Hindsight

I use AI regularly, in my operations and admin, not to outsource everything that makes my content uniquely mine. I want to be very honest and up front about that before you hear this rant against the uses of AI that I’m seeing this year in the online world, because I KNOW that we can do content creation with so much more pleasure and humanity.  Yes, I know a lot of you are waiting for the engagement episode  and it is coming, but today, I am not in the mood for a love story. I am in the mood for a rant, one that I have been intentionally working through over the last couple of months. While I was in Japan, I went quiet on personal branding content, and there was a reason beyond just wanting to be present with Patrick. I love content creation, like I really love it. But I got the ick with personal branding. After an incredible launch with the Synced masterclasses and my second Seen cohort that I am so grateful for, I was also holding this nuance. The noise in this space felt relentless, with launch after launch and product after product, and my face was being put next to people and products I did not know or respect.  I am not here to shame anyone who sells, and I am not here to name names. I am here to say that the mission is still the mission, and that I am very much back. In this episode, I am giving you the tea on how I got rid of the ick by reconnecting with my core purpose, smashing the block button and dreaming up something bigger with my team.  I genuinely want to create away from all the noise, where women can create content in alignment with their cycles and in connection with their truest selves. That’s exactly why I cannot get behind outsourcing your entire content process to AI.  Key Takeaways Why I went quiet on personal branding content after the Synced masterclasses (and not just because I was present with Patrick in Japan) What I got the ick for: relentless selling, noise, and being associated with products that I didn’t know or don’t align with Why I still fundamentally believe in personal branding, especially for women who want more freedom, access and power Why I could step back and a recognition that you might not be able to pause every single time something feels icky (a note on privilege) How I treat brand association, and why I turn down well-paid promotional deals that do not sit right Why my mission is bigger than a social media strategy, and the thought leadership I want to build around hormones, spirituality and masculine and feminine polarity The two camps I see in the feminine energy conversation and why I sit firmly in the middle Dreaming bigger with my team: why a 10-week cohort can only hold so much, and what a longer-term, ongoing community for women could look like in 2027 What happens when women come together in a room, and why I want to build a space that offers peace from the outside noise Protecting my space: blocking, unfollowing and being intentional about what I let in Where I stand on AI: how I use it every day and why I disagree with using it to come up with, script, direct and post your content for you Why an AI-led creator process leads to hating your content six months in Why I finally said something about it publicly, and the response I got Marley Rose Harris’s G-spot theory of alignment and why I feel like I am back on it A reminder that content creation can be an art form, and that it is supposed to be fun A little hint at what is coming next, and a request to tell me what you would want inside a community like that New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too.   Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 📖 Poetry Collection - ⁠Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

In this AMA episode, I asked the girls in my current Seen cohort to send me their biggest questions about my life, and they delivered! There’s a lot I haven’t said before filming this episode in my Cape Town bedroom: I am slowly winding down my social agency. I can make a million dollars next year. Also, there’s a book idea that literally will not leave my mind. (Oh, and I want to be on other people’s podcasts so I’ll make that happen!) I talk about where my brain goes when it’s allowed to think really, really big and how I create daily space for my intuition. One major upgrade this year has been paying for mentors, so I highlight the value of investing in yourself through constant learning. We’ll chat about friendship, maybe being a witch, and my positive experience living in Cape Town. And since I get this question often, I explain knowing how much of yourself to share online, with two questions to filter what you are ready to be vulnerable about. I hope you’ll join me for this honest chat and genuine reflection on the big, beautiful life that I have the privilege to share with you all. Then I hope you’ll go do something that scares you. Key Takeaways Winding down my social agency and what that actually feels like to say out loud Earning half a million dollars in revenue just from organic social media this year and what that number means to me Why I share money openly and where that habit actually came from Why I follow the breadcrumbs instead of working backwards from a 5-year goal What the next three to five years could look like, including a community model (???), my book idea, being a guest on podcasts and creating more Seen cohorts  Friendship and why I don’t network How delusionally-big I am allowing my brain to go right now Ego versus intuition, and how I physically feel the difference between fear and a genuine gut warning in my body Keeping my mornings screen-free to create space for my intuition Benefits of investing $40K in myself this year for mentors (and more for courses)  Why I cannot stand the idea that doing the right thing is supposed to feel good all the time (the aligned action myth) How I decide whether to share something online, and questions you can ask yourself to determine what feels right for you What it is actually like to live in Cape Town: safety, landscape, and lifestyle A request to enter my DMs and tell me what topics you want to hear more of! New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 📖 Poetry Collection - ⁠Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

This week, Lauren is joined by Lauren Hunter, coach and founder of the women’s community Quietly Becoming, to discuss feminine and masculine energies. They met in person when Lauren Hunter came to Cape Town, and if you have followed either of them online for any length of time, it will come as absolutely no surprise that they ended up sitting across from each other having exactly this conversation. Lauren Hunter has spent years building a body of work around feminine energy, dating, relationships and self-development for women, and she aligns with Lauren one what they both find missing from the online conversation: nuance, warmth, and a genuine respect for men. This is not an episode about softness as a strategy or passivity as a personality. It is a conversation about what feminine energy actually is, what it is not, why the Instagram version of it often does more harm than good, and how integrating both masculine and feminine energy is what makes a woman, and a relationship, genuinely thrive. Key Takeaways Why the Instagram version of feminine energy has become an excuse not to do hard things, and why both Laurens are done with it The fiery, passionate, polarising aspects of feminine energy that most people are not talking about yet Why feminine energy without containment becomes chaos and then quickly flips into toxic masculine behaviour How the masculine and feminine energies initiate and lead in dating Why every woman’s husband list sounds identical and how to dig beneath the surface to find what you actually want Soft skills versus hard skills in a partner, and why judging a man on hard skills alone will let you down Why a man who questions something is not being mean, and why making space for that is part of feminine strength How to inspire change in a partner without infringing on their identity, and why you actually have to infringe a little What embodying femininity looks and feels like on a daily basis, and why posture is a bigger part of it than most people think Why paying more attention to the things in your life leads directly to a higher quality of life New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Lauren Hunter is a coach, creator and founder of Quietly Becoming, a women’s community where members explore feminine energy, self-development and building a life they genuinely love. With a background in matchmaking and years of experience working with women on dating, relationships and identity, Lauren brings a grounded, nuanced perspective to a space that often veers into extremes. She is known for her ability to make complex ideas about masculine and feminine energy feel immediately practical and deeply personal. You can find her on Instagram at @laurenohunter and learn more about Quietly Becoming through the link in her bio. Listen to this episode to discover what Lauren Hunter has learned in Hindsight.   Connect with Lauren Hunter 📱 Instagram - @laurenohunter 🖥️ Quietly Becoming    Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - ⁠Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

If you've been here for a while, you know the bet. I started 2026 with 206 followers, and my boyfriend Patrick bet against me that I'd never hit 50,000K followers on Instagram by the end of the year. The stakes were a fully funded trip to Japan. I crushed that goal in less than six months and as of October, I have over 78K followers!!  Patrick and I spent three weeks in Japan after an insane launch for my Synced Masterclass and opening the (now closed) doors for the second Seen cohort, where 100+ women will learn how to build a personal brand in their feminine energy and from a place of joy.  Today, Patrick and I are sitting on the sofa for a chill Japan debrief. For anyone who's new here, Patrick is my partner of a few years. He’s Austrian, chronically efficient, and cracked jokes for the entire recording. Patrick has been a recurring character in this podcast long before he was ever a guest on it, but this is his first appearance. (But not the last? You let me know in the comments or my DMs if he gets to come back!) This episode is our honest, slightly chaotic, and occasionally argued-over breakdown of all the places we visited across Japan. We cover the food, culture, trip highlights, things that surprised us, a few disappointments and our overall reflections from three weeks offline.  Key Takeaways Patrick's first ever podcast appearance, and a long overdue introduction for anyone who is new here Where We Visited in Japan: Osaka, Koya-san, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama and Tokyo across three weeks What we each expected before we went and how it actually landed The fashion delivered, the food delivered, and the fibre absolutely did not deliver My Uji highlight: a 14th generation matcha maker, a proper tea ceremony and six types of matcha in my luggage Patrick's Osaka highlight: a dark alleys and red light district tour that turned out to be genuinely one of the best things we did No bins anywhere, the cleanest streets I have ever seen, and a newfound appreciation for personal responsibility Why Harajuku was a massive disappointment and why I am blaming Gwen Stefani entirely Patrick's genuinely good theory about geishas, loneliness and what those bars in Shinjuku are actually about Where the socialising actually happens when meal times are not a social occasion What we love about traveling together, and lessons we brought home Whether Patrick is coming back on the podcast, which is entirely up to you! New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too.   Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - ⁠Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 🎧 Get the Replays for £44 - Synced Masterclass

I'm recording this from my bed in Tokyo, which is not where I planned to record an episode about 15 years of being estranged from 90% of my family but this is a topic I was going to share on the podcast eventually and a reel started trending on Instagram a month after I posted it. Lots of you can unfortunately relate, so here we are. I want to be upfront: this episode includes discussions of an abusive childhood, family estrangement, not being believed, and everything else that is genuinely hard. If that's not where you're at right now, I love you and please sit this one out.  But if you're somewhere in the middle of this pain and you need to hear that doing the healing work is worth it, I recorded this episode for you. I’ve been getting lots of questions in my DMs so I’ll be answering some of those by sharing my thoughts on grief, guilt, dealing with difficult questions from other people and the surprising number of beautiful things that came out of all of this pain. I also talk about growing up with an emotionally volatile mum, leaving home at 16, and what it feels like to be estranged so suddenly. Key Takeaways Growing up with an emotionally volatile mum in what I didn’t realize was an abusive environment and then losing an entire side of my family overnight Leaving home at 16 and the chaotic, painful few years that followed The generational trauma patterns that I know I will not be repeating How I was running from my feelings in my early twenties and eventually got serious about my healing How compassion for my mum developed slowly over fifteen years Handling the "but that's your mum" comments The unexpected positives of estrangement: freedom, self-trust, a bigger life, and a wedding guest list full of only people I actually want there How losing one side of my family opened up space for my dad's side to come in and how grateful I am for that Why I talk about this alongside content strategy What I most want you to take away if you're somewhere near the beginning of this journey New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

Lauren sits down with Brooke Barnard, an intuitive and energetic healer who booked a 1:1 strategy session and ended up booked on the podcast in the first ten minutes! Brooke has spent the last decade training her intuition across thousands of hours of study in neuroscience, universal laws, and energetic healing. In this episode, she explains how intuition reframes everything from physical ailments to conflict in your relationships to money blocks and the spinning, never-satisfied feeling that you are likely familiar with. Lauren and Brooke get into what intuition actually is, why almost everyone misunderstands it, and why developing your intuition as a precision skill, not a vague feeling, changes absolutely everything.  Key Takeaways How everyone is born intuitive but we tend to shut that off in childhood Brooke's first premonition at 14 [Trigger Warning from 3:31-4:02: sudden death of a family member at a young age, car accidents, premonition of someone’s death] The difference between a gut feeling and a fully trained intuition Energy fields, the higher self, the subconscious, and how Brooke reads them differently What are guides? How many do we have? How do we know where to find them? Law of Reflection: how everything around you is communicating something about what's going on inside Law of Balance: why every situation is neutral, and it's your perception that creates the limitation Why "clearing" trauma doesn't mean erasing it. The science behind intuition: how energy, light, and information relate to all the information that Brooke can read through her precise and measurable intuition  What it feels like to always sense there's something more  How developed intuition strips away decision fatigue and stops you doing things for the wrong reasons New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Brooke Barnard is an intuitive and energetic healer with over a decade of training  in neuroscience, universal laws, and the science of energy. She works with clients to identify the emotional root causes behind their biggest blocks  and helps them develop their own intuitive gifts as a trained, precise skill. Listen to this episode to learn more about her work and discover what Brooke has learned in Hindsight.   Connect with Brooke Barnard 📱 Instagram - coming soon! 🖥️ Website - brookebarnard.com 🎙️ Podcast - Make Sense of It on Spotify and Apple Podcasts 🎧 Free Audio Series - Your Intro to Intuition   Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

You asked me on Instagram stories for the honest highs and lows of this launch: unexpected moments, what I’d do differently, shadow sides…everything that doesn’t make it into the highlight reels online.  I opened my sales page right before this episode and realised I've just crossed $300,000 made directly from @bylaurendudley on Instagram. What the fuck. So what you're getting today is completely raw, unfiltered, and very much still being processed in real time. We had 1,609 people sign up to the Synced masterclass, made over $84,000 from the event itself, and I cried approximately zero times because I was too overstimulated to feel anything. I ran the entire launch from a deeply masculine energy, had arguments with Patrick that were really about my own stress, and spent a foot massage in Thailand desperately trying not to pick up my phone. The launch was amazing, and I can’t wait to do it again with more of my feminine energy in the lead.  Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to attend our live calls or watch the replays. As you’ll hear in this episode, I deeply care about the impact of my work. Key Takeaways Processing a milestone in real time that doesn't feel real yet Last-minute emails and why about 30% of sales came in the final 24 hours Running a launch entirely from masculine energy and what that cost me emotionally Confronting my shadow sides: stress becoming tension, blaming others, and avoiding things that felt hard Why launches take a village and how I’ll build better support around me next time How I figured out what to teach: waitlist questionnaires, Claude, and actually listening to where people are stuck Why I chose a live masterclass over a pre-recorded course, and what that energy unlocked in the room Why I priced the masterclass at £33-44 and what my philosophy is around pairing money with impact The give, give, give, give, ask framework (trust-building is the part people skip) What it feels like to be seen by thousands of people at once Teaching without slides: why it felt uncomfortable when I tried, and what authentically showing up actually looks like The bet, the goal, the dream: 76,000 followers, $300K, and Japan in literally five minutes New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - ⁠Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

Lauren sits down with one of her actual best friends in the world.. Marley Rose Harris is a self-made millionaire who went from $30,000 in debt and growing up without money to building a seven-figure business. She has spent the last seven years helping women unlock massive wealth by reprogramming the subconscious beliefs that are quietly controlling their lives. In this episode, Marley and Lauren get into feminine and masculine energetics, what they actually look like in their daily lives as entrepreneurs who love to travel, and why learning to balance the two completely transformed both of their businesses, relationships, and inner peace. They also have an honest, shame-free conversation about wanting to make millions then actually doing it. Listening to Marley can completely change what you believe was possible for your life.  Key Takeaways What it means to unlock "illogical income" Why Marley dismissed feminine energy for years and the butterfly analogy from an amazing mentor that finally changed her mind Why balancing masculine and feminine was the turning point that took Marley to $100K months How operating purely from masculine energy shows up in your relationships (and what it attracts) What it actually looks and feels like to be in your feminine on a daily basis Co-regulation and why the feminine needs the container of the masculine Human Design, building a business in alignment with your core operating systems, and why Marley closed her seven-figure business to start over Why sharing your income publicly is an act of expansion, not showing off The "if she can do it, I can do it" mindset shift that keeps compounding Why travel and living abroad builds the same muscle as entrepreneurship New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Marley Rose Harris is a subconscious mindset coach and self-made millionaire who went from $30,000 in debt to building a seven-figure business by the age of 30. Growing up without money in a small town of 300 people, Marley spent years running her business from a place of hustle and masculine overdrive before discovering the power of reprogramming the subconscious mind and balancing feminine and masculine energetics. Now she helps women around the world unlock massive wealth — not by working harder, but by clearing the hidden beliefs that are keeping them stuck.  Listen to this episode to discover what Marley has learned in Hindsight.   Connect with Marley Rose Harris 📱 Instagram - @marleyroseharris 📱 TikTok - @marleyroseharris 🖥️ Website - marleyrose.ca 🎙️ Podcast - Money, Mindset & Manifestation with Marley Rose Harris Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15

Hi, I'm back! I know, I know. It's been a minute. If you've been keeping up on Instagram, you already know I’ve had insane growth, beautiful cohorts and...75,000 followers!!  Obviously, we're going to Japan in a few weeks after I absolutely smashed the original bet. This episode is half update and half brain dump about the five things I keep coming back to in conversations and my own thoughts during my very (not) casual summer.  I’ve missed this podcast, and I hope you all enjoy this chat from someone who has been building, thinking, and isn't afraid to share all the things I haven’t fully figured out yet.  (If you are brand-new here, welcome!! Start with this episode from May to get the context from when my account really started taking off or go back to the beginning of my solo episode journey in March to find out what the fuck "follow your breadcrumbs" means. Then come say hi on Instagram!)   Synced Masterclass - Save Your Seat Learn how to grow and monetise a personal brand you ENJOY creating content for while in flow with your feminine energy. When? — Sat. 9/5 & Sun. 9/6 at 9am NY · 2pm London · 8pm Bangkok Where? — LIVE on Zoom for 2hrs/day + plus the replays for £44 -> https://synced-bylaurendudley.netlify.app/ We're going to be talking all things personal branding but from a very feminine headspace. There are a lot of people on this app talking about content strategy, discipline, etc., but what about if we approached it from a feminine energetics and cycle-synced perspective? Imagine how much easier your life would be. 💕   Key Takeaways An update on growing to 50K in 2026: from 200ish followers to 75K! Making $165,000 from my personal brand account in like three months (and how none of this would have been possible without a part-time team) Why I want you to call yourself a founder instead of a creator Hard is not the same as requiring genuine effort Why calling social media "hard" might be the thing holding you back Mindset shifts that separates people who grow from people who stay stuck The two-jar method that rewired my entire approach to consistency Reflections from wrapping up my first cohort and what 12 weeks of accountability actually produces (our one rule was “Everything I saw I’m going to do, I do it.”) Sobriety and nuance: an honest update on my evolving relationship with alcohol Why you don’t need to box yourself in online + what happened when I stopped doubling down on what was working  Content Strategy Tip: Create more space for yourself on your feed.  New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too.   Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 📱 TikTok - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - ⁠Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley 📝 Notion Workbook - New Creators: The Starting Plan for $15   Related Solo Episodes Quantum Leaping: My Hindsight on Chaos, Growth & The Pleasure of Choosing Yourself — May 28th 2026 Follow the Breadcrumbs: My Hindsight on Growth, Relationships & Radical Accountability — March 5th, 2026

Lauren sits down with Jessica Bonin to talk about the magic of tea and of course, matcha! Jessica walked away from a soul-crushing career in the film industry in search of meaning, purpose, and a better way of living.  What started as a bohemian caravan selling loose leaf tea around Cape Town has evolved into a rich philosophy, a devoted practice, and a life shaped entirely by following breadcrumbs — from hidden temples in Japan to an eight-hour tea session with a renowned South Korean tea master who almost no one can get an appointment with. Jessica unpacks what tea actually is (hint: your chamomile and rooibos don't count), why the 2000 chemicals in a single tea leaf make it one of the most powerful plants on earth, and how the practice of tea — rooted in Taoist philosophy, Zen Buddhism, and the samurai tradition — is really a platform for character development, presence, and what she calls attunement to the natural current running under all of life. She also shares her love-hate relationship with matcha being so trendy and explains why the distinction between a tourist and a practitioner matters more than most people realize. This episode is a beautiful conversation about honoring ancient traditions and cultivating a passionate life defined by intentional presence.   Key Takeaways Tea requires presence. You cannot make it unconsciously, which is precisely what makes it a gateway to a meditative, sensory practice. Tea naturally harmonizes and heals your system. A single tea leaf contains around 2000 chemicals, including L-theanine, flavonols, and EGCG, all of which have profound effects on body and mind. Matcha is so much more than the current trend. The matcha ceremony, Chanoyu, has deep roots in samurai philosophy, specifically the constant contemplation of death and the pursuit of peace. Using "ceremonial grade" matcha in a latte, or borrowing words like wabi and chado without understanding them, strips the practice of its cultural depth and meaning. Japan opened its tea schools to the West partly because younger Japanese generations had lost interest in their own heritage. These lineages needed new custodians like Jess,  willing to dedicate their lives to the magic of tea. New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Subscribe and if a conversation inspires you, share it with a friend who would love these insights too. Jessica is a tea practitioner and philosopher whose 16-year relationship with tea began after leaving behind a career in film and following her own series of breadcrumbs. She is based in Cape Town but has traveled extensively throughout East Asia — including Japan, South Korea, and China — to learn directly from masters in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean tea masters. Her work centers on tea as a living philosophy and path of character development, and she is dedicated to making the ancient wisdom of tea accessible to the modern world without losing its soul. Listen to this episode to discover what Jessica has learned in Hindsight.   Connect with Jessica Bonin 📱 Instagram - @jessbonintea | Tea Education and Workshops: @thealchemyoftea 🖥️ Website - linktr.ee/jessbonintea 📖 Book Recommendations The Book of Tea by Okakuro Kukuso Connect with Lauren Dudley 📱 Instagram - @bylaurendudley 🖥️ Website - Purpose-First Social Media at theauxo.com⁠ 📖 Poetry Collection - Phoenix: Rising from the Ashes by Lauren Marie Dudley