Meet Lauren Lasko | Family Nurse Practitioner & Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)

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

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting LiLa, was really inspired by the experience I wished I’d had as a new mom trying to breastfeed. Prenatally, I knew how important it was to prepare for pregnancy and delivery, but I had no idea how much I didn’t know about trying to feed my baby! Like many people nowadays, I wasn’t breastfed and didn’t grow up watching people breastfeed so I was shocked when it was a struggle for me. Because of that, and with my background as a family nurse practitioner, I saw a huge gap in creating lactation support that starts in pregnancy and carries families through the postpartum period. I never want a family to scramble for help like I did. Our goal is to help families feel empowered, encouraged and supported in feeding their babies in a way that feels good for them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My road to LiLa certainly has not been linear and yet, I think most of us can look back and say, “well, look at that! It all makes sense!”. While I started college thinking I would go into medicine, I ended up graduating with a degree in broadcast journalism. For several years after college, I worked as a television news reporter and anchor across the midwest. While it was something I did well, I knew deep down it was not for me. Thankfully, I trusted my instincts and made the move to New York City and started over again, going back to school to become a nurse practitioner. A lot of people ask me, “how did you go from being a TV news reporter to a NP?”, but when I look back, there are actually a lot of similarities. I am fascinated by people, I love hearing their stories and helping them, now I just get to do it in a way that feels good for me. Looking back, I am so thankful I have some pretty solid interviewing skills!

Was it easy? Probably not, but it was and is exhilarating and for me, pushing myself and not settling has always been a better option than having life be “easy”. I suppose that’s what I love about entrepreneurship: you have the ability to constantly problem-solve, pivot and adapt in way that makes life worth living. For me at least :).

As far as learning lessons along the way: so, so many but for me, that’s the fun part. While I have many things to work on, I think one of my strengths is that I’m not afraid to experience things that others may consider a “failure”, I know I will stumble and things won’t be perfect, but for me – this is a better alternative than playing it safe. On the other hand, I can be my own worst critic, and I think I wish I’d been a little more gentle on myself as I’ve navigated obstacles. I’m still working on this!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ha, my husband will laugh at this question because I LOVE being a tour guide in my city and giving people unsolicited recommendations (which of course, I think are the best, ha!). Honestly, there’s just too much to choose from in Cleveland, but here are a few of my favorite places:

Places to Eat:
Any restaurant by Chef Doug Katz, if I could live at Amba or Zhug, I would
I also love Patron Saint and Harlow’s Pizza
Beet Jar, Rising Star Coffee, The Root Cafe and Verbena for quick bites and delicious drinks

Places to Check Out/Things To Do:
A walk along Edgewater Park
A yoga class at Soul Yoga OHC with THE Sarah Ezzie
Karaoke at Tina’s Nite Club
“The Slice is Right” at Harlow’s (can you tell I like to karaoke)
The Sauna Circuit at Raw Esthetics Holistic Spa
Get your hair blessed by Casey Lewis at Willow Room Studio
A day trip to Kelley’s Island

Places to Shop:
Ladder (owner Dre Wien is a very exciting and interesting individual)
Revival Body Care
SLFMKR
Océanne
FOUNT

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people who deserve a shoutout for helping support my dream of entrepreneurship and starting LiLa. To begin, this has truly been a family affair: we can thank my two sons, especially my first child Smith, for inspiring me to become a lactation consultant, ha! Our breastfeeding struggles allowed me to find a career that provides me with deep satisfaction and meaning. I also joke that my husband, Ryan could be lactation consultant at this point for all of the conversations, planning and strategizing we’ve had over the last several years. He’s also an incredibly talented art director who makes my ideas come to life and makes LiLa’s branding so beautiful. I’m a talker, so all of my friends and other family members have been so helpful in listening (frequently) as I’ve navigated owning this business. And lastly, to my late mama, Linda who I miss deeply and is the “Li” part in LiLa. She’s with me every step of the way.

Website: www.lila-lactation.com

Instagram: lila_lauren_np

Image Credits
Meg Holiday Photography