FAACT's Roundtable

Ep. 214: The Influencer Life with Lauren Less

• Lauren Less • Season 4 • Episode 214

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We’re turning on the inspiration today with social media influencer Lauren Less, CEO and Founder of Less with Laur, to learn not only about the life of an influencer but also how to create a joyful life with food allergies and other related conditions.

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Caroline: Welcome to FAACT's Roundtable, a podcast dedicated to navigating life with food allergies across the lifespan. Presented in a welcoming format with interviews and open discussions, each episode will explore a specific topic, leaving you with the facts to know or use. Information presented via this podcast is educational and not intended to provide individual medical advice. Please consult with your personal board-certified allergist or healthcare providers for advice specific to your situation. Hi everyone. I'm Caroline Moassessi, and I am your host for FAACT's Roundtable podcast. I am a food allergy parenthood advocate and the founder of the GratefulFoodie blog, and I am FAACT's Vice President of Community Relations. Before we start today's very interesting conversation, I just want to pause for just a moment to say thank you to DBV Technologies for being a very kind sponsor of Facts Roundtable podcast. Please note that today's guest was not sponsored by DBV or compensated in any way by the sponsor to participate in this specific podcast. We're turning on the food allergy inspiration today with social media influencer Lauren Les, CEO and founder of Less with Lahr, to learn not only about the life of a food allergy influencer, but also how to create a joyful life with food allergies and other related conditions. Welcome, Lauren, to FAACT's Roundtable podcast. We're absolutely thrilled you are here to speak with us. We know we're going to see you in person in just a couple months at the digital influencer summit, but this is just so exciting to help our followers get to know you. So welcome.

Lauren: Thank you. Yeah, I'm so excited to be here.

Caroline: This is great. Your social media is just visually beautiful, but it's also packed with real life authenticity. And your passion just comes through, and your passion for making a difference and helping people live better lives is just so present. So can you share, though, your background with everyone and then how you got to where you are today? You have a real interesting background.

Lauren: Thank you. First of all, I went to school. I got a master's in social work. Actually, I wanted to go to school to be a PA. That's what I wanted to do in college. So I was like pre-Pa for a while. I was actually, like taking prereqs for PA school after college. And then I started experiencing all these health issues and I ended up switching paths, and that's where my story started. I was struggling with, like, a lot of different chronic symptoms, and then I was diagnosed with food allergies and several chronic health issues. And then my page started when I was first diagnosed with a wheat and a dairy allergy. And I honestly was never going to post on there. I just, like, created this separate Instagram account to save recipes. And then I was like, you know what? I'm just going to post. You know what I'm making. And see, it was like back when there was just those little square photos, and they didn't have video yet. And I've also had to change my diet so much because of my food allergies. So as that kind of evolved, I started experimenting more and just, like, ended up building a community around the recipes and the different health issues and struggles that I have been going through. Also, I left my social work job at some point to figure out what my health issues were. And during that time, I ended up working in real estate and, like, getting my real estate license. And then I transitioned during COVID back to doing real estate, private practice therapy part time, and then working on my page and my blog. So at the end of last year, it was kind of chaotic, and I ended up leaving my therapy job and focusing mainly on my Instagram and my blog. So, yeah, my background is a little bit chaotic, but I've had the opportunity to do a lot of things and learn a lot of things, which has been really cool.

Caroline: See, now, I wouldn't call it chaotic. I would call it just what a young person should be doing, experiencing things and then saying, no, thank you. And it's an evolution. See? So you've had this really evolved, interesting background because you have this science and health background and then this mental health background, and then you yourself are a patient, so you really understand. And what are your allergens?

Lauren: Wheat, dairy, egg, sesame, soy, peanut, buckwheat.

Caroline: That's definitely a handful.

Lauren: Yeah.

Caroline: So now, what inspired you to just say, okay, that's it? This is actually a career. I mean, you already kind of gave us this good background, and you're leading this into this, and. But social media is such a huge, big thing, and to do this full time is just really impressive. So what is inspires you, and what is that driving force that gets you up every morning and going?

Lauren: Yeah, I think it fuels my creative side, which is something I didn't have. I kind of lost touch with for a while, honestly. And then it's just connected me to so many people around the world. It's really fun to do, and I've been able to help people through my recipes. Like, when I get messages that people say, you know, people say, oh, my. Like, child with food allergies is able to eat this dinner recipe of yours. Like, he loved it so much. Like, that just makes me happy that I can create something that makes someone's life easier in that way.

Caroline: Well, and I think anyone who's interested in healthcare is interested in changing the world and helping quality of life. So I could see that connection.

Lauren: Yeah.

Caroline: Now tell us about life as an influencer. Like, what is your day like? Do you spend, you know, certain time online? What is being an influencer like? I want our listeners to really get a feel for your life.

Lauren: I think mine's a little bit different than other people's because I do have some health issues that make it hard for me. I get, like, dizzy when I stand for too long because I have pots, so I can't stand up in the kitchen all day long. Like, I think a lot of people will shoot all their recipes in one day and I just, like, can't do that right now. So I'll usually do like two days of shooting recipes and I'll do like one or two recipes. And then I also try to work in some computer work on those days, too, so I can kind of rest. And then I'll grocery shop usually on Sunday or Monday, get everything prepared for the week. And then the other days I'll spend working on my blog, Pinterest email list, I'm working on an ebook. And then there's like, you know, YouTube, TikTok, posting to so many different platforms and figuring out what's going to work best, doing strategy, figuring out trends. There's a lot that goes into it. Keyword researching for your blog to make sure that your SEO is good, taking photos and videos, getting the lighting right is a whole other thing because you have a certain window to shoot. Basically, if you're using natural light, you have a certain window in the day where the lighting looks the best. I have somewhat of a flow. I try to do two days of recipe shoots and then I usually respond to emails every day for a couple hours, too. And then I'll sprinkle in, you know, I'll work on Pinterest or ebook or whatever else.

Caroline: So I have two questions for you. One, are you a professional photographer? I mean, your photographs blow my mind in your videos. I'm just in awe. Like, is that something you learned professionally or you learned as you went along?

Lauren: I've just learned it as I went along. I did in like 2017, I took an iPhone course for photography. It was like I photography, which she since has, I think like retired the program. But that was helpful for me to learn a little bit more about the spacing and the lighting, but otherwise, I've just kind of made it up as I go.

Caroline: I absolutely love that. And then you just mentioned an ebook. So what's the ebook about?

Lauren: Yeah, so I'm making an ebook on kind of the trance because a lot of people who follow me eat gluten-free and dairy free, whether it's because they actually have a wheat allergy or celiac or a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance or, you know, sometimes with autoimmune issues, like doctors will tell people to go gluten free and dairy free and see if it makes them feel better. I'm kind of doing an ebook into where to start if your medical professional is telling you to stop eating gluten and dairy. Yeah. And then. So I've also been diagnosed with a couple chronic health issues, a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, POTS mast cell activation syndrome, which can kind of also overlap with the allergy symptoms as well. Those are some things that I've been dealing with and also have been able to connect with a lot of people around.

Caroline: Well, thank you so much for sharing that because I think that really ties into so much of what you do, because I think you really understand your audience because you are living this completely. And so coming from that background, then how do you go about creating content and recipes? Like, do you sit down and say, okay, I'm going to do two recipes a month, or is there anything real specific? I mean, again, there's so much to talk about because you have the food allergies and these other health conditions and all these different ways to live life. So how do you cut it all down?

Lauren: Yeah, it's hard. I mean, when it comes to social media too, I'm like, am I in too many different niches? Am I talking about too many different topics on my page? But, you know, then I'll share that I have eds and people will be like, oh my gosh, I didn't even know you had that. Like, I've just been following you for your recipes. So I think it is helpful to share all of those things because it helps more people to learn and relate. As far as the recipes, I kind of started off by trying to recreate my old favorite recipes and make them allergy friendly. Like, I used to make these funfetti bars all the time, so I tried to convert those into like, gluten free, dairy free, egg free banana breads, carrot cake cupcakes, nutter butter cookies, like making them with sun butter and then I also just kind of share what's relevant in my life currently. Sometimes there will be viral recipes on social media, and I'll take those and try to put an allergy friendly twist on them. Or I did a lunchable recently that was allergy friendly for back to school. So I try to do it seasonally as well as just what's coming up in my life and what I'm going through, what I think people might find helpful or relate to. And then I also just try to make recipes that are adaptable for a wide variety of people. Like on my blog, I'll try to talk about how to make things like nut free, too, or friendly for other allergies, and then I'll share allergy friendly finds that I found throughout the week. And then as far as how many recipes, I probably shoot like, three or four recipes or videos a week, it honestly depends on the week. And it also depends on whether or not I'm, like, working on, like, branded sponsorships or not. It kind of depends on the week, too, and how complicated the recipes are.

Caroline: I love that. I love to cook and bake, so that's so fun. But, you know, just to give our listeners a little more insight into you, what would they expect to find on your blog?

Lauren: Yeah, so I have tons of recipes. All the recipes are gluten free and dairy free. Most of them are egg free. All of them are soy free. There's a lot of different, like, nut free options. Basically recipes that are adaptable for a lot of different food allergies and dietary restrictions.

Caroline: All right, thank you. Because I just wanted everyone to know what's going on over there. And so now let's just switch gears for just a hot moment here to talk about your work as a food allergy therapist. So what is the difference between a food allergy therapist and then just a yemenite general therapists. And if you also don't mind, just kind of adding in why therapy can be really helpful for someone managing food allergies or even other related conditions, like you mentioned, you know, POTS and Ehlers Danlos and mast cell and so forth.

Lauren: So, like, the major difference between a regular therapist and a food allergy therapist is food allergy therapists are knowledgeable about food allergies. You know, when you go out into the world, there's a lot of people who don't know about food allergies, who don't know about cross contamination, who don't know what it's like to live with a food allergy, who think, you know, oh, you can just have one bite. They don't really understand what could happen. They think you have a stomachache if you, you know, have food allergies. I think there's a lot of misconceptions around food allergies. And I think therapists are people, too, right? Like, and some of them don't know what food allergies are. So the major thing is, like, you have to know about food allergies. And I think one of the biggest issues is if you're seeing a therapist who doesn't understand food allergies, any food allergy fears might be treated as an irrational fear when it's actually a very rational fear. Like, it can be a life threatening thing. And so that can be damaging to someone if your therapist is treating you as if your food allergy fear is this irrational thing. So that's a very important distinction. And then as far as how therapy can help, I think it kind of depends on what the person might be struggling with. But there can be a lot of, like, anxiety around food allergies. Therapy can kind of help people to change their mindsets around food allergies. I've worked with, like, moms whose babies were diagnosed with food allergies as well. So, you know, moms who have kids with food allergies can also experience anxiety. I like to talk about values and how their values might be impacted by the food allergies and kind of talk about how they're living their lives differently because of them and where they want to be living their lives and making their world as big as possible, still being able to do all the things that they want to do, like travel, for example, or kids want to spend time with other kids and be able to feel included. So I think there's a lot of different things that can be work done. And then theres a lot of overlap, too, between the symptoms of anxiety and the symptoms of a food allergy reaction. So there can be some panic around that or anxiety around that. So kind of going over that, too. And what your food allergy reaction looks like versus your anxiety, how that feels in your body, and kind of also working up to things that you want to be able to do that might feel scary eating at a restaurant, or it all depends on the situation. You know, there are some people who don't feel comfortable eating outside their home, but they want to be able to. So it's really individual.

Caroline: Well, thank you for sharing that insight. Now let's talk about facts digital influencer summit that's coming up in November. We're so excited to have you joining us and presenting. So what are you most looking forward to at the summit of?

Lauren: Yeah, I'm excited to connect with others, help people learn more about social media and food allergies. I'm going to speak on building relationships, social media best practices, all things that I really like. I love speaking about social media, so I'm excited to share my experience and insights with people who are interested in.

Caroline: Learning and that's, I think, where you learn the most. I mean, way back in the day I used to be an influencer when blogs were first starting and so forth, and I just loved these kind of events because you always found things that you didn't know and things that would make you a better influencer by hearing from people who were so much more seasoned, you know, than you or just had a different experience. I mean, it's such an amazing exchange of information and listeners. Just a little quick side note here. A hot little tip is the early registration for the summit ends on the 31 August. So I'll make sure in the show notes you have the links to register and to join us at the summit. But also we are going to have the links for Lauren's blog and website and all her social media. So you can follow her and see these gorgeous pictures that I keep raving about. But I want to make sure you guys take a look at the notes so you can see all this great information. So now, Lauren, our time is actually coming to an end, which I'm just so bummed because I just love talking to you. But before we wrap up today, is there anything else you want the listeners to hear from you?

Lauren: You're never alone and there's always somebody who understands what you're going through, who can connect over it. I always say that like, my DM's are always open. I think sometimes people are surprised when I respond, but like, I try to respond to as many people as I can. So if you have any questions or you just want to connect, you can feel free to message me.

Caroline: That is fantastic because honestly, I swear I think some of the best information I've received and my two college students with food allergies received has been peer to peer from someone who really understands them and just said, hey, you know what? Try this. Well, thank you so much for taking time out of your really busy day to be with us. I'm so excited to meet you in person, but really appreciate your time today. So thank you so much.

Lauren: Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me.

Caroline: I want to pause for just a moment to tell our listeners about an exciting and unique opportunity taking place this November for our food allergy community. FAACT is hosting the FAACT digital Influencer Summit from November 7 through the 10th. This unique Summit unites the allergy community as well as medical experts and the companies who support allergy living, management and safety at one event so that we can make a meaningful impact and difference for the allergy patients and their families. There will be dual tracks, focus on disease management and digital online information, plus a company expo so you can learn more from our partners and allergy friendly companies. Our goal and mission of this in person only summit is to bring everyone together to form lasting new connections, empowering, learning, teaching and sharing with one another that benefit everybody involved. We will host a welcome reception on Thursday evening and then three days of sessions Friday through Sunday, with lunch and dinner provided each day. The link to learn more about Facts Digital Influencer Summit will be in the show. Notes we hope you can all join us once again. I would like to say thank you to DBV Technologies for being a very kind and generous sponsor of FAACT's Roundtable Podcast. Please note that today's guest was not sponsored by DBV Technologies or compensated in any way by the sponsor to participate in this specific podcast. Thank you for listening to FAACT's Roundtable podcast. Stay tuned for future episodes coming soon. Please subscribe, leave a review and listen to our podcast on Pandora, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Stitcher. Have a great day, and always be kind to one another.