What happens when the version of “professionalism” you were taught was never meant for you?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, host Kaitlyn Rios sits down with Lauren (L2) Howard, CEO of Clinical Operations Group and founder of ElleTwo and Quirky, for a raw, funny, deeply human conversation about mental health, toxic systems, and the courage it takes to rebuild your identity after environments that tried to shrink you.

Together, they explore the emotional cost of outdated professionalism, the healing power of humor, and why telling the truth — even the messy parts — is one of the most radical acts of self‑care.

This episode is an invitation to stop performing, start breathing, and remember that being different has never meant being broken.

💬 What We Talk About

• The hidden mental health toll of harmful workplaces and societies
• Why “professionalism” often harms women, neurodivergent folks, and anyone who doesn’t fit the mold
• How humor becomes a survival tool — and a healing one
• The story behind Quirky, her community for the “eh‑ntisocial”
• The courage it takes to tell the truth about what hurt you
• Rebuilding identity after burnout, gaslighting, or systemic harm
• Why mental health advocacy must be both personal and systemic

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🔥 Key Moments

• The moment she realized the version of professionalism she was performing wasn’t built for her
• How ElleTwo was born from frustration with patriarchal workplace norms
• Why humor is one of her most powerful tools for connection and healing
• The origin story of Quirky — and why so many people need a space like it
• How she rebuilt her identity after seasons that made her question it
• The truth about boundaries, self‑trust, and refusing to shrink

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🧠 Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I blaming myself for a system that harmed me?
• What version of “professionalism” have I been performing — and who is it serving?
• What story am I finally ready to tell the truth about?
• What boundary is my mental health asking me to set?
• Where could humor soften something I’ve been carrying alone?

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🌟 About Our Guest

Lauren (L2) Howard is the CEO of Clinical Operations Group, the founder of ElleTwo, and the creator of Quirky, a digital community for the “eh‑ntisocial” — the people who want connection without the pressure to perform. She is also the host of Different, Not Broken, where she artfully overshares because isolation lies.

Known for her bold storytelling, clinical expertise, and humor‑soaked honesty, Lauren is redefining what it means to be “professional,” advocating for mental health, and helping people reclaim their identity after harmful workplace experiences.

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🔗 Connect with Lauren

• Quirky: A community for the eh‑ntisocial
• ElleTwo: Redefining professionalism for women
• Different, Not Broken Podcast
• LinkedIn: Lauren (L2) Howard

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🔗 Connect with Kaitlyn / The Grace Space

• Website: facedwithgrace.org
• Email: connect@facedwithgrace.org
• Instagram: @facedwithgrace

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💛 If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation spoke to you, please subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who needs the reminder that they are not broken — they are becoming.

What if the most important leadership work you’ll ever do happens at home?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, host Kaitlyn Rios sits down with Brittany Anderson, Founder & CEO of Renala, to explore how identity, vision, values, and communication — tools we often reserve for our careers — can transform our families too.

Brittany shares her journey as a military spouse navigating deployments, reinvention, and a near-divorce that became the catalyst for rebuilding her family with intention. Together, they explore how play, creativity, and strengths-based tools can help families reconnect, communicate, and create a shared identity.

This episode is an invitation to lead your family with the same care, strategy, and heart you bring to your work — and to discover how the hardest seasons can become the foundation for a more connected, resilient home.

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What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why leadership at home is often overlooked — and why it matters

• How a near-divorce reshaped Brittany’s understanding of identity and connection

• The power of family vision, values, and purpose

• How LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and creative tools unlock deeper communication

• Why play is a powerful tool for navigating conflict

• How families can rewrite their story with intention

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Key Topics & Moments

• Military life, uncertainty, and identity

• The emotional cost of high-functioning leadership

• Family values and vision as stabilizing forces

• Play as a tool for connection and repair

• Strengths-based approaches to family communication

• Rebuilding trust and rewriting family narratives

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Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I leading reactively at home instead of proactively?

• What values do I want my family to be known for?

• What story are we currently living — and what story do we want to write?

• How might play or creativity help us reconnect?

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Guest Spotlight

Brittany Anderson is the Founder & CEO of Renala, where she helps families and organizations build identity, connection, and purpose through immersive experiences, playful retreats, and strengths-based coaching. A certified transformational coach and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator, she brings two decades of experience in storytelling, strategy, and leadership development — along with her own lived journey of rebuilding her marriage and family with intention.

Connect

• Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org

• Brittany Anderson / Renala

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renalafamilies/

What do you do when the moment doesn’t go according to plan?

In this episode of The Grace Space Podcast, Kaitlyn Rios is joined by Haylee Foy, founder of Building Better Mindsets, for an honest conversation about navigating difficult situations when there’s no script, no perfect response, and no one-size-fits-all solution.

Haylee shares her personal journey through toxic workplaces, followed by an early and humbling moment in her coaching career — when a client took a phone call in the middle of a group coaching session, freezing her in her tracks and forcing her to confront the reality that leadership often requires adaptation, not perfection.

Together, they'll explore how hard lessons, creative pivots, and unconventional tools — including the introduction of art into Haylee’s coaching practice — can fundamentally reshape how we lead, respond, and grow. This episode is about learning to navigate complexity creatively, trusting yourself in real time, and allowing difficult moments to shape you into the leader you’re becoming.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• How toxic workplaces quietly shape leadership instincts and self-trust

• An early coaching moment that forced Haylee to rethink control, authority, and adaptability

• Why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership or growth

• How creativity and art can unlock new pathways for communication and healing

• What it means to lead in moments that don’t go as planned

• How hard lessons become formative — not failures

Reflection Prompts for Listeners

• Where am I clinging to a “right way” when flexibility is needed instead?

• What difficult moment shaped me more than any success ever did?

• How might creativity help me navigate a situation I feel stuck in right now?

Guest Spotlight

Haylee Foy is the founder of Building Better Mindsets, a leadership and creative wellbeing practice centered on helping individuals and teams move out of survival mode and into intentional, adaptive leadership.

After navigating toxic workplace environments and confronting early challenges in her coaching career, Haylee began integrating creativity and art into her work — transforming how clients process difficult experiences, build self-awareness, and respond to complexity.

She is known for her grounded presence, trauma-informed approach, and belief that the hardest lessons often become the foundation for the most effective leadership.

Resources Mentioned

• Building Better Mindsets

• Creative and art-based leadership practices

Connect

• Kaitlyn Rios / Faced With Grace

www.facedwithgrace.org

connect@facedwithgrace.org

• Haylee Foy / Building Better Mindsets

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayleefoy/

If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need permission to lead a little more creatively — and a little more honestly — today.