Rising Stars: Meet Lauren Finney Harden of Buckhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Finney Harden.

Lauren, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I wanted to be a “serious” journalist growing up in the Atlanta suburbs. I read Newsweek magazine every week, believe it or not. I went to the University of Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism and knew I wanted to work in New York after I graduated. However, there were no editorial internships available. (I’m so old I had to apply via actual mail.) Cosmopolitan, one of the magazines I had applied to just to cover my bases, instead offered me a fashion internship. I lied about having existing plans to visit the city and said I could come up the following week to interview. Thankfully, my family had roots in NYC, so I was able to make it happen.

I’ll never forget what I was wearing—a white suit and hot pink button-down. Hilarious to think of now. But I got the internship, which led to an almost 10-year career in women’s magazines and fashion in NYC. I got to do all the really fun things little girls dream about, such as sitting front row at fashion shows and being on set for covers with the Gossip Girl cast and Lady Gaga, among others. It was so much fun and a ton of hard work. I did fashion editor work, personal and editorial styling, worked at big fashion companies like Sam Edelman and LOFT, and was the senior fashion editor for magazines like Ocean Drive and Hamptons. New York shapes you in ways you couldn’t believe unless you’ve done it. It absolutely inspired my work ethic and is the reason I can say I’m now a lifestyle expert, exposed to as many things as I was back then. But the adage is true. You have to leave before it makes you too hard.

So I left to become the editor-in-chief of Lonely Planet’s first North American magazine. It was based in Nashville, which was a super fun place to be. I eventually began dating my now husband and moved home to Atlanta, where I then became the editor-in-chief of The Atlantan, one of Modern Luxury’s magazines. I worked my way up to be the group editor over 12 titles. My time in NYC prepared me for working at this volume, and I loved every minute of having eyes and ears all around the city.

After having my first, I knew I needed something a little slower paced and left magazines to work in marketing for tech and finance companies. At night, I’d freelance for digital and print publications, consult for small businesses on content and general marketing, and offer my expertise as a trend reporter. I slowly built up my credibility as a freelancer and now freelance full-time while taking care of my two little girls.

I am proud to say I have over 500 digital bylines floating around the internet, as well as countless more in print. You can see my work today in local, regional, and national publications. I write about a variety of topics that range from parenting to beauty to travel.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wouldn’t say it’s a challenge necessarily, but more of a misconception. My job as a writer and editor looks glamorous from the outside—I’ve interviewed people like Reese Witherspoon, Christian Louboutin, and Jessica Alba and traveled the world in search of stories. And it is! It’s so much fun. But it can also be incredibly challenging. Interviewees aren’t as effusive as they could be. You might write about a business for a print magazine, only to see it close, but the article went to print. You might have subjects mad at you for the way you reported a story, or a photo shoot might go off the rails. It takes a lot of project management skills, organization, and people management to work at publications, even if you’re “just” the writer. It’s not about writing what you want, even in a freelance capacity.

Magazines are known for their drama, and while that was certainly true in my 20s, I think the industry has chilled out a lot to survive. One of the most important things I would always tell my interns is that they need to be good problem-solvers when working in this industry. I believe I’ve created a reputation as a problem-solver, one who can come up with solutions for everyone to win. I think being Southern helped me with that in my early days—soft skills!

I think the most important thing about being a lifestyle writer or journalist is your ability to connect with people. It’s to get the story, sure, but to establish long-term contacts that can pay off later. I still retain a lot of my New York contacts from my early days, which gives me an edge when it comes to landing stories. I can call up people I was in the trenches with back then who might not have said yes to me otherwise, and that means the world to me.

I came up in the publishing world during 2008, so I had a rare opportunity to see magazines and publications evolve. I think it’s important they do, and writers do, and audiences do, too. You can’t shove the AI genie back in the bottle, so I think it’s important that everyone, but especially writers and magazine editors and publishing people, learn to adapt.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I freelance for digital and print publications. I have bylines with publications such as InStyle, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Simply Buckhead, The Atlantan, Atlanta magazine, Garden & Gun, Magnolia & Moonshine, and more. While I’m used to doing the whole shebang—concepting, planning, managing, writing, producing, editing—I’m enjoying focusing on writing right now.

I’ve been able to carve out a niche for myself as a commerce and shopping writer. My special skill is finding trending items before they hit critical mass and writing about them. I also do a lot of product testing in the parenting and family space—mattresses, playgrounds, baby food, you name it, I’m testing it.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m also a content creator. I accidentally went mega-viral last year (while pregnant and laid off, no less!) for a shopping-related post and picked up 50,000 new followers. I consult for small businesses on content creation, do user-generated content, work for brands behind the scenes on content, strategy, and trends, and do a few influencer campaigns here and there. I like to say I’m not a very good influencer, I’m just some girl who talks on the internet from the front seat of her car and takes a lot of awkward mirror selfies. My schtick is that I’m me—total and complete chaos at all times, but hopefully in an endearing way! I focus on daily family life and things to do around Atlanta.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.laurenfinneyharden.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenfinneyharden