Lauren Gardner
Lauren Gardner
ABOUT ME
Lauren is at the forefront of the burgeoning encore career brigade, having returned to studying in her late 40s. Wikipedia defines an encore career as “work in the second half of life that combines continued income, greater personal meaning, and social impact.” She completed her undergraduate psychology qualifications (with distinction) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and then her BSocSci Psychology Honours (with distinction) at the University of Cape Town in 2021.
She is currently studying at Stellenbosch University towards a BPsych Eqv degree in psychometrics. She recently sharpened her counselling skills by completing both the LifeLine Counselling course and the South African Depression and Anxiety Group’s (SADAG) counselling course. She also attended a short course on positivist psychology run by Prof Scott Barry Kaufman, an American cognitive and humanist psychologist with an interest in intelligence and self-actualisation. Lauren is a member of UCT’s Cyberpsychology group, which meets weekly to discuss issues related to psychology and social media.
Lauren’s life experiences are as diverse as her interests. She initially qualified as a town and regional planner, getting her BScTRP degree (with distinction) from Wits. After several years in the corporate environment, she packed up everything and backpacked the South American continent for a year, before heading off to Botswana to work for a safari company for a while. Returning to South Africa, she worked as a consultant in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment, and later as a consultant for the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA). Motherhood then required a change in lifestyle and she started a tourism and hospitality business, which afforded her the flexible working hours necessary to be a hands-on mom.
She says that her happiness levels rise when she’s in nature, researching things psychological, experiencing new things, and connecting with people. She also admits to a weakness for brownie batter