Laura Rubin
Founder and director of the communications agency, Left Left Right Consulting (LLR), Laura Rubin uses her more than 15 year’s experience to develop creative campaigns for clients, sharing their messages with the world in meaningful and memorable ways. Her trademark is her innate ability to anticipate what people want (often before they know it themselves) to conceive of compelling brand stories for a mix of lifestyle and non-profit brands.After years of helping brands find their creative voices, however, Laura Rubin decided to ask herself what her own sounded like. The answer was AllSwell. Encountering a morning surf check with uninspiring results, she grabbed her journal and started writing instead. “Swell or no swell, all’s well.” This “light-bulb” moment on the beach inspired her to encourage others to unplug and put pen to paper— an act proven to increase wellbeing and boost brain power. Three years and thousands of notebooks later, AllSwell has devotees expressing themselves by writing, drawing, doodling, and playing on paper in an utterly analog way. Laura’s penchant for driving innovation, as well as her smart marketing advice, helped boost AllSwell and dozens of other companies into the successful brands we know today. We knew she would have some insightful tips for us too so we asked her to share the seven things that are making her life better at the moment. 1 | 10% Happier Meditation app-- I appreciate Dan Harris’ no-nonsense approach to meditation and find this app to be one of the better, more user-friendly tools available. It’s a daily dose of breathing a bit easier.2 | Alarm Clock from Folk Rebellion-- Folk Rebellion’s founder Jess Davis is one smart analog-loving chica! I bought these alarm clocks for both of my bi-coastal perches to diminish iPhone usage in the bedroom.3 | Leilani Bishop Pikake Fragrance-- Shaney jo Darden of Keep A Breast and Non Toxic Revolution taught me that most perfumes have a shocking amount of toxicity. Eeew! Luckily, Leilani Bishop has created a line of all-natural fragrances and this one smells like Hawaiian heaven. Plus I’m a sucker for pretty, travel-friendly packaging since I’m on the road so much.4 | Maria Moyer’s Porcelain Rose Mini-Sculpture-- Each porcelain petal is made by the hands of my dear friend, sculptor Maria Moyer. Her work always inspires me to pay closer attention to details, to spend more time in nature using my eyes, and to be fully present in the moment.5 | Le Creuset Pot in Coastal Blue-- Believe the hype! These pots last forever and heat evenly. I swear my cooking tastes better when I use Le Creuset, and they’re heirloom quality which helps justify the cost.6 | EiR Arnica Roll-On-- This little wonder has saved my maxed out shoulders on many a surf trip. It just works. It’s great for bumps, sore muscles, and anywhere you’re black and blue. 7 | Books-- I’m not a Kindle person. I like paper, the weight, and the feel of a book in my hands. I usually have about three in rotation on my nightstand, two nonfiction and one fiction. Right now I am devouring Barbarian Days, which makes me itch for surf (in a good way).8 | My Toyota Tacoma-- Truck love! I bought my dream car a few years ago, a used Toyota pick-up truck. She’s not fancy but she’s good lookin’. I call her the Grey Lady, named after The New York Times. She and I have had a lot of adventures together, and I’m sure many more are to come!
