the Cheerful
Baker because my brother's aminister and he preached this
wonderful sermon during CovidVID, and he said, our lives are
gonna be changed in some way.
How can they be changed for thebetter?
And so everybody had sort ofteased me.
(15:09):
It's funny you said IOR becausemy nickname in my neighborhood
was Tigger because I'm happy andI bounce around all the time.
And so there's a verse in theBible that says A joyful heart
makes a cheerful face.
And I thought, you know, that'sme.
I'm joyful because I'm aChristian and I'm happy most all
the time.
(15:30):
So I thought, I'm gonna makemyself, I'm gonna turn into the
cheerful baker.
So I couldn't believe therewasn't a cheerful baker.
So I think my name being thecheerful baker and the fact that
I did all these fun things onInstagram, I think that's how
they found me.
Because if you watch theChristmas cookie challenge and,
(15:51):
and the next time you watch it,you'll see this.
There are differentpersonalities and one person is
happy.
And so I, I mean, really youwatch and you're like, oh yeah,
that's, that's the Lauren onthis show.
So I think both those thingstogether, they found me and they
contacted me through Instagramand they said, we would really
(16:12):
love to talk to you about beingon the Food Network.
And of course, I immediatelylooked at the person who had
sent me the message.
There was nothing about the foodnetwork and I, I didn't think
that it was real.
but then I thought, well, I'll,I'll respond.
So I said, yeah, sure.
You know, I'll talk to you.
I have a doctor's appointmenttomorrow.
I'll be done about one 30.
Why don't, why don't you callsuny?
(16:32):
She calls and she's like,Lauren, how was your doctor's
appointment?
I'm like, oh, it was thegynecologist.
You know how that is.
It was great.
Because I was not at allprofessional because I thought
that some, I didn't think thatit was a real thing, but that
worked to my advantage becausewe laughed.
I talked to her the whole wayhome and she said, have you ever
(16:53):
watched the Food Network?
And thought I need to be onthere.
And I'm like, are you kiddingme?
I've never thought that.
And so we laughed and laughedand by the time I got home,
which was about a 30 minutedrive, she said, you know,
you're a lot of fun.
I'm gonna send your name in.
To the producers, and I'm like,okay, ha ha, ha.
(17:14):
Well, within an hour I had avery professional email from the
Food Network,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (17:20):
Wow.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (17:21):
and a lot of interviews.
No, but I couldn't believe whenI found out that it was real, I
thought, oh my gosh, I can'tbelieve the things we talked
about, but.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (17:30):
Yeah.
I was like, oh lord.
There's too much informationhere.
Right.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (17:33):
It was, but I was just trying to
have fun and I was probablynervous.
You know, when you're nervousit.
When I'm nervous, I talk toomuch.
So, um.
They, they chose me and, am Ithe greatest cookie decorator?
No.
I mean, I'm fine.
There's lots of great cookiedecorators, but they said to me
at the very end of the interviewprocess, I.
(17:57):
They said, Lauren, you have agreat personality for
television.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (18:00):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:01):
took that as such a compliment
because, you know, I just, I amhappy.
I look at the glass half full.
I try and make the best ofsituations and I just like to
smile and laugh, and that's whatthey were looking for.
So that was crazy.
I still can't believe I did it.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:19):
What I love from that whole story is
that you found something thatbrought you peace, brought you
joy, and you turned it intosomething by being your
authentic self.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (18:29):
Right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:30):
too late for a mother of two to have
a new dream.
And I love that.
Like that's e every time.
'cause people always feel likeif they haven't done something
by the time they're 30, if theyhaven't done something by the
time they're 40, it's too lateto dream.
Right?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:45):
Well listen.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (18:46):
that.
I
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (18:47):
I don't mind telling you, I, I'm
almost 57, so this happened whenI was 51.
So if it's not too late for me,I mean, it's never too late.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (19:00):
Yeah.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:01):
you know, one of the coolest things
about that whole experience was,if not probably the best, was at
the watch party and Dwayne wasat my house for the watch party.
Watching my children watch me onTV and the pride that they felt
was really incredible.
(19:23):
That was great.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (19:24):
Yeah,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:24):
fun, wasn't it, Dwayne?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:26):
It.
No.
True fun.
Had a great crowd.
Now tell the the audience, it'sa competition, tell'em about you
winning the competition.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (19:37):
Well,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:38):
Oh wait, you didn't,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (19:40):
I didn't.
Oh, thank.
Okay, now.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (19:43):
chose.
They chose Now you were sogracious about the, uh, the
competition and the girl thatwon and I wanna.
you as I remember it, but yousaid, um, that she needed this,
she needed this encouragement,she needed the money, whatever
the things that, whatever yousaid
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:00):
Yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (20:00):
needed it.
So you instantly took your ego,your wanting to win out and said
to the side, and you were trulyI felt the energy you were.
Happy that this young girl fromwherever, won.
How, how did you, how do youreconcile that?
How did you get to that part ofyour heart to be able to go?
I, I'm good with this.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:22):
You know, when I was going to the
food network, a friend of minesaid to me, you know, you're
going to talk about Jesus.
And I'm like.
Am I really, because althoughbeing a Christian is a big part
of my life, it's not somethingthat I have ever felt real
comfortable just going up tosomeone and talking about.
(20:43):
So,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:44):
You
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:44):
um,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:45):
faith versus preaching
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:46):
yes, yes.
So she said that to me.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:49):
have, you have to have a Diamond Cross
on today to show that you're aChristian?
No.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:53):
No,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:53):
good.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:53):
no.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (20:53):
move.
No,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:55):
d Wade.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (20:57):
No, I think you love people.
That's, that's how I like toshow that I'm a Christian.
You love people,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (21:04):
it.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (21:05):
so.
Anyway, I tried to do that, youknow, just during this
competition I tried to love thepeople that were there and the
girl who won was such a doll andshe, she wouldn't mind me
sharing this.
She really suffered from,anxiety, I mean.
Big time anxiety.
And she did not, she almost saidno to coming on the show, and
(21:28):
she was so talented, you know,and she had worked in food
service her whole life and shestruggled financially.
And so, you know, I just triedto love on the people that were
there.
Well, at the end, the producersaid to me, Lauren, we notice
something different about youthat we don't normally see.
(21:49):
He said, you just see this.
We see this light and happinessabout you that we don't normally
see in people that come on thisshow.
And I said, well, you're seeingJesus through me.
So that experience for me wasthe win.
That was the win.
So when I didn't win, of courseI was, I was disappointed at
(22:10):
first, and then I thought, youknow,$10,000.
Won't make a difference in mylife.
Sure, it would be nice.
I would love to have$10,000, butI'm very blessed.
Stacey has a good job.
You know, we have everything weneed.
She could really use that.
You know, she was young, she wastalented, she didn't have a lot
(22:32):
of money, and I thought, gosh,how wonderful for her.
And so I think both those thingscombined.
You know, after the sting of, Imean, of course I was
disappointed, but then after Ireally had time to think about
it, I thought this happened theway it was supposed to happen.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (22:50):
So, you know, we've never had this
conversation.
This is the first time, right?
I was there and I was there atthe real moment.
But why I'm saying that.
Is, that's the energy, right?
This is your first time youhearing this.
You might have heard it fromothers, but for me, this is the
first time you saying it.
That was the energy I felt thatthere was still joy in your life
and you've, and I didn'tunderstand, I really was asking
(23:13):
the question.
I didn't understand how you gotthere.
And it
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (23:15):
Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (23:16):
your love of people.
And so that was fascinatingbecause, um, I have to, I'm
being a true teller, right?
Yours was better.
Uh, now I don't know how theymake decisions and how they
choose and things, and I'm notthe whole background of
everything, but the night of thecompetition that they made the
decision on who's best.
(23:36):
And I'm not saying this Laurenjust score point, or for at
least as I mean this sincerely.
That night.
not nights before, right?
I don't know that.
But that night we saw thatcookie, what you made was the
best.
And so
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (23:49):
Thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (23:50):
she got robbed.
She got robbed.
Big time.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (23:54):
But you know, a lot of blessings
have come from that experience.
I mean, my business grew.
I've been able to teach peopleall over the country with my
subscription box.
You know, it let people kind ofknow who I was, which as you
know, as a business owner,that's.
That's part of it.
So I reaped some incrediblebenefits from that experience
(24:16):
that had nothing to do withwhether I, I won or lost, and I
can put that on my resume, youknow, food network.
That's kind of cool.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (24:24):
So what's this thing that you call
subscription box?
Tell us about this also Bo, beenjoy dropping, trying to get us
to do a subscription box forbows.
Bose on your front door.
So anyway, you tell yoursubscription box and then you'll
get these other people to, uh,help us get rich.
There you
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (24:43):
Yes, I'm, listen, I'm going to, I'm
gonna hold you all accountablenow that you've put it out in
the universe.
So I was teaching classes, Aswe've already talked about in my
house and then when I came back,well, before I went on the food
network, I started making cookiecutters because Stacy, my
husband's really techie and hewanted a 3D printer.
(25:05):
And so I thought, okay, we canprint cookie cutters, and that
sounds like fun.
So I learned how to do that,design'em and print'em.
And then I thought, gosh, I'vebeen given this incredible
opportunity.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (25:17):
Okay.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08 (25:17):
Stacey's techie.
So, you know, I, I had, Icouldn't have done it without
him, but, um, I thought I'mgonna have this incredible
opportunity to be in front of anationwide audience.
How can I harness this to helpput my children through college?
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (25:37):
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (25:38):
And I thought, you know, I Kentucky
will not allow you to shipcookies.
You're not allowed to ship themoutta state, nor would I want to
because it's a lot of work, youknow, a lot of packaging.
I, I, I have shipped cookies tofriends from college and I
thought, I don't wanna do that.
And so, um, I thought, you know,I love teaching classes.
(26:01):
I love teaching people.
I mean, don't you all love whensomeone comes.
To your shop to learn how to dosomething creative.
It just gives you a lot of joyteaching someone else to do
that.
So I thought, okay, I know howto make cookie cutters.
I know how to teach a class.
I know how to film video becauseof my Instagram experience.
(26:23):
I know about marketing.
I know, you know, all thesethings I've done in the past.
Gave me the skills to be able todo everything that a
subscription box needed, and Ithought I can put in cookie
cutters, I can film a class,teach other people how to do it,
because when I started I couldfind the cookie cutter, but I
didn't know how to decorate it.
(26:44):
Or I could find the tutorial onInstagram, but I didn't know
where to find the cookie cutter.
So cookie.
Decorating has given me so muchin my life.
I mean, stress reliever,finances, fun.
Um, I thought I wanna be able todo that for other people.
(27:05):
So I had a friend who had asubscription box and I had lunch
with her and I'm like, you know,tell me about this subscription
box.
And she did high end home decor.
And so she gave me this littlethin book about how to do a
subscription box.
And I jump in.
I mean, I think Jeremy, you'reprobably the most like me in
(27:25):
that.
Like, you're like, okay, I'mjust,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (27:27):
Yeah.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (27:27):
gonna do it.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (27:28):
Yep.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (27:28):
So that's what I did.
So I put together, it wasn'tvery good.
You know, I got some boxes offAmazon and I tried to make'em
pretty and um, put some cookiecutters in a class that was.
It really wasn't very good and Ihad, I think maybe 18 people
sign up and then it went to 30and then it grew and I became
(27:52):
better.
Now I have a beautiful box.
You know, it's, it's the waythat it should be now.
But the coolest thing about thatis my, like I've never been
money oriented ever.
I just do things'cause they'refun, but I thought maybe I can
pay for.
Caleb my oldest, maybe I can payhis college tuition.
(28:13):
And that'll kind of take somestress off Stacy, because you
know, when we had kids I said, Idon't wanna work, I wanna stay
home.
And he said, that's fine, youknow, no problem.
So I thought, if I can pay thecollege tuition, that's one less
thing that he has to, you know,in his brain worry about.
And so, do you know the firstmonth that I paid his college
(28:37):
tuition?
Was almost, almost to the dollarof what I made from my
subscription boxes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (28:45):
wow.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (28:46):
Wow.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (28:46):
It was incredible.
And so now, I mean, I just loveit.
I, I love when I see cookiesthat people make, because they
learn that from me.
And you know, there I have, I'mlooking at my map up here.
I have a map with people's namesand push pins.
I think there's only, I can'tsee that far'cause I don't have
(29:08):
my glasses on, but I, Wisconsinand we might, I think there's
only two states where we don'thave subscribers in, so that's
really exciting.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_0857 (29:17):
That's
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:18):
gotta get Wisconsin on it.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:19):
Well, this
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:20):
Well, the thing that, as you're
sharing this, everything that'sevolved.
Is because of love, right?
did this because this is yourlove.
You did this because you wantedto love your son.
You did this because you loveStacey.
You wanted to take anotherobligation off him.
All these things are yourcreativity, but ultimately I'm
(29:42):
doing it because there's love inmy heart
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:45):
True.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (29:45):
these things.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:46):
Yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:47):
saw it that way,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:48):
No, but you're right,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (29:49):
saying.
Yeah, exactly.
'cause I, I was thinking asStacy in, in taking it off his
shoulders or out of his mind.
I'm doing that because I lovehim.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (29:58):
right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (29:59):
this is one of the reasons why it was
really
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:02):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:02):
that we wanted to share you and your
story with our followers.
'cause you know, obviously ithas absolutely nothing to do
with home design, floral design,and tears, but the point, but
she lives what we say and talkabout on here all the time.
Find your joy, live it, shareit.
be inspired, and you can make alife out of that, right?
(30:24):
Like that
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:24):
Yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:25):
whole purpose is.
And I just think this is a greatstory for people to be inspired
and be able to identify with.
I, I, that's, I just think
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:33):
But I will take Umbridge, what you
just said.
I think she has everything to dowith what we are.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:40):
Oh, the listeners don't know this,
but she's the reason why they'rehearing us in this podcast.
She was, she was
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:45):
yes, yes,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085 (30:47):
Mm-hmm.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:47):
yes,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:48):
like, oh,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:48):
yes, yes,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (30:50):
right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (30:51):
started chatting about it and I was
like, I think
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:53):
yes.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (30:53):
this.
I think we're gonna do this.
She was the whole, she was thereason.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:57):
I forgot about that.
You're right.
So
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (30:59):
this is, yeah, what I walk away from
all this so far is is, this showis not about design, but this
show is about love what you do,be happy in life.
You have the ability to changeyour life and we all are that
right Because we three boys havehad to reinvent.
Ourselves 22 times with thisbusiness.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (31:20):
yes.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (31:20):
it's the tenacity.
It's about never giving up.
It's about seeing the nextopportunity.
And if the listeners get fromthis, what I wanna get from this
is first, it's never too late.
Don't be an eor, don't give up.
Be a joy dropper.
You can change people's lives.
You, you control your lives.
You, don't cover your head upwith, uh, the blanket and, and
(31:43):
crawl into bed.
can do this.
And I think that's what we areabout is we are joy droppers
that people come in and they'vesaid, this is our happy place.
Well, I had somebody say to meonce, what you do seems so
right?
I, I said this before, and Ijust say to, to all those people
(32:03):
who think that cookies arefrivolous cookie colors are
frivolous, or design isfrivolous.
Okay, fine.
But what we know there's otherpeople that don't think it's
frivolous and it gives themabsolute, utter joy.
And when we understand the joythat we give others, it's
infectious.
Once it's all said and done,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (32:23):
Yes, and I think too something that.
Probably people who listen toyour podcasts are creative.
And I truly believe that all ofus have some type of creativity
within us, whether it's writing,singing, design, um, you know,
baking.
(32:44):
And if you can find that, Itruly feel like that brings you
a lot of happiness.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (32:51):
Mm-hmm.
You know the one thing, let'stalk about your son's book.
We just touched on it verybriefly.
Now you know she's a cookieextraordinaire, but she's an
author.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (33:02):
Now
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (33:02):
Tell us, tell us about the book and
why you wrote the book and how,'cause this is important,
another important layer to whoyou are.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (33:09):
This is the thing I'm the most proud
about and I har don't talk aboutvery often because, because of
why I did it.
So Caleb has dyslexia and like Isaid, school was really hard for
him and when he was young, wewent to this place in Lexington.
It was a learning center.
(33:30):
And what they did is they woulddo the most fun things to help
children learn how to write.
And one activity was they said,take a pen.
You have to use a pen'cause youcan't erase it.
Take a pen and a piece of paperand set a timer for five minutes
and write and don't stop.
And so.
We, we enjoyed doing that.
(33:51):
We thought that that was reallyfun and he was really little.
So one day I was at home and Iliterally thought, I'm gonna do
the same thing.
And I have to preface this by,I'm not a writer, I.
I thank God for chat, GPT.
I mean, I'm not kidding.
I am, I'm really not a writer.
That's not my strong suit.
So I wrote, I sat down, I set atimer for five minutes and I
(34:15):
wrote this little story and itjust poured out of my heart
about a little boy who, uh, andI had no intentions of.
Making a book out of it.
I just wrote a story down and Iput it in my drawer for years,
and it's the story, it's calledThe Boy Who Lost His Colors, and
it's Caleb's story.
(34:35):
It's a, it's a story of a littleboy who is filled with color
because he reaches up and hegrabs some blue from the sky and
he grabs green from his pop'sgrass and love from his mother's
heart, and he's filled with allthese colors and he goes to
school.
And he's frustrated and then hebecomes black and white so
(34:56):
through the story, theillustrator was incredible.
She, you know, she shows himbecoming black and white, and so
his mother says.
I'm gonna help you bring yourcolors back.
So that's what I did with Caleb.
You know, I find I found ways toteach him differently.
I took him outta school andhomeschooled him.
I put him in different schools,Stacy too, you know, that would
(35:17):
help him.
And so by the end of the book,this little boy, the mom peeks
around the corner and she seesall the colors of the rainbow on
the wall.
And she knows that her, that shedid her job, that she filled him
with his colors again.
And so, like I said, I justwrote this little story and then
I shared it with a friend ofmine who.
(35:39):
I was an editor for theLexington Herald Leader, and she
said, Lauren, this is reallygood.
She said, you need to turn thisinto a book.
Well, during Covid, I thought,okay, you know, I'm artistic.
I'll try and illustrate it.
Well, I'm not that artistic.
But then I was in a group ofpeople that were trying to learn
(36:02):
how to draw on procreate.
We did it every single day.
That's how I got through.
Being stuck at home.
There was this incredibleillustrator.
I mean, every time she would putsomething out there, I just
loved it.
So I reached out to her and Isaid, you know, would you be
interested?
Would you illustrate a book forme?
Because all I wanted was onebook to give to Caleb when he
(36:23):
graduated from high school.
Um, and so at first she said no.
And then after talking to her alittle bit, she said yes because
she had done it once before andhad a terrible.
Experience.
And I said, listen, I don't carewhat you do.
I'm gonna give it to you.
You give it back to me, I'll payyou.
(36:44):
Whatever you do, it's fine withme.
Well, it was incredible.
And so this little project, Ithought, okay, maybe I'll
self-publish.
So the reason I say I don't evertalk about it is you can find it
on Amazon.
I only, I really only did this.
To have a book to give to Caleb,but I, I need to talk about it
(37:08):
more because having a child witha learning difficulty is hard,
hard, hard on the parents.
I.
10 times hard on the child.
But when you love your child somuch and you don't know how to
help'em, you just feel likeyou're sinking into this hole
that you can't get out of.
And really that's why I starteddecorating cookies'cause I
(37:31):
needed something to, get me outof my own head.
And so, um, one of the.
One of the proudest moments ofmy entire life was when I went
into my local library and Ilooked my name up on the card
catalog and I found that book,so
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (37:50):
Mm-hmm.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (37:51):
that's my most, that's my most proud
accomplishment is that book thatI wrote.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (37:55):
I saw you doing press, like
locally, like on the TV stationshere, doing for, and of course
was very proud and happy for youand, and at the time didn't get
a chance to look into the book.
And so before we talked to youtoday, I was trying to just make
sure I had all my, like, t'scrossed, and I dotted just to
have to know anything to talkabout it.
And I started reading some ofthe reviews of your book, and I
don't know if you've read them,but it has made a difference for
(38:20):
a lot of people out there.
And one of the reviews I thoughtwas really sweet and she was
talking about her, child and shewas, I pray that this is an
every school library in the
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (38:31):
Aw,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (38:32):
my child needed.
And I
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (38:33):
that makes me cry.
That's so not, it does.
That makes me cry because.
Because the thing is, is, youknow, if our story can help
someone know that there is arainbow at the end of the
tunnel, then that what a, whatan incredible thing that is
because my son is doing great,you know, he's doing great.
(38:58):
He went on a mission trip.
He, he.
Came back, a much happierperson.
He's in college.
He's doing wonderful.
You know, it's hard for him.
It's no fun.
But he pushes through.
He's, he's doing fantastic.
And if, if that can happenwithin our family, it's possible
(39:18):
for anybody.
It just takes a lot of work, alot of prayer, and a lot of
help.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:26):
And a joy dropper of her mama.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (39:28):
Right.
That's right.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (39:30):
more.
I gotta do a, we're running outof time, so I'm gonna say we got
a hard little segment switch to,so Lauren, again, author, cookie
cutter, maker and cookie.
Extraordinary teacher.
But now she's involved yet againin something new.
So let's talk about the supperclub.
Tell us
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:47):
Oh.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (39:47):
this.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:48):
Oh,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_0857 (39:48):
'cause I'm fascinated about this one.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:50):
Oh yes.
You all need to check you.
Who, which one of you are gonnajoin the supper club?
That's what I want to know.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (39:58):
Stewart
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (39:59):
so.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (39:59):
Stewart is, is the bougie gay,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:02):
the
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:02):
and I feel like he is a social
butterfly.
He just bought him a, a Europeanstation wagon so he can pull up
at these mansions and look good.
He's got the best clothing,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (40:13):
There you go.
You're in, you're in.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:15):
Here he is.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (40:16):
So the Supper Club is, from this
wonderful, amazing woman namedLydia Menzies.
That that is who, started it.
And it's a group of creativeentrepreneurs.
And most everybody is either inthe entertainment industry, home
(40:37):
design, loves doing parties.
Um, a lot of interior designers.
And we get together and we shareideas and we collaborate and we
go on these incredibly funsoiree, but we just put out a
book and it's called The SupperClub, and it's, I think there's,
(40:57):
there might be 52 i, I could bepulling that number outta my
head.
There's a ton of parties, so anykind of party you could ever
want, you flip open this book.
And you can find ideas.
And so I have tons of cookies inthere.
It is a beautiful book.
And we did, we did an incrediblederby party in Kentucky that's
(41:17):
in the book.
Um, we did a golf party inKentucky, but there literally
any party you could ever wannahave, you can find in that book.
So you can go to Lydia Menzies.
Just look up Lydia MenziesSupper Club.
It's M-E-N-Z-I-E-S.
And you can find out how to jointhe Supper Club.
Um, you can find out about thebook, but it is such an
(41:40):
incredibly fun, fun group.
In fact, yesterday talking aboutmy mom, my mom's 89.
You'd never know it.
We went to Nashville yesterday.
Or the day before, and we wentto a supper club event at Draper
James where there was a booksigning and it was fun and
bougie and there were gorgeousfresh flower arrangements that
(42:02):
she showed us how to do.
And we had great food and it's afun group.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (42:07):
Well, we'll put all the information
down in the show notes so peoplecan follow up and find you and
look at your, uh, cookie cuttersubscription box and find all
things Lauren or the cheerfulbaker.
but.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (42:19):
Sounds good.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (42:20):
though.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (42:20):
it is a lot.
Well, I mean, she's, that's whywhen I was, I was telling my
husband last night, I'm like,we're we're chatting with Lauren
tomorrow.
And she was, he was like, oh,um, what, what all you're
talking about?
And I'm like, so I started togiving him like, you know, all
these things and he was like,this is the same person.
I was like, yeah.
I was like, this is just like anexcellent example of someone who
just lives with their heart, whofinds their joy, who just goes
(42:43):
with it, takes the opportunitieswhen they're presented, prepares
for them, and.
She's just got an amazing story.
So I hope our listeners todaygained some, inspiration today.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (42:53):
Well, I need to give a shout out to
Dwayne before we hang up.
Dwayne, you have been probablymy number one supporter through
everything I've ever done.
You have, I mean, I rememberwhen I started doing Southern
Living, Dwayne was like, bringin the containers.
We'll put flowers in them.
When I started doing cookies,he's like, bring cookies into
(43:14):
the shop.
We'll give them out tocustomers, you know?
I go in the shop and Dwayneimmediately finds someone and
brings them over and says, youneed to meet my friend Lauren.
She makes beautiful cookies.
So seriously.
Dwayne, you are incredible likethat.
You are a supporter of peopleand I love that about you.
(43:36):
How when you meet someone thatis an entrepreneur, you do
everything you can to help raisethem to a higher level, and that
is a very special quality inyou.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (43:48):
Thank you.
We're all in this together.
We really are.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (43:51):
Mm-hmm.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:51):
Yep.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:52):
I had be in it a little bit more
with some cookies.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:57):
And they're good cookies.
Well,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (43:58):
you hinting?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (43:59):
Levits?
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:00):
Are you hinting?
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085 (44:01):
brought in and she's like,
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:02):
Yeah.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:02):
it's got lavender in it.
It's lavender.
Because it's like, that soundsawful.
Well, I ate the
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:08):
They were good,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:09):
okay.
It's good.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0 (44:10):
lavender, lemon.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:11):
Real good.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085 (44:12):
Mm-hmm.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_0857 (44:13):
Sounds
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:14):
you brought some of those for our
Christmas in July sale.
I remember one year at the storeand oh, Lord, they
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (44:19):
That's right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:21):
Well, Lauren, thank you so much for
joining us today.
I think it's been a,
lauren_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:24):
Thank you.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:26):
and, and inspirational and
motivational and remember, it'snever too late.
You can do anything.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:31):
Yes, that's right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:32):
we're back every Wednesday with a new
podcast.
If you have not downloaded ourmobile shopping app House
Floral, please do so.
You can follow us along with ourlive sales that we have every
week.
Don't forget, we also have ahotline that you can call and
give us any of your opinions andsome of y'all have some
opinions, um, but we love tohear it.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:51):
And watch out for their subscription
box of beautiful bows,
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:55):
Yeah.
lauren_1_05-01-2025_0857 (44:55):
right.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:56):
we gotta figure that out.
All right,
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_08575 (44:58):
Yeah.
jeremy_1_05-01-2025_085757 (44:58):
you all next week.
Thanks for joining.
Bye.
stuart_1_05-01-2025_08575 (45:01):
Thank you.
dwayne_1_05-01-2025_085757 (45:02):
Bye.
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