Finding Your Authentic Voice with Lauren Carter Reilly
What happens when the stage you trained for disappears—and something even more powerful takes its place?
In this episode of Creativity Connects, I talk with Lauren Carter Reilly, actor, creator, and founder of Glamour Possum, about what it means to trust your instincts, break the mold, and finally lead with your authentic voice in creative entrepreneurship.
At Dot Connector Consulting, we believe that our creative power is rooted in real stories—not polished narratives, but the messy middles, pivots, and quiet breakthroughs that happen when systems fall apart and we’re forced to start again.
Lauren’s journey is a powerful example of that transformation.
From Classically Trained Actor to TikTok Creator
Lauren describes herself as a “classically trained shapeshifter.” For years, she molded herself to fit the roles the theater industry expected—onstage and off.
“The pressure to constantly change yourself to fit the industry’s mold…”
Sound familiar? So many creative entrepreneurs—especially women—know this script. Systems built for someone else. Expectations we internalize. And the constant feeling of being “one call away” from finally making it.
Then the pandemic hit. Theaters shut down. And for the first time in years, Lauren wasn’t chasing the next audition—she was rebuilding from scratch. And something clicked.
She moved home to Salem, MA. She stopped waiting for a stage. She started creating her own.
Breaking Free from the 'One Call Away' Mentality
One of the most powerful moments in our conversation was Lauren naming what so many of us feel: the soul drain of “almost made it” culture.
“I have something in me… and if people don’t recognize it when I walk in the room, they don’t get to have it.”
It’s not arrogance. It’s clarity.
This is the shift: from being chosen to choosing yourself. From auditioning to authoring. And it’s how Lauren built an entirely new path as a storyteller, content creator, and brand strategist.
The Wonderful Lady B: When Creative Voice Meets Platform
Lauren started sharing one-minute character videos on TikTok. What began as an experiment quickly became a movement.
Her series, The Wonderful Lady B, now has 140K+ followers and a novel adaptation. But more importantly? It’s built community across generations, identities, and ideologies. Through humor and heart, Lauren’s work reminds us: authentic storytelling bridges gaps algorithms can’t.
This wasn’t about chasing virality. It was about showing up fully—and letting resonance do the rest.
Glamour Possum: Helping Creatives Show Up As Themselves
Through her creative brand studio, Glamour Possum, Lauren now helps other artists develop personal brands rooted in truth, not trend. It’s a direct answer to what she experienced in traditional spaces: judgment, gatekeeping, and endless shape-shifting.
“If something doesn’t quite hit, I just say—‘that doesn’t work for me.’”
Imagine applying that energy to your business, your art, your decisions.
Lauren’s work invites creatives to stop shrinking, stop waiting, and start building from the voice they’ve always had.
The Sacredness of Self-Expression
One of the most soul-shifting takeaways? A piece of advice from Lauren’s grandfather:
“Mediocrity is no way to honor the Holy Mother.”
That doesn’t require religion—it requires reverence. Reverence for your gift. Reverence for your voice. Reverence for the creative force that moves through you.
Lauren reminds us: dimming your light isn’t humility. It’s self-erasure.
The Business Case for Breathing + Laughter
Lauren also brings up what we rarely talk about in entrepreneurship: breathing, laughter, and connection.
Not as “soft skills,” but as strategy.
When you center joy, your business becomes more sustainable. When you lead with presence, your audience becomes a community. When you trust your voice, the work becomes an extension of who you are—not a mask you wear to survive.
Let This Be Your Invitation
Lauren’s transformation from classical theater to digital storytelling isn’t just inspiring—it’s a roadmap. It’s proof that sometimes the platform we’re meant for doesn’t exist yet. Sometimes we have to build it.
So here’s the question: What voice inside you is waiting to be heard?
What would shift if you stopped molding yourself to fit systems—and started designing spaces that fit you?
Let’s stop shrinking and start reshaping. Because authenticity isn’t a trend—it’s a revolution.
Connect with Lauren Carter Reilly
@glamourpossum on TikTok
glamourpossum@gmail.com
Watch the Episode
Creativity Connects is hosted by Mikki L. Wilson, founder of Dot Connector Consulting, produced by Randyll Collum for Peabody TV, and brought to you by Creative Collective. Sponsored by Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry.
