Lauren is the artistic and executive director of Momentum Dance Studio, in Homer Glen.

She has been dancing since age 3 at The Dance Studio Ltd, under the direction of Marianne Kyler and training under Nancy Bonkowski, Marcy Sewell, among others. Continuing her education, she took supplementary training at Gus Giordano's, Visceral Dance Center, and Lou Conte/Hubbard Street. Lauren attended Valparaiso University and graduated with a BA in Studio Art with a minors in dance, physics, and math.

Throughout her college career she continued to be a part of the University's Dance Ensemble gaining choreography experience under the direction of Ann Kessler. Also at this time she gained ample teaching experience in many different styles including hip hop and contemporary at her home studio, The Dance Studio Ltd., as well as at United Dance Arts in Valparaiso. Post-grad, Lauren has danced professionally with Ardent Dance Company as a lead company member, AscenDance Chicago as an apprentice and company member, and many freelance dance projects as well.

She looks forward to the growth of the youth program and special needs programs here at Momentum, and dreams of leading a professional company in tandem. Art is undoubtedly Lauren's passion, and movement is her favorite medium with unlimited opportunities and room to grow. Her philosophy stems from the fact that education is never finished- even teachers continue to learn every day, which she strives to do.

Momentum is a Premier Sponsor of I'm Possible 2023 and we thank them for their support! Find out more about Momentum HERE.

Stacey's mission is to build self-confidence in kids.

She believes that there is something about every child that is special. That special thing is what makes each child unique and great. Her mission is to help children tap into that inner greatness—I call it their “super power.”

She is an author, illustrator, and social emotional learning innovator. She designs products that not only make kids smile, but that also encourage kids to think about how beautiful they are inside and out.

She has created social emotional learning programs for use in elementary schools and youth groups. The programs are based on the guided journals and include 14-20 lessons for workshops at schools and for youth organizations.

Through her series of guided journals and social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, she provides educators in elementary schools as well as parents with tools to help their young learners feel more empowered.

Her passion for empowering children started as a young adult when she became frustrated with the lack of positive diverse images in the marketplace. I was reminded of moments during my childhood of feeling out of place and unaccepted. and different from the world around her. Years later, as a mom to an amazing son, she became frustrated with his experience at school, as he had difficulty fitting in. Well-intentioned strategies by the school resulted in her son feeling unempowered and even more like an outsider. 

These combined experiences led her to develop an SEL program that emphasizes self-reflection as a strategy to increase both self-awareness and social awareness—two of the core competencies of social emotional learning.  Principals, teachers, and parents have praised my program for its unique approach and its positive impact on the self-confidence of children.  The joy on the faces of children when they come to the realization that they are awesome just the way they are is what motivates me.

Born on the East Coast, she now lives with her amusingly wonderful husband and amazing son in Aurora, IL.  She is the Founder and Director of the My Super Powers! Foundation, a Rotarian, and board member for the Kiwanis of the Greater Fox Valley Area, and Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois.