Hi! I’m Lauren.
I’ve been a passionate reader for as long as I can remember.
I grew up in Vancouver, BC, where you could always find me lost in a book. (Fun fact: My fourth-grade book project was on The Hobbit.) I could never understand why the other kids didn’t like silent reading time, and Scholastic book fairs are some of my fondest memories.
In high school, I enrolled in all the advanced English classes I could, not because I thought I was good at the subject but because reading more books seemed like a no-brainer. I left Vancouver to attend Western University (formerly known as The University of Western Ontario), where, after flip-flopping between business, media, and other programs, I ended up following my heart’s desire and graduating with a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in health sciences (because of Grey’s Anatomy, but that’s a story for another time).
Writing and reading have always been my greatest passions. After graduating from Western, I moved to New York City, where I interned for DailyCandy’s editorial department (#RIP) and a now-defunct fashion blog. I applied my writing skills to get a job running MTV World’s social media, and then I jumped over to Broadcast Music Inc. to run their social accounts.
In 2013, I moved to California to join a TBWA agency, where I headed up the social media accounts for VCA Animal Hospitals and provided content strategy for Subaru, and I freelanced with my long-time friend Phil Pallen during mornings, evenings, and weekends, doing everything from mood boards to copywriting for personal branding clients.
In 2015, I made the jump to freelance full-time, where I help clients find their voices and build successful online businesses. Eventually, I moved back to Vancouver with my partner (and our two cats), where I plan to live forever.
My career has been based on helping others find ways to merge their passions and their skills, and yet, it wasn’t until TikTok that I had the courage to take my own advice…
Book Huddle is my way of helping avid readers find new books—and new friends.
As an introvert, I’ve always found it hard to make new—meaningful—friends in adulthood. (After all, when work is over, all I really want to do is cuddle up with my cats, a book, and some wine.) It was also difficult to find friends who love reading and discussing books as much as I do.
When I first discovered #BookTok, I was amazed by the community’s kindness and passion. After some prompting by my friend Phil, I decided to put myself out there and start posting about books on TikTok, just to see what happened.
In April 2023, I shared an idea for a reading retreat on TikTok, where we’d rent out a relaxing venue, focus on a communal book, go for nature walks, drink some wine, and get to bed early. To my shock, the video went viral, getting over 18k shares and 50k likes, and a barrage of comments showing interest. Now, I’ve made that idea a reality, and I’m proud to launch the first-ever reading retreat in Oct 2023.
To me, Book Huddle is about so much more than reading. It’s about appreciating new perspectives, new worlds, and new ideas with people. It’s about finding a group of people who accept—and celebrate!—you for your most authentic self. It’s about enjoying the little things in life, like a great mug of tea or an up-and-coming writer.
Through Book Huddle, I hope to create memorable experiences that help people unwind and meet others in exciting places. I have dreams of hosting each retreat in a new location, each with a different theme and featured book. I want to host authors for Q&As, help people pick up new hobbies, and have the perfect getaway.
And, of course, I hope to read some really good books.
