Lauren Lawson-Zilai
Potomac, MD
Mom to Kiley, 5
Nominated by Justin Zilai
Lauren is someone who believes in social impact and is tireless in her efforts to
make a difference in the community. As the senior director of PR for Goodwill
Industries International, Lauren leads the external communications strategy
for North America’s nonprofit leader in workforce training for people looking
for employment or career advancement. Lauren serves as a Stephen Minister for
our church where she provides caregiving to people facing crisis in life. Lauren
also utilizes her skills to provide pro bono PR services for numerous D.C. non-
profits, including Mary’s Center, a D.C.-based community center that provides
social services to individuals whose needs are unmet by the public and private systems. Lauren is selfless with her time from
mentoring others to guest lecturing at local universities. She volunteers with our daughter and ensures that she is enriched
with activities from learning multiple languages to embarking on educational outings and taking classes such as yoga. For
Lauren, volunteering is a genuine and demonstrated passion, and one that she has instilled in our five-year-old daughter.

Occupation: Senior director of public relations
and national spokesperson, Goodwill
Industries International
Favorite “mom-ism:”
“Mommy gets cranky after 8:30 p.m. I’m
tired. Please go to bed.”
What advice would you give to
new or expectant moms?
Find your support group of moms. I feel
very fortunate to work for an organiza-
tion where one of my colleagues started
a private email listserv to share tips, arti-
cles, frustrations and the like with each
other. It’s also important to find your
tribe of moms who can serve as a peer
support group, identify with your strug-
gles and triumphs and share experiences,
friendship, resources and comfort.

What goals do you have
for your child?
I want my daughter to be inten-
tional about helping others and
being aware of other’s feelings
— treating others as they want
to be treated, as everyone has
their own standards and beliefs. I’m
encouraged by the fact that we live in a
society where it’s “cool to be kind” and
there is more of a focus on anti-bullying.

My daughter and I always talk about
“girl power.” As she enters elementary
school, I will continue to encourage and
celebrate women’s empowerment, inde-
pendence and confidence so that she knows
there are no limits or boundaries based on
her gender.

How has motherhood changed
your outlook on life?
After giving birth, your priorities change.

Different issues take different precedence.

You no longer have the physical or emo-
tional energy for the things that used to
occupy all your time. For me, the biggest
shift has been the energy that I used to
spend worrying about anything and every-
thing. There is simply no capacity for that.

Describe a favorite
mom moment.

My daughter came home one day and told
me her teacher was complaining of back
pain. She wanted to provide comfort to
her teacher, so she took one of our big
throw pillows, wrapped it up with tis-
sue paper in a bag, and presented it her
teacher the next day. She has these innate
compassionate moments where she wants
to care for others. I was really touched by
her kind act as was her teacher.

What are three things
you use everyday that
you can’t live without?
adventures for families and a GPS so my
directionally-challenged self can find my
way to all of my daughter’s classes and activ-
ities across the greater metropolitan area. A
purse with crayons, toys, wipes, tissues, hair
bands and the like also helps.

What’s the best thing you
are listening to right now?
Simon Sinek. He is the author of “Start
with Why” and also has a TED talk called
“How great leaders inspire action.” He
emphasizes focusing on your why – your
purpose, your cause, your motivation and
your beliefs. Why do you get out of bed
in the morning? And why should anyone
care? As a result, the way we think, act
and communicate is from the inside out.

It is a great lesson both professionally
and personally to put priority on why you
do, not what you do, and to follow indi-
viduals who inspire those around them or
find others who inspire them.

Favorite local spot?
National Harbor. We love all the activ-
ities at the Gaylord during the holidays;
the family-fun destinations during the
summer from the carousel to the boat
rides, the beach and the park as well as
the seasonal displays at MGM.

A large latte, listservs like Beltway Bambinos
that provide recommendations on weekly
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