Daily Inspiration: Meet Lauren Rosborough

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Rosborough.

Hi Lauren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Over a decade ago, I started my young adult life studying dance outside of Manhattan. At first, I thought there could be nothing more I would ever want to do as a career… but those dreams quickly became a nightmare, as the competitive nature of the world I was in pushed me into a downward spiral with anorexia. Soon the only thing I cared about was how many calories I consumed in day and all many dreams I thought were extinguished. I decided to transfer to a school closer to home, and one night after talking to my dad about his childhood horse, I decided I was going to rescue my own horse.. one last shot to bring myself back from the grave.

And I did. A seven years old, ex-race horse who was abused and over 300lbs underweight. Celtic would go on to become my best friend, soul mate and the start of a mission that has saved over a 150 animals from slaughter and neglect.

But most importantly, he saved my life, he is the reason I am still here.

Today, Happy Heart-Happy Home is going into its 4th year as a 501c3 nonprofit. We care around the clock for our resident animals ranging from horses, cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, goats, dogs, cats and the like. I do most of the work primarily on my own and still work full time to cover any extra expenses. With the help of my family and wonderful board of directors, we are able to continue our mission here and provide a second chance and a happy home for those in need and are looking to move to a bigger property so we can continue to save lives but also offer animal therapy and mental health workshops.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is no smooth road in rescue. Every day you wake up praying that everyone is healthy and safe. Every day you get phone calls from people begging you to save more animals. Every day you do back-breaking work, only to fall asleep in your boots and overalls and wake up the next day to do it all over again. You see horrors you can only describe as a nightmare. And then at the end of the day, there’s still the factor of how will you pay for it all. Playing the social media card… working to keep things afloat. Is it easy? No. But then you see the “WHY”. The transformation of animals that were on deaths doorstep. The light back in their eyes. You see them making friends, forming their own little families. You see the love and unconditional appreciation they have for their lives, and any hard day you ever had is immediately diminished. There is nothing greater.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Because of my background with eating disorders and mental health, once HHHH expands on to a larger property, we will working to include animal therapy workshops to those struggling to regain their confidence, happiness and find themselves again. Whether it be domestic abuse, addiction, anxiety, depression and the like.… I have seen first hand the miracles that these animals are and help create. I went from being hospitalized, on the brink of starvation.. to being able to move 800lb bales of hay and lift animals 10x the size of me. This job is a 24/7, 365 year around job.. and every day you are learning things you never thought you’d have to know. From fixing well pumps…quite literally moving the earth to create a safe and happy environment.. there is and always will be a new trial and error you have to unmask and conquer. And I credit the animals for giving me that confidence and ability to do what I do. This is their story after all.. I’m just the one putting it into words.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Be as open and as vulnerable as you can be. We are all fighting demons, many of which we can relate to. So be honest. Be real. Wear your beliefs on your sleeve. Open your heart. And the right people will find their way to you. Social media is a great tool, but there will always be haters. Remember, we are all the bad guy in somebody’s story… so don’t let it get to you!!! The right people will find you.

Pricing:

• It costs approximately $1200 a week to feed our resident animals
• We spend approx $30,000 or more a year in vet care

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.happyhearthappyhome.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/happyheart_happyhomesanctuary
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/happyheart-happyhomefarmandrescue