E53 Lauren Ballard

This week we are joined by Lauren Ballard from Tampa Bay, Florida. Lauren was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. Lauren got her start in the service industry as a hostess/ server while still in high school. Lauren attended Syracuse University from 2002 - 2007 where she graduated with a B.S. in Fashion Design with a Minor in Public Communications. While in university, Lauren took the opportunity to study abroad as she spent time in London, England in the spring of 2005. Upon graduation, Lauren moved back to Indianapolis and stayed for ten years - in-and-out of service industry jobs. Lauren’s most notable bartending experience was when she started working for Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery in Indianapolis in 2015 as a server and bartender. This was first disabled-combat, veteran-owned distillery in the U.S. Lauren concluded her journey with Hotel Tango in 2019 when she moved to Tampa Florida to become a Brand Ambassador. Currently. Lauren works at Swann Restaurant & Bar (voted Best Restaurant in Tampa Bay by Creative Loafing in 2020) as a server, bartender and key, having started in February 2019. Links @lbstylist Podcast Artwork by Zak Hannah @zak.hannah