Meet Dr. Lauren Simpson: marketing coordinator, owner and CEO of The Social Media Doctor, LLC and founder of Adjust Your Crown Mentoring.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
Using the famous words of Maya Angelou to drive her, Dr. Simpson has some pretty amazing accomplishments under her belt. During her undergraduate years as a Blue Raider at Middle Tennessee State University, Simpson studied mass communications and had dreams of being an on-air television personality due to popular shows like BET’s 106 & Park and MTV’s Total Request Live (TRL). Prior to graduation, Simpson earned an internship with BET in the public relations and communications department in 2007. While it wasn’t the on-air position she had her eye on, she was able to learn valuable skills behind the scenes and make connections with the company at which she one day dreamed to work.
Upon graduating in 2008 during a recession, finding work was difficult for Simpson. With people in higher positions taking pay cuts and layoffs happening in abundance, one can only imagine how frustrating job hunting was for a recent college graduate. Adding to the frustration of more qualified candidates applying for entry-level positions, the job market in Nashville was not as diverse as it is today.
“There were not many opportunities for minorities in Nashville at the time,” Simpson told ScholarUp. “I ended up getting a job in customer service through a temp agency that I stayed in for four years,” she added.
While working in customer service plus two other jobs (Saks 5th Ave Off Fifth and Oasis Center), Simpson earned her Masters of Education in Non-Profit Leadership from Belmont University. After successfully completing the program on August 12, 2012, she decided to quit all three jobs and move to Atlanta, Georgia.
Simpson applied for jobs online, but somehow, kept coming up short. At one point during her job search, she thought about attaining her doctorate degree. “I worked hard on my thesis, so I thought to myself ‘Why not?’” After applying for a program in Atlanta, she got in! While still searching for a job, Simpson started the Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) program at Argosy University Atlanta in September 2012.
With the online job search coming up short, she started to utilize her network. “Networking is key in Atlanta because who you know gets you the job,” Simpson told ScholarUp. “I attended an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated graduate chapter meeting and met a few Soros, two of which worked at the Art Institute of Atlanta (AiA) and passed along my resume,” she added.
Just a few months after starting her doctorate program, Simpson finally landed her first job in Atlanta as the Assistant Director of Admissions at AiA. She later discovered a benefit through her job was a tuition assistance program that covered 100% of the cost of her doctorate degree. “It was God ordering my steps. Sometimes I felt discouraged, but I came this far so I wasn’t going to waste my time and effort.”
Simpson earned her Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University Atlanta in 2016. Weeks after graduation, she was let go from AiA but not without a nice severance package. “I kept saying I wanted a new push so this was my time to start full-time in my career. Thanks to one of those Sorors I met at the same chapter meeting over four years prior kept in touch with me and landed me a four-month temp job in social media in the marketing department in a big company,” said Simpson. Through the temp job, she gained experience to land her current job in marketing.
Throughout her journey, Simpson learned many lessons through real-life experiences.
“Live life and go with the flow. Everything may not happen exactly how you planned it to or when you planned it. But stay the course and enjoy the process. Success and happiness is not a destination it is a journey. Your career may alter and that is okay. Your personal plans may change but that doesn’t mean life is any less. Live YOUR best life and do not compare to others. Make the best of your journey!”
She currently works as a marketing coordinator, is the CEO and founder of her own social media management company, The Social Media Doctor, LLC, and founder of Adjust Your Crown Mentoring, Inc. a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides mentoring through a personal and virtual concept to women 18-30 years old. In addition, Simpson is a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, an active member of the Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She also previously has been involved with ColorComm Atlanta, Community Consulting Teams of Atlanta, and Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals.
Get social with Dr. Lauren Simpson at @Dr.LaurenElise on Instagram! Learn more about The Social Media Doctor, LLC on Instagram @TheSocialMediaDr. Learn more about Adjust Your Crown Mentoring and their annual scholarship program at AdjustYourCrownMentoring.com and @AdjustYourCrownMentoring on Instagram and Facebook.