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08.16.2020

8 YEAR LG ANNIVERSARY: favorite milestones + memories

8 years ago today, I began my blog and all things LG. Today, I wanted to share a look back on the past 8 years, highlighting some of my favorite milestones and memories. It’s amazing to me that some of you reading this have been there with me from day 1… I call you my LG OGs. You purchased the “dollar a day workouts” that were my first products. I met several of you during dental school interviews. I’ve been able to meet so many more at the LG meet ups and just in day-to-day life. These 8 years have been a dream come true, and I am so thankful you’re here. Let’s look back on this blogiversary.

lauren gleisberg how to start a blog

GOOGLING – HOW TO START A BLOG

Let’s take it all the way back to 8 years ago. I was a college student, about to begin my final year. In the summers, I lived in my family home in Mequon, Wisconsin (a suburb just north of Milwaukee). All summer long, I was working and my passion for weight lifting and nutrition was at an all time high. Several of my girlfriends/roommates asked me to send over my workouts to follow, so I was texting out my workouts daily for them to follow (do you remember the days prior to group texts?!). More friends and acquaintances were asking and I had a thought to begin a blog where I could write down my workouts and a few tips (you know I’m long winded so texting was hard) to share it easier. Never in my wildest dreams did I think other people would be trying my workouts.
I sat down on my twin bed in my childhood bedroom with pink walls. I pulled out my laptop and literally googled: “how to start a blog.” Within 24 hours, I had one up and running with my first post and workout.
I’m sure you’ve heard people say their best advice with anything is “just to start.” As I look back on this, what a great reminder to really just begin whatever it is you’ve been thinking about and find ways to improve it along the way.

BLOG TO BUSINESS ON A MATTRESS ON THE GROUND

After I graduated college, I moved to Texas because that’s where Anthony (my now husband, then boyfriend) got a job and where my immediate family moved to. I switched my career path from medical school to dental school, so I took a year after graduation to take additional dental school prerecs and apply. I was also working at Lululemon and blogging.
In August of 2013,  I began envisioning ways I could turn my blog into a business. I released “dollar a day workouts” plus a weekly meal plan. I’ll never forget putting them up for sale for the first time. Anthony and I were in an apartment and all we had was a mattress on the ground (which also served as my office). I published the first ones that august and when I woke up, I had $80 worth of sales. I instantly believed I could do something big with all the ideas I had in my head.

LEAVING DENTAL SCHOOL TO BLOG FULL TIME

Exactly 1 year later in August of 2014, I was set to begin dental school at the University of Texas School of Dentistry in Houston. I had an apartment in the city not too far from campus. I had scrubs with my name embroidered on them. I should have been so excited, but… I definitely wasn’t.
I LOVED everything I had been doing with my blog. I grew it into a business. From a business standpoint- everything was thriving and trending up, up, up. From a personal standpoint- I knew I was living my dreams. The only thing was there was no such thing as an “influencer” or a career as a “blogger.” I came from a very traditional mindset of formal education, 9-5 job, job security, etc. and not going to dental school would be such a risk.
One random day, I walked up to Anthony at Gold’s Gym while we were working out and said, “I don’t want to go to dental school. I want to do what I’m doing, grow it and just enjoy ‘work.'” I’ll never forget Anthony’s response: “F*** it, let’s go for it!” He has always been the biggest cheerleader and supporter of LG. So, a week before I was supposed to begin, I un-enrolled from dental school.

EVENTS + BRANDS COLLABORATIONS

It’s crazy that my norm these days is to be able to work with major brands that I’ve loved even before blogging. But, nothing will ever be as special as those first few- flying out to NYC to help H&M launch their active wear line is one of those. I remember feeling like “wow, my mission is validated and believed in.”
I will never forget one email… she introduced herself as Erica, someone who loved my workouts and my mission: working out not just to look better but more importantly, to feel better. She shared that her husband was Dr. Phil’s son and produced a show called The Doctors. She asked if I would come out to LA and to share some workouts and my thoughts in a segment on the show. I literally googled (another google search haha) if it was a scam. It wasn’t a scam. I appeared on the show, and it was such an experience.  I adore Erica McGraw and am forever grateful for her believing in me.

 

LG MEET UP TOUR
Perhaps my favorite memory of all was the summer of the LG meet up tour. As our online community grew, it became clear that while we bonded over fitness and food, we were building true friendships. I couldn’t wait to take the online friendships offline, so I decided to host a tour of meet ups where I came to you. Over 2 months, I went to 8 different cities and got to meet and squeeze so many of you *in real life* Those are moments I will cherish forever!
A little behind the scenes of LG… we planned to do more meet ups each summer after that. Then, I got pregnant and had Leo in the summer. The following summer I got pregnant again. And, the summer of 2020 was set as the “We are family LG meet up tour” to attend and bring anyone who is part of this extended family. My kids, husband, mom, and LG Team members were going to accompany us, and then… covid happened. So, we look forward to that in the future.

THANK YOU

We are 8 years from that first google search and we’ve built something truly special. Hundreds of thousands of women all over the world follow LG workouts. You ladies have uploaded with community hashtags to IG alone over 1 million times. There are 8 of us on the LG Team who work every day to bring you the absolute best.
I am so incredibly grateful for this community. You have been there with me through workout challenges, babies, life’s ups and downs, and every moment in between. “LG” has changed my life forever and I am so thankful I get to live this dream every day. Thank you so much for choosing to be a part of it!

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