Way Out #8: From High-Tech Success to Micro-School Magic: How Lauren Tarpley Found Her "Ikigai"
"I am elated with 97% of my life."
Lauren Tarpley says this without a hint of hesitation. It is a striking statement from a woman who has spent the last few years navigating the kind of terrain that would break most people. But for Lauren, this 97% isn't a lucky accident—it’s a design choice.
It wasn’t always this way. Before the six acres, the rainbow eggs, and the micro-school, there was the "traditional" path: a career in tech strategy, the relentless pursuit of "Black excellence," and the recovering perfectionism of an eldest daughter.
Then, life provided the clarity that only a crisis can offer.
The Erosion of the Corporate Mask
Lauren’s career was built on the discipline to "use your whole ass" in everything you do. She climbed the ladder from customer support to leadership roles in international logistics and tech startups. But the professional mask began to slip when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34—a "2% chance" diagnosis that resulted in a double mastectomy and 11 surgeries.
The rupture didn't happen because she was ill; it happened because of how the system responded to her humanity. Lauren worked through six rounds of chemo, sitting in the infusion suite with Real Housewives blasting in one ear while she typed out technical documentation in the other.
When she finally returned from life-saving surgery, the response from her management was a revelation of the system's true nature.
"There would be little things that people would say and they're like, 'you just got back from a vacation.' I say to that... how is that a vacation? ... Six rounds of chemo, 13 rounds of immunotherapy, 25 rounds of radiation, a double mastectomy that turned into staph and MRSA and 11 surgeries."
In that moment, the corporate promise of "social responsibility" eroded. Lauren realized that "power is only perceived" and that she was ready to stop navigating someone else's metrics.
Measuring Soil, Not Metrics
The final push toward sovereignty came with a layoff from her "dream job" during the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Rather than pivoting back into the "volatile" tech world where AI was beginning to replace interpersonal connection, Lauren leaned into her Ikigai—the Japanese concept of finding life's purpose.
She stopped optimizing quarterly reports and started measuring nitrogen levels in the soil. She stopped measuring performance reviews and started measuring the growth of her children.
Lauren purchased six acres of raw land to build the Academy of Agriculture and Technology, a micro-nature school designed to bridge the gap between the land and the future.
The "Farmacy:" Her project, The Pharmacy CHS, is built on the belief that food, dirt, and grass are the ultimate medicine.
The Living Classroom: She is arming kids with survival skills—how to boil water, plant seeds, and nurture the wetlands—so they see options beyond being an "influencer" or an athlete.
A Family Legacy: Lauren manages over 80 birds, including 13 breeds of chickens that produce rainbow-colored eggs, creating a village for her children, Chip and Lucy.
Health as Wealth
Lauren’s journey is a masterclass in re-designing a life after the foundation has been shaken. She is no longer a "people pleaser" or a "inside wallflower"; she is a woman with scars who has chosen to "do it scared."
"My husband says, 'You can make more money. I can’t make another you.' And so it’s health that is wealth. And it is giving my kids perspective."
Lauren’s Advice for Wayfinders
Lauren’s advice isn't scripted; it’s forged in the chemo suite and the farmyard. Here is how she suggests you protect your own 97%:
Audit Your Village: Every year, "you can pretty much chop off a friend"—not out of malice, but because everyone’s plate is full. Surround yourself only with those who see you and keep you in line.
Touch the Dirt: Literally. Lay in the grass or plant a seed. It releases serotonin and dopamine that no tech platform can replicate.
Do It Scared: Don't wait for the fear to vanish before you pivot. Whether it’s leaving corporate or "brushing a goat with horns," the growth happens in the doing.
Follow Lauren
"If you have the bandwidth, do it today. If you don't, do it tomorrow. But whatever you do—do it scared."
This post is part of the 101 Ways Out series: stories of people who found the courage to exit the status quo and build a life of purpose, freedom, and joy.
