Husband: Jonathan Gusanders
Child: Lincoln, 15 months
Occupation: Owner of a marketing & events agency, Wander On @We.Wander.On
Hobbies: Festival going—love seeing shows; putting together Mardi Gras Day costumes; and travel, travel, travel!
Lauren Gusanders didn’t just move to New Orleans—she kept coming back. Raised in Michigan but drawn to the city’s energy, she first landed here 15 years ago and never really let go. A long-distance romance with her now-husband, John, eventually turned into full-time roots, and today, she juggles life as a business owner, marketing pro, and mom to a little boy already fluent in Mardi Gras. Whether she’s organizing events, building brands, or chasing after her little one, Lauren embraces every bit of Nola life with open arms and a full calendar.
WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL DAY LIKE?
LAUREN: Running your own business—no day is exactly the same. But, our son usually wakes us up around seven/seven-thirty, we let the dogs out, get [Lincoln] fed, and it usually includes some Ms. Rachel playing in the background. Sometimes I’m out in the market having meetings, networking in New Orleans; sometimes I’m just at home working. I also travel sometimes for my job if I book events outside of the city. Every day is a little different, but we do have a nanny that comes to our house four times a week, [which] helps me get some [work] done.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER?
LAUREN: When I found out I was pregnant with Lincoln, I actually lost my job within 48 hours—my corporate job. There were a lot of ups and downs in what I was going to do. I ended up going back into the corporate world for a bit, working for an actual venue within New Orleans (It’s no longer there—Tin Roof—on Bourbon Street) but I ran all their events. Honestly, I was just so sick of having to conform my schedule for someone else—especially with having a child. My priorities shifted so much. I’d been in the hospitality business my whole career, and I was helping a lot of businesses [with] their social media, marketing, and their events. People started offering to pay me. I started running social media for a large restaurant group down in the Quarter, and I started working as a consultant with various tourism, bar, and restaurant [groups] around the city. Our focus really is in the tourist/restaurant world, because that’s the world we come from. I just started building it [up], and for the past year, I’ve been working on gaining more clients and working with smaller, local agencies. When you own your own business, you work even harder because there’s no “checkboxes” of X, Y, and Z to hit this sales goal. There’s always something you could be working on.
WHAT ARE THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF MOTHERHOOD?
LAUREN: I really try on my Instagram—when I’m feeling vulnerable—to be really open about the highs and lows of being pregnant, motherhood, and growing. People don’t talk about the lows as much as they talk about the highs. One thing: as you evolve as an adult—in general—you see friendships go in and out depending on what phase [of life] you are in, whether you get married and friendships fall off, or you have kids and friendships fall off. When you have a kid, the people that show up for you become so much more apparent—which is the high—because there’s people that you weren’t expecting. Finding your tribe can be challenging.
One of my highest moments is traveling with our son. My goal for him was 12 flights within 12 months. He’s been to Jamaica (for his first birthday), New York, Seattle, Michigan, Chicago, New Orleans, Florida, Hilton Head, and Austin (his first trip). That has been incredible, and hopefully, we can keep up with it as he starts remembering. I think with everything there are ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s beautiful. I love how much I’ve learned in a year and a half.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PARENTING STYLE?
LAUREN: I’m a lot more chill than I expected. I thought when I had a kid, it was going to be very much like [my event planning career: OCD schedule, regimented, color-coded calendar…]. I think part of it is just not having the energy to always be super regimented about everything. Everyone has their own style, and what works for you, works for you. We always say he fits into our lifestyle, we don’t fit into his. There are ways that we’ve shifted our lifestyle, of course, to make it better for everybody. But in the big scheme of things, we wanted to continue to go to Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, and Mardi Gras, and he just comes along with us. Our attitude in the way we’ve raised him so far really reflects in him too; he’s a very chill kid, and he honestly just goes with the flow.
WHAT TRADITIONS OR VALUES DO YOU HOPE TO PASS ON TO YOUR CHILDREN?
LAUREN: Before John and I moved back to New Orleans, we lived in an RV for two years traveling the country (hence our Instagram: @we.wander.on). Travel is so important to us—whether it’s being a tourist in your own city and learning the history or understanding why things are the way they are, or traveling to new places and countries to expand your education, your culture views, and your values. Traveling makes you wiser and makes you understand the world. As long as we can afford it, we’ll continue doing it, and I hope [Lincoln] loves travel as much as we do.
HOW DO YOU PRIORITIZE SELF-CARE WHILE RAISING A FAMILY?
LAUREN: I always carve a few hours out of the week—whether I mean to or not—to do things that are just for me. My lash extensions—I get those done every few weeks—[I get] my nails done, or [I go] for a walk by myself. One thing that I think is really important is staying in tune with your own mental health. I do go to therapy once a week; I’m not ashamed of that whatsoever. There’s a stigma around mental health, and there shouldn’t be. Every week I sit down with my therapist for one hour, and that’s a time to talk about myself, how I can improve myself, and [how I can] be more self-aware, because when you raise a family and you have a child, there are a lot of things in the back of your ear, like how you should be doing better, or you’re doing something wrong, or you’re not prioritizing this.
IF YOU COULD GIVE NEW PARENTS ONE TIP, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
LAUREN: You can continue doing the things that you love if you want to continue doing them. They’re not going to be quite the same as they used to be, and things might be a little bit more challenging. You just have to find the right people to surround yourself with and support you in that journey. Don’t lose yourself in being a mother.
Quick Q’s
- Favorite vacation with Lincoln… Fire Island, NY
- Dream vacation spot… Ireland
- Favorite girls night out… Hitting happy hour
- Favorite binge-watches… Your Honor, Shrinking, or Below Deck
- Favorite treat… cookie dough
- Something that makes you laugh… Lincoln’s laughs