I survived a healthcare conference in Las Vegas… and honestly, I’m still a little surprised. Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I'm sharing my story of peopling in sin city. Between the cigarette-tinged air, the giant hotel that somehow has no sunlight, the time-zone confusion, and the very real possibility that I could’ve wandered straight into a meetup hosted by people I’m literally in a legal dispute with, this trip shouldn’t have been fun — but weirdly, it was. In this episode, I talk about: • Why Vegas feels like a desert with no actual sun • How I almost RSVP’d myself straight into the lion’s den (yes, that lion) • My team acting like emotional support humans so I didn’t melt into a puddle in the middle of the crowd • The bizarre networking moments where founders, lawyers, and random strangers kept appearing out of nowhere • Why meeting listeners in real life makes me want to slide between the cracks of a sewer grate and disappear forever • And — shockingly — why I’d actually do this whole thing again Also, Alison brings us another listener question in Small Talk all about productivity. Useful stuff Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/ Timestamped summary 00:00 "Time, Smoke, and Healthcare Irony" 05:30 "Almost Entering the Lion's Den" 07:12 "Introvert at the Party" 13:12 "Dateline Rule: No Second Location" 13:49 "Conference Reflections: Fun & Validation" 17:11 "Overcoming Exhaustion and Enjoyment" 20:20 Checklist Productivity vs Mental Effort 23:55 Redefining Daily Productivity Mentioned in this episode: Build Your Better course Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better
