Hi, I'm Lauren and welcome to my blog. I’m stoked you’re here.

I began writing about 11 years ago when I was pregnant with my second child and over the years this blog has gone from:
“The Preggo Diaries” because I was pregnant,
”MadMaxMum” after I had my kids, convinced I would never have any more… and then I did.
Now I welcome you to ;life by Lauren Kate - a continuation of life and representation of strength and solidarity through and after struggle and to help inspire you to live your best life, because once upon a time I could never have imagined getting to a point in life where I am now.

I was always a confident, positive and outgoing type of person, that was until I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression just before my 17th birthday.

In my last year of high school, I found myself in a relationship where I was physically, emotionally and mentally abused and I lost myself quickly.
That relationship was the catalyst that saw me spiral out of control for many years by coping the only way I knew, and that was to party because it was a time when mental illness came with stigma, misunderstanding and total lack of awareness.
I had no goals, hopes or dreams,
I couldn’t stay at a job for more than a couple of months,
I would disappear and spend nights in my car crying to myself and wondering when the pain would end,
I lost friends and put my family through hell,
And I would do what I could to sleep the days away.

I was struggling so badly that I used to confidently say that I would never live past my 21st birthday,

but hey, here I am.

At the age of 22 and in the midst of an eating disorder that no one knew about, I fell pregnant with my first child.
It was a miracle because I had done so much damage to my body that we didn't think it was possible. To keep her was the BEST decision that I made, because it gave me purpose. Becoming a mother changed my life in incredible ways. It gave me a reason to work hard, a reason to be excited every single day and a reason to smile. When I thought that life couldn't get any better, I fell pregnant a few years later and had my second.
To be blessed with such vibrant, hilarious, smart-assed and intelligent children gave me the determination to work hard every single day. 

Just after my second was born, I was diagnosed pretty quickly with post-natal depression.
Then I became a single mother to 2 children.

Becoming a single mother was one of the most empowering experiences of my life because it taught me so much.
It taught me how to stand on my own two feet,
It taught me how to stand up for myself and be independent,
It taught me that I was stronger than I (or anyone else) thought I was,
It taught me how to love myself again and be the absolute best mum that I ever could be.

Yes it was fuckin’ hard, I went broke at one stage, struggled alot, isolated myself and was eventually diagnosed with C-PTSD.
But without rain, plants don’t grow, and this plant has grown a shitload.

These days...

This is my way of sharing the good shit, the challenging shit, my favourite shit and possibly inspire you to live your best life through the midst of struggle, because you deserve it.

Through the last decade, I have been lucky enough to meet and work with John Cena, I trained Sam Wood from my very own townhouse garage gym, yoga with Rachael Finch, Alexa Towersey, Chezzi and Grant Denyer, and have also spoken at many events including health and fitness expos, high schools, wellness events and whatever opportunities that I’m grateful to have come my way, because I’ll never shy away from using my experiences to help as many people as I can. I am also a qualified Personal Trainer with over 10 years of experience in the industry coaching teens and women to incorporate movement into their lives with a large focus on the benefits for mental health.

Oh, I then went on to fall in love with one of my best friends from when I was a teenager and had my third child. We’ve been engaged for over 5 years and who knows when we might actually get married.

So yeah, that’s me in a nutshell. I probably sound like a hot mess of a human but I tell great jokes, am a really good mum and don’t need Red Rooster on speed dial anymore because I taught myself to cook. We’re doing alright.

Just imagine if one my attempts to take my own life worked,

I would have missed out on all of that.

Welcome to my blog,
I am so glad that you’re here.

Hakuna Matata

Lauren
x

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