Jennifer Lauren

Now that I’m a mom, I wrestle with ambition, wondering what I should be achieving, whether I’m doing enough, and if it’s okay to slow down or change lanes. As a first generation Asian American working in tech, my parents made sacrifices to propel our family up and forward, and I’m accustomed to striving for…

I LOVE coffee, and I NEED it. I joke that a perfect night’s sleep is six hours and a Starbucks to make up for the two-hour deficiency. But this is the point of my story – Whether they are physical substances or excuses we give ourselves, supplements creep into our lives and evolve into crutches.…

Here’s what I hoped to share before Jette arrived: This is my last week of freedom, when I can enjoy the simple pleasures of getting a full night’s sleep, eating a meal uninterrupted, and leaving the house on a whim (with nothing except what’s in my pockets) — we made it to a full-term pregnancy,…

Hi, I’m Jen. I launched this blog in 2020 when my husband, Jay and I quit our jobs to travel and volunteer with social enterprises in developing countries. Seven weeks into our sabbatical, the pandemic shut down the globe and sent us home unemployed, without a plan. We leaned into our passions — dance, ministry,…

Every endeavor starts with a response to fear, and each time, I try to get better at defeating the inner critic that tells me I’m not good enough to do X — in this case, build a dance community. As a 33-year old product marketer who never danced professionally, I was afraid that I was…

Last year, I shared a vision to build a multi-generational community of women helping girls achieve their potentials, using dance to develop faith and pathways to economic opportunity. Well, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, and I feel it’s time to be bold about how God inspires my vision for a dance social…

“What will you do with a business major from the Haas Undergraduate Program?” The keyboard clicked and clacked as I punched out my application for the business school at UC Berkeley. My goal is to create a vacation Bible study and dance camp for underprivileged youth. Talking about faith and the performing arts must have…

In January 2020, we kicked off our sabbatical with MAD Travel, a tour operator that specializes in sustainability and social impact in the Philippines. For several days, we explored poverty alleviation through housing communities, social entrepreneurship, and education. As a business professional, it can be difficult to reconcile values and profit, but these ideals are…

Two months ago, I quit a cushy job to travel around the world and volunteer with social enterprises in developing countries. It defies expectations for first-generation, Asian-Americans, yet it echoes the immigrant spirit. This is how I want to be more like Grandma.