Lauren Kress: CEO At The Change Makers | The Business Blast Podcast #870

All right everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Lauren Cress with us. She is the CEO at The Changemakers and is one of the few scientists and innovators of the millennial generation whose knowledge of investment-led growth is transforming decision-making in the world. So welcome to the show.

Thanks, Tyler. Thanks for having me.

Of course. Grateful to have you on. So Lauren, the first one I got for you today is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?

So I have so many stories, honestly. You know, I think that's the thing with, with stories, right? We all have so many great stories to tell and it's such a powerful way to share knowledge with others. So I was thinking about your podcast and thinking about, okay, like what's probably a really valuable message for people. People out there who want to start a business or who are in business, or even if you're just trying to really get ahead in your career as well. And I think probably one of the most valuable stories I could tell in terms of that is my story of sort of always being a bit of an outsider. So I was homeschooled for my primary school years, or like, I think you guys call it elementary school. Is that right?

Yeah. Elementary.

Yep. Yeah, so like I was homeschooled and then I went to high school or what you guys call middle school. So kind of went into this sort of, you know, world at 11 going like, I've always just been able to sort of learn what I want and do what I want. And now I've got all these like teachers telling me what to do and stuff. And I had a few other unconventional experiences as well. So like both my parents had their own businesses and I was in a position where I kind of started my first my first business when I was 14. So from this really young age and throughout like my teenage years as well, I sort of felt like, you know, we didn't have to do things the way that people did them. You know, like I sort of wasn't a really conventional person, if that makes sense. But to be honest, like that feeling was also really hard because, you know, like I started feeling really lonely and like I had major depression in my 20s and I saw it as sort of this negative thing. Being an outsider was bad. You know, I hadn't learned how to fit in. But then I sort of worked through that, and I guess I— this is a long story, right? You know, it took years, but I really spent time reflecting on that and thinking about, okay, how do I turn this weakness into, you know, what ended up becoming really my greatest strength? Which, yeah, like I said, it didn't happen overnight, but I realized that actually being able to stand on my own two feet and go, well, this is my worldview, and this is what I think about the world, and this is is how I live, you know, my true life, ended up being just something that enabled me to really, you know, live and do what I want to do with my life, you know, live on my own terms and not on the terms of other people. So I think, you know, it's a long story. It really started in my childhood, but, you know, so much of the time I think people go, you know, I did this and did this and overnight, bang, this happened. But for me, it was just realizing that actually, you know, not trying to fit in with others and actually work out, you know, who I am and what I want from my life was very, very life-changing for me and hopefully is valuable for others as well.

Absolutely. And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?

Yeah. So I work as basically I work as a growth strategist, so I help people to transform the way they do business and the way they do marketing. And I think if for anyone who wants to go into that sort of the consulting space or works as a strategist, the thing you really need to be able to do is challenge the status quo. So sort of like almost what I was saying in my story there then as well, but like don't let assumptions about what people believe is possible, the people you're working with, you know, the staff, even the CEOs maybe that you're working with, don't let that shortchange the business. So be prepared to actually challenge things, ask questions, say, well, why do we think that is, is the case? That's probably the thing that I've done throughout my career, that it's just such a simple thing to do, just say like, why are we doing this? But can have really, really big impact.

And then what is your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily industry specific.

Yeah, so actually, there's a YouTube video of me speaking on this topic as well, and it's called the ABCs of Starting a Business. So The ABC stands for always be curious, which I think is the most important thing in business. So not just like I said before, like not just if you're starting a business, but if you wanna thrive in anything really, you never wanna stop learning and especially don't stop learning from your failures. So I think we're so scared about failure and doing something wrong. And that's actually, if we can look at that and we can sit with that, And it can be quite uncomfortable, right? But it's something that actually really can teach us, teaches us probably the most valuable lessons for business. And it's something that I really learned from science, you know. So in science, it really is about actually looking at what goes wrong, what's where the failures are, and then learning from that. So that's what I've really taken into the world of business. And yeah, pretty, pretty powerful.

I actually love that. Always be curious because I think one of the biggest things in business too is like being able to adapt adapt, right? So no matter how big you are, it doesn't matter if you're a billion-dollar company or if you're just, you know, $100 grand, whatever it is, to keep growing your company, you have to continuously adapt. And it's never been more so than now due to technology.

Um, oh yeah.

So, so what I mean by that is like the curiosity in my head kind of aligns with adapting, because if you stay curious, then you'll be ahead of the game when things need to be changed or adapted, if you will.

Absolutely. It's like you've got your finger on the pulse then. So you're actually seeing what's happening and you can evolve, like, like saying, like adapt, evolve with what's going on. And it's where small business owners have the biggest advantage over big businesses because it's just big businesses find it so hard to like actually keep up with the zeitgeist because it's just such, it's so big and clunky where small businesses, solo entrepreneurs, like they can really like, or solopreneurs, you know, they can, they can really adapt quickly. So huge hugely important.

Absolutely. And, um, so if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

Oh, I think it would be just to say you are enough. Um, for me, a lot of the value I placed on myself, um, when I was younger came from external achievement and recognition. Uh, you know, so people saying, oh, well done, good job, you know, like, here's a trophy, here's an award, that kind of thing. Um, but now for me, I realized that that's really nothing in comparison to my own validation of myself, which I know, like, at any given moment, I'm enough. And it just enables— it is really liberating to go, I can— I could— if I start with I'm enough, then anything else is just cream on top, you know? It's not like I'm trying to get self-worth from everything that I do.

And then kind of going a little bit down a different path, in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?

I'm going to give you a little bit of a controversial answer on this one, Tyler Wagner.

Yeah, yeah, hit me with it. I'm excited.

So I would say the key to happiness is stop seeking happiness. And I think we have to be careful here with defining what happiness, what we mean by happiness. So there's sort of like, research shows there's sort of, you know, like two different versions of happiness almost. There's that like short-term pleasure, like seeking hedonistic I'm striving for, like sort of what I was saying before, that external, something external to make me feel happy in the moment. And then there's that sort of what they call like eudaimonic wellbeing, that deeper sense of joy that you really experience by being your true self, by striving for purpose, by striving for meaning in your life, which means sometimes things are hard. Sometimes you have to lean into challenges. Sometimes you need to actually deal with pain. But the payoff for that is, I think, so much— it really is what it is to be alive. It's three-dimensional. And I think if anyone's interested in that, a really good place to start to understand that a bit more is have a look at PERMA Theory by Professor Seligman. Or also one of my favorite authors, Brené Brown, wrote a book called Braving the Wilderness. That's a really, really good place to start for that. But just sort of going, yeah, happiness isn't a momentary thing. It's a lifelong process. If that makes sense.

And I actually agree. Have you ever heard of Jordan Peterson?

Yeah, I love Jordan Peterson.

Yeah. So he even talks about things. And I guess for everybody listening, don't quote me on this, but something along the lines of like, you shouldn't aim for happiness, you should aim for rather like fulfillment. And then happiness can be a result of that sometimes. But to constantly try to be happy is really something that shouldn't even be a goal because happiness is kind of like a mood.

Exactly.

Rather find fulfillment in your work, your life, and things of that nature, and then you can be happy potentially more times than you are not happy. Yeah, I think it's actually a really interesting question. I think we could actually have an hour discussion on it at some point.

Oh, totally.

We could. Yeah, I really like your answer. It's perfect. It is. It's fun to talk about. It makes me happy. So the next question is, what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from it?

Okay, so there are heaps of books. I've read so many great books and actually, like Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life, I'm reading that at the moment, which is awesome as well. But I was thinking about it. I'm like, okay, For business, like, because I actually review a lot of books a lot of the time about business and stuff. And like, my go-to for like anyone who wants to get a grip on business is to read The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman. And I think the thing that I really learned from that was actually, it sort of like goes along with the theme of everything we've been talking about today. But to just, you know, I've got a background in science and don't have a background in business, but it, by reading that book, I just was like, I don't feel like an imposter around people who've completed an MBA now. I don't feel like an imposter around people who have done business for years because I understand the frameworks for business and I can speak their language now. So the Personal MBA is awesome if you want to feel like that.

Awesome. No, no, that's, that's great advice. And I'm like you, I have read, I don't even know how many books. Oh, one thing I wanted to tell you is you should check out Jordan Peterson's other book as well, Maps of Meaning. That book.

I want to read that. Yeah, I heard it's pretty like hefty, right? It's like a, it's a pretty big book.

Oh yeah, that one will, that one, I don't even know what to say. I would do 12 Rules for Life first, but then Maps of Meaning and just listen to it. Like I do all these audiobooks, so I would listen to it on like slow speed. Like Maps of Meaning is like deep, like it's like I'll listen to like 30 minutes of it and then I'll sit back and be like, what in the hell did I just hear? I don't even know what I just heard. So, but then I go back and then I like kind of understand. It's just, it's like, I don't even know how to explain it. It's a very complex book, but it is, it's good.

So I'd recommend it.

I'll put it on my list. I'll put it on my list.

The next one is, what is your favorite quote and why? So it's, 'To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.' It's attributed to Socrates, but it's actually like, if you look at the Hellenistic age and like when Socrates was around, it was already an idea that seems to have been sort of popular, like this idea of knowing myself. But I like that he adds, 'It's the beginning of wisdom,' because I think it's something that, you know, it is really where we need to start. We need to start with ourselves. Like, no one else is really going to know us if we don't know us. And it's something that I think is probably, you know, it's something that we can do for our entire lives. Like, we never stop getting to know who we are. But once we, we sort of embark on that challenge, which is a massive undertaking, we really can pursue our best life. We really can stop and go, hang on, like, why am I not doing this thing that I really want to do? Maybe I'll actually do this instead. And it sort of ties in with this one of the top regrets of the dying, which I always talk about, which is that I wish I would have lived a life more true to myself, not the life that others expected of me. You know, so people at the end of their lives on their deathbeds going, "Farrah, I spent my whole life so worried about what other people thought, and I didn't actually take the time to know who I truly am and live that truth." And I'm just like, that is scary, but also so important for us to learn from and go, you know what? First, most important thing, I'd need to know who I am. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

No, I couldn't, I couldn't agree more. It's— I'll elaborate on that a little bit. I'll share a little bit. It's like what's so interesting when I first went to college is I majored in accounting and that was a terrible decision because that is not me at all. So that's why I— that's one of the reasons why I ended up dropping out. And then once I realized and like really started to understand myself, which is more like an extrovert, like love being with people, talking on stage, like things like that, that's when I started to have success because I wasn't chasing the money, which I thought I would get from accounting because like that's one of the highest paid majors. I was rather doing what I love to do, which then made it not feel like work, which then allowed me to work harder at it, which then allowed me to achieve success in it. That was— whoo, that was good.

And that's such a good story as well because so many people go down that path and then they stay on it because they're like, oh, I've already done this. Like, I've already started studying, I probably should just finish it. And I've already, you know, gotten my degree, so I probably should work in it for a bit. You know, it's like you can make bad decisions for such a long time. Isn't that wild?

When you really think about that, like, this kind of just hit me as you were saying that. It's like It's really wild when you think about, because that also went through my head where it's like you could be 20 years old in school and have done 2 years of schooling in a specific major, and then you literally feel like you've come this far and it's too late to change. And then it's like, dude, you're only 20 years old. You're not even— you haven't even lived a life yet.

Like, it is, you know, like I was like one of those I was so angsty in uni. Actually, I went back to my old uni a couple of weeks ago and I gave a talk to like new grads. And I was like, okay, when I was in your position, I was super angsty. I was like, what am I going to do with my life? What does life mean? You know, that kind of thing. And to be honest, like, you know, over a decade on, I still haven't worked it out. Like, I'm sort of just like, I like what I'm doing now. I love this. And that's kind of how I, you know, I might, but maybe in 5 years I won't. Maybe in 5 years, like, I'll need to adapt and change. Maybe the market will change as well, but like, I'm never going to let myself get stuck in like going, well, I've done this, therefore I've committed. Because I mean, you have to be able to change, right? Like, you've got to be able to listen to yourself. This isn't right. And I'd rather, even at 40, 50, 60, I'd rather not spend the next 30, 40, 50 years doing something I hate because you've only got one life. Like, you know, you don't want to spend it doing stuff that you don't like doing. I think it's We spend so much time working. You don't want to be doing something that you hate.

I agree. Could not agree more. I love this episode. Thank you so much for coming on. I do have one more for you, and that is, where can our audience best find you online? Yeah.

So actually, LinkedIn is probably the easiest way to interact with me directly. So if you just search like Lauren Kress, which is spelled like K-R-E-S-S on LinkedIn, you can find me. I add everyone. So just connect and I will chat with you. But also my website, which is thechangemakers.org.au at the end because you're in Australia. So AU for Australia.

Yeah, go Australia. I love it. Oh yeah. And one last thing before we hop off, and I only know this because I studied abroad as well. For all of you American listeners out there from the US, uni means university. In case you didn't know that. That's what it means.

Sorry, I should have said college.

No, no, no, no, no, no. You keep your slang. I like it. I'm just making sure everybody knows what that means from the US, because if you haven't studied abroad, you've probably never heard it called that. But no, I like it better. So we will stick with uni. And again, thank you for coming on.

No problem, Tyler. Thank you so much for having me. It's been a blast.

The podcast you just heard was made using Anchor. Ever thought about making your own podcast? Anchor makes it really easy for anyone to get started. It's a one-stop shop for recording, hosting, and distributing podcasts. Best of all, it's 100% free. Sign up now at anchor.fm/new. That's anchor.fm/new to get started.