New Albany Then And Now: Sports, Growth, And Giving Back

The heart of a hometown isn’t a map; it’s the people who keep its stories alive. Lauren joins us to chart New Albany’s journey from fields and single-campus days to a thriving, intentionally planned community where a preserved mill becomes a brewery, a new roundabout reroutes semis, and a Friday night crowd can still feel like family. Her path runs through athletics—cross country, basketball, track, high jump—and a Hall of Fame induction, but the real wins come from team chemistry, mentorship, and the way a student section can lift a program for years.

We dig into the details that define place: Ely House tours, Maplewood Cemetery names, taco pizza after reunions, and the great debate over how to pronounce Bevelheimer. Lauren breaks down how youth sports look now—specialization, facilities that need to catch up, and the simple fix that a second track could bring. She’s honest about coaching culture shifts and the rising focus on mental health, especially for girls navigating pressure in an always-on world. Through it all, the one-campus model keeps New Albany feeling close, even as class sizes balloon.

The conversation turns to service and why it matters. Real estate, for Lauren, is a vehicle to invest in neighbors, not a highlight reel of listings. She launched She Rises, a women-led gathering built on resilience and tangible giving, channeling funds to Buddy Up For Life and next year to children’s health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. It’s local, visible impact that honors loss with action, and it rests on a simple credo: service to others is the rent we pay for our room on earth. Come for the sports and small-town lore, stay for the blueprint on how to grow without losing your soul. Subscribe, share with a New Albany friend, and tell us: what tradition would you protect first?

Transcript

Warm-Up, Mics, And Family Banter

Justin 0:29

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 0:42

All right, let's get it started.

Justin 0:43

This microphone, I know this is gonna be a struggle for you.

Lauren 0:46

I wanna start singing a little bit.

Justin 0:49

Uh it is fun when you get on here, right?

Lauren 0:51

Yeah.

Justin 0:52

Um I brought my kids in here and they like had a blast. Like I think they're just like listening themselves and they're like, they're hitting the buttons, and here I'm gonna put it on the back.

Lauren 1:01

That's what I'm looking at.

Justin 1:04

I can't get it to work. Oh, that's the like voice changing.

Lauren 1:07

My kids would be all over this.

Justin 1:10

Yeah. Yep, see, I can't work it. One of these makes sounds.

Lauren 1:15

Oh, so you're gonna make me sound really good today then.

Justin 1:18

That's exactly right. Yeah, because I know what I'm doing, obviously.

Lauren 1:21

I got I got a lot of confidence in how it's gonna go.

Justin 1:25

Yeah, what a great start. Um well Lauren, thanks for thanks for coming on.

Lauren 1:30

Thanks for having me. Yeah, thanks for um being patient with me.

Justin 1:33

Yeah, I no, I get it. Um believe me, I know like nothing goes as planned for me. Kids just uh like just today, so my daughter wants to go to uh she wants to go to Market Street. So my oldest daughter, the the second oldest. Well, she wants to take her sister, who's my youngest, who's in uh first grade? Is she in first grade? Yeah. Um, she they want to take they want to take her to market. So like I'm trying to figure out how I could get there, get her for parent pickup, because I don't know if they'll just like let her go with her sister, probably not. How old is she? So six, seven.

Lauren 2:10

How old's the older one?

Justin 2:11

I can't I can't believe I just said six, seven, by the way. Uh 11.

Lauren 2:14

Six, seven. Yeah. Some of my kids do her constantly.

Justin 2:18

All day long.

Lauren 2:19

Mm-hmm.

Justin 2:19

Yeah. So what is that not safe?

Lauren 2:21

Wait, how old is she how old is the older one?

Justin 2:24

So uh the oldest is 11.

Lauren 2:26

Oh, okay.

Justin 2:27

Yeah. And like super mature.

Lauren 2:29

What were you doing at 11? I was everywhere.

Justin 2:31

I wasn't all over the place. Volunteering to take a younger sibling.

Lauren 2:35

No, I wasn't at Starbucks. But I was walking myself to school a mile and a half away. A pillow with the other in the snow, in the rain, with the other s with the other kids in the neighborhood. So I think she's capable of taking her.

Justin 2:51

Yeah, I think so too. Her sister. Um they're both, they're fine. The boys I worry about.

Lauren 2:55

Yeah.

Justin 2:56

The girls are fine.

Lauren 2:56

No, boys are dumb.

Justin 2:57

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I hope, I hope Sierra listens to this because I tell her every day, like, boys are so stupid. They are. And she's like, even you. And I'm like, yeah, especially me. Yeah.

Lauren 3:10

No, dad's the smartest and the strongest and the best boy there is in the whole world.

Growing Up In 90s New Albany

Justin 3:14

Yeah, that's right. That's right. Um, that's funny. So uh Lauren, long time New Albany resident. Um, I really haven't had a chance to talk to uh a ton of people that are like we're everybody's new around here.

Lauren 3:30

Um there are more of us than you realize.

Justin 3:33

You guys are just high in the community.

Lauren 3:35

I because everyone I talk to, that's kind of I like I'm very proud of that that I'm from New Albany. And so it'll come up quite often. And everyone's reaction is always like, oh my gosh, I've never met somebody that's from here or that graduated from New Albany. I'm like, I bet you have.

Speaker 1 3:49

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 3:50

I bet you do. Um there are definitely a lot of people that have moved back to the area.

Speaker 1 3:56

Yeah.

Lauren 3:56

Um, and are now raising their kids here too. Um, but sorry to interrupt, but no, no, no, no.

Justin 4:01

That's what I that's what I want. That's what I want to get into. Like so, so tell me what what it what what it was New Albany like when you were here.

Lauren 4:10

Um, so I moved to New Albany with my family in the mid-90s.

Speaker 1 4:14

Okay.

Lauren 4:15

So we were kind of that first wave when the country club was starting to um build itself around the golf course. And we just moved from Gehana down 62, about five miles into the north of woods. And when we first moved in, you know, there was no market street, yeah, which we were just talking about. It was all field. Um, that was farmland. Ely, the new Ely, as I like to refer to it as. So um, that was all woods. Yeah. So I was back there exploring.

Justin 4:47

Um was this like behind the Ely house?

Lauren 4:49

Yes.

Justin 4:50

The Ely neighborhood. Yes.

Lauren 4:51

So my home was basically backed up to the woods. There's a pretty heavy wooded area, and then the Ely house was on the opposite side. Okay. So we would go into the woods and explore it all the way up into the backyard of the Ealy house. And at that time, I wish I would have been as interested in the history of New Albany then as I am today. I would have gone up to the front door and knocked on it and talked to the lady because that was still alive. She was born and born in that home. And I probably died in that home in her 90s.

Justin 5:23

Um my kids just took a tour of Ely House. Yeah.

Lauren 5:26

It's our um our hub for the New Albany Historical Society. Dennis Kazee runs that. He is our his town historian, yeah. Who I'm sure you've met him.

Justin 5:38

I have, and and he and I talked about doing this and I've been. Oh, he would be amazing.

Lauren 5:42

Well, you I will get on him and to let him know that I did it today. He is such a wealth of knowledge about the community here. I just eat it up. Um, but that said, he needs to do this kind of thing and record all everything he knows in case something should happen. So we have it.

Justin 5:58

Yeah. So he says that he has like what started, was do recording podcast. So he has some recordings. I don't know if you never released them or what for whatever reason, but yeah, he needs to like, yeah, that stuff needs documented.

Lauren 6:10

Yes, definitely. Yeah. Um, so his parents actually started Eagles Pizza. I told you I was probably gonna get into all the people that used to live in New or that are from New Albany or still in New Albany. Yeah, I love help myself.

Speaker 1 6:22

Let's do it.

Lauren 6:22

Okay, cool. So this is I'm just passionate about it. I'm you know, I'm I'm not born here, but really grew up here and it really molded me into the person I am today. And I have such a deep appreciation for this community and the people who um uh used to live here, who have since passed away, um, and who are still here. Um, but so Dennis, his parents bought Eagles Pizza, and that has been in the family since 1960. He worked there, um, and now he owns it.

Justin 6:57

So they have the best sugar cookie in the world.

Lauren 7:00

Are those homemade?

Justin 7:01

They're I have no idea.

Lauren 7:03

I don't know either. But their cookies are we gotta ask him that.

Justin 7:05

Yeah.

Lauren 7:06

I know. Usually he'll hook my kids up with the free cookies, which is the country.

Justin 7:09

I will go in there just for those cookies.

Lauren 7:11

Oh, yeah. I've I'm always walking out with cookies.

Justin 7:14

They're so good.

Lauren 7:14

Yeah. And the taco pizza, you know, that's like their staple. Yeah. So um the last couple years, we've had our 20 high school reunions, and I've crashed like I crashed the two that were older than me, then I have mine, and then my the last year, I actually didn't get to that one because I ended up going to a Ohio State football game with my sister. But um everybody who comes back who hasn't been here in decades, yeah. We got to get our taco, you know, taco pizzas for the after parties. It's always the taco pizza.

Justin 7:50

That's awesome.

Lauren 7:50

Yeah.

Justin 7:51

That's cool. Uh yeah, I mean, I love that kind of thing because like just being from a small town, similar thing. Like, I love like the pizza back home and like all those little like small town things, right? Which I think like still exists here. It it does.

Lauren 8:06

It definitely does.

Justin 8:07

Uh, even though it's like changing, it still feels small.

Lauren 8:10

It's evolved. Yeah. Um, I mean, we've grown. I think we had about 3,000 people in New Albany when I was in high school. Yeah. Now what are we at? Like 12,000, 13,000.

Justin 8:23

Um it's good for business.

Local History, Ely House, And Eagles Pizza

Lauren 8:24

Yeah. I mean, you know, it's not gonna stop growing. So as much as I mean, I don't like change, it's hard for me, but you if you don't accept it, then you know, yeah, it's you kind of gotta get on board with it. And it's um, it's intentional growth. And um I think that New Albany has done a very good job at the way that they have um kind of, I don't say like controlled, I'm not sure what word I'm looking for, but um, you know, it's just it they've done it in such a mindful way.

Speaker 1 8:57

For sure.

Lauren 8:57

And everything is beautiful. Um, Dennis, who's been here his whole life, would attest to that. Um, because there's a lot of people, you know, that graduated in the 70s that are kind of like, I don't like it, you know, I don't like this and like that. And and you go to some of those meetings and you hear that, and he that he's always the one, he's the first one to say, like, hey, remember when this like where, you know, uh it used to flood down the hill, you know, down to the mills because like our town was, you know, needed some help and infrastructure. Um so yeah, it's uh it's it's really beautiful, it's a beautiful community, and anyone who visits here just like is just blown away.

Justin 9:34

Yeah, it's awesome. And I would agree with that, like planned growth. Yeah, but for 100%, there's a lot of planning that goes to it. Absolutely. Um I was uh I I had somewhere I I was in the country club this morning and then I was leaving and I I noticed that the road, the new roundabout where it goes by the new, like I hate to call it a pond because it's huge, it's a lake.

Lauren 9:56

Yeah, across the street from the police station.

Justin 9:58

Yeah, so that road's open now. So I just like drove it twice.

Lauren 10:01

Oh yeah. I haven't driven it yet.

Justin 10:02

Oh yeah, you gotta drive it.

Lauren 10:03

Was it more efficient?

Justin 10:04

Uh yeah. I mean, I just did it just to see it, so I don't know. But yeah, I mean, if you're coming from once the work's done at the church there on 2nd Street or wherever that is, like it's gonna make a ton of sense to just go right through there.

Lauren 10:15

Um it's gonna, those semis are gonna go off that way and stop going downtown. Yeah, exactly. And it's loud. Um, it it was making it dirty. Yeah. It was kicking up dust and dirt. There was a gentleman who lived in the house across the street from the yoga studio. Um, his parents actually own the home. It's it has the sign that says like 1924 in front of it. And it has that open porch. Um, oh my goodness, why is his name escaping me? Well, he used to be on his porch all the time, and I used to run a lot. I don't run anymore. And so I'd always run by him. And I'm like, okay, finally, like after a year of always running by this man, I'm like, I'm gonna stop and say hi. Yeah. And so I stopped and I introduced myself and we talked, we didn't, but then it got to a point we would always chit-chat. So then I was like, okay, if I want to get a real run-in, I can't run by his house, I can't run by his house anymore. And um, I oh my goodness, why is his name escaping me in this moment? That's so horrible because we became very good buddies. But and he went like kindergarten through twelfth grade in the historical building, and he was a big um athlete for in the 60s. He did really he was a good football player. And he kept saying, like, I'm I'm in the hall of fame. And when I was inducted, and he couldn't remember what year he was inducted, and Tom Skaggs.

Speaker 1 11:28

There you go.

Lauren 11:28

Yes. And he um, and he was like, When I was inducted, there was this tall, blonde uh track superstar. And I'm like, tall, blonde track superstar. I was inducted about 10 years ago. I'm like, all right, well, who the heck is this tall, blonde track superstar he's referring to? And then um I look at like the we have um for the Athletic Hall of Fame, just a sheet of like who was inducted in what years. And I'm looking at 2013, which is the year I was inducted. It was Tom and I were inducted in the same year. He's talking about me, and we've been like hanging out for like he was like, This tall, blonde, superstar, track star. I'm like, who in the heck is he talking about? I had no clue. And then I'm like, oh my gosh. I'm like, Tom, it's me. Like, you were talking about me. But he um he's not he's passed away now, but and buried in um uh Maplewood Cemetery with where his parents are, but that was his parents' home, which he purchased at one time when they moved out to Buckeye Lake. And then his grandparents' home was the house next to the barber shop that's now a um hair salon. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was built in the 1800s. He used to go there. That was where his grandparents lived. Um, and so he was just Tom Skags. Tom Skags. He was a superstar athlete in the 60s. Yeah. Um, married, I think, his high school sweetheart. His kids went through New Albany. Wow. So just one of those people, you know, that knew everything. He was like, you know, that house down there, that used to be um a cafe, and we used to all get our burgers and then um where they're doing all of the development now uh next to Eagles Pizza, you could still see the stairs where you know their homes used to be. Yeah. Well, there used to be a home right there, and they sold pies. You know, I just I love it. I just eat it up. Yeah.

Justin 13:04

Yeah. Uh really cool. So I gotta go back to the so you were a track athlete?

Lauren 13:09

Yeah. Um, so I played multiple sports in high school. I ran cross country.

Justin 13:13

Can't do that anymore.

Lauren 13:15

I mean, well, yeah, you no way. There's just no way. And that's something that's changed kind of quickly only in the last 10 to 20 years. Yeah. Um, I mean, these kids are training for one sport, like it's like they're all going on to get full scholarships and then like maybe even play overseas and in the MBA, WMBA. But um, yeah, I mean, so much is is different about um high school athletics today. But so this our school was a lot smaller, and so the athletes, you you had everyone was a multi-sport athlete. And so also I look at like the girls' basketball player physique today, and we're built so differently.

Speaker 1 13:53

Yep.

Lauren 13:54

Um, because our basketball players, I played basketball as well. Okay. Um, we were running cross country, we were playing soccer, we were volleyball players, we were softball players, we were um, you know, uh high jumpers, long jumpers. So our our body types are so different. And then the game, again, like everything else has evolved. It's different. Yes, it's very different. So, but anyways, I um there were a couple of years I was played Ford sports. Soccer was in there for a few years, and then it was just cross-country basketball and track.

Justin 14:23

Nice.

Lauren 14:24

I was I've been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame for all three. Um, and then our basketball program, I believe the boys' basketball team last year went to the regional finals.

Justin 14:35

Correct.

Lauren 14:35

They did such a good job. They almost won it. Um, we were at that game, so fun to follow them last season. Um, but I think because they didn't win the regional finals last year, that we are still the only basketball program, my girls' team, uh, in 2003 to be regional winners. Yeah, and when we went on to play in the states, we beat Bexley. Nice. Yeah, I mean like highlight. I mean, I might have peaked right then. I was probably like prime Lauren.

Justin 15:07

So 2003, is that when you graduated?

Lauren 15:09

I graduated in 04.

Justin 15:10

Okay, it's when I did too.

Planned Growth, Roads, And Infrastructure

Lauren 15:11

Bexley came back and got us in district finals when I was a senior, but so that was your junior year and made it to state. We went to states my junior year. Did you win? We we took third, who we lost to, Villa Angeles, St. Joe, um Joseph. They won. They had like they recruited five all-starters, D1 at, you know, got D1 scholarships. Um, but we did beat them my freshman year. Um this is like a fun memory for me. So I had to work there were a lot of girls that played basketball. So I had to work exceptionally hard to get to the varsity, um, to be on varsity. And um we played that same team, Village of St. Joseph, at like some tournament, and I got we were down by like 19 or 20 points. And so I got put in as a freshman, and the game turned on its head when I went in. And um, we ended up winning by one point.

Speaker 1 16:05

Wow.

Lauren 16:05

Yeah, that's I didn't come out. I went in finally, I didn't come out. That's great. Yeah, so that was a fun memory for me. Yeah, it's kind of a turning point there. And then I was like, okay, that we gotta take her seriously. We ended up bumping some junior off of varsity and moving me up. So nice, yeah.

Justin 16:20

Nice job.

Lauren 16:20

I know it was fun. Glory days, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Justin 16:24

I uh I I I know I wish it was still like right now, like my kids are playing like every sport in its season, and I love it. Like it's fun to watch. I the girls are a little different, I guess, but they're still like like my oldest girl is like softball, and now she's starting swim, and she's done like she's done just about everything.

Lauren 16:43

I mean, oh my goodness. How does it get any worse than swimming?

Justin 16:47

No, gymnastics, maybe.

Lauren 16:49

I don't know. Like they're up at 5 a.m. two days, right?

Justin 16:52

Yeah. Yes, I love the swim coach, but it's yeah, we're still so we're doing NAC. She just started, she had her first like real meet at Upper Arlington, which was like a shock for me.

Lauren 17:02

Cause I'm like Could you imagine having that pool like in your school like that?

Justin 17:06

No, but I also like I struggle being envious of their facilities looking at our facilities.

Lauren 17:11

Oh, well, but that's new.

Justin 17:13

I and it is amazing.

Lauren 17:14

And it took them a long time to get to that point.

Justin 17:16

Yeah, exactly. It's a crazy you so you've been in there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's awesome.

Lauren 17:20

Um my husband's an architect, and I feel like he was on that project with Moody Nolan, maybe when we first moved back to New Albany. Oh, nice. Or moved back to the area.

Speaker 1 17:31

Yeah.

Lauren 17:32

And then he ended up going off and and starting his own LLC or his own company. But um Yeah, I feel like he was involved in that.

Justin 17:40

Yeah. Well, it's awesome.

Lauren 17:42

Yeah, there's like backstory.

Justin 17:44

Oh, I bet. I bet.

Lauren 17:45

Like when they started excavating. Did you ever hear about that?

Justin 17:48

Uh-uh.

Lauren 17:49

Yeah. Interesting stuff. Really? Yeah, on top of like graves.

Justin 17:54

Really? Yeah. That's fun.

Lauren 17:56

Yeah, cool thing. Yeah. You know, history.

Justin 17:58

Yeah. So so these old communities. Yeah. Uh I want to know, I want to hear more.

Lauren 18:05

I says this is this kind of stuff. This is I'm a nerd. I love um graveyards. Like, love them. Um, I'm in Maplewood a lot because it's fascinating. Um, but also I have friends that are buried back there now.

Justin 18:17

Yeah. Um and I'm embarrassed to ask this, but is Maplewood the one?

Lauren 18:22

No, it's uh it's on uh New Albany Reynoldsburg Road next to Straits Farm.

Justin 18:26

Just okay, yeah, right there. That's what I thought you were talking about. I guess I never knew the name of it.

Lauren 18:29

Yep, Maplewood Cemetery. Like the Ealys who built Ely House are buried there. Wow. Yeah.

Justin 18:34

I mean, and then you have Did you say you spent a lot of time there?

Lauren 18:37

Well, I haven't been there in a while. I should go visit Tom. You should. I go visit my friend Tom's there now. I know, but um, there's there's been an opening on the New Albany graveyard um like board. Yeah. And I'm like, I've been You absolutely have to I've been itching to like get in there, but I'm like, add one more thing to my plate. Yeah. Like I'm in Non, I'm in New Albany Moms Association, Dawn is a New Albany Women's Network. I mean, there's just so much.

Justin 19:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're podcasting now?

Lauren 19:07

Yeah. Now I'm like this famous podcaster.

Justin 19:10

You should do this.

Lauren 19:11

No, I know, because I I really love it. Um, there's a cemetery called Smith Cemetery, and I'm like texting Andrea Will Trout, who's a city council member a couple years back. I'm like, I see tombstones in the ground, and if we pulled this grass up, I guarantee I'd find some people down here, and we need to get back here. She's like, Lauren, we already fixed that one. I'm like, well, we could do better, you know. There's a guy back there who's um he was in the Revolutionary War. Wow. Something Smith. And then there's a cemetery on Central College right across the street from Cedarbrook.

Justin 19:41

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 19:42

And have you read that plaque there? No. So there is like a square opening where there aren't any tombs, and those tombstones are kind of all over the place. They're looking to shovel.

Justin 19:49

They were just doing a bunch of work there recently. Yeah.

Lauren 19:52

Yeah. I mean, they've definitely been um, you know, a uh giving the cemetery some love around New Albany. But there in um that cemetery is probably the first, and it was before New Albany was even officially New Albany. We were plain city township still. And um there was a school, that's where our first school was, plain city township school, one room schoolhouse. Yeah. And it was also most likely the church. So you know, across the wait, where was that at? Um, right across the street from the uh Cedarbrook.

Justin 20:27

That's where the cemetery is. Yes. So they're you're saying there was a schoolhouse there.

Lauren 20:31

Yeah, and it so it was a school and most likely the church for the community.

Justin 20:35

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 20:36

They um used it for both. But yeah, those tombstones are so old, historical, really neat. And then Cedar Brook um was the first neighborhood in New Albany. And so um because of that, because there were no other neighborhoods, everyone that lived in New Albany used to trick-or-treat there for Halloween. Oh, yeah, yeah. That's where everybody went.

Justin 20:58

It's still a popular spot, that area at least.

Lauren 21:00

The lanes everybody wants in there.

Justin 21:02

Yeah.

Lauren 21:03

Um, I just had clients, I purchased a house back there, they love it. Yep. Um, I have other people that are like, Lauren, if there's ever a ranch, you know, I'm keeping my eye out. But um, yeah, it's a it's a really great little community still. And they do an annual cookout still, which started from the very first year. Well, they do, they still keep that tradition alive.

Justin 21:22

That's cool. I know. That's really cool.

Lauren 21:24

I know.

Justin 21:24

I love it. Um, and now the hamlet's going in over there, right? What do you think about that?

Lauren 21:30

Um, well, I think it's gonna be great. I you know, I think some friends in the enclave were a little like, well, Lauren, what do you think? What are your thoughts? I'm like, it's all good growth. Yeah, it's gonna help your property value if that's what you're concerned about. You're gonna be able to walk across the street, and I don't know what kind of shops are gonna go in, but uh there may be another ice cream shop, there may be another coffee shop.

Justin 21:51

Uh restaurants, everybody needs more restaurants. That's all I ever hear. Right. More restaurants, more robots.

Lauren 21:55

We'll be more connected. You guys will have more walking paths, it'll be safer for the kids to that are over in maybe the links in those areas to get to the school. Um, you know, obviously I saw Haley was from Haley Gallery was on your podcast recently, and she's going to be um, she's gonna have some uh art installations there, and that's really neat and again mindful growth. And we're um collaborating with other people in the community. And yeah, um, this is actually from her gallery, but one of the artists that she buys jewelry from. I try to support the local businesses here. Have you ever had Susan Jackson on your podcast?

Justin 22:33

No, okay.

Legends, Cemeteries, And Community Memory

Lauren 22:34

So she owns Peace Love Juice. Oh, yeah, okay. And she grew up, I think, in Cedarbrook, or she just told me about the Halloween little fun fact. Um, but she's a longtime New Albany.

Justin 22:46

Well, she should be on.

Lauren 22:47

She 100% should be on. You'd love her.

Justin 22:49

Yeah, yeah. Peace, love, juice. Yes, yeah, yeah. I've seen it. I don't think I've ever had it.

Lauren 22:53

Oh my gosh, you gotta go in there. Yeah, it's so good. Yeah, yeah.

Justin 22:57

I need to get my I'm trying to get my son to gain weight.

Lauren 22:59

So if they have some like some protein powder in those things.

Justin 23:02

Yeah, yeah. He needs it. Um, all right, I I want to go back to sports just because I love sports.

Lauren 23:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry. No, you're good.

Justin 23:09

You're good. Because I do want to get into New Albany too. But um so post-high school, did you go on to play?

Lauren 23:16

I did. Um, myself and um another uh we had a we had like a lot of good athletes in our in our grade, and then just in our four years-ish um time frame. But myself and another gentleman um got full rides. He Larry Riker went to wrestle at Ohio University, and I played basketball at Mercyhurst in Erie, Pennsylvania. Okay. So I had a full ride scholarship in basketball.

Justin 23:43

Oh, do you like PA? Hated it. Really?

Lauren 23:47

Yes. It was like the we were right on the lake. Yeah. And I mean, today it was like this in May. I mean, it that lake effect was horrible. Yeah. Um, but I I still have really close friendships from that time. Yep. Um, the school was beautiful, the education was wonderful.

Justin 24:03

PA has some weird like like beer laws, don't they? Or that's right.

Lauren 24:08

My brother went by alcohol or something. Yeah, not that we were drinking.

Justin 24:11

Yeah, but you had to like you had to buy it by the case or something.

Lauren 24:14

There's something about like I was underage, so I did I depended on like the football players for all that, and I depended on my upperclassmen, you know, my juniors and seniors on my team for that. Yeah. And they took care of me. So I didn't have to really worry about those things.

Justin 24:28

My brother played football at Westminster. So I just remember like being in high school going there and like yeah, it was just weird laws around.

Lauren 24:34

Yeah, they did. And other people, like Kentucky, I think has some weird things, like can't buy it on the weekends, or you had to go some out of I don't know. I don't even know.

Justin 24:42

So they just bought it by the keg. That was their solution.

Lauren 24:45

Where there's a will, there's a way. Well, and I did transfer. So uh what I maybe didn't party so much my freshman year, but I transferred down to Ohio University. Uh made it up.

Justin 24:55

There you go. Oh, yeah. I made up some social. Did you play basketball there?

Lauren 24:59

I played club basketball.

Justin 25:00

Okay.

Lauren 25:01

Um, and I so, you know, and I'm I think we'll I kind of get ahead of myself. I'm sure we're gonna get into some like community service and giving back to the community eventually here. But you know, um I was with I participated or volunteered at Mercy Hearst with the Boys and Girls Club.

Speaker 1 25:18

Yeah.

Lauren 25:18

Um, with some of the other players and in Erie. And then um when I transferred to Ohio University, I rushed for a community service uh co-ed fraternity called A5. And so I was part of that as well. And um did, you know, gave back to the community and in volunteering basically because I didn't really have any monetary uh anything going on there. Yeah, yeah. So they got my time. Uh uh courtside got my money. Yeah. But um, so yeah, I transferred to Ohio University and and played co-ed or sorry, played um club basketball for a little bit. But then I met my kind of like core group of girlfriends and moved into a house with there was eight girls in this house, and you just kind of saw like the gradual decline of you know, staying focused. And uh I got through, but um yeah, I stopped playing co ed because that was still a commitment. Yeah, traveling on the weekends and um yeah, so I stopped playing co-ed basketball. I did play co-ed in DC with Adam. Uh um that was the worst. Playing with men was absolute worst. Plus, I was like so far removed from because boys are stupid.

Justin 26:39

Yeah, well, they're been over this.

Lauren 26:40

Yeah, they're stupid, yes. Um, some more than others. No, Adam, not you. Um, you're the best, the smartest. Uh, but um I I I just wasn't as like good as I used to be.

Speaker 2 26:55

Yeah.

Lauren 26:56

And so it was really frustrating to me. On top of playing with boys, we had really great uh female athletes on our team. We had the best female athletes, actually. But um, it was really frustrating to me to be like, oh my gosh, my body is not working. Like I, and this was just in my late 20s, like I how it used to. And I'm like, Adam, I swear I used to be good. I say it all the time. It's like I was I used to be really good. And um, he was like, Stop. I was like, this is not a true reflection of the athlete I once was. Um, so that was really hard pill to swallow, and like kind of my first like slap in the face, like you're not, you know, the caliber of athlete that you used to be, but it's the worst feeling in the world. But he was really good, which surprised me, my husband. Oh, really? Oh my god. Was he a basketball player? He quit. His he was like one of those quitters, like those people that quit in their sophomore year, junior year, quitters. He was one of those.

Justin 27:44

Where did he go to school?

Lauren 27:45

Um, Adam went to OSU for undergrad and ASU for grad school.

Justin 27:50

Okay. And he is he from the area?

Lauren 27:52

He's from Sandusky, Ohio. Okay. So northern Ohio. Yeah. And um he is a really good tennis player.

Justin 28:00

And he's used to that lake effect, man.

Lauren 28:03

Yeah. Yeah. He's that you hate.

Justin 28:05

You're right. Yeah.

Lauren 28:06

Yeah. One of the first questions I asked him when I met him was like, Did you ever eat at a Perkins? Because we have Perkins in Erie, Pennsylvania. And he's like, I don't just eat there. I work there. So he like makes the best breakfast. That's a lady. He's like, yeah, well, he was one of those guys making breakfast, but that's in the kitchen.

Justin 28:23

That was like our like we would go to Perkins after dances, or we would go to Perkins.

Lauren 28:27

It was open till like 2 a.m. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. It was it was amazing. It really hit the spot for the bars.

Justin 28:32

Perkins. Yeah.

Lauren 28:33

So Adam, if you ever want an omelet, my husband makes you could make you like the best omelette in the world. Done. But yeah, he's uh uh he was really good at basketball.

Justin 28:42

Yeah, tall, right? Yeah, he is, yeah. Super tall.

Lauren 28:44

He's tall.

Justin 28:46

So you you guys have some basketball players coming in.

Multi-Sport High School Life And Records

Lauren 28:49

Here's hoping. We're trying to foster that. Um, Arthur loves basketball. Arthur is my oldest, he's in second grade this year.

Speaker 1 28:58

Yeah.

Lauren 28:58

And last year, because mommy knows some people and has some connections. So Adam took Arthur to a scrimmage and just was like, you know, we should maybe see if like they would let him be a ball boy or be a part of the program in some way. I'm like, hold that, hold that thought. I like text a couple girls I know who have sons in the on the team. Yeah. And like in two seconds, it was like, well, he's in. And I'm like, oh my gosh. I'm like, yeah, these these women just are willing to like go out of their way to like help out or answer the call, um, especially in our community. It has been just one of the the biggest blessings looking back here. It's just like, wow, women really uh are wonderful here in the community. And but yeah, so so what I'm what I was getting at is that Arthur then was the ball boy for the high school basketball team last year, and he'll get to do that again. Water boy, ball boy.

Speaker 1 29:52

Yeah.

Lauren 29:52

Oh yeah. I mean, he um is like has always been the kind of kid that can like really focus and like watch a sporting event and sit and really pay attention or whatever it might be, but especially sports. Yeah. And um, so he'll be doing that again this year. And what a um blessing to be a part of a program like this. And and the kids, the the team. And the coaches are just so give him so much grace and are so kind. That's awesome. Yeah. And like, I'm like, do you know how lucky you are?

Justin 30:24

I'm telling you.

Lauren 30:24

This is an abnormal opportunity.

Justin 30:27

Yeah. So both of my boys did that for football this year. Oh, nice. And so, yeah, Jackson, the youngest, and Vinny. Um, yeah, and I'm like, you guys, like I did it because I had an older brother. So I was fortunate to be a ball boy on Friday nights. And I try and like, I don't know, I try and tell them all the time what how lucky they are to like grow up in an area like this. But then like some of the opportunities that they've had, I'm like, cherish this, right? Like, there's a lot of a lot of people that would like to be doing what you're doing. Like, so take it serious, do your job, do it well.

Lauren 30:58

Right.

Justin 30:58

Um, my youngest, like the best water boy out there. Like halftime, everybody goes in the locker room and he's out there by himself, like still filling water bottles. Like he's so focused on it. Yeah. Um so yeah, I uh I I can relate to that. It's a it's it's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Lauren 31:15

Well, and like when I think about myself and our program, uh, if we had a very young little ball girl, um, our we had ball girls, but they were like sixth grade.

Speaker 1 31:25

Yeah.

Lauren 31:26

Um, so they were just like more, I don't know, they just knew like what not to do, you know, like don't get in the way. And um, and Arthur's just not there yet. And he's and he's a boy on top of it. So we know, you know, um, like I would have had no patience. I don't think I would have been as nice to him as they are. And like I sh my coach definitely would not have been as nice. And so just to see how um how kind they are, and yeah, the kids in this community are so nice.

Justin 31:56

Yeah, like they're just they are, I think for like sometimes too nice.

Lauren 32:00

They come and like watch their games and like yeah, they they'll like support the younger, but that's a good thing, right? Because I mean, I I remember looking up to kids in high school when I was younger. I still remember some of their names, these Gahana basketball players and um, or even college. Like, I remember going to some Capitol games and things like that. And then when I was in high school, the same thing. There were young girls looking up to me who are still here and they're like, Oh my gosh, I remember you, I loved you, and you were, you know, and it's like you have that impact on them. And now we're all adults, but it's like you don't even realize um the the impact you're making on someone. And like then they'll grow up and remember you and they'll do the same for somebody else coming up, you know? And absolutely so it's a ripple effect.

Speaker 1 32:45

It is, yeah.

Lauren 32:46

Uh it's a lot of fun. We're really excited for the basketball season this year. Yes. And our girl, our um, one of our our uh good friends, um Abby Leimmeister, yeah, if I'm saying her name right, she's um she's playing this year too, so at the high school level. So we're like really excited to watch the girls and the boys this year. It's exciting.

Justin 33:05

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is. My wife played basketball in high school. Yeah. Started as a freshman.

Lauren 33:09

Oh, right. Where's where high school did she go to?

Justin 33:12

They were so bad.

Lauren 33:13

Who was it?

Justin 33:14

Uh Lakeview. So Cortland Lakeview.

Lauren 33:16

Oh. Where's that?

Justin 33:18

Like Northeast Ohio.

Lauren 33:19

Okay.

Justin 33:19

That's why I know that like the PA stuff is because like Northeast Ohio, we were a half hour from the border. Uh-huh. Um, so used to go there for stuff. But uh, yeah, they were they were bad. She was the only senior her senior year. Oh uh, I don't think they want a game. And I went to every single high school sweetheart. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yep. Uh sophomore year. Yeah. So I went to every game. Um, girls' basketball sometimes can be hard to watch, like especially like small school.

Lauren 33:50

We were good. So everyone talks about like we were fun.

Justin 33:54

Yeah. Because we were also student section?

Lauren 33:57

Huge.

Justin 33:58

That's awesome.

Lauren 33:59

Oh my gosh. They were, I mean, we had more of a following in the boys' program at that time. Um, but we were also psychotic. So we were fun to watch because we were like out of our minds. Yep. Yep. Like crazy. And um, but yeah, they would, yeah, we had a the screaming eagles, what they call themselves, and they had t-shirts and come with like big fly swatters because like my friend, my best friend growing up, her name's Kelly Hughes. Um, she was taller than like she's six foot one or something. So a lot of block shots were happening. Um, but yeah, we we had a good time.

Speaker 1 34:31

Yeah.

Lauren 34:32

Yeah. So that it's fun then. It's fun when like there's like people, when the community kind of like embraces you and wraps their arms around you and supports you, um, which I had. And then my cousins, my young cousins would like come to the games and you know, see the atmosphere and really enjoy themselves. And they're like, oh my gosh, this is what it's gonna be like when I'm in high school. And then they got in high school and it was not that way. And then they they still laugh about that. I'm like, I don't know. It was special. We really had something special.

Justin 34:56

Basketball student sections are like the best. Yeah, it is so fun. Um, our high school team was pretty good, and so the student section was nuts, and it was just so much fun.

Lauren 35:05

Yeah, it's fun to watch the kids, the young kids come to the games and yeah, you know, really get into it. I wish they'd stay in the stands. Uh they stand behind they stand behind the the team, yeah, which is kind of weird to me because I'm not used to that.

Justin 35:19

Yeah.

Lauren 35:20

Seeing like that, that would never have been allowed.

Justin 35:22

No, I that was first like I went to a game.

Lauren 35:24

Don't touch the celebrities, you know.

Justin 35:26

Yeah, I that literally because they they are at the back of their chairs.

Lauren 35:30

Yes. And and then it just blocks our views. And that's the only thing is like, you know.

Justin 35:34

We need a bigger gym.

Lauren 35:37

We are, I mean, we're huge now. Yeah. So yeah, we've definitely we we probably are outgrowing our space now.

Justin 35:43

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, so maybe some new facilities coming, right?

Lauren 35:46

There are. I don't know if a gym is one of them, but I know the baseball fields.

Justin 35:51

Um maybe another middle school field?

Lauren 35:54

Yeah.

Justin 35:54

I want another track.

Lauren 35:56

Yeah.

Justin 35:56

Just one track is one track around the turf is tough because you can't use the track if somebody's on the turf. Right. So it makes like scheduling stuff.

Lauren 36:05

Yeah, I never even thought about it.

Justin 36:06

Yeah. So give us like a middle school grass field over there with a track around it. Great.

Lauren 36:11

See, when I was running track, we just ran, I guess, around when the high school kids were there too. I guess we were all using the track around the same time. Probably. Because I remember interacting with some high school boys.

Justin 36:23

Yeah. I don't believe it.

College Sports, Transfers, And Service

Lauren 36:27

I mean, they were just there. So I'm like, we must have been all using the track at the same time.

Justin 36:36

Yes, absolutely. When I ran in college and indoor, like baseball would practice in the center of the facility, and then we would practice on the outside. It was like, yeah, there's like baseballs flying all over the place. I get it from a liability perspective, it makes sense. Um, but that's why I think it'd be cool to have another track.

Lauren 36:52

Yeah, that yeah.

Justin 36:53

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 36:54

Probably down the road.

Justin 36:56

I would, yeah, uh we'll see what happens. I feel like that's the best. Yeah, I feel like that um I'm curious to see what's gonna happen with the sports facility. Because it seems to be like like changing quite a bit.

Lauren 37:08

Um I'm curious to see how we get the kids over to the So I I too.

Justin 37:13

Uh, but I think the Hamlet maybe helps with some of that.

Lauren 37:17

Yeah.

Justin 37:17

Like, so I live north of that. So I like the idea of like some of that stuff coming up because it does, it seems like eternity. It's a short distance, but like my kids can't ride their bike to the school, which drives them crazy. Um so maybe as like some of that connects, it might be easier. Right. Yeah.

Speaker 1 37:35

Yeah.

Justin 37:35

But I agree, like if you've got you're leaving the school to try and get to practice.

Lauren 37:40

Right. Just over that bridge right there. It's just so narrow.

Justin 37:43

Yeah.

Lauren 37:43

Um, my husband is on the architecture board, and then my neighbor is um he works out in Newark, but he just always knows like the city planning stuff going on. He and his wife are like city planners. And so I always get little, you know, yeah, bits and pieces of information from from those two sources. But um I mean, there's gonna be more and more changes that to come down the road and all again, good growth and it'll benefit our um student body. And um yeah, it's just it's it is wild to see like where we are today and compare it to where we were when I first moved here because in fifth grade, I was actually in the historical building for fifth grade.

Justin 38:26

Oh wow, yeah.

Lauren 38:27

Now it was the first year the new high school opened.

Justin 38:29

Yeah.

Lauren 38:30

So in the first phase of the new high school, which is the library and the buildings like on either side of the library and then the auditorium, auditorium. Um, that was sixth grade through twelfth grade. All sixth graders and twelfth graders fit in those fit. That's crazy. Right. With probably room, a lot of room to spare. Yeah. And I graduated with about 130 kids, I think.

Speaker 1 38:52

Okay.

Lauren 38:52

Um, give or take five. And now the classes are like four fifty, four hundred and fifty kids a class, something around there. 400 to 500, maybe even.

Justin 39:03

It's funny because I graduated, I mean, small, not super small town, but small. I think I graduated like 180 something.

Lauren 39:10

Yeah, you're bigger than us.

Justin 39:12

Well, not bigger than my class. Now they're probably graduating 100. I don't know. Like we went.

Lauren 39:16

Yeah, the opposite direction.

Justin 39:18

I don't know that for sure, but uh, I do I think it's has shrunk a little bit.

Lauren 39:22

Yeah.

Justin 39:22

Yeah, so funny to see the difference.

Lauren 39:25

Um I'm sure the old timers then approve like it.

Justin 39:28

I bet. Yeah.

Lauren 39:29

If I go, if you go to a historical society meeting, yeah, it's a lot of flannel and Levi's, and I'm probably the youngest person there. And all I want to know is I honestly I love to listen to Dennis and everything he shares and whoever the presenter is or whatnot. But I'm like, I just want everyone to go around the room and tell me your name. Who are you?

Justin 39:47

Your story. Yes.

Lauren 39:49

Like, where did you grow up? Who's your relative?

Justin 39:51

Yeah. I mean, I've tried to do some research. So I live on Schleppy.

Lauren 39:55

So I've tried to do some research on there's Schleppies in Maplewood Cemetery.

Justin 39:59

Is there? I gotta go see them.

Lauren 40:01

Go visit them.

Justin 40:01

Uh so I've done some of the research. I can't really remember. It's hard. It's hard to find a lot of that stuff. Uh, but it exists, it's out there, I'm sure. Yeah, I need to. Who are the Schleppies? Just such a cool name.

Lauren 40:14

He went to school with them, I'm sure.

Justin 40:16

I bet.

Lauren 40:17

Yeah.

Justin 40:17

Yeah.

Lauren 40:18

Um yeah, Ulries are back there. Easton. I we always said Nice Wander, but everyone's saying it's Nice Wander now. Obviously, Bevelheimer.

Justin 40:28

Hold up. Is it Bevelheimer or Bevelheimer?

Lauren 40:31

It's both. We always said Bevelheimer. It's both because there were people that pronounced it Bevelheimer, whose last name was Bevelheimer, spelled exactly the same. There were people who pronounced their last name Bevelheimer. So there was like a missus.

Justin 40:47

Wait, so there's two families.

Lauren 40:49

I yeah. And they same spelling. Yes. And they said both ways. All right, but see, so no one's uh no one's wrong.

Justin 40:58

I can't live with that. I know.

Lauren 41:00

I'm a standby Bevelheimer.

Justin 41:02

Okay. All right. Because I a lot of the a lot of the original New Albany people that I talked to are like, it's Bevelheimer.

Lauren 41:09

But see, I'm not original. I'm 90s.

Justin 41:11

Oh, so you're in between.

Lauren 41:12

Yeah, I'm a tweener. So I can't claim the original. So, but there was a Mrs. Bevelheimer.

Justin 41:19

How does Dennis pronounce it?

Lauren 41:20

What would Dennis do? We got like braces like that.

Justin 41:23

What would Dennis do?

Lauren 41:25

Um Dennis would say both are right.

Justin 41:27

All right.

Lauren 41:28

I think I even had this conversation with him before.

Justin 41:30

We need a definitive answer though, somehow, some way. Because it's just not as or maybe we don't. Maybe it's more fun that the debate lives on.

Lauren 41:39

Yeah. Well, this is everyone debates all these names. Um, like it's like I said, Nice wander or nice wander, um, which is in north of woods.

Justin 41:48

Yeah.

Lauren 41:49

Um, there's a couple others, but I think it's nice wander. It I always said nice wander.

Justin 41:55

Yeah.

Lauren 41:55

But now they're all saying Nice Wander.

Justin 41:57

No, see, this is when we're right.

unknown 41:59

Okay.

Lauren 42:00

All right. I mean, I like being right. Yeah. But I'll admit when I'm wrong.

Justin 42:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, God, I gotta get I gotta get to the bottom of Bevelheimer.

Lauren 42:08

Bevelheimer.

Justin 42:08

Yeah. I mean, it's forever gonna be Bevelheimer now, just because like you go to Bevelheimer and there's like 10,000 people.

Lauren 42:14

Oh, we said Bevelheimer. I mean, I always said Bevelheimer.

Justin 42:16

Yeah.

Lauren 42:17

But there was a Mrs. Bevelheimer, and there were people that pronounce her last name Bevelheimer. Or yeah, right. So I don't know.

Justin 42:26

The world may never know.

Lauren 42:27

They were well, yeah.

Justin 42:30

Um, all right, enough of the sports. Actually, I have one more sports thing. So, what what kind of sports parent are you gonna be?

Lauren 42:37

Oh gosh, I am like the worst. I am not cool, calm collected at all. I'm like, especially if we're playing like a team that just kind of gets under my skin. Yeah.

Justin 42:48

Um your first year of Flag, right?

Youth Sports Culture And Facilities

Lauren 42:52

Oh, Flag, I was a little more relaxed. Okay, but I was like, oh, I actually like Flag because I feel like the parents are, you know, more chill. And then it was like, no, they were not more chill. But I was, yeah. I was, but the other parents were not. But I was not chill. I'm not chill at soccer. Like, I'll like hit the ground. I'm screaming. Adam coached, he got mad, he threw a water bottle like really far, and someone had to go get the water bottle. I mean, yeah. So soccer brings out the worst to me. Um that's a lot. So I'm probably gonna be pretty um animated and I may get kicked out of a game or two. I mean, I definitely got was I got technical here and there when I played sports. I'm an angry athlete.

Justin 43:40

Well, I was gonna say you referred to yourselves as psychos on the basketball court. So yeah, we were just emotionally unstable. Yeah, we were. That's that is awesome.

Lauren 43:48

We totally were, but it was fun to watch.

Justin 43:51

Yeah.

Lauren 43:51

And I guess if you as long as your like athleticism can back it up and you're not just like bad and you know, but man, if we could go back, I think about that with like just a healthier mindset. Yeah, how much better we could have been.

Speaker 1 44:06

Yep.

Lauren 44:06

But we also had like amazing team chemistry. And the year that we finally, because it wasn't our best, our best team, our best team, I think athletically was the year prior, but our team chemistry wasn't as good. And then the next the year following, our team chemistry was just so strong. And it was like things just like worked out then. Um, but yeah, I always think about well, mental health is a big thing. And you know, um, for high school kids, um, especially, we even have like all the social media stuff that they have now like impacting them. Um, and then you got like a male coach who just doesn't know how to like deal with like the female hormones. Yep. Like they could have just been like more chill. Like I get it looking back, like we were probably like they were probably like, oh my God, like you're really pissing me off. I don't know if I can say that on here, but like I can understand you know, and empathize for them now, but at the same time, like I've also had male coaches that were um just handled female athletes better, especially in that kind of like delicate time frame.

Justin 45:14

Yeah, I mean, coaching has changed so much from you know the coaches that we had and experienced. And then, you know, I was an educator and coached 10, 12 years ago. And then even now getting back into it, it's it's is crazy how much it's changed. Yeah. And what you can and cannot do, what you can and can't say.

Lauren 45:34

Oh my gosh, we had this one coach, a soccer coach. Oh my, he was like looking back, like how bad he was.

Justin 45:41

Would have been fired today.

Lauren 45:42

He made fun of our weight. I mean, but it was like yes. I mean, he would say, like, he would make fun of our looks, but it was like funny, but like, oh my gosh, Mr. Tooie. I'll say it. Mr. Tooie, if you're still out there, we all still talk about you. Um, he was so bad. Oh my god, he was he would, yeah, he would not have gotten away with all the he was even that way in the classroom. Really? Yeah, it's this man. Yeah. I know he was such a little stinker. That's awesome. Yeah.

Justin 46:10

Where's Mr. Tooie now? Who knows?

Lauren 46:12

Still bald.

Justin 46:14

Yeah. Yeah. Probably yelling at kids somewhere. Probably divorced. Oh, Mr. Tuey.

Lauren 46:23

I don't know. I'm just teasing. Hopefully he's thriving. I hope he's I hope he's doing well.

Justin 46:30

I hope he still lives in New Albany and he's gonna be. He doesn't, I know that much. All right. Um, well, I said it wasn't we were gonna move on from sports, but I do have one more thing. So tell me about the New Albany Hall of Fame. So you're on that. Is it it's a board committee?

Lauren 46:44

Yeah. Um, so when I moved back to the area, um they reached out and asked if I wanted to be on the board with them. And um basically, you know, it was just a opportunity to, well, it was somebody's senior project. Um so Thomas Weldon started it back in 2004. We've never had something like that. We just had we had the hall of the wall, the hall of fame.

Speaker 1 47:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lauren 47:09

Which everyone is on now. But when I was growing up, there was nobody on up on the wall. So I remember being really young and like looking up, I'm gonna be up there, you know, like that was like something to really achieve. Like no one was up there. Now everybody's up there. Um, and I don't know if like, you know, it's easier to get up there or we're just better than we ever used to. Yeah, we're producing like that many more athletes, like substantial athletes. I don't know. But um, so he started the athletic hall of fame um recognition, you know, recognizing athletes. And it's just been going for the last 20 something years.

Speaker 1 47:46

Yeah.

Lauren 47:47

Give or take a couple years. Um, but yeah, so I joined when I first moved back about probably like six years ago or so, five years ago. And yeah, we just think about different athletes that are have been out of the out of high school for at least five years. And, you know, we kind of also think about um, you know, what how what they're doing in their lives, like make, you know, the good people and um doing the right things in life and you know, their contributions to the athletic programs while during their time here. And of course they had to achieve certain levels of you know um athletic success. Yeah. Um and then people can also uh nominate athletes too. So I don't remember what the email address is off the top of my head.

Justin 48:33

You're about to get a ton of emails.

Lauren 48:34

It's a Gmail. You can follow us on the New Albany Athletic Hall of Fame Instagram page, and I do have that email on there. Okay, but um yeah, you could nominate people too. So nice.

Justin 48:46

Yeah. Start nominating my kids now.

Lauren 48:50

Yeah, you're starting to I'm gonna hear from you now every other week. Like, hey Lauren, how are you doing?

Justin 48:54

No, I uh yeah, no, I don't you we before we started, you had mentioned records, and uh my 300 meter hurdle record got broke. It's like one of the last track records I had. And it's funny because like you want I I want the best for my alma, like I want them to have success, and I heard that he was an awesome kid, but still part of me was like, dang. Because I lost my 110 record to a really good hurdler, um, and just like four by one, my like just so you're a sprinter, yeah.

Lauren 49:24

Yeah, I was horrible at the 100 meter dash. Really, could not get my momentum going fast enough. Working on it. My strides are long, yeah. So it takes a minute.

Justin 49:32

Yeah, so you're like yeah, we're opposite.

Lauren 49:34

I'm like a gazelle. But once it's uh once it's going to be. Yeah, it's good.

Justin 49:39

But it's uh yeah, cross country is like cross country and basketball don't seem like I guess they I don't know, they're a lot of conditioning and yeah, yeah.

Lauren 49:48

Um I don't know.

Justin 49:50

Did you high jump?

Lauren 49:51

I did. I went to states in the I got seventh in the state for high jump. Um hide you jump. Not that high, honestly. Yeah, like five two. I mean that's it's it got me there. Yeah, yeah. Um maybe five three, but definitely not five four.

Justin 50:07

Yeah. Um some good Pullman, right?

Lauren 50:11

I had the 400 meter record and uh in 20, well, yeah, in 2013. Well, Carrington. Um what oh she's so lovely. She ended up running for like the United States. I mean, she she pulverized the record. Like if someone's gonna beat your record. That's who you want it to be. Yes. Yeah, and then I got to induct her into the Hall of Fame too, so that was kind of fun. That's cool. Um, but no one's beating her record. I mean, she ran a 400 meter dash in like 53 seconds. Yeah, forget about it. That's gonna be there for a while until her child comes up and then maybe beats her. Yeah, because they're gonna be superstar runners for sure. Really? Oh, her husband, um, their high school sweethearts.

Speaker 1 50:50

Okay.

Lauren 50:51

And they both ran at OSU. Oh, and then they both ran for like USA. So yeah, they've got some some athletes coming into the world through New Albany? Mm-hmm.

Justin 51:01

Cool, cool.

Lauren 51:02

Oh, hopefully. I don't actually I'm not sure where they're live where they live in the current.

Justin 51:05

Okay.

Lauren 51:05

I'll I'll start.

Justin 51:06

We're gonna start recruiting.

Lauren 51:07

Yeah. Oh, can we use that word?

Justin 51:10

Yeah.

Lauren 51:10

We can recruit.

Justin 51:11

Yeah, I mean NIL is legal now.

Lauren 51:14

Oh, okay. Yeah, I'll I'll start planting some seeds.

Justin 51:17

If you're in real estate, we need some homes that we can gift rent to. Oh my god. What do you think about that? Have you thought about that at all? Have you seen that NIL was like no? I don't I'm gonna say it wrong, but I think it was like a football player in Cincinnati or something. I think an OSU commit, and I may be completely wrong, but something happened. There was a lawsuit filed, so the courts put a block on OHSA from allowing students to benefit in name, image, and likeness. So I'm like, man, that's gonna get crazy.

Lauren 51:48

Yeah, uh honestly, I kind of like avoid the news a little bit just to keep my sanity these days. But um, I live in my own little bubble. Yeah, yeah. Like happy. But um, you know, I want to be like, I don't want to like be the be known known as like the school that recruits and then they win everything, right? Like I want to be known, like I want us to be winners organically.

Speaker 1 52:12

Yep.

Lauren 52:12

Like we lost to Villa Angeles St. Joe's, and you first thing I say is like they recruited all those girls, right? Like to me that you lose a little respect. Yeah. Like um, because they weren't like you know, really integrated into the community. They were brought over for one thing, right? Like just to play sports. And um, you know, I want the kids that are like going through kindergarten, you know, here coming up through the school system.

Justin 52:38

And yeah, because if you like your experience, like everybody was from here, like like New Albany at the time, there probably was an influx. I guess and maybe you can speak to that.

Lauren 52:49

Shockeys, Dorens, yeah, Kellett, he was a really big athlete and his kids were here. Um, Cunningham, you know, these kids were like they their ancestors grew up here, like 200 years.

Justin 53:03

Do you think New Albany will ever get back to that type of like community feel? Like where like I go just speaking to football, like we go to like a smaller town and the environment is awesome. Or I think back to my experiences, like again with basketball, where like it was just like it's just hometown, right? And so do you think New Albany will like, does it feel the same to you, or do you think it'll ever get to that? Yeah, it's like do people of us, are there enough of us raising kids that are like super passionate about the schools and the community?

Lauren 53:34

Oh, I think I'm a little bit of an anomaly in that respect. Um I don't know, you know.

Justin 53:44

Does it feel different?

Lauren 53:45

Yes, it does. It is. I mean, it is it's an it's it is different, but it also feels very similar to, you know, it's still um like because we only have one school, right? We have one campus. We don't have multiple high schools, multiple uh middle school and elementary schools. So it's still very close, closely like we're all very much tied to one another and we see each other all the time. We run into each other at um kids' birthday parties. And um, so I still feel that like that small town feeling. Yeah, yeah. Um, but it's just elevated and in the best way, honestly. Like the mill used to has gone through its evolution of things, right? And now it's um a brewery. And that's it's beautiful. And they didn't tear the building down and they could have. They preserved it, thank, thankfully. Um just one example. Um, but yeah, it still feels like a small town to me. But you know, it's not just New Albany that's growing, everywhere it's growing, right? Like look at Licking Heights. I mean, that's like that is nuts. Yeah. Um, and that's that's like country, quote unquote, you know, and they have two high schools now. And um so I I really do feel like uh New Albany has done a really good job, and I know I said it earlier, but in just like being really mindful and intentional in the in the way that we're growing. And um, you know who I remember? There's all these, all the new people that like come into these positions, like our school board is constantly turning over. I mean, our city council positions, like those folks have been in there for a little bit. Um, but I remember the old names. I'm like Max Ness, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Stranges, Rex Reader.

Justin 55:29

Um I don't know any of those names.

Lauren 55:31

Um uh what was it, Jim Rush, um, or Bill Rush. He was he's Bill Rush, our environmental science guy.

Speaker 1 55:39

Yeah.

Lauren 55:39

Um, you know, like uh, you know, Dick Fisher, he was uh, he just recently passed away. I don't know if you ever knew who he was. He was, he um, he was kind of like our uh campus security.

Speaker 1 55:51

Yeah.

Lauren 55:51

Um, but he was very much still very involved in our um our uh like oh gosh, was he a police officer or was he a I think he was a fireman? So he was just involved still and like really involved in the community. Um those are the names that like I really like. I'm sorry, I'm like so bad about like I need to be a little more current.

Speaker 1 56:12

I'm yeah.

Justin 56:13

Uh yeah, I'm somewhat current, I guess. I mean, I try and pay attention to it, obviously, with four kids in the district, but um, I just think the schools are awesome. They've done a phenomenal, like I couldn't be happier with like how all of my I honestly wish I joke, like I want one of my kids to have a teacher that they don't like, or they're like, oh, they're mean. Never happens. Yeah, I haven't experienced that yet.

Hall Of Fame: Purpose And Process

Lauren 56:34

I mean, I've heard other parents tell me, you know, oh wait until they get here or that, and you know, and I'm like, oh, you know, it's never it's never gonna be perfect, right? There's always gonna be some kind of adversity. For sure, right? For sure. Um I just want Wendy to have a mean teacher. Yeah, well, they should have someone who's like pushes them and because that's life, right? Like you're gonna you're going to come across people that don't like you just because they don't because yeah, whatever it is, they make up an opinion about you or they think this or that, yeah, it doesn't even matter. They don't like whatever about you, yeah, you know? Yeah. Um, and you gotta deal with it and figure out how to, you know, it depends on the situation, but like you might have to work with that person. So you figure out how to how to make it work, or you know, or you can cut that person off and just like keep it moving. So yeah, we all I don't want my kids to like just get along with everybody and everyone be super nice to them all the time because adversity is part of life. And um, the sooner you learn how to um how to uh face it and you know, work through it, yeah, the better, better for it you'll be.

Justin 57:41

Is that the athlete in you, do you think?

Lauren 57:43

Took me a long time to get to that point because I wish everybody liked me and I wish everyone was nice to me. Because, you know, but um but yeah, yeah, I sound pretty uh mature right there.

Justin 57:56

I don't know. I think uh man, I think that I mean, obviously I love athletics. I just think not just athletics, just extracurriculars in general, I think are huge for development. I mean, whether they're whatever whatever it is that you do. But I just find myself in in business or in life, like a lot of it just it comes back to my you know experiences as an athlete.

Lauren 58:19

So well, and that has been so Adam and I well back up a little bit. We lived in Washington, DC for about a decade.

Speaker 1 58:27

Okay.

Lauren 58:27

And then we started, you know, we got married, we started having kids and all those things, and we decided, okay, it's time to move back to Ohio. And we ended up in New Albany. Thankfully, our couple homes that we put offers on around the east side fell through. And then this home in New Albany where we are now came on the market. We're like, whatever they want, we just need to like get in our own space. We were like live living with my my aunt who had a uh plenty of space for us, but wasn't our home. We were like intruding in her space, right? And so we landed in New Albany and you know, everything always works out how it's supposed to, even though you can't see it, you know, as it's as you're working through it. And we're so grateful that we, that it, that it played out the way that it did. Um, but since moving back, it's been really wonderful to see like how much more inclusive New Albany is, um, how much more diverse New Albany is, more so than it ever was when I was growing up here. Um, you know, the Miracle League field. I signed up to be a big buddy the first season that it opened. I remember like walking up and like crying because it was just so emotional because like what it what it embodies and what it um represents, you know, just um that we don't just like only care about certain kids, you know, and we care about all of our children. And um so I've always I last season I was I need to I need to be more on top of that. I'll admit this, Sierra uh Sierra Bird, Sierra Dickinson. If you're hearing this, like she knows I missed a lot of games last year.

Justin 59:55

Um, but um I would love to have somebody on from there.

Lauren 59:59

Oh, okay.

Justin 1:00:00

I tried to reach out to them through Instagram, but like if they don't follow, I it was something I couldn't like get through to them.

Lauren 1:00:05

But uh we'll we'll sit down after this and I'll just go down and like brainstorm for you and continue.

Justin 1:00:12

See, when I was looking for a host, where were you?

Lauren 1:00:14

Oh, hiding from. You this is this is just not my forte. I love like I'm just pretending that this isn't here, that's not here. Like, we're just having a we're at Fox in the Snow right now in our bougie little bakery in New Albany and um having a nice like one-on-one catching up.

Justin 1:00:31

But you for sure should be the one doing this.

Lauren 1:00:34

Oh well, I here's the thing. I love people. I love people. Yeah. I always have. Um I love meeting new people. I don't think you know, the structure and like, you know, I don't know that I love to like organically have conversations. I just met with a potential new client last Friday. We met at 3:30. I didn't get home until 7:30. We talked for four hours. And it went by pretty quick. But, you know, it's like I'm like the last one to leave the party. You know, I'm like saying my goodbyes forever. Um, and then when I see people, even in New Albany, like I'll see a parent or a teacher or someone I I know, and this bothers my husband because they're like, they don't know everybody like I do, and or my kids, and they'll be like, come on, like we want to go. And but it's like I am like giving my time. Like I'm I am focused on this person, I'm giving them my full attention. Um, I genuinely want to hear how they're doing and catch up. Like that's been also one of the best parts about moving back. The worst part, I will say, is um people have passed away since I've moved back.

Justin 1:01:39

Yeah. And that has been a good thing. I thought for sure you're gonna say parent pickup line, but I don't do that. Uh me neither, but I'm gonna have to do it today, and I'm dreading it as you can tell.

Lauren 1:01:48

Yeah. I've found myself caught in the in the traffic before, and I'm like, oh, Lauren, you know better. You can't go down this road at this time.

Justin 1:01:56

Dublin Granville. Gotta avoid it.

Coaching Styles, Mental Health, And Change

Lauren 1:01:58

No, no, no, no, Dublin Granville. But yeah, that's been so yeah, some people have passed since you're um and I mean like some really wonderful people who um not only like raised me and like for whatever reason liked me a lot and like supported me when I was younger, like really show me like above and beyond love, you know. Um, but people who have really um made an impact on our community too. I don't know if you ever knew Mary and Don Cameron. So um they are instrumental in like the McCoy Center.

Speaker 1 1:02:28

Yeah.

Lauren 1:02:28

Um, and just a bunch of different things. And like a lot of people who are who have been here for a while and the community knew them. Um, they're wonderful. Barbara Kirk at the time, she's not she passed away as Barbara Levesque. Um, she was amazing. Um, you know, Bill Rush passed away. He's the reason why we have so many of these environmental science programs and all of our wetlands, areas that people back in the day wanted to um develop. And he was like, Hold the hold up, you can't because this, this, and this, and this, and you're gonna mess up that, and you better not touch that. And so he really stepped in. He was like, he did a lot with our Boy Scout programs too. Nice. Um, gosh, I could go on and on. I told you about Dick Fisher, he was wonderful, but um yeah, so like that's been the hard, that's been the hardest part. Yeah. So yeah, and I see him everywhere, you know. I have all these memories. I mean, I I'll send pictures to people that I'm friends with now who are like living in homes that my friends lived in. I'll be like, here's me like kissing the boy in your third, you're up on your third floor where your kids' playroom is now, you know, and they're like, oh my gosh, like cracking up, you know. I'm like, look what your this space used to look like, you know. Um uh is that what you like?

Justin 1:03:45

Is that what you like about like what is that what brought you to like real estate in New Albany?

Small-Town Feel In A Growing City

Lauren 1:03:49

Like what so real estate um in general was always something that I had thought about. I mean, I was never made for the corporate world. And you can ask my last boss, Mr. George Limbert, who's over at Feasal now. I was his first and worst executive assistant, guarantee. And he could say it, it's true, it's so true. And I'm so sorry, George, but at least like you'd have anyone to compare me to. I just was not made for corporate. I walk into a um, it's probably why I've avoided this space because I'm like, I don't even want to go to any office, you know. Um but so real estate had always been in the back of my mind. When we lived in DC, I was always considering it, but then in DC, you're like, well, how do you get licensed? How does that look? Is it Maryland, Virginia, DC? Just that was really intimidating. And then we started having kids. My husband has his own business, everyone's on our my health insurance, you know. So just the timing of it never really um made sense. And I worked for um my last job, my last corporate job here in the area was over just right next door, wherever we are, um at uh Red Roof Corporate. Oh, yeah. So that way. That way. And um I love the people there. It was like very um the pace was more just like re manageable. I wasn't retail before that, and that was unmanageable. Um, but uh so I it took me a long time to get to that point of like finally like, okay, I'm going to pursue this. And it wasn't out of like desperation. I think a lot of realtors sometimes are like, oh my God, I lost my job. What am I gonna do? Or, you know, um, I don't, I just feel like those, there's a lot of like just a lot of people go into real estate as like a well, I'm just let's just see how this works out. Like this was definitely like a very methodical, thoughtful, like took me a long time to even get to this point. And honestly, I also had um I had two different people, principals at competing brokerages here in New Albany, um, approach me and I had conversations with people on the team. And it took like them being like, Hey, have you ever thought about this? Hey, are you I think you'd really enjoy this or be really good at this? And finally I'm like, okay, Lauren, maybe like the you know, whatever your higher power god, whatever you want to call it, is like trying to be like, okay, you need to do it. Um, so it took me a long time to get licensed though. Like I had two young kids, I had a full-time job. I didn't absolutely like despise. I mean, I had it really good at Red Roof, not gonna lie. Um, so by the time I finally got through it and got through the testing, uh, that was in well, I passed my test March 2024, and then I completely left corporate and went both jumped both feet in into real estate beginning of May. So like end of April, early May of 2024. Um and then I, yeah, I just never looked back and I hit the ground running. And um, you know, there's a lot to be said, and I have like already a pretty pretty interesting story um with like where how it started, where I am today. But it's um it's it's been the best. It's it's challenging. Every day looks different. I'm not in an office feeling like I'm like like, you know, nine hours a day, just like yeah, wasting away, like drunk going crazy. Like I would sneak out of the office, any office at any point in time in the last like 15 years that I was in corporate and be like, who wants to have a coffee date? Who wants to meet me for lunch? You know, um, who wants to sneak out for a happy hour or like a little bit early? You know, I was just always like wanting to meet people and connect with people. Um, I joined New Albany Women's Network. I wasn't an agent. I just wanted to see who was new in the community, like what other women are here now, you know. Um, so just always wanting to meet new people. And then the fact that it like gives you this platform to not just like in your, you know, people are like, oh, I got into real estate because I love to help people. This is your job. Like they're hiring you to do a job, you know, like you're they're paying you, like you're gonna, you know, like what do you do in addition to like helping someone, you know, make their real estate dreams come true? You know, like what are you really doing to like help others? Right. And um, and I remember someone before I was licensed, but knew I was working towards that was like, why, like, what's your why? Basically, like, why are you why do you want to do this? And it was like, my my always my first, the first thing I would say is like, I want to make more money so I can give back to my community. I want to be able to do more, I want to have a bigger impact on people's lives. And of course I want to do be better for my family and help support my family. But that was all, and I'm sure her brain was like, you know, like, what? Like, does not compute, you know. What is that? What does that mean? But like it's true, it's always been. And I'll tell you what, like, for if you have issues with like depression or anxiety or anything like that, what helps you feel better is doing something for somebody else. Like it is the best medicine out there. Um, so I just when you give back, I swear the world gives gives back to you tenfold. But if it feels good to help others and to to do whatever, and that looks like so many different things, whether that's volunteering your time for Miracle League or um raising money for a nonprofit or running a race for cure for cancer. I mean, it looks like all kinds of different things. But um uh my nose is runny, which means I'm probably gonna like feel like I might be like I told you I could I'm a crier.

Justin 1:09:41

Well, I before we get into this part, um, I feel like we could do like th a series here. So uh we've qu covered quite a bit of you, but I would I do want to like dive into real estate more, which I think is maybe probably the least exciting of all this. But I do want to get into some nonprofit stuff. I want to make sure we're still recording first.

Lauren 1:09:59

Oh, can we go past an hour and a half?

Justin 1:10:43

Okay. All right.

Lauren 1:10:46

I told you I get off topic. I was like, I was I knew I was gonna start talking about other people more than like and talk about other people in the community. For sure. For sure. That's how you remember people too, right? Keep their legacy alive, yeah, absolutely. Share their stories.

Justin 1:11:01

Um I I think let's talk a little bit and not let's finish with this piece of it, and maybe we could schedule another time. Okay. Because it is, it's something that's like obviously like important to me, and um, because I think just giving back in general. So um tell me about your recent venture with with that.

Lauren 1:11:23

Um, are you referring to She Rises? Because I saw, okay.

Justin 1:11:27

So um well, and so and we could talk about all of them. So let's let's back up a little more. So you talked about non. I know a little bit about non, not a ton. You could probably speak to it better. New Albany Women's Network.

Lauren 1:11:39

They just uh it's it's a great way for women in the community to meet new people if you're new to the community. Yeah. Um, I kind of wish I would have gotten involved with the New Albany Moms Association as well when my kids were younger. So that's more geared towards uh moms with kids between like infant and six.

Speaker 1 1:12:00

Yeah.

Lauren 1:12:01

And that would have been a really good um opportunity for me when I had when mine were really little to meet other moms. And I think like their women that did find that space early on um made those friendships, right? And like really um made some strong connections with one another. And it's one, it's wonderful organization. But I remember when a friend was like, you should think about this. I'm like, I'm already in a women's network. How many women's networks am I gonna be in? But then I did finally give it a shot and I was like, gosh darn it, I should have been in this like five years ago. But New Omni Women's Network is more, I would say, like their season of life is like their kids are in high school almost, right? But I've made some really great friendships in that network too. I'm in like a different season, so sometimes you know, it feels like I'm a little out of it because they're like able to go travel. Yeah. Like, what is that? Like they were like, Yeah, me and my husband are going to Italy this year. And I'm like, I have anxiety leaving these babies. I can't do that. You know, they're like, but then they also are like, well, don't wish that time away because we miss them young. They're just in a different phase. Um, but so both of those, the New Albany Moms Association and the New Albany Women's Network, I can't speak any more highly of both. They both offer different, completely different, you know, um uh diff they just offer what am I trying to say? They're they're different in that way. But Nan also has like book clubs and you know, um they have a um they do like a gala, right? Well, yes, we have like bigger events. They I'm not quite sure how that looks going forward. Um, but yeah, we've had um the fashion show.

Justin 1:13:40

That's what it was.

Lauren 1:13:41

Yes, we've had an annual fashion show, um, and then another event that's kind of big to raise money for different um different charities and things. And they help other people in the community as you know, people go through some hardships, and so does New Albany Um Moms Association. So there's just they do a lot of good for the community, both of them. And then I also think that the non is more almost like more business focused too, it feels like more networking. Um whereas Nama is more like relationship driven.

Justin 1:14:14

Yeah.

Lauren 1:14:15

But yeah, both are wonderful. So yeah.

Justin 1:14:18

And then so she rises.

Moving Back, Inclusion, And Miracle League

Lauren 1:14:20

Okay, so um I'm now I've I've been for the last year, I've been with a brokerage called some Engle and Volkers, and they um partner with um the Special Olympics. So at first I was really, you know, getting into that, and I love that they like had that um affiliation with an a special organization like Special Olympics. Um, but so I was getting like, you know, a portion of my commission checks to that, but I don't I don't see where that's going, right? I don't really see the impact that's like happening, like where the money just kind of disappears, you know. And um, so I started thinking more on that, right? Like it just wasn't like feeling like the best use or like best way that like I could contribute to, and I really am big on doing giving back to my comp my community here locally. But then um, you know, obviously Columbus too as a whole, but like specifically people here in New Albany. Like when when there's someone that's like going through something and like, you know, let's let's organize a num, like a GoFundMe, let's collect gift cards for groceries, whatever it may be. Um so uh I decided that uh well, I you know what, how how it started was I wanted to get back to some women that have been very supportive because it's hard to find women that will, first of all, that love you and aren't jealous of each other and want to see everybody be successful in whatever it is that they're doing and pursuing and are supportive and willing to go out of their way to help everybody and like, you know, find success in whatever way that looks like. And so I wanted to give back to friends, also some clients and women in the community that are doing big things and are have been really wonderful, just as I've gotten to know them.

Speaker 1 1:16:12

Yeah.

Lauren 1:16:12

Um, and so I was like, well, maybe I'll just go to brew dog and go see how many people I could have there and just buy appetizers and some rounds. And so that was like how originally I was like thinking it would be just do something to give back to some women, maybe 50. And then I don't know if I like talked about it with my lender or my title person or who I cannot remember who it was, but like the idea just kind of like starts snowballing into something more, and then it became like a movement essentially, and it had a name, and now we have a like a tagline, like a theme. And now I'm doing themes annually, and now we have a of we always have to have a charitable cause, you know. Um, like that's the reason. And then now we have vendors and now we're getting sponsors, and so it just really grew in a very short amount of time. Yeah. I was going out and um reaching out to people and just trying to get something going. And um, so now it's an event, it'll be an annual event. How it's gonna look like every year is like everything else that'll evolve, it'll be different. Um, but this first year was women focused called She Rises. And um, you know, as a new business owner, you go through a lot of like uh, you know, uh doors closing in your face, or people just making some not so nice comments, or people just pretty much wanting to like step on you and put, you know, like your competition and you know, I don't want, I don't want you in my world. And so like you go through those things and all these hoops. So like the um the point of the so the theme this year was, or yes, this year was uh resilience and determination and perseverance because it's really hard as a for a man or a woman starting a new business. And um, and it didn't have to be necessarily business, like having a baby is really hard, like getting through that first year, losing a parent and navigating that first year without your parent, um pursuing a PhD, whatever it might be for the individual. But for me specifically, it was like being a uh taking this this leap of faith into a new career, growing uh as much as I did in that first year, um, and uh a new business owner and navigating like marketing and you know, I mean, all the things.

Speaker 1 1:18:29

Yeah.

Lauren 1:18:29

Um, and staying true to yourself too, right? Like not staying true to who you are. So um my charitable cause was uh Buddy Up for Life and Beth Gibson. I don't know if you've had her, but she's yeah, she's been on.

Justin 1:18:44

Oh, has she? Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 1:18:46

Did I see that? Okay, wonderful. Well, Beth is wonderful. Yes. And so I just happened to meet Beth. Uh my friend, I was on a walk. She was dropping me off at a house next to Beth's that I was gonna like meet a painter or something. And I just was like, you gotta drop me off there because I'm gonna be late. And I saw Will's senior sign in her front yard. And I was like, oh, that's it, you know, and oh my gosh, she's going to um Vanderbilt, like amazing. And so I just dropped off like a little card and some like tulips a couple days later and was like, hey, congratulations! And um your community is so proud of you, keep keep up the hard work and like keep making us proud, and you know, good luck in the future, all the you know, those things. And um so then they, of course, beth in Beth fashion, like writes a thank you card, you know, and like so. Then that's how we kind of started talking. And then we come to I come to find out that she used to play tennis with the aunt that I lived with when we first moved back here. And uh, it's just a small world. And so we got to know each other. And um, so Beth Gibson, if anyone doesn't know, started a nonprofit for um people with Down syndrome to uh help teach them life skills and how to navigate the world as they grow up.

Justin 1:19:57

They're right next door.

Lauren 1:19:58

Oh yeah, see.

Justin 1:19:59

The building over.

Lauren 1:20:00

Oh, okay. So the building I went to before I came here. Yeah.

Justin 1:20:03

Okay.

Lauren 1:20:04

I was like, where are you in?

Justin 1:20:06

You're a new Albany native.

Lauren 1:20:07

Yeah, whoops. Um, I told you I don't like corporate offices.

Justin 1:20:10

Yeah.

Lauren 1:20:10

And I don't go in them. So um uh so sh so we raise money for her. And um, and then again, also it was like bringing women together to network, like whether that is to make you you're new to the community, you want to meet new women and make new friends. This is a great opportunity. You gotta put yourself out there a little bit, or you're job searching, um, or you just want to have a good, a nice evening and come, you know, open bar.

Speaker 2 1:20:37

Yeah, yeah.

Lauren 1:20:37

And we have hors d'oeuvres and we're at this beautiful venue. And um, so it was an inspiring evening. We had um one speaker, her name's Carmete, and she is from Israel and is a um like a project manager at um Intel.

Speaker 1 1:20:56

Okay.

Lauren 1:20:56

And she's very colorful and vibrant, but she like shows up to these construction sites and work booths, you know. Like she like she wears like two different colored shoes and she has purple hair, and she's unapologetically her authentic self.

Speaker 1 1:21:08

Yeah.

Lauren 1:21:09

Um, and so she she spoke to our group, and then Beth and Will spoke, and I have, you know, I spoke as well. And so um, I think everyone left like feeling empowered. And um, they're, you know, we were having some conversations about like, you know, you if you want to be in the room, like speak up. You should be in the room. Or if someone's disrespecting you, like speak up, stand up for yourself. Like they should not be talking to you that way, like know your worth. And um uh, I don't know, it was just a really beautiful evening. I I received a lot of positive feedback, and so I'm excited to, you know, um, to see like how it's gonna go moving on moving forward. I also like learned a lot. Like Beth and I, when I presented her check to her, we got coffee and she's we started talking about like who she knows. And I was just like, Beth, like, why didn't we lean into those relationships? Like, why didn't you reach out to them before the event? We were raising money for you and your nonprofit, you know? And she's like, I don't know, it's just not my thing. I'm like, well, I would have reached out to them. So I'll make sure I do that next time.

Justin 1:22:08

So are you gonna pick like a different organization each year?

Why Real Estate And Community Ties

Lauren 1:22:11

Organically as it comes. Um, so two days before, and I we were kind of touched on this two days before my event, um, my son's best friend passed away from leukemia, and his name's Mateo, and he has two older siblings in the school, and Lupita will be cheerleading for the boys basketball team. We love to watch her. She's a senior, she's beautiful and smart and all the things. Yeah, very proud of Lupita. And then Felix Jr. played on the seventh grade football team this year. So we were there watching him one of his games. Um eating pretzels. Eating amazing pretzels, which I'm like, where was this little pretzel food truck when I was going through school? Like they were so good. Um and um their parents are just it's just a beautiful, wonderful family. And the community really has really come around like supported them throughout the last couple of years with Mateo was going through his treatments, and um, yeah, they're they just expressed so much gratitude and they're just I mean, the way everybody showed up for them is just really phenomenal. But um ultimately Mateo lost his battle. Um here it is. Here it is. I'm so sorry.

Justin 1:23:25

You said you needed tissues to blow your nose.

Lauren 1:23:27

I know. Well, um, so I'm definitely someone who wears their heart on their sleeve. And yeah, um the video stopped recording. Okay, so at least we have that. Yeah. Yeah, I'm no ugly crying then. Um, but so next year, um, in honor of Mateo and all the kids that have gone, because it's not just him, like there are so many kids here in our community that have been diagnosed with um a brain tumor or the same rare leukemia. I've met some other um amazing moms who have gone through it with their own children. Um so, anyways, next year we'll be, I'm not sure what this looks like exactly, but it'll be raising money for children's hospital, whether that's research, whether that's to buy gifts for the kids that are at the hospital in the summertime and not just at Christmas. Yeah. Um, it's wonderful at Christmas, like all of the gifts that that people donate. Um, my my youngest was there during the Christmas holiday with RSV. And I didn't realize how close we were to losing him until looking back on it. Um, I mean, it's it's beautiful there during the that time, but like there are kids there during the summer, you know? And so maybe it's maybe it's something like to have to do that. Um but it'll be for kids, yeah, yeah, yeah. Children's hospital.

Justin 1:24:50

Uh I had a similar experience with our daughter, like two or three days, RSV, like and I I can't, I'm not built for that. Like I can't do hospitals. Oh I could like it was it was that was an awful time.

Lauren 1:25:03

But um how old was she?

Justin 1:25:06

Young, yeah. I can't, probably two. I don't know.

Lauren 1:25:09

Oh, okay, yeah.

Justin 1:25:10

Young, maybe even younger. Uh yeah, that was rough. But have you ever been to the Ronald McDonald House across the street? I haven't. Okay, you gotta go. I heard. It's incredible. Yes. Um back in the day when I had a landscape firm, we did like some volunteer work for them, and there was like a corporate relationship because it was a franchise, but then like we've got the best in the world right here. Like, there's no other Ronald McDonald House like it. Um, it's so cool. It is, it is awesome. And then, of course, like all four families who kit they've extended stays, some of them local that that stay there, some, but they have like they've got a salon, and then everybody's donated. So the blue jackets have a space. When they had the All Star game here, the NHL donated a bunch of money, and so there's this whole hallway that is NHL. Um, Trestle has a library there, like it is it is awesome.

Lauren 1:26:03

Yeah, I definitely gotta check out. I know. I've heard, I've heard. I mean, we're so lucky to have Nationwide Children's Hospital so close to us and to have these resources. People travel all over the country to to be here for their kids. And yeah, I know. Um it it's it really is amazing. So any I think that's you know, to be able to give back to them in some capacity, but again, I'm not sure how that looks yet. But yeah, maybe I'll let maybe I'll let men come next year and you can come.

Justin 1:26:36

Boys are stupid.

Lauren 1:26:38

That would be cool. That's the one thing everyone just takes away from this podcast is that boys are stupid.

Justin 1:26:43

Uh yeah, I I think so. I told you I've got a seventh grader who played football. So um yeah, whatever we can do to help anything.

Lauren 1:26:52

Yeah, well, I'll let you know. Yeah, I don't even know again what I don't know. Yeah, yeah, I gotta start having some more conversations.

Justin 1:26:58

Um Beth's a good one to bounce ideas off of. Yeah. Irene Adams.

Lauren 1:27:03

Mm-hmm.

Justin 1:27:03

If you don't know Irene, I'm sure you can.

Lauren 1:27:05

Her name's very familiar.

Justin 1:27:06

Oh, oh my goodness. You've never met you haven't met Irene.

Lauren 1:27:09

I don't know.

Justin 1:27:10

You have to. You have to.

Lauren 1:27:12

All right. Has has she been here for a long time?

Justin 1:27:14

Or she's yeah, she's been around for a while. Yeah. Um Irene Adams. Yeah, uh Karen Wellington Foundation. So Karen Wellington Foundation just they donate to women with breast cancer, and their whole thing is like it's so unique. And you're what you're doing is pretty unique too. Hers is like like they just say yes. Like that's the first thing they do. So uh, but the the foundation's grown a ton. So, like one of her good friends passes away from breast cancer, and like she got to go on a vacation before she passed, and like so they want to give gifts of fun. So uh economic status doesn't matter, financials don't matter, like there's lots of organizations will help with those things. This is like giving them just a gift of fun. Yeah, since I I've known Irene for a while, but since having her on the podcast, and I've each episode I talk about this, but I nominated somebody and I won't get into that, but um you gotta meet her. She's awesome.

Lauren 1:28:07

Her name is very familiar, yeah, yeah. Very, very familiar to me. Um I'm sure if I saw a picture of her, I'd be like, oh yeah, I recognize her. For sure.

Justin 1:28:16

But she she definitely she definitely would have some some good insights.

Lauren 1:28:19

Yes, yeah.

Justin 1:28:20

She's doing good work.

Lauren 1:28:21

Oh, maybe I'll bring her rope her in on it this year, too. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and then there's like an organization called Twig, and I just Beth Gibson and I actually are both involved in that now. We were in like the 2025 class, I think. Um, but they raise money annually for children's hospital. Yeah. Um so yeah, people are people are out there doing some really great, you know, great things to give back to the community. And I want to be one of those people.

unknown 1:28:49

Yeah.

Lauren 1:28:49

Yeah. You know, I want to be someone that when they think of me, that's what they think of. They think of like someone with a giving heart and um psycho basketball player. Oh, yeah, they definitely think that. They definitely, they definitely know that. Um, but but yeah, most importantly, like, is you what are you what are you doing for the world? You know, like there's a oh my gosh, there's a good quote. I just and I was wondering if I wrote it in my journal. I wrote it in some journal somewhere. Let me see real quick. Yeah. It might be a different journal. Yeah, yeah.

unknown 1:29:28

Yes, I did.

She Rises: Building A Local Movement

Lauren 1:29:33

So I I recently saw this and maybe like on Facebook or something, honestly. It wasn't anything like profound. It was like I was scrolling Facebook, but I should have been going to bed at 11 o'clock. And it's it just stuck with me. And so I I it's for those of you that can't see, I I just went and got my, I think it's I think I took a screenshot, and then the next day I went and got like my work journal, my Angle and Volker's work journal, and I wrote it in the very on the very first page. And it's service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. Uh, and that was from Muhammad Ali.

Speaker 1 1:30:09

Yeah.

Lauren 1:30:09

And now that I think about it, it's he said this, um, he helped save someone who was going to commit suicide. Oh, wow. Is what the story. It was about. But yeah, I mean, that's it right there. I mean, that sums it up. That's why we're all here. So yeah. Well, I I feel very blessed to have finally have met you. And yeah.

Justin 1:30:30

We gotta do more. I know. So I get as you hone in on what you're gonna do this year. Let's uh let's for sure do something around that. Okay. Um, and then I mean, if you want, real estate's boring. We could talk about that. No, I'm kidding.

Lauren 1:30:45

It's you know, it's it's fun. Real estate's fun.

Justin 1:30:48

It's um ever changing.

Lauren 1:30:50

It is, it's just like everything else, always evolving, the market's always changing. Um, it's definitely not it's not, you know, service like this, like we're getting into, right? It's um you know, it's it's kind of like the show selling sunset. Yeah. Like when I when I tell people some things that like uh, you know, that they're like, oh my God, it's like selling sunset.

Justin 1:31:16

Yeah, I want to hear some crazy stories.

Lauren 1:31:18

Yeah, I can't share it though. I know maybe off, maybe off. Yeah, I mean, I mean, but it's um, you know, we have such a beautiful community. And I think for me personally, coming into, you know, coming up, I'm going toe-to-toe with some people that have been here for for sure, a decade times three.

Justin 1:31:38

Um there are some really good agents, really good agents in New Albany.

Lauren 1:31:42

Yeah, people are like, yeah, some people are like really killing it. Um but I I kind of want to like turn it around a little bit, right? I kind of want to like mix it up.

Justin 1:31:51

Um psycho real estate agent.

Lauren 1:31:53

Oh gosh, yeah. I guess that's it, right? Now, like maybe a closet psycho.

Justin 1:31:59

Yeah, you're gonna go 2004 girls. Well, that's if you make me mad. Crazy.

Lauren 1:32:04

Yeah. That's if you that's if you make me mad. Someone just made someone brought out Lauren Cressup.

Speaker 1 1:32:09

Uh oh.

Lauren 1:32:10

Yeah, they brought out Lauren Cressup, not in the real estate world, um, but on the tennis court. Lauren Cressup showed up at that because they were just like, uh, you know, I'm new to tennis.

Justin 1:32:20

At least it was tennis, not pickleball.

Lauren 1:32:22

Oh, was it?

Justin 1:32:23

I mean, she couldn't show up to pickleball. That's all.

Lauren 1:32:25

Oh no. Okay. It needs to be more of a legit. I see. Yeah, I've got like a bigger weapon and a tennis racket on me. But yeah, this we had a tennis mash a couple weeks ago, and these ladies, it became very clear that they, because we were we're like new, so we don't know like all the rules until you like really get to that point and like learn in the moment what is happening and why things are why you're doing things the way you're doing them. Um, and these ladies, oh my gosh, just like just cheating, just like little, little, little sneaky cheats. And I started like giving it back to her. And and then at the end of it, oh my gosh. And then when they're, you know, yeah, they got Lauren Cressup, and one of them tried to like, who wasn't even playing with us, was like, Well, you need to learn the like, I have the rules, but you like to see the rules. And I go, I don't appreciate your condescending, you know. Oh my gosh, yeah. She got Lauren Cressup came out. That's awesome. And and like these are like ladies like my mom's age too, so they're probably looking at me like, you know, shocked. Yeah, yeah. What did you just say to me? You know, it's like this A-B conversation, huh? You see your way out of it. Like, oh, I was heated. I was so heated. But anyways, yeah, she's still in there basically, is like just waiting to come out. Yeah, just no, I don't want her to come out. I've been trying to keep her locked up, but no, but sometimes you sometimes she, you know, you have to yeah, yeah.

Justin 1:33:49

I saw uh I saw an interesting uh you had an interesting Halloween. Did I see something about Halloween this year?

Lauren 1:33:56

Yeah.

Justin 1:33:56

What happened?

Lauren 1:33:58

Oh, I I didn't we won.

Justin 1:34:00

Did you lose no something about losing your voice or something?

Lauren 1:34:03

Oh, I lost my voice. I thought you were talking about our costumes.

Justin 1:34:06

No, no, no, no. What was your costume though?

Lauren 1:34:08

Speaking of winners, um we won scariest costume. We um Adam and I made us go as vampires, but his teeth are my husband has really big teeth. He has this big, beautiful smile. So my vampire teeth I bought him wouldn't they just kept falling, they wouldn't stick because his teeth are so big. So yeah, the vampire teeth didn't work out for him. But I went all out and basically brought in, brought home the win for us because he just had to wear like a cape, you know. And um, yeah, so we we got invited to a Halloween party and won scariest caught couple costume.

Justin 1:34:42

That's awesome.

Lauren 1:34:42

Yeah, but um yeah, I lost my voice.

Justin 1:34:45

How did you how did you do that?

Lauren 1:34:46

I was I was having a conversation with some friends that had to be.

Justin 1:34:49

You were yelling at a tennis match, yeah.

Lauren 1:34:50

No, that I I had was I was giving it to them with my voice, like or like it wasn't even at its like full capacity. I was like, you know, like trying to like I don't even, but I my voice was already like almost out the door when I that happened. But um yeah, I lost my voice and um I had like a closing that day, couldn't talk. I had I was supposed to meet a new client. I was like, I'm useless. I I but I did leave them a voice text. I'm like, they have to hear this, like, or they're just gonna think I'm just like procrastinating or blowing them off or something. I'm like, I really can't talk. It's yeah, yeah, I know, but it's back now.

Justin 1:35:33

It used to happen to me when I was teaching, like you'd go all summer. Um when I was coaching, it wasn't as bad, I guess, when I was coaching, but I do remember like maybe it was when I was in school where you would yeah, come back to teaching and then like you're you just lose your voice.

Lauren 1:35:45

Uh yeah, not used to it.

Justin 1:35:48

Now I have kids and I just yell all day.

Lauren 1:35:50

Yeah. Oh, I've got two boys and they just go at each other all day long.

Justin 1:35:54

Yeah.

Lauren 1:35:54

Just psychological, physical, emotional warfare. Yes. They're so mean.

Justin 1:36:00

It's awesome.

Lauren 1:36:01

They're so mean.

Justin 1:36:02

Put them in wrestling.

Lauren 1:36:05

Charles would uh do that. I I'm not really into the wrestling world. It's like the one sport. I'm like, why not?

Justin 1:36:15

Weird.

Lauren 1:36:16

Yeah, my reasons. Yeah.

Justin 1:36:19

Uh all right. I'll just leave that one at that.

Lauren 1:36:24

But I mean, also they play so many sports, and like yeah, yeah.

Justin 1:36:27

I like I like it. I didn't wrestle. I knew nothing about wrestling, didn't grow up like my high school didn't even have wrestling. And I don't a friend of a friend got us involved, and yeah, I love it.

Lauren 1:36:38

Yeah. Like I just love the like We tried Taekwondo just to see if like, and they just didn't even that wasn't really yeah. Um, like I said, I thought he was gonna, I needed to like foster some Broadway bound um dance lessons for Charles because he was wasn't really. I mean, this kid's like a bruiser. He'd go out and play soccer, he'd be come up, mommy. They're too rough on me. Yeah. I'm like, get out of here. I see the way you interact with your brother. Like, get out of here. And so then he played flag football, and all of a sudden, something clicked. Something clicked, and I'm like, oh, there's that athlete.

Justin 1:37:15

Yeah. He oh, this this poor kid.

Lauren 1:37:20

I know, both of them. Oh my gosh, and my oldest, he's a psycho. And I'm like, I was I was emotionally unstable as an athlete, but like when I was older, he's emotionally unstable, like started two years ago. Yeah. He was like six.

Justin 1:37:35

Your oldest is in second grade?

Lauren 1:37:36

Yes.

Justin 1:37:37

Okay.

Grief, Children’s Health, And Next Year’s Cause

Lauren 1:37:37

Yeah. I don't know. You know what he did to Adam recently? He uh got upset after a like a basketball practice at Rep Field House because he wanted his friends to come over. And we thought maybe that would happen. And then we're like, okay, now it's too late, it's school night. The other kids were just like, oh, okay, next time. Yeah. Arthur, Adam turned around to walk away after he told him, No, it's not happening. No, no play date. Arthur took the basketball and threw it at him, hit him in the back. And now he's got some rage. I don't know where he gets it from.

Justin 1:38:09

No, I can't imagine.

Lauren 1:38:10

I have no idea.

Justin 1:38:12

But he's watching uh 2004 highlights of New Albany Girls basketball. Force him to. He should.

Lauren 1:38:18

I'm like, you're wearing number 31.

Justin 1:38:20

Is that what number you wear?

Lauren 1:38:21

Yeah. He's like, well, Marco, uh, oh my gosh. I'm gonna butcher Marco's last name. Um Martucci. Sorry, Marco, um, and Wendy, his mom, who I love very much. Marco's a very good basketball player. Yeah, yeah. Um, and he had number 31 on recently. Nice. But I think they were like, it's just a practice jersey, mom. I was like, oh.

Justin 1:38:43

Whatever.

Lauren 1:38:44

Yeah. That's funny. Trying to get Arthur to wear number 31, though, in any way I can.

Justin 1:38:49

And I uh yeah, I just I tried not to push numbers. I don't know. For whatever reason your kids just kind of gravitate towards, I don't know. Like my son, well, no, I guess he was he kind of wore a footnote because I wore my older brother's number, and then I feel like my son did wear it for a little bit, but maybe he's not now.

Lauren 1:39:05

What was that number?

Justin 1:39:06

25. 25. For football? Yeah, everything is 25.

unknown 1:39:11

Yeah.

Justin 1:39:11

If you need to steal something of mine, it's just my last name and 25. Oh. And some variation of it.

Lauren 1:39:16

You better throw an exclamation point on there now or something.

Justin 1:39:19

It's hilarious. My brother had Facebook. My brother had I bet that's it. Uh my brother had vanity plates rush 25. So it's it's the family number now, I guess.

Lauren 1:39:30

I'm um LD31 now.

Justin 1:39:33

Okay.

Lauren 1:39:33

So on my yeah, my license plates.

Justin 1:39:37

LD31. Still carrying the high school number.

Lauren 1:39:41

Yeah.

Justin 1:39:41

What is with that?

Lauren 1:39:42

I don't know. It's I do it too. Do you?

Justin 1:39:44

Yeah, it's weird.

Lauren 1:39:45

Makes me feel a little bit better. It's our glory days. I don't know. Well, Katie Smith was 31, so Oh, there you go.

Justin 1:39:53

Yeah.

Lauren 1:39:53

Yeah.

Justin 1:39:54

But I think um is 31 a common girls' basketball number?

Lauren 1:39:58

Well, there was a girl who was my ball girl and she was 31. And I like to think it was because of me. But she had a twin, so they were 31 and 32. The Robertson twins. They were really good. They played at Miami. Um they were like 10 years younger than me. Yeah. But uh there was another, I think there was like Alan Iverson or somebody else was number 31. But yeah.

Justin 1:40:24

Yeah. Well, I'm out of coffee and water.

Lauren 1:40:27

Yeah.

Justin 1:40:28

Uh it's been like an hour and 40 minutes.

Lauren 1:40:30

All right, awesome. We made it.

Justin 1:40:32

We gotta do it again.

Lauren 1:40:33

Okay.

Justin 1:40:33

Um, yeah, you're your nonprofit, uh, more youth sports, whatever. Let's do it again.

Lauren 1:40:42

Yeah. We'll think of more topics. Yeah.

Justin 1:40:44

And I hope that some of the video worked out. I don't told you I'm an amateur. I don't know what I'm doing.

Lauren 1:40:49

Did it video any of it?

Justin 1:40:50

I don't know.

Lauren 1:40:51

Oh no.

Justin 1:40:52

I have audio though.

Lauren 1:40:54

So we'll get our picture.

Justin 1:40:55

We we definitely have to do it again now.

Lauren 1:40:57

Yeah.

Justin 1:40:58

Awesome. Hey, well, thanks so much. I had a blast.

Lauren 1:41:00

Thank you. Me too. Thanks so much for having me.

Justin 1:41:02

Yeah, no problem.