Marissa Lauren

By Marissa Lauren, Founder of Blueprinted

On the rugged Oregon coast, I built a coastal haven—a little hobby farm where I raised my ten children, tended animals, and grew food under the vast sky. It was my sanctuary, a place of comfort where I poured love into every detail as a pastor’s wife. But that comfort hid my strength. In our family’s construction business, I was invisible. I had no access to business bank accounts, no say in decisions, no permission to have ideas. I was expected to be seen, not heard, blindly supporting my husband’s vision while my own dreams were suppressed. I wasn’t allowed to co-build, to innovate, to exist beyond his shadow. Eight years ago, a divorce that shattered my family forced me out of that comfort. It was raw, painful, and terrifying, but it taught me that stepping out of shadows takes courage—and building your own legacy starts with owning your authentic self.

The divorce wasn’t just the end of a marriage; it was a rebirth. The rejection from family felt punitive, the division like a storm tearing through my coastal haven. Yet, in that brokenness, I found clarity. “The only thing I can really do is live my own life fully and as well as possible,” I told a loved one, realizing that dwelling on others’ judgments drained my energy. Instead, I channeled it into creating something that breathed life. That courage birthed Legacy Building & Development LLC, my Pacific Northwest construction company focused on sustainable projects and community impact. It wasn’t just about building structures; it was about building me—a woman who refused to stay hidden.

Stepping out meant shattering the lie that business and life are separate. In my marriage, I compartmentalized: managing the farm and kids by day, grappling with heartbreak by night. Business was a sideline, detached from my soul. Post-divorce, I saw business as an extension of my values: love over perfection, growth over greed, community over isolation. A property I owned could have been a burden, but with a collaborative mindset, I envisioned renting it out for the winter ski season, transforming a liability into opportunity. Each small win—staying up all night to fix a botched hardwood floor, tackling a water leak the long way around—built my confidence. With no one to turn to, failure wasn’t an option. Those thousand tiny victories, from the Oregon coast to new horizons, taught me that courage grows from doing, not waiting.

Now, I help others step out of their shadows through Legacy and my Blueprinted coaching. My gift is cutting through the “weeds” of confusion, helping entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and dreamers clarify their purpose and structure their visions. I don’t execute their plans—I connect them with experts greater than myself to make it happen. One client, a single mother worn down by a demanding employer, felt trapped in a job that stole her time and energy. I helped her define her purpose—reclaiming her life through meaningful work—and structure a plan to launch her own consulting business. From crafting her service offerings to connecting her with marketing experts, I guided her to build a business that let her own her time. Today, she thrives, balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship with freedom. My role? To stabilize her path, fine-tune her direction, and set her up to soar.

My Blueprinted framework—Inspire, Dream, Build, Align—guides this process. The Dream phase helps you envision who you are without shadows, claiming your unique voice. The Build phase turns that vision into reality, step by step, with practical strategies like partnerships or resource reallocation. For me, it meant building a company that reflects my faith-driven call to “be the light of the world,” creating not for self-preservation but for collective upliftment. As I shared with a loved one, “My heart and energy are better spent on creating things that bring life than on trying to convince someone who doesn’t want to change.” That’s the courage to let go and build forward.

If you’re lingering in someone’s shadow—whether a partner, a past role, or self-doubt—I challenge you to step out. Your business isn’t just a job; it’s a canvas for your authentic self. Dare to dream beyond limitations, build with integrity, and align with your deepest values. My journey from a silenced wife on the Oregon coast, where my strength was hidden in comfort, to a thriving entrepreneur taught me that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s the choice to act, to fix the floor, to solve the leak, to build the legacy. One small win at a time.

What’s one step you’ve taken to step out of someone’s shadow in your business or life? Share below and let’s inspire each other to build boldly.

Stay Blueprinted,
Marissa Lauren

(Note: This post is part of the “Fractured Bonds to Business Breakthroughs” series. Subscribe for more stories of resilience and impact.)