Today we are shining a Sober Spotlight on Lauren McLaughlin, aka @joyfullysober, aka CEO of Housecoats, and one of my new virtual besties. Lauren loves acupuncture, snorting laughter, dancing, and recovery. Check out her Linktree page to see all of the places she’s up to do fun stuff. One thing is for sure, I believe her when she says she’s joyfully sober because it shows!
What isn’t this sober gal up to? First and foremost, Lauren is the CEO and Founder of Joyful Balance Wellness located in Naperville, IL. Joyful Balance Wellness is dedicated to helping you discover and take the personalized steps necessary for you to move toward greater joy, healing, and transformation from within.
Who is Lauren McLaughlin?
Lauren McLaughlin (LAc., CPRS, ADS, CLYL) founded Joyful Balance Wellness in 2012 and is the Owner/Operator and Clinic Director. She is a Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, a Whole30 Certified Coach, and a Clinical Aromatherapist. Lauren is specially trained in NADA AcuDetox, used primarily for substance use disorder, mental health, and trauma.
It is not only skill, technique, and knowledge that she brings to her patients, though. She also brings a holistic approach and a joyful and caring personality that makes working with her both beneficial and comfortable. Lauren’s guiding purpose is to understand you and your individual situation and to provide the help you need through the ancient art and science of acupuncture.
I first met Lauren earlier this year when I did a deep dive on TikTok and featured 29 Recovery TikTok accounts to consider following. Lauren, aka @joyfullysober, featured as #22 on the list, made me LOL consistently every time I saw one of her posts. I knew I needed to be friends with Lauren. Her social media content always brings me joy and a good LOL. This usually happens at the exact time I’m in need of some serious LOL. (How does she know?)
Meet the CEO of Housecoats on TikTok
With over 33K+ followers and nearly a half a million likes on TikTok, I’m not the only one that loves to watch Lauren dance and get down to the funky beat in her living room. Is she a skilled dancer? No, and she’s not pretending to be. That’s just one of the things I love about her. Also, watching her dog Dixie (aka Dixie Lou) in the background of various videos always cracks me up.
What’s Lauren’s Street Cred?
- Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc.)
- Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS)
- Acupuncture Detox Specialist (ADS)
- Clinical Aromatherapist (CA)
- Certified Laughter Yoga Leader (CLYL)
Sober Spotlight Q&A with Lauren McLaughlin:
AB: What is your sobriety date?
LAUREN: April 19th, 2006
AB: OMG! OMG! OMG! Mine is May 1st, 2006. I knew we were meant to be friends.
AB: What is your favorite non-alcoholic beverage of choice?
LAUREN: Waterloo Grapefruit – I once drove 30 minutes to get a bunch of it (and also created a video on it at Target)
AB: What is your favorite #QUITLIT book?
LAUREN: This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. Also, The Recovering Body by Hazelden.
Sober Curator Pro Tip: We’ve reviewed This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. Check out the full #QUITLIT review HERE.
AB: What are your thoughts on recovering out loud?
LAUREN: I’ve been public with my recovery since Day One. I joined Facebook when I was in treatment. After leaving treatment, joining the Hazelden Fellowship Club was a really great choice for me. They taught us it was ok to be public about your own recovery. We learned how to talk to people about our individual recoveries and how to talk about treatment. It was incredibly helpful.
Let me give you an example: I would use the words “I attended Hazelden” instead of saying I went to rehab and I found it very empowering. It helped remove the stigma. I tell every single patient my story.
Easy does it, first things first
AB: Do you have any tips to share with people considering being public about their recovery?
Lauren: GO SLOW. (maybe read that again) GO SLOW. In the beginning, remember you’re doing it for yourself. And while you might feel like you want to immediately start helping others, I wouldn’t recommend that. There will be lots of time to help others, don’t be afraid to spend a good amount of time focusing on your own healing. Also, use judgment on what you share and with whom you share it. Not every traumatic event needs to be shared on social media.
AB: What’s a piece of advice you would go back and give your newly sober self?
LAUREN: Do the opposite of whatever you think the right thing is you are supposed to do. Also, it DOES get better.
AB: Do you have a nonprofit that you love to support?
LAUREN: Path to Recovery Foundation, I am currently the Director of Programming and Recovery Services.
Sober Curator Pro Tip: Are you looking to get involved with a recovery nonprofit? We’ve curated a list of ones we have personally vetted. You can check them out HERE.
Sober Pop Culture Questions:
AB: Ok, you know that sober pop culture is our jam here at The Sober Curator. Who’s your favorite sober celeb(s)?
LAUREN: Anthony Hopkins, Macklemore, Eminem, Elton John – what I love about all four of these celebs is that they aren’t boastful about their recovery and they put in the work
AB: What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
LAUREN: Walking and listening to Bobby Bones on the podcast. I started listening to him and watched his career shift and change. He’s very inspiring and very real. I also like to watch Alone on the History Channel.
AB: Do you have a favorite sober musician? Or songs you play over and over?
LAUREN: Kings & Queens by Ava Max and Lonely by Justin Bieber completely changed my view of him
AB: How many house coats do you currently have in your collection?
LAUREN: 6
AB: Should we get matching ones?
LAUREN: Obviously.
Meet Lauren – our newest Sober Curator!
By the time we wrapped up our Sober Spotlight interview, I knew I wanted Lauren to join the Sober Curator squad in whatever way she was available to collab with us. Lauren is working on a new recovery coaching project, remodeling her office space, and still has time to keep up on all of her recovery advocacy work. And she does it all with a joyful smile on her face.
Check back in with us in a month or so when Lauren starts her contributions to the site. In the meantime, you might also want to follow along with her on Facebook. To my surprise and delight, she does hilarious “Joke of the Day” videos that are good, clean fun. If you’re needing a little more joy in your life, adding Lauren to your social media feeds would be a smart thing to do. You just can’t help laughing at her as she laughs at herself. Lauren’s positivity vibes are exactly what the world needs more of these days and we are here for it.
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