27: Profit and Presence: Yes, You Can Have Both

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

In this episode, I sat down with Lauren Apple, a scaling strategist, keynote speaker, and CEO of Profit and Presence, to talk about what it really looks like to build a successful business without sacrificing your life at home. From the very beginning, Lauren shared a powerful perspective on branding, focusing less on impressing people and more on making them feel seen, understood, and given permission to want both profit and presence.

Lauren opened up about her journey from ministry into the online business world and how a pivotal moment with her family forced her to rethink everything. Despite running a highly successful business, she realized she had built what she calls a “beautiful prison”, a version of success that looked good on paper but didn’t align with the life she actually wanted. That moment sparked a complete shift, leading her to rebuild her business in a way that supports both her ambitions and her role as a present parent.

We also talked about the realities of being a CEO parent and how traditional productivity advice often doesn’t fit this season of life. Lauren shared practical strategies for creating systems that work within your real constraints, setting boundaries, and scaling not just revenue, but margin. For her, scaling margin means creating space: time to be with your family, time to rest, and time to actually enjoy the life you’re building.

A big part of our conversation focused on mindset, how limiting beliefs, societal expectations, and internalized stories can hold us back from fully stepping into both roles. Lauren shared how important it is to balance action with reflection, test what works for your life, and let go of the idea that there’s only one “right” way to succeed. Her approach is simple but powerful: define your non-negotiables, build your business around them, and give yourself permission to do things differently.

We wrapped up by talking about what it means to truly have both profit and presence.

Lauren’s message is clear: you don’t have to choose between a thriving business and a meaningful personal life, but you do have to be intentional about how you build both.

00:29 Introduction to Profit and Presence

01:56 The Importance of Feeling Seen in Branding

03:23 Personal Growth Through Business Challenges

06:59 Balancing Work and Family Life

12:09 Embracing Imperfection in Parenting

21:14 Breaking Through Mindset Roadblocks

27:51 Scaling Margin: Creating Space for Life

30:55 Defining Non-Negotiables for Success

Links: Connect with Lauren: Visit her Website and Instagram.

Take the free diagnostic (find your biggest bottleneck) on her Website.

The AI Advantage Workbook: Eliminate the uncertainty in writing branded prompts! This free PDF workbook includes six reflective exercises to define your brand and a branded prompt formula—similar to Mad Libs—to quickly create content that actually sounds like you and connects with your ideal clients.

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