At a young age, Lauren entered many karaoke competitions, leading to several years of touring Michigan and performing classic country hits with JR Country Band. They opened for Lonestar, Randy Travis and Bill Anderson. After high school, Lauren shifted her focus from writing music to dental school. She met independent filmmaking couple Ann Gillis and husband Marvin, and they encouraged her to move to Nashville, taking Lauren under their wing. After Ann was diagnosed with ALS, Lauren felt the need to give back to her by becoming her full-time caretaker.