Lauren Fleming is the founder of Hem Support Wear, a company dedicated to empowering women through thoughtful, beautiful pelvic floor support garments and fostering meaningful conversations about pelvic health. Her journey began after being diagnosed with Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) following the birth of her first child. Frustrated with the lack of effective support options, Lauren was inspired to create solutions that truly help women feel supported and confident in their pelvic health journeys. As a wife and mother of two young children, Lauren is passionate about advocating for women’s wellness at every stage of life.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My days are a balancing act between my full-time role at a nonprofit, running my business, Hem Support Wear, and being present for my family. I work from home most of the time, which allows me to be intentional with how I structure my time. During the day, I focus on my nonprofit work, and I carve out time for Hem Support Wear during breaks, in the evenings, and on weekends.
With two young kids, my time outside of work revolves around them, so I have to be strategic about prioritizing what moves the needle. To stay productive, I plan my week in advance every Friday afternoon, ensuring I know exactly what needs my attention in each area of my life. I also prioritize movement—whether it’s a reformer Pilates class three times a week or walking my dog on other days—because I find that staying active keeps me energized and focused. Ultimately, productivity for me isn’t about doing more; it’s about making sure I’m focused on the right things at the right time.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring ideas to life one step at a time. Whether in my nonprofit work or as the founder of Hem Support Wear, I’m often responsible for turning big, mission-critical ideas into tangible results. My ability to take something ambiguous and make it actionable is one of my greatest strengths.
I start by doing deep research to understand the landscape—what already exists, where the gaps are, and what’s truly needed. From there, I break the idea down into a clear, actionable plan with specific milestones. But execution isn’t just about planning—it’s about discipline. I stay committed to seeing things through, even when challenges arise, by focusing on progress over perfection. That combination of research, structured action, and persistence is how I turn ideas into reality.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I’m excited by the growing movement toward uplifting women—whether in business, health, or parenting. There’s been a noticeable shift toward providing more resources and support for female entrepreneurs, making it easier for women to access funding, mentorship, and communities that help them succeed.
At the same time, I love seeing more conversations around better support for parents—especially mothers—through postpartum care, workplace flexibility, and realistic approaches to balancing career and family. Similarly, the increasing focus on women’s health—from pelvic floor care to hormone health—is something I’m deeply passionate about. The more we prioritize and invest in these areas, the better positioned women are to thrive in all aspects of life.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Every Friday afternoon, I set aside time to plan my work for the upcoming week. With so many responsibilities—running Hem Support Wear, working full-time, and being present for my family—having a clear plan helps me stay focused and intentional.
This habit prevents me from starting the week feeling scattered or reactive. Instead, I already know what my priorities are, when I’ll tackle them, and how I’ll balance everything else. It also frees up mental space, allowing me to be more creative and productive because I’m not constantly deciding what to do next—I’ve already made those decisions in advance.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would tell myself to be confident, put myself out there, and actively seek guidance from people who have already done the things I aspire to do. Building connections with mentors and experienced professionals early on would have saved me time, energy, and unnecessary missteps.
I’d also remind myself to take care of my body as a foundational part of success. I’d encourage myself to start strength training earlier, find sustainable movement habits, and work with a nutritional therapist to ensure my body is functioning optimally.
Most importantly, I would tell myself to trust the path I’m on—to believe in myself and know that meaningful work and a fulfilling life are ahead. The journey may not always be linear, but every step, challenge, and pivot is leading me exactly where I need to be.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you.
I genuinely enjoy working with spreadsheets. While most people see spreadsheets as tedious, I find them incredibly satisfying. Whether it’s organizing data, building financial models, or streamlining workflows, spreadsheets help me bring clarity to complex problems.
My husband, who is a teacher, is the complete opposite—he hates working in spreadsheets and periodically calls me to walk him through fairly simple things in Google Sheets. What would take him forever to figure out or do manually only takes me a few minutes, and it always makes me laugh. It’s a reminder that what feels intuitive and fun for one person can be a total headache for someone else!
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I always read a physical book before bed, and I recommend it to everyone. It’s an easy habit that helps me unwind, clear my mind, and transition out of the busyness of the day. As someone juggling a business, a full-time job, and family life, it’s easy to feel like my brain is always running at full speed—but reading helps me slow down, which improves both my sleep and my ability to be productive the next day.
My favorite genre is contemporary romance, though I’ll occasionally branch out into other genres. That said, I always stick to fiction before bed—nothing too heavy or work-related. It’s my way of escaping into a story and letting go of the stresses of the day, and I swear it helps me sleep better.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
When I feel overwhelmed, I try to step away from whatever is triggering that feeling and do something that helps regulate me. That could be going for a walk, listening to an audiobook, spending time with my family, or shifting my focus to a different task. If the overwhelm is tied to a specific problem, I sometimes write down exactly what feels overwhelming and list out my options—it helps me regain a sense of control and clarity.
If I’m feeling unfocused but need to work, I have a few go-to strategies. I’ll make a cold brew coffee, put on some slow jazz, and choose a task I know I can get into a good rhythm with to build momentum. Other times, if I recognize that my brain just isn’t cooperating, I’ll step away completely and come back later with fresh energy. Learning when to push through and when to take a break has been key to staying productive without burning out.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Consistently pushing myself outside of my comfort zone has been one of the most impactful strategies in both growing my business and advancing in my career. Growth doesn’t happen in familiar territory, so I’ve learned to embrace discomfort as a sign that I’m expanding my skills and perspective.
In my business, this has meant navigating an entirely new industry—from manufacturing to fundraising—without prior experience. Instead of letting that hold me back, I’ve leaned into learning, sought out experts, and stayed open to trial and error. In my career, I’ve applied the same mindset by taking on new challenges, pursuing stretch assignments, and continuously learning. Whether it’s tackling a complex project at work or stepping into uncharted territory as a founder, I’ve found that the biggest breakthroughs happen when I push past what feels safe and take on something new.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One misstep I made early in my business was hiring a marketing agency before I was truly ready. At the time, I thought bringing in outside help would accelerate growth, but it ended up being a costly mistake. The agency wasn’t the right fit, they made unapproved changes to my website, and I had to step in to fix things. More importantly, I realized that it wasn’t the right time for my business to hire a marketing agency—I should have been focusing that time and money on improving my conversion rate before spending on marketing.
I overcame it by negotiating a partial refund and shifting my focus to the fundamentals, like refining my website and customer experience. The biggest lesson I took away from this experience is that timing matters when bringing in outside help, and that marketing dollars are best spent when the foundation is strong. This was a classic example of learning as I go and doing better next time, and now I’m much more intentional about where I invest my resources.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
I’ve always loved the idea of creating a boarding house model for aging adults. The U.S. is on the brink of having the largest aging population in history, and there’s a growing need for affordable, community-driven housing options, especially for single women who may not want to maintain an entire home alone.
This model could offer private rooms with shared communal spaces, fostering connection while reducing living expenses. It would give people a built-in support system while allowing them to maintain independence—something many traditional senior living facilities fail to provide. As housing affordability continues to be a challenge, revitalizing the concept of boarding houses for modern needs could be a meaningful solution for an underserved demographic.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use ClickUp daily, and it’s an absolute game-changer for keeping everything organized. It helps me manage both my business and collaborative projects by acting as a CRM, task manager, content planner, and calendar—all in one place.
I use it to track tasks, plan content, manage outreach efforts, and even collect information through surveys. It streamlines communication and ensures that everything is structured and easy to find, which is critical when juggling multiple roles. Whether I’m mapping out my weekly priorities or coordinating with others, ClickUp keeps me on track and helps me work more efficiently.
What is the best $100 you recently spent?
The best $100 I recently spent was on a pair of Beyond Yoga leggings. I was in desperate need of new leggings, and after researching options, I decided to give them a try—partly because I had just listened to their founder’s episode on How I Built This, which really resonated with me.
Not only are they incredibly comfortable, but I genuinely feel like a new person in them. It was a reminder that investing in high-quality, well-made essentials—especially for something I wear all the time—is always worth it.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast from which you’ve received much value?
One of the most impactful books I’ve read is Atomic Habits by James Clear. It has shaped both my personal and professional life by helping me build better habits and understand why some habits don’t stick. The book breaks down how small, consistent changes lead to meaningful long-term results, and it completely shifted how I approach productivity and self-improvement.
My favorite podcast is How I Built This with Guy Raz. I’ve listened to countless episodes, and each one feels like a mini case study on starting and running a successful business. Hearing the behind-the-scenes struggles and breakthroughs from founders across different industries is both inspiring and insightful—it has reinforced that resilience, adaptability, and persistence are key to building something great.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently loved watching Shrinking on Apple TV. My husband and I watch it together, and it’s the perfect mix of humor and heart. The writing is sharp, the characters feel real, and it balances comedy with deeper emotional moments in a way that just works.
Another series I really enjoyed was Nobody Wants This on Netflix. It was light-hearted, entertaining, and people-focused, which is exactly what I love in a show. It felt effortless to watch, and I found myself completely drawn into the characters and their stories.
Key learnings:
- Plan ahead to stay productive. Setting aside time each Friday afternoon to plan for the upcoming week helps create clarity, reduce stress, and ensure focus on the most important tasks.
- Pushing outside your comfort zone leads to growth. Whether it’s launching a business in an unfamiliar industry or taking on new challenges at work, stepping into discomfort is where real progress happens.
- Investing in the right things at the right time is crucial. A misstep with hiring a marketing agency too early taught the importance of timing and prioritizing foundational work—like improving conversion rates—before scaling efforts.
- Good habits compound over time. Whether it’s reading before bed, staying active, or refining daily routines, small, consistent actions lead to meaningful improvements in both personal and professional life.
- The best tools are the ones that simplify and streamline. Using ClickUp as a CRM, task manager, and content planner keeps projects organized and helps manage multiple roles effectively.