Lauren Gragg

I started my career doing community relations for the Pistons, then worked for General Motors and their affiliate EDS for many, many years doing marketing communications. After getting my master's degree, I started teaching while still working full-time at General Motors. In 2013, I transitioned to fitness after experiencing a health scare that required major surgery. At the time, I was an adjunct overseeing the business communication department at the University of Toledo. I took a sabbatical and moved to Florida where my family was, focusing on my physical health as a marathon runner. I started taking spin classes for cross-training, and people encouraged me to become an instructor based on my background. I built a huge following with hundreds of people and lines out the door for my classes. This led to me becoming Area Director at LA Fitness from 2017 to 2021, where I oversaw the group fitness program for about nine different locations with hundreds of instructors reporting to me, primarily women. Working with these women from diverse backgrounds was one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done. I had to step down from that role in 2020 to take care of my mother who became ill, and I cared for her until she recently passed. Now I'm back to instructing and getting back into doing things for myself full throttle. I'm passionate about helping women flourish through all life stages, particularly focusing on menopause and the hormonal changes women face in their 40s and 50s. I work with women using natural hormone replacement therapy and help them focus not just on weight loss but on all their health numbers like blood pressure and cholesterol. I'm also interviewing for assistant professor positions and plan to finish my doctorate now that I have time to focus on myself again.