Mental health advocate. Digital storyteller. Marketing entrepreneur. Conversation changer.
Initiating real conversations about mental health and breaking the stigma around mental illness.
I’m Lauren! I’m a business owner, a speaker, a leader, and a writer, and it’s my privilege to support you on your mentally fit journey. Together, we can change the narrative on mental health through relatable, insightful, and actionable discussions.
Get to know me.
I’ve been working in marketing, communications, and community engagement for over 20 years. Today, I am the CEO and Head Writer of Lauren Perna Communications, a Boston-based firm elevating the stories of life sciences companies. I’ve spent most of my professional career championing industry game-changers and raising awareness around important health-related causes.
But I spent decidedly less time advocating for the things that impacted me personally, like mental health. The truth is I’ve lived with generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder for most of my life.
After spending decades ashamed of my emotions and diagnoses, I decided to start talking about my mental health journey through first-person articles and social media with the handle, @mentallyfitfounder. The moniker stuck, and I began to use it across all my platforms as my personal brand. In launching The Mentally Fit Founder™, I realized the true power of telling my story.
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Living a healthy life and running a successful business as a person with mental illness is hard work.
Getting sober on our alcohol-obsessed planet and designing a work life that keeps me emotionally safe took dedication.
Talking honestly about mental illness can heal people in pain and help break the stigma.
I’m a firm believer that talking openly about our mountains allows us to move them or summit them and enjoy the view.
Let’s work together.
Fearless mental health storytelling has helped me discover a successful and joyful approach to entrepreneurship and work. Trust me to educate and empower your team, bring expert insight to your podcast, or create compelling written content for your publication.
COMMON TOPICS INCLUDE:
Sobriety
Anxiety
Depression
Building Community
Fostering a Mentally Healthy Work Environment
Chronic Illness
Mental Illness at Work
Mentally Fit Entrepreneurship
Disclosing Mental Illness
SPEAKING
I am an experienced and dynamic speaker. Audiences appreciate my honest, relatable style and report feeling empowered after we wrap. I pack my talks with helpful data points, ideas for improving mental health care, and personal best practices for staying mentally fit.
Keynote or panel discussions at corporate or team events
Podcast, radio, or news segment guest
I work directly with event organizers to determine topic, format, and audience participation activities.
WRITING
Crafting compelling stories isn’t just my day job. I write with humor and simplicity about important mental health topics.
Guest editorial writer for online or print publications
Script or presentation writer for training or educational content about mental health
Source/subject matter expert for public health or news articles
I work with editors, fellow writers, publishers, authors, and news sources directly to craft content. Reach out to share your idea or outline.
