lattes with lauren a q&a series

Happy Friday y’all! Friday means another ‘lattes with lauren’ post where I’ve picked 5 of your questions from last week’s blog post to answer! Always love reading y’alls questions and getting feedback from you – so thank you to those of you who leave comments!!

My question is how to transition into fall while working an 8-5 job. I work at MD Anderson Cancer Center in a clinic, but I am a provider so business casual is my uniform. I am struggling to find pieces that are light enough to wear with my lab coat, but warm enough or that look like fall/winter pieces. Any recommendations for non-chunky sweaters or non-heeled booties (or anything else you can think of)?

The first store that came to mind when I read this question is LOFT. They have tons of transition / fall clothes that could definitely be business casual. Their lightweight cardigans are a really good option and definitely light to wear under a lab coat! They also make alot of great tops / blouses that are business casual and not bulky.

I also think having a great pair of black pants / black denim can take you far in business casual! If you’re allowed to wear black jeans…I’d look at Paige jeans – some of their black denim actually look like black pants. They’re really comfortable and great quality, and will go with everything! For shoes – check out some of Sam Edelman’s flats/flat boots!

2. I love running just like you! I saw you recently ran a race and got pretty bad bruises! They looked awful. I was wondering, how do you push past getting hurt and start running again? I love running but sometimes when I pull a muscle or fall during a race and have to take time off its hard to get back into it. How do you push yourself to keep going even though you got hurt as well?

This process was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’m used to working out hard 6 days a week and after my fall…I just hurt everywhere and working out was really hard. What was harder though was listening to my body and resting. I definitely took a few days off after my fall and then eased back into working out (with much easier workouts than what I was doing).

So my first piece of advice would be to listen to your body. If you pulled a muscle or you’re injured…let your body heal. I know how hard it can be to rest, but if you don’t let yourself heal, you will make the injury worse! Or, use this as an opportunity to do a different kind of workout. If you pulled your calf muscle, maybe focus on strength training and upper body.

Once you let yourself rest, I know it can be hard to get back into your routine. So my advice would be ‘mind over matter’. Even when you don’t want to get back in the gym, remind yourself that it will be worth it, and you will be SO glad you went in an hour after it’s over. Take it one step at a time – put a workout on your calendar, get your shoes on, drive to the gym, etc. Remind yourself you can do this, and that you’re strong, and that it will be worth it.

3. If you weren’t blogging, what do do you think you’d be doing right now?

I thought this was such an interesting question because I really had to think about it! If I wasn’t blogging full time, I would most likely still be working for Neiman Marcus Direct. My first job there was a merchandise coordinator, which puts you on the track to become an Assistant Buyer, and then you move up the ladder from there. So I’m thinking at this point I’d probably be an assistant buyer at Neiman’s, which is crazy to think about! There are certain things I miss about that job, but let me tell you…I do not miss sitting in a cubicle from 8-6 everyday!

4. I am a new college grad who is on the job hunt. What was life after college for you? Any advice to get through a season of waiting for companies to contact you?

I remember this season being SO HARD! I’m the least patient human ever. I do have a few pieces of advice though. My dad kept telling me “I know it’s hard to wait. But enjoy this season of life. When you’re 40 and look back this season will seem like a blip on a radar screen, because you have the rest of your life to work,” and he was so right. I’m sure you’re anxious to get a job but remember that you will never get this season of life back again! Enjoy sleeping in and having tons of flexibility while you can haha.

Something else that helped me be more patient is realizing that the people you are e-mailing / interviewing with probably have 1 million other things that they are juggling. So, to you…this job is like the most important thing in your life right now. But to them, it’s probably pretty low down on their totem pole of things to do. So, don’t take it personally that they take a while to get back with you! having said that though…it never hurts to follow up (alot haha). Your interview or resume probably isn’t the first thing on their mind, so sending a follow up or ‘thank you’ email never hurts!

5. My question is about your Apple Watch. It seems like you consistently wear it when you’re running. Why did you chose this watch over a GPS watch like garmin? Also, can you listen to your music from your watch or do you still carry a phone?

I like the Apple Watch because it syncs up with my phone, and I wear it all day long – not just for exercise. There probably are better fitness watches out there other than the Apple Watch, but i like that i can wear this watch all day long and it still looks cute with normal everyday outfits. I also read / respond to texts on my watch, and other features because it’s connected to my phone. I also like it because I have alot of friends with an Apple Watch and we can follow each other’s activity!

You can listen to music from your watch if you have bluetooth headphones and have songs downloaded in iTunes! I use Spotify though so I still carry my phone when I run!

If y’all have any questions you’d like for me to answer next week, leave them in the comments below! Hope you guys have an awesome weekend! We are currently heading to Oregon to spend the weekend with friends and of course check out a few wineries! This white free people sweater is 100% coming on the trip with me! I seriously want it in every color.

As always, thank y’all for reading!!

xo Lauren