Lauren Vaknine is a health and life coach, wellness educator, speaker, podcast host and intuitive alchemist, using the experience she gained during her 3-decade long journey from disability to remission, to help women to heal, step into their purpose and transform their lives. She does this through workshops, private coaching and her hugely popular Recondition Your Life Academy, by using a range of holistic healing arts in a unique, whole-person approach that incorporates tools such as inner child & Divine Feminine healing, trauma release, reprogramming limiting beliefs, the science of manifestation, spiritual development, purpose coaching and so much more. This approach enables Lauren to take her clients on a journey from existing to living a life of purpose, intention, self-mastery and fulfillment. You can find Lauren on Instagram @laurenvaknine, her podcast, Reconditioned with Lauren Vaknine – which is quickly edging up the iTunes charts, and has had guests such as Jay Shetty, Dr Shefali Tsabary, Jim Fortin, Shaman Durek, Kate Northrup, Jon Gordon and many others – as well as her website www.laurenvakninecoaching.com and her blog www.laurenvaknine.co.uk where she shares healthy living tips and recipes
What do you do?
What I do is often hard to nail down in an elevator pitch and requires a bit of backstory! I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis before my second birthday and was wheelchair-bound by 18. At that point, I decided that disability wouldn’t be my story, remission would be. So, I started teaching myself everything I could about what makes the human body and mind work and not work. I immersed myself in self-study for over a decade, eventually going into remission in 2013 (though of course being very healthy in the lead-up to full remission for a good few years before). What I realised in my journey from disability to remission, was that we cannot heal using a linear approach. The ability to heal is a result of complete physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing – a holistic approach. I used a range of holistic healing modalities including homeopathy and other treatments whereby the body learns to heal from the root cause, and qualified in a bunch of others, such as life coaching, NLP, CBT, EFT, nutrition and Divine Feminine Healing. So, I now present myself as a health and life coach, health writer and speaker, podcast host and intuitive healer. Because my approach is very unique – as it incorporates all aspects of self and uses a whole-person approach – the people who approach me range from CEOs wanting to improve performance and stay-at-home mums who want to find their purpose, to people suffering from dis-ease and women wanting to love themselves more. My passion is really helping women to heal and find their purpose.
How do you think someone can find their fulfillment?
The answer to that is simple. We cannot ever be fully in our purpose until we KNOW OURSELVES. Knowing who you authentically are – IE who you were when you came into this world before conditioning, trauma and labels took you out of your authenticity – is what leads to true, internal happiness and fulfillment.
How important is a collaboration with other individuals and organisations?
Oh my goodness, I cannot stress enough how important this is to me, and generally for anyone in business. Firstly, I’m a huge proponent of women working together to help build each other’s businesses, to encourage, support, motivate and promote one another. Energetically, this puts us in a better space to manifest, because the Universe enjoys when we are generous and living from gratitude: this is us operating from a place of ABUNDANCE, not scarcity, which is what jealousy is. For me, some of the most exciting things I’ve done have come about as a result of collaborations, and I’ve made incredible friends because of it too!
When it comes to running a business, how do you decide which route to take?
Interesting question because there are so many facets to it. I teach a lot about Feminine and Masculine energies and how we harness them to operate optimally. Business and money are Masculine energies, and intuition is the Feminine. So, I try to balance them out in business. I look at all the facts, data, statistics and generally pragmatism first, then check in with my intuition to see if it feels right. That’s the balance aspect I use to make all decisions. I also have the most INCREDIBLE PA (shout out to Kim), who is more like a business integrator and makes sure I have brilliant systems in place that make everything run smoothly. Essential for time-optimisation.
What would you say to other individuals who want to help their loved ones going through difficult times?
That no one modality works in isolation. Whether your “healing” is healing from a negative money mindset, disease, self-worth issues, trauma or anything else, that isn’t the only issue. We are whole beings; cosmic beings having a human experience, therefore our healing requires a complete, whole-person approach that goes into everything from inner child healing, shadow work, ancestral healing, spiritual practice, brain training, health optimisation and so much more. This is why what I do is unique because it is individualised and takes a holistic approach to life.
How are you changing the world?
Gosh, I hope I’m perhaps doing my part. My passion is to help women step into their worth, to heal from any trauma holding them back and learn how to love themselves fully and deeply. When all women operate from this space, imagine how beautiful a place the world could be. Generally inspiring people to heal anything from the root cause instead of using a band-aid approach is my jam. I’m also very passionate in my activism for free choice in healthcare, healthcare reforms, and teaching people how to educate themselves to be the healthiest they can be and turn within for health and happiness before looking elsewhere for it.
To what do you attribute your success?
Failure! Had I not been disabled – and as sick as I was – I would not have been pushed to work as hard as I did to heal, and therefore be in a position to help others do the same. If I just “had arthritis a bit” and it was uncomfortable but not life-altering, I would probably still be living in that No Man’s Land of “fine”. “Failure” is the best thing that can happen to a person. It’s the only thing that really teaches us. The things I had to sacrifice taught me a lot. Having children, I could see the negative in how little time there is for everything, or I could see it as having to learn how to manage my time very efficiently and make a conscious decision to be very present in both motherhood and work. Also, mentors. I have some incredible mentors who have taught and inspired me so much. I think every entrepreneur needs a mentor.
Which is the one piece of advice that has impacted you the most?
I work with a very powerful South American shaman. He has taught me MANY, MANY profound lessons, but the two that always stick out (sorry, you asked for 1!) are: 1. you have to get comfortable with the discomfort. The most exponential growth happens after you have pushed yourself past your comfort zone into doing something you really didn’t want to do (caveat: something that is within your mission and purpose, not just something you really really don’t want to do that doesn’t fit your authenticity at all). 2. Sit in the silence. The answers come in this place, not in the noise and not in the asking of questions. They come in the silence. So, I sit in the silence a lot and I dance a lot on my own!
How do you think modern women can be more fulfilled in their lives?
Again, know themselves. Work on their purpose. When you are operating from a place of purpose and authenticity, you become fulfilled. Also, stepping into your role as a Divine Feminine being and owning your sexuality. This was huge for me.
Tell us about your proudest achievement
I guess I’m expected to gush and say “My children!”. But I’m a radical non-conformist so I’m going to take this somewhere else … My proudest achievement is and will always be how I took myself from being head-to-toe disabled, to being fully able-bodied and therefore able to teach and inspire others that the impossible is possible.
I’m also pretty proud of my marriage; the inner work my husband and I have done to reach a place of sacred union
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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