Lauren Paz

Lauren is pursuing a B.S.Ed. in Kinesiology while working as an EMT with Lake Monticello Rescue Squad and an Emergency Department Technician at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital. Originally from Centreville, Virginia, Lauren discovered lifting through her brother-in-law, a personal trainer. Before the pandemic, she and her sister would tag along with him to the gym, but high school sports and the pandemic eventually pulled her away from weightlifting.

Lauren found her way back to lifting in 2022, when her dad began weightlifting during his deployment and built a mini-gym in their basement for when he returned home to visit. After spending some time lifting there before school, Lauren finally worked up the courage to start going to a commercial gym on her own. She has been a self-described “gym rat” ever since and the community she has found through lifting has become just as meaningful to her as the training itself. Her favorite lift is the deadlift.

Lauren joined The Strength Initiative because she believes women are often underserved by the fitness industry and sees women-focused organizations as an important way to change that. She has experienced firsthand how empowering weightlifting can be and is excited to help create that experience for others. As someone interested in pursuing women’s health in the future, she is especially excited to be part of an organization that combines her love of fitness with her passion for supporting women.

Outside of the gym and her work, Lauren enjoys thrifting, hiking, photography, yoga, and doing her nails. She is a military brat who has traveled to more than 15 countries and is one of seven siblings, with a 22-year age gap between her and her oldest sister! Her native language is Tagalog, but she learned English largely by watching Hannah Montana (and even named her dog Hannah). Lauren is also a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and competed in the sport for more than five years. These days, she plays lacrosse and flag football.