Fifty Cups of Coffee #40: Lauren Frye
Date: December 18, 2024
Location: Zoom
How we know each other
Lauren and I met recently through a press trip for one of her clients. I’ve worked with a LOT of PR people in my career, and I can say that she’s amazing! I was so impressed by her communication throughout, from pre-trip planning to post-trip follow-ups, and how she ran her press trip. Not to mention, she and her husband Jason were a whole lot of fun to travel with. They made the trip even better than it already was. Alain and I were so grateful to have met them both and to have spent time with them on our AmaWaterways river cruise up the Rhone river.
What Lauren is doing now
Lauren is the Vice President of Gillies and Zaiser Public Relations. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina with her husband Jason.
Three questions
During these Fifty Cups of Coffee chats, I ask each person the same three questions. The reasoning behind each is as follows:
Question 1 – Social media makes it easy for other people to think that they know us, when truthfully, we all only see a small sliver of someone’s life and who they really are. This is the interviewee’s chance to share something that is important to them that, for whatever reason, other people may not know.
Question 2 – We all have fears, no matter who are are or where we are in life. This helps connect us and show we are all more alike than we are different.
Question 3 – I believe the answer to this question helps show each person’s true values, passions, and their why in life.
There are no right or wrong answers to any of these. I’m including each person’s answers in first person. Their answers have been edited from my notes for length and clarity, but these are their words.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?
“I think it’s that I am learning to speak Spanish because it’s something that I’m really proud of, and it’s something that, I guess when I first embarked on it, I wasn’t sure I would be able to do at age 53 when I started. I wondered if my brain was still pliable enough to learn a new language. But I am, and it’s actually one of the things in life that is bringing me the most joy right now, is learning to communicate in another language. Aince I started learning now, I find that everywhere I look, there are Spanish speakers. And maybe I didn’t even notice that before. On a recent cruise, there were five crew members that spoke Spanish, so I went up to them and told them all at the beginning to only speak to me in Spanish so I could practice.”
What is your deepest fear?
“My deepest fear is actually that the things that I catastrophize in my head are all going to come true. I definitely deal with anxiety and I am catastrophizer. It’s something I’m learning to work on through therapy. In a way, I would say that even acknowledging that I catastrophize things in some ways minimizes the fear of it. But, I harbor. I harbor a deep fear that one of these days I’m going to be right, and that the thing that I catastrophize about is actually going to happen. That is scary in two ways: it’s scary because the thing I worried about so much is happening, but also that I could be right about it, and therefore, it will be harder to combat that urge to catastrophize going forward.”
If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your life?
“I like this one. I’m definitely setting up my family and Jason’s family – paying off all their debts and making sure they’re set up for life, and that any healthcare needs that anyone will ever have will be taken care of. Then after that, it definitely involves a lot of travel. Being able to open up the world to my nephew, Ben, who is around 11 right now, and is a really smart, curious kid. I would love to travel with him and show him more of the world.”
“I also would love to help all of my friends to achieve their dreams and goals. Jason and I, we spend a lot of time talking about what happens if we win the lottery, usually on long car trips. One of the things we came up with is a grant program for our friends where they write us a little grant about what they want – whether it’s full tuition for their kids to go to college, whether it’s dream vacation to Hawaii – and then we look at it, we probably approve it, and then we give them their wish.”
“I would want to be able to help everyone I know and love to achieve their dreams, their goals, whatever it might be. And then maybe go overthrow the government.”
Lessons Learned
Lauren and I just met recently, but I really love chatting with her. So many times when she’s talking, I find myself nodding to pretty much everything she says with “Yes. Yup. Right there with you.”
Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:
- Want to stay youthful? Keep learning! As someone who is constantly taking classes, my heart responds with so much YES to Lauren’s first answer. Nobody is ever too old and it’s never to late to learn something new, especially a new language. I’m so inspired by her commitment to learning Spanish.
- Catastrophizing might be the word of 2025. Lauren’s last line in her response to the second question makes me laugh the way she delivered it (if this were a podcast, you’d understand!), but also because it’s true. Wildfires ravaging American suburbs and not just forested areas. Wars that won’t end. Greed resulting in so many needless deaths. And a general decline of societal community and kindness *gestures everywhere*. How are we NOT all catastrophizing, indeed! I think she also put into words what so many other interviews alluded to: that it’s the fear of the thing we fear becoming reality that we actually fear the most.
- Help begins at home. I love Lauren and Jason’s grant program idea. I’m going to begin penning my proposal now, so it’s ready for when they do win the lottery.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat, Lauren!
Learn more about Lauren
You can learn more about the PR firm that Lauren works for at www.gilliesandzaiser.com.
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