We recently had the chance to connect with Lauren Lindberg and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lauren, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Of course! Great to reconnect.
My mornings have truly become sacred. It’s only in the past few years that I’ve realized how essential it is to connect deeply with myself before the world comes rushing in—before the emails, texts, social media, and work requests. No matter how busy life gets, I protect that time.
Most days, I’m woken up by my two dogs, who ensure I start the day with fresh air. I let them out and settle on my makeshift front-door patio to do my Artist’s Way pages. I finished the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron about a year and a half ago, but the practice stuck. Every morning, I still write three pages of stream-of-consciousness. It’s my way of clearing mental space and processing before the day begins. After writing, I’ll head out for a walk, which often turns into a moving meditation.
You won’t find me scheduling meetings before 11 a.m. if I can help it. These early hours are reserved for centering, setting intentions, and tuning in to what I need that day. After years of always having to be somewhere by 9 a.m. whether for school, work, or obligations. Creating this boundary has been one of the most transformative choices I’ve made for my well-being.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Of course! I’m Lauren Lindberg, a filmmaker, storyteller, and creative producer passionate about blending truth and imagination to create transformative stories. I’m currently directing my debut feature documentary, Fall of the Phoenix, which explores brain injury, womanhood, and personal transformation through a magical-realism lens. My work often weaves together mythology, nature, and deeply human narratives to illuminate what’s often invisible—whether that’s internal experiences, cultural stories, or collective wounds.
I started my journey as a teenage filmmaker in the Bay Area, and over the years, I’ve worked across commercial production, impact storytelling, and independent film. At the heart of everything I do is a deep desire to create meaningful, imaginative work that sparks reflection and connection.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I love this question because, as a brain injury survivor, I’ve had to unlearn quite a few maladaptive survival tendencies that once protected me. I’ve been a very nervous person most of my life—a worrier—and in many ways, that vigilance served me. It helped me anticipate problems and plan ahead. But now, I’m in a place where I no longer need to live from that state of constant alertness.
Today, I’m learning to release overthinking and worry. I remind myself that I have the tools within me to handle whatever challenges arise. One quote I love is, “Worrying is worshipping the problem twice.” That really resonates with me.
When I find myself spiraling into anxious thoughts, I ground myself in the present moment with a simple exercise called the 5-4-3-2-1 game—naming five things I can see, four I can feel, three I can hear, two I can smell, and one I can taste. It brings me back into my body, back into now. And that’s where peace lives.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
I recently went through a very intense production where I was being asked to do many things at once. I remember this wave of overwhelm and fear washing over me—a sudden feeling of complete failure. I hadn’t actually failed, but in that moment, it felt like I could have done better, like I wasn’t enough.
As I processed the experience, I had a powerful realization: if you’re not failing, you’re probably not taking enough risks. Failure is inevitable when you’re stretching beyond your comfort zone—it’s where wisdom is forged.
A tangible example of this was when I ran into a journalistic visa issue while filming in India. At the time, it felt like a disaster. But looking back, it was one of the best learning experiences I could’ve had. I learned the ins and outs of the visa process, how to navigate complex international logistics, and, maybe most importantly, how to prepare my body and mind to be comfortable in the unknown. We humans love control—but filmmaking constantly reminds me how little of it we actually have.
In the end, everything worked out. And because of that so-called “failure,” I now have a deeper confidence and clarity that I’ll carry into every future international shoot. Sometimes, the hardest lessons are simply mastery in disguise.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I am fully committed, no matter how long it takes, to bringing my first feature film, Fall of the Phoenix, to life. It’s my directorial debut: an Alice in Wonderland–inspired magical realism documentary that follows me down the rabbit hole of brain injury into a world where this invisible epidemic is made visible through dance, rhythm, movement, and animation.
This project means everything to me because, before I began, I didn’t realize how trapped I was in my own trauma and maladaptive patterns. I didn’t know I had been living with a brain injury myself, something that can happen through repeated concussions or simply by not giving your brain the time it needs to heal. An estimated one in three people will experience a brain injury in their lifetime, and yet it remains one of the most misunderstood and underdiagnosed health crises in the world.
That realization changed everything. Since then, the journey of awareness and healing has transformed me as a human, a sister, a partner, and a filmmaker. I believe this film can serve as a map for anyone who feels stuck in their pain or afraid to face what’s within. When you shine a light on the darkness, you move forward with greater compassion, empowerment, and love for yourself and for others.
We’re currently about 75% through production, having captured pivotal moments from each of our characters’ journeys, including my own. What remains is weaving in the magical realism elements that will transport audiences into this world of transformation. As one of my film’s characters says, “This could be huge.” And I believe that with every part of me, because if we can help people understand their brains, we can help them heal.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think every human being eventually faces the realization that, somewhere along the way, they may have let go of what they loved as a child. As kids, we’re told: do this to be successful, do this to get into college, do this to be accepted. Those narratives shape us during such a formative time that it’s easy to forget who we were before the world told us who to be.
At some point, many of us wake up and realize: I have everything I was told would make me happy—so why don’t I feel fulfilled? That moment came for me in 2020. I recognized that I was living a life that didn’t feel authentic to my soul. So I began the process of unlearning—of getting quiet, curious, and honest with myself.
I started asking: How does this make me feel? Does this drain me or energize me? Step by step, I found my way back to what truly lights me up. Today, I can say with certainty: I am doing what I was born to do.
My earliest memories are of making films that move people. After a ten-year detour into commercial production, I’ve returned to storytelling that transforms hearts and minds. I honor the parts of me that once needed to fit in or play it safe—but I’ve released what no longer serves me. Now, I’m creating from a place of freedom and truth.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laurenlindberg.net
- Instagram: laurennlind
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-lindberg/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC29r1NJ73N5Ej95XKqAgyMg
- Other: https://www.fallofthephoenix.com
Image Credits
I own all the images
