LAURYN OF THE SKINNY CONFIDENTIAL

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick has turned her passion for beauty, wellness and no-censor advice into one of the most distinctive blogs online today, The Skinny Confidential. Along with the blog Lauryn released her own book, The Skinny Confidential Lifestyle Guide and a BODY GUIDE, which is a monthly subscription service that includes new workouts and meal plans.

In partnership with her husband, Michael Bosstick, Lauryn hosts the cheeky entrepreneurial podcast, The Skinny Confidential HIM & HER, which just hit 55 million downloads. Lauryn works with the top tier brands while continuing to connect with her community on a daily basis.

The Skinny Confidential has been featured in SHAPE, Women’s Health Magazine, SELF Magazine, The Gary Vee Show, People Magazine, and Who What Wear. You can find her reading, writing, practicing Pilates, cuddling with her daughter or spooning her two chihuahuas.

“If it is just for money, then you may need to think a little harder about why you want to do it; [money] is not enough. This is something that I’ve done seven days a week for the last 11 years. You have to love it.”

— Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick

When did you realize you could build a business and a livelihood through The Skinny Confidential brand?

I realized right away (I just recorded a podcast and they asked me this too); I believe that you can build your own future and create your own destiny, so the second that I decided to start The Skinny Confidential, I had every intention of building it with a vision. I knew that the key to building it was not someone else or an opportunity – it was me. So I was very aware from a young age that I wanted to build it into a brand. I was 21 when I started it; I was going to college full time, was totally disinterested in school, and just found it a creative outlet, and realized through that I was always destined to be an entrepreneur.

Have you ever faced challenges as a woman entrepreneur? If so, how have you overcome them?

I think you face challenges every day; there are always fires to be put out all the time. Time management is a huge challenge for me – having a baby, making sure that I'm hitting content goals, while also working on the big picture can be a lot. 

But I've tried to really start to say no to things, I only say yes to things that are a “for sure” yes. That doesn't have to be, for example, saying yes to someone that has eight million followers for an interview; I like to say yes to things where I feel like I can give back to the community that supported me, or maybe even posting an Instagram story of a small business. I like to give back and say yes to things that I think will move the needle in a specific way. The other day I got asked to be on a pretty big podcast and I just didn't see how it made sense for my brand to be on this podcast – it was a huge podcast with millions of downloads, but I just politely declined. 

I will say, though, I've done this for 11 years and for the first seven years, I said yes to every single thing – whether it's talking at an elementary school or getting on the phone with a reader, I just said “yes, yes, yes.” Then all that stuff came to a point where it stopped serving me and I wasn't able to manage my time efficiently. So now I’m just trying to say yes to what I can handle. Time management still is a challenge for me, but I'm trying to get better.

Someone logs onto theskinnyconfidential.com the first time. Where should they start?

I would say if you're logging on for the first time, think of it as a resource; it's not all my tips and tricks, it's a collective resource of a bunch of women's and men's secrets, tips, and tricks, all in one.

If you’re interested in beauty, I would tell you to start in beauty. If you're interested in how to save time, there are certain sections on there where you can see if you are into saving time like I am. For example, in regards to time-saving, I would tell you to turn on The Skinny Confidential podcast and do what I call “passive multitasking” – for example, while you're learning about Ben Greenfield's wellness tips on our podcast, you can fold laundry, too. 

What words of wisdom do you have for young women interested in building a platform similar to The Skinny Confidential?

I would say be a practitioner of your calendar, which is still really hard for me. My first [assistant] was someone who literally clamped my calendar down to the second; you're obviously not going to hit it every single day. But [my assistant] will have everything in there from the time my daughter sleeps, to when I shower, to when I'm working out, all color coded (for example, workouts in yellow). Definitely set your deadlines and become skilled at your calendar. 

I would also say go in with the right intentions. I went into it with the intention of providing value to an audience. I think a lot of people now are just looking at [content creation] with money signs in their eyes, but you should really refine the intention of why you're doing it in the first place. If it is just for money, then you may need to think a little harder about why you want to do it; [money] is not enough. This is something that I've done seven days a week for the last 11 years. You have to love it.

I would say that consistency, patience, discipline and execution are very, very, very, important. The most important word, though, is the execution. We can sit and talk about ideas all day long, but if you're not executing on them, they mean nothing.

What's a book, podcast, newsletter, or blog you’ve read recently that you would recommend to the CWBS community? Anything goes!

I think every single woman should read Glennon Doyle's Untamed; It is such a beautifully written book – I've never bookmarked a book more than that book, and I feel like that says a lot because I am a huge reader. This book was just so life-changing – she's so transparent and able to communicate feelings that women have on paper that you don't even know you have until you read it. 

Her wife, Abby Wambach, wrote a book called Wolfpack; it's all about leadership and how to lead from the front, not from the back. It’s a quick read, and I think there are a lot of tangible takeaways in there for people starting out.

Who is a woman leader that you look up to?

Definitely Glennon Doyle; after everyone read her book, she raised $25 million for her charity Together Rising, on five to ten dollar donations, and I think that's pretty badass. Also, she's really able to communicate with an audience; I think the women that I look up to are ones that know how to communicate to their readers and viewers in a way that is vulnerable, heartfelt, and purposeful.

Another female leader I look up to is my friend Jordan of The Balanced Blonde – she’s been super open about her orthorexia and her journey through the disease. I think that she is a really good role model because she sets a really good example of vulnerability. 

I just look up to women that I think are creating their own future on their own terms without listening to the outside noise and judgment of others. I've always been a person who doesn’t listen solely to what my dad says, or my sister says, or what my friend says – I'm very focused on building the vision that I have. Of course, I listen to their opinions, but I don't let it come into my ether, in my space, on my island. I think that people end up respecting you more when you're doing things on your own terms without looking for validation from everyone around you.

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