About Lauren

Hi, I’m Lauren Grow. Let’s step inside The Grow’s Nest. 

This is the place where motherhood meets ambition, where sawdust settles next to side hustles, and where deep roots and big dreams coexist. 

I’m a working mom, a doctoral student in public administration, a professor, a fundraiser, and a home renovator with a thing for fresh paint and BIG ideas. I believe in hard work, real human connection, morning light in a quiet kitchen (with a cup of coffee in hand), and making things beautiful—even when (especially when) life feels messy.

I started The Grow’s Nest as a way to share the parts of my life that don’t always fit neatly into a job title or a LinkedIn post. My last name is a big part of all of this, and the word “nest” embodies the meaning of home and where my husband and I are as new parents.

This is where I write about:

• Motherhood: honest, gritty, joyful reflections from the front lines of raising Magnolia (yes, that’s her real name)
  
• Home: the houses my husband and I flip, the spaces we make cozy, the lessons we learn with every nail and nail gun (and trust me… there are a lot of nails)
  
• Work: what it means to love your job and grow alongside it, to chase purpose without burning out
  
• Teaching: my life in higher ed, and what I’ve learned from standing in front of classrooms and behind a desk, and my belief in education
  

My life is far from perfect and I’m learning as I grow—but I believe there’s beauty in that too. This blog is a nest—a place to fly to, a place land, to dream, to grow. I hope it becomes that for you, too.