Lauren Zander

Lauren Zander has been described by her clients as a miracle worker, an ass-kicker and an angel. Fueled by a commitment to make a difference, Lauren has devoted her life to helping create a better world, one person at a time. Whether coaching a CEO at a billion dollar company or a teenager who can’t find direction, her innate skill set includes an uncommon talent for perceiving what needs to be addressed in any given situation and an ability to see and speak the truth with conviction and grace. Lauren is a visionary in the realm of personal development.

Concerned with the issues of global warming and human impact on the environment, Lauren graduated from George Washington University with a BS in Environmental Studies. At this time she also began exploring personal development education, which revealed in her a strong interest in human dynamics.

She signed on at one of the country’s first personal development corporations, coaching individuals and leading seminars on a daily basis for seven years. During this time she asked herself over and over again, “What does a person need to focus on so that they can change?” The answer to this question, coupled with her desire to help people solve their specific issues (like saving their marriages, losing weight, succeeding in business and stopping smoking) led Lauren directly to the development of “The Handel Method.” Her coaching methodology became instantly successful with her private clients and she continued to develop it while initiating a coach-training program, rigorously schooling future coaches in the techniques of The Handel Method. This ultimately led to the creation of The Handel Group, a corporate consulting and private life coaching company, which now comprises private, corporate, education and product divisions, with her equally gifted sister, Beth (Handel) Weissenberger.

Lauren is a dreamer, but one of those rare humans who doesn’t stop pushing until her dreams become a reality. One of Lauren’s most ambitious dreams was to impact higher education by creating a curriculum that addresses how a person can lead a powerful, fulfilling and happy life through a focus on Personal Integrity. Lauren is currently in her fourth year teaching a popular and groundbreaking course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology called Designing Your Life. The course is also being taught to the Sloan Fellows at MIT, undergrads at NYU and at Rutgers Business School, with more to follow.

Recently, Lauren moderated a round table summit between the White House Office of Social Innovation and the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Lauren is excited about 2010 as she is currently developing audio products, finishing up a weight loss book, developing a TV show, started “Coaches Corner” on businessweek.com where she is a featured career coach and is featured monthly in Shape magazine as the life coach who is assisting a writer in losing 80 lbs.

Lauren lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband of 10 years and her three wonderful children, ages 8, 7 and 2. She loves listening to music, working out, her new cappuccino machine and quality time with family and friends.

“I had my first meeting with Lauren Zander at the recommendation of a friend and business associate, who I think very highly of. I would not have gone on my own, and I was not enthusiastic about the idea of meeting with a “Life Coach.” However, when I met Lauren my skepticism disappeared instantly. Lauren was nothing like what I had expected. Her approach was brutally honest, but her personality was fun and creative in a way that was so engaging that it took me by surprise. What made the strongest impression on me was her incredible gift for insight. After asking me a few questions, she discerned things about me which I had not even considered, but which rang so true when they were said, that I couldn’t believe that they had not been common knowledge before. It was a moving experience, which helped me to honestly identify the things that are most important in my life and how best to focus on them. Working with Lauren has been incredibly engaging and strangely comfortable, even when the things that she says and the actions that she recommends are not comfortable at all. It doesn’t take long to realize that even her most uncomfortable assignments, create incredible satisfaction when they are achieved. The comfort comes from knowing that what you are working toward is the truth, and that your most sincere goals are now taking priority, that they cannot be put on the back burner, and that you have an astute and objective conspirator working with you toward your own success. Once Lauren helps you to put together a plan for achieving your dreams and not just being distracted by the day to day things that come up at random, it is very liberating. My work with Lauren helps me to maintain the perspective necessary to follow my dreams honestly and without distractions or excuses. Her bare-knuckled attitude is an incredible asset, keeping me honest with myself as we move down the road to success.”

Chris Dell’Olio President, Master Mind Artist Management