Voyage LA

See the full article here: Voyage LA Highlight Series

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Lauryn Pena. Check out our conversation below.

Lauryn, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’ve often gone back and forth regarding staying to a path or wandering, and I think right now I’ve been wandering for a while. But I’ve been trying to get back onto the path to achieve my next few goals.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a writer, I’ve written one novel, Love and Mardi Gras. Where you can find anywhere books are sold. I have slowly been working on the sequel which has taken me longer than I had anticipated but I’m close to the final phases where I can turn it into my publisher and get the publishing process going.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The word and concept of ‘purpose’ is something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. I love to listen to the Radiolab podcast, and they had an episode focused on purpose. During that episode I heard a quote by Jonas Salk, that struck me so deeply I’m incorporating it into my next book, “Our greatest responsibility is to be a good ancestor.” I don’t necessarily think we all have one specific purpose, but I would like to be a good ancestor.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
My suffering has taught me resiliance. I’ve always been an athlete- I was a college athlete, and success didn’t necessarily help me identify the lessons learned, just how to defeat an opponent, and move along to the next. The times that have brought me suffering have taught me not only to survive the loss, but how to grow from it.