In an exclusive interview, we dive into the inspiring journey of Lauren Holly, the visionary behind Ladies of Los Angeles®. Lauren shares her insights into founding and growing this empowering community that connects women in Los Angeles, fostering authentic friendships and professional connections. From overcoming challenges in managing a large Facebook group to hosting impactful events, Lauren’s dedication shines through as she envisions a future of continued growth and support for women in the city.
What inspired you to focus on connecting women specifically in Los Angeles?
Back in 2018, I realized my circle had become small and I was missing out on female friendships after most of my friends moved away. What started out as a post in another facebook group, turned into me creating my own group for women in LA to connect and meet in person to form authentic friendships. Female friendships are important to have and I wanted to create an accessible way to do that.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in building and growing Ladies of Los Angeles?
Luckily, I have not seen too many challenges in the almost 6 years we have been up and running. My biggest challenge has been navigating a Facebook social group of an enormous size. At the time of this interview, my group has 29,400 members, which can come with a lot of opinions and conflict. While most of the time the group runs smoothly thanks to me and my mod team, there have been countless times where members have been unkind and judgmental towards my team and other member’s posts. This is bound to happen in a group of this size with multiple personalities and differences in opinions.
How have you overcome those challenges, and what lessons have you learned along the way?
My moderator team and I have learned how to handle conflict and manage a variety of members and their differences. We all work in mental health in some capacity and have used our assertiveness, boundary setting, and communication skills to work through these challenges and come to an understanding of why we have a specific stance on an issue. My biggest lesson that I have learned is that someone will always have an issue with the way you run or handle things, but to never back down from what you feel helps the good of the group and the members.
What impact have you seen Ladies of Los Angeles have on the women in your community?
The impact has been vast and I am extremely proud. Countless women have found forever friendships, business connections, clients, housing, and jobs from the group. I feel that the group has set the gold standard of how to navigate a large community of women online, since Ladies of Los Angeles® allows a variety of complicated and/or controversial posts which does not happen in many other groups I am a member of. We allow these types of posts because women deserve a safe and honest space to get advice and guidance. Some women are new to the city and do not have the social support to be able to get this type of support outside of the group.
Can you tell us about a particularly memorable moment or event that has happened through Ladies of Los Angeles®?
I have a few memorable moments from running the group, including officially adopting Ladies of Los Angeles® as a trademark in January and hosting various events over the years. Some of my favorite events are the ones I hosted early on at the park and the beach. The events were low pressure and I made a few lifelong friends from those meetups. Being recognized by other online platforms has also been rewarding and I hope to continue to grow my group and continue hosting.
How do you envision the future of Ladies of Los Angeles? Any upcoming plans or initiatives you’re excited about?
The group has two events happening in March for National Women’s Month. We are going to be attending Woman Up, a pop up market at the Village Well in Culver City to support other female owned businesses on the 23rd. We will also be hosting a meetup at Kavahana in Santa Monica, LA’s first kava nectar bar, a non-alcoholic bar also partially female owned to encourage connection in a sober setting on the 30th (join us)! My hope for Ladies of Los Angeles® is for it to continue to grow and be a safe and encouraging space for women in Los Angeles. One dream I have would be to be able to host an event showcasing the amazing women in the group and other local LA businesses on a wide scale.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs or community builders who are looking to start their own projects or businesses?
I would say that dedication and consistency will keep your community and vision alive. I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into this community and group and it has shown me that anything worth fighting for is going to have positives and negatives attached to it. If you are inspired, dedicated, motivated, and open, your business, project, and/or community will thrive.
How do you balance your personal life with running Ladies of Los Angeles®?
When I am not running my group, I work as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and I have a podcast called Dope Sh*t My Therapist Says. I have learned to set boundaries and limits for myself and for my team, we go on the group when we can. We take evenings off and we close the group every Saturday night into Sunday morning and occasionally other times to give ourselves a much needed break. I model these behaviors to show the members that I am not a superhuman and it is ok to take time away from your work.
Lastly, what does success look like for you personally and for Ladies of Los Angeles® in the long term?
I feel on some level I have achieved a great deal of success by creating this community. Many groups have been formed based on my work and structure, which encourages more women to connect in person. Ladies of Los Angeles® is one of the most populated women’s social groups in Los Angeles and continues to grow each week. I would love to be able to have more women meet and host more events for women to find their friends in the city (and more of a passive income wouldn’t hurt, haha)!
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ladiesoflosangeles
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ladies_of_losangeles
Heylo (for group events): https://app.heylo.co/g/96bb5cf1-adc7-43b2-9519-8e90ed1272b9 (or search ladies of los angeles)
