mom about town
LAUREN GUSANDERS BY MADISON VOORHIES PHOTO BY JILLIAN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY L auren Gusanders didn’t just move to New Orleans—she kept coming back. Raised in Michigan but drawn to the city’s energy, she first landed here 15 years ago and never really let go. A long-distance romance with her now- husband, John, eventually turned into full-time roots, and today, she juggles life as a business owner, marketing pro, and mom to a little boy already fluent in Mardi Gras. Whether she’s organizing events, building brands, or chasing after her little one, Lauren embraces every bit of Nola life with open arms and a full calendar.
Husband: Jonathan Gusanders Child: Lincoln, 15 months Occupations: Owner of a marketing & events agency, Wander On @We.Wander.On Hobbies: Festival going—love seeing shows; putting together Mardi Gras Day costumes; and travel, travel, travel!
14 MARCH 2025 | NOLAFAMILY.COM WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE YOUR CAREER? WHAT’S YOUR TYPICAL DAY LIKE? LAUREN: Running your own business— no day is exactly the same. But, our son usually wakes us up around seven/seven- thirty, we let the dogs out, get [Lincoln] fed, and it usually includes some Ms. Rachel playing in the background. Sometimes I’m out in the market having meetings, networking in New Orleans; sometimes I’m just at home working. I also travel sometimes for my job if I book events outside of the city. Every day is a little different, but we do have a nanny that comes to our house four times a week, [which] helps me get some [work] done.
LAUREN: When I found out I was pregnant with Lincoln, I actually lost my job within 48 hours—my corporate job. There were a lot of ups and downs in what I was going to do. I ended up going back into the corporate world for a bit, working for an actual venue within New Orleans (It’s no longer there—Tin Roof—on Bourbon Street) but I ran all their events. Honestly, I was just so sick of having to conform my schedule for someone else—especially with having a child. My priorities shifted so much. I’d been in the hospitality business my whole career, and I was helping a lot of businesses [with] their social media, marketing, and their events. People started offering to pay me. I started running social media for a large restaurant group down in the Quarter, and I started working as a consultant with various tourism, bar, and
restaurant [groups] around the city. Our focus really is in the tourist/restaurant world, because that’s the world we come from. I just started building it [up], and for the past year, I’ve been working on gaining more clients and working with smaller, local agencies. When you own your own business, you work even harder because there’s no “checkboxes” of X, Y, and Z to hit this sales goal. There’s always something you could be working on. WHAT ARE THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF MOTHERHOOD? LAUREN: I really try on my Instagram— when I’m feeling vulnerable—to be really open about the highs and lows of being pregnant, motherhood, and growing. People don’t talk about the lows as much as they talk about the highs.
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software