Today we are very excited to have Lauren Westbrook sharing her story of social inspiration for the youth and overcoming obstacles and hurdles. Lauren was also a recent winner of a copy of Creating Magic at the Brazen MeetUp in New York. You can read more from Lauren at her blog Socially.Strategic.

Helping other people build confidence and become more efficient at identifying and accomplishing their goals has consistently been an essential part of my life, and one of my greatest joys. While working at a home for teenage mothers during high school, aside from cooking and babysitting, I spent countless hours after my shifts informally counseling residents about job and education opportunities. In my four-year tenure as Executive Director of the Women and Youth Supporting Each Other mentoring program, we ran hundreds of workshops on topics like Birth Control, Sexual Health, Budgeting, and Nutrition for at-risk adolescent women in Boston. Throughout the past year, as a member of Harvard’s Outreach Committee, I have often taken off from my full-time job (Marketing/Brand Management at L’Oreal USA) to speak to students in Harlem, the Bronx and other underrepresented and overlooked communities about attending college and not seeing Harvard as out-of-reach.

Though I am proud of all of my efforts to inspire others, I am particularly excited about having blended my interests in service and entrepreneurship through Westbrook Strategies, the social skills and communication consulting company I started in early 2007. Westbrook Strategies offers private one-on-one and group consultation sessions (on evenings and weekends) that help clients (most of whom are in their late teens and twenties) develop strategies for turning potentially daunting social experiences into enjoyable opportunities to achieve personal and professional goals. We cover a variety of topics -- from Making Conversation, Networking, and Body Language, to Dating & Relationships, Personal Health & Fitness, Career Planning, Transitioning to High School & College, and Interview Skills.

Since the company’s founding, we have helped over 120 clients, including one of my favorite successes: a shy, socially uncomfortable high school senior who claims our consultations on first dates helped him secure a prom date, and our interview skills sessions facilitated his acceptance into Franklin & Marshall College. I am so excited to have gotten the opportunity to read Creating Magic, as I truly believe that the insights and strategies in the book will enable me to pursue Westbrook Strategies and my future service and entrepreneurial efforts, with even greater rigor and efficiency.