Time To Press Pause - Real-Life Stories from the C-Suite

From Scientist to Storyteller: A Press Pause Story with Laura Lampa

• Ellen Williams • Season 3 • Episode 2

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In this episode of Time to Press Pause, host Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist, speaks with Laura Lampa, owner and CEO of LML StoryLab Consulting. Laura shares her incredible journey from a career in science to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

Laura reveals how a layoff became her pivotal "press pause" moment, forcing her to trust herself, embrace uncertainty, and launch her own business.

This conversation is for anyone who has considered leaving a secure career to build something on their own terms.

In this episode, you'll discover:

  • How a layoff can be a catalyst for a life-changing career pivot.
  • The courage it takes to leave the safety of a secure job for entrepreneurship.
  • Why stress feels different when it's tied to passion and purpose.
  • The importance of listening to your inner voices of doubt, as they often point to your true passions.
  • The pleasure of working for clients who believe in you and your vision.


More from Laura Lampa:


More from Ellen Williams:

 

 

Welcome to Time to Press Pause, real life stories from the C-suite. I'm your host, Ellen Williams, CEO of The Salient Strategist. And today I'm speaking with Laura Lampa, and we're discussing entrepreneurship, the long hours it takes to be successful, and also the excitement of getting that next client. Laura Lampa is owner and CEO of LML. StoryLab Consulting, LLC. As a scientist-turned-communicator, Laura's approach blends analytical precision with narrative depth. Her expertise lies in crafting strategic communication plans that bring awareness to critical issues and drive organizational alignment, ensuring complex information is broken down for wide audiences. One of her proudest achievements is successfully raising the profile of her team within the organization. leading high-level leaders to recognize the group as a source of untapped leadership potential. Laura is passionate about utilizing her skills to drive positive organizational change and foster A collaborative and inclusive work environment. 

Speaker 2 

Laura, welcome to Time to Press Pause. I'm so happy to have you here today. 

Speaker 3 

Thanks, Ellen, so much for inviting me. I'm really excited to chat with you. 

Speaker 2 

I am excited as well. You and I met on LinkedIn and I'm really interested in hearing your press pause story. 

Speaker 3 

Gosh, yes. It's interesting. I think when we initially had our conversation, when we met, I said I felt like my whole life was one long big pause. But maybe the biggest press pause story that I wanted to share with you today was when I was laid off and I had to really start to reconsider what do I want to do with my life, right? What do I want to do when I grow up? I've been told I have a little bit of an interesting background. So let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm a scientist by education and training, majored in microbiology, absolutely loved it, thought I was going to spend my life in the lab. And I did right out of college. working at the bench and eventually went into leadership, R&D leadership, and started to get into operations type roles. Throughout that span of time, I started to get really interested in communications, specifically science communications. And so I really started to craft my career and my development in that direction. So in my last organization, I made that full-time transition instead of just dabbling in it. my past roles where I said, okay, I'm still in R&D, I'm still in operations, but I will do this on the side. I'll write the newsletter. I'll put together this curriculum to teach others how to be science communicators. I said, I'm going to just take the leap. I'm going to do it full time. And I jumped over starting in change communication and then internal communication. My big press pause story is I got laid off when that organization went through a big downturn. I really had to stop and think, okay, I spent all of this time, years, chasing this path, and now here I was at a crossroads. How can I get back in the workforce knowing that it was a really, it's just an unusual and difficult job market? How do I get back in there? While still chasing my passion and not having to start over. I went through some soul searching and I thought, no, I'm just going to go out on my own. I'm going to trust myself, believe in myself, and I'm going to start my own organization. And that's how LML Story Lab was born. I decided to become my own boss and start a consulting business. And that's my press pause. It took me being kicked out of the nest, so to speak, to really chase what I loved. 

Speaker 2 

Kicked out of the nest. Yes, sometimes pauses are thrust upon us, that's for sure. So how long did your soul searching take between getting laid off and knowing that it was just time to go out on your own? 

Speaker 3 

I would say it started even before I got laid off. I knew that I loved internal communications. I thought it was really engaging, but I thought, this is what I want to do long term. I really wanted to get back more to science communication. I really started to think about it even way back when. And so when I got laid off, it took me a couple of months to really get my plan together and think, do I want to play it safe? Do I want to just go find a job? Maybe I don't want to go back to R&D and operations, do what I know people will hire me for right away, and just call it a day and figure out how to get back into communications in a new company. And I thought, no, I don't want to do that. And it really took a lot of courage because I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. I never considered myself as somebody who had an entrepreneurial spirit. I just did not have that type of faith in myself. Took a lot of soul searching, but it took a lot of reaching out and talking to others and gaining different perspectives for me to come to the realization that I actually can do this. It's not so scary. And you know what? If I fail, so what? I'm still me. I still have my talent, my skill set, and I can just keep on trying, keep on pivoting until I figure it out. 

Speaker 2 

If I fail, so what? That's a great attitude because part of entrepreneurship is failing. You may not have experienced it yet. But there may be some point down the road that something just doesn't work out the way you thought it would. And everything's a lesson. And I've had my share of lessons, I'll tell you that. You said a couple of really great things I'd like to get back to. First, you said you had been thinking about it even while you were still employed. And that's definitely been a recurring theme. over the last season or two, that the pause was something being considered, but not having the ability to take action right away. I'm curious, had you not been laid off, were you contemplating leaving? 

Speaker 3 

Had I not been laid off, I probably would have stayed. It was always in the back of my mind to say, I'll explore what's out there when the time comes. Now, had I not been laid off, I probably would have overstayed my welcome. 

Speaker 2 

Overstayed your welcome. It's tough to leave something that's secure and comfortable and not horrible. So we weren't hating where you were. And some people do. They get to the point where Hate's a strong word, but it's not in alignment anymore, and they're feeling a disconnect. But you hadn't actually gotten to that point yet. 

Speaker 3 

I still really like the people that I work with. People were so smart. I'm surrounded by brilliant people. I thought we were doing really great work. The mission was amazing. Those are hard things to leave, right? I may not have left my role, but you're right, I didn't hate it. It wasn't horrible. I liked my peers. And so, yeah, I probably would have stayed and not have chased my passions. 

Speaker 2 

At that point, you definitely had, as you said, a crossroads. And I like that you said, do I want to go back and do what I know I can get hired for? And that's a really interesting place to be. where, okay, I'm not employed right now. However, I have the skill set and I know that I am employable. However, is that really where I want to go? And we have had some discussions here about, can you go back? Do you really want to go back when you've gotten to this point of pause, which gave you an opportunity to think and reflect? And I love that you opted to not go back, that you move forward. So what are your experiences now as an entrepreneur and how long have you had your organization? 

Speaker 3 

I opted for my LLC back in August of last year, but it's been a thrilling ride. I'll tell you, you think you have all the a skill set as a project manager. And you think you have it all nailed down because, hey, you're good at your final, your personal finances. This is a whole new ballpark, right? I just didn't understand what it took to be your own business development manager, be your own marketer, be your own communicator, be your own accountant. It's just a lot of work. And so you have to feel a passion for that. and believe in what you're doing and believe in yourself to keep going forward with that. Because I'll tell you, there are a lot of nights where, hey, I've spent my eight hours working on my clients' things, then I'm staying up for another six hours or seven hours at my desk working on my own things. Or sometimes I'm lying in bed about to go to sleep and it just won't shut off. And so you just got to get up. You got to get up, you got to write it down before you forget it so you can relax. But it's not a stressful thing. That was the interesting learning for me. It wasn't the same type of stress as when I was employed by a company because it was for me. It was what I wanted to do. This is really exciting. This is actually thrilling. 

Speaker 2 

So even though you're working harder, working longer, you're finding it less stressful because the passion is what's driving you. 

Speaker 3 

I don't want to candy coat it and say it's less stressful. I would say I'm more motivated. It's more motivating. There's going to be stress. Life is full of stress. It's full of challenge. It's really about how you meet those challenges and not letting them overwhelm you. Coming up with strategies and tactics to deal with your stress. So if that means getting up or keeping a notebook by your bedside so that you can get your thoughts out so you can't go to sleep, so you don't ruminate, do that. 

Speaker 2 

Not less stressful, but more motivating. But you did allude to the stress maybe feeling a little different because it was for you, it was a path you had chosen. And certainly I hear that. And for all entrepreneurs out there, 9 to 5 is just not the way it goes. If you're a first time entrepreneur, don't kid yourself. So I'm on board with that for sure. And I agree there's a pleasure in working for your clients because you're doing what you want to do. But there's also, even with the stress, there's the pleasure of working on your own business. And even though there's You're juggling and you're wearing a lot of hats. And for me, at least, there's that achievement at the end of the day. 

Speaker 3 

It does feel good. I think the other piece that's really thrilling, right? Somebody hired you because they believed in your work. They wanted to work with you. Versus, I've been in situations where, and I've always worked with great teams. I've been really blessed throughout my career. But maybe you get on a team where somebody's not fully bought in, right? And they're that sort of voice, that roadblock that kind of comes up and you constantly have to work through that roadblock. But I'm not experiencing that working for myself because they hired me. They want to hear what I have to think. They're open. So it is really different. It's a different kind of stress. I still have deadlines, still have goals to meet. But you're right, it is a different feeling. 

Speaker 2 

Yeah, you still have goals to meet, only these are some goals you set for yourself. as opposed to KPIs that someone else set for you or your team. 

Speaker 3 

Yeah, exactly. 

Speaker 2 

And they have value. And I've been an entrepreneur and an employee back and forth throughout my career. And I've had some really great jobs. And no, I would say most of them have been great because I went in excited about them. And over time, things change, whether it's the job, when I had that experience with the job description itself took a shift. And the shift wasn't really in alignment with just what my strengths were, never mind my passion. It was just like, it's not really where I'm at. So that role I left. However, I have had others where I was let go. And some of those were surprising. But it's a little bit of a roller coaster. And I have to say, after each employee stint, I went right back to entrepreneur. I'm like, I just want to be in control. And I sit here now as an entrepreneur and I'm surprised because I didn't think I would be again. But this time, at least I could say from all the lessons from my past, this one, I'm much more present. in and much more aware of all the moving pieces and how to better manage them. So it takes time, like anything else, right? It takes practice. 

Speaker 3 

It does take time. And I think that's the other thing, right? I mentioned it's a different kind of stress, but over time, it has to become easier, right? I have developed those systems for myself. So you become more efficient, you don't feel so taxed. 

Speaker 2 

Absolutely. Process and systems, if you find things that are repetitive and you design a way to easily manage them, it does definitely reduce the stress. And I would also say, throw a little advice in here for solo entrepreneurs, if you can start to create processes and systems, then you can start to delegate them. 

Speaker 3 

Yes. 

Speaker 2 

Laura, I have one last question for you. What advice do you have for leaders when they would identify it might be time to press pause, even if it's not forced on them? 

Speaker 3 

I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have about leaders in general is that we have all the answers, and we don't. We're human, we're learning, we're moving forward just like everybody else. And one of the things that we have going on, like everyone else, is voices in our head. that tell us that you can't or whatever negative narrative that you've adopted or heard over the course of your life. I think a lot of us tend to fight those voices or ignore them until they just grow out of control. And what I would say, my one advice to leaders that are thinking about pressing past is really lean in and listen to those voices. Don't try to shoo them away. You don't have to let them overwhelm you, but listen to what they have to say because more times than not, some of those negative things are actually telling you what you actually should be chasing. They're trying to keep you safe, but there's also a desire in you. That's why that voice is coming up. There's a desire in you to move forward and do something different. So really lean in and figure out what is this negative knowledge trying to tell me not to do? Okay, I'm going to go do that. It's probably where my passion lies and where my heart lies, right? I love it. 

Speaker 2 

Listen to the little voices that are basically telling you it's time to press pause without actually telling you it's time to press pause. I love that. You have to be a little intuitive and identify which of those voices to listen to because we definitely speak pretty harshly to ourselves. But that's a whole nother podcast. Laura, that was really great advice. And I loved your story and I loved all the insights you have on being an entrepreneur, although you are a new entrepreneur and I am not a new entrepreneur. I love all that you've already learned and your approach to everything. I think it's wonderful. 

Speaker 3 

Thank you so much, Ellen. And I love that I've met you. Your podcast is fantastic. I look forward to listening to other guests that you're going to have on because I'm going to learn from you and them as well. 

Speaker 1 

Oh, thank you so much. It was great having you here today. 

Speaker 3 

Great to talk to you. 

Speaker 1 

Thank you for listening to this episode of Time to Press Pause. If you're interested in learning more about Laura, please visit lmlstorylab.com. If you're interested in learning more about me, please visit thesalientstrategist.com. And please listen again wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

 

To learn more about Laura, please visit https://lmlstorylab.com/ 

To learn more about Ellen, please visit https://thesalientstrategist.com/