About the Founders

For full time work, Lauren serves as the Director of Ignatian Spirituality at Loyola University Chicago, where she focuses on the formation and inclusion of faculty and staff to the school's Ignatian mission. She coordinates the university’s Spiritual Exercises program, facilitates seminars and orientations, and directs retreats among other things. She has been training individuals in Ignatian spiritual direction for over 10 years and practicing as a spiritual director for 15 years. Prior to this role, she worked in youth, young adult, and campus ministry for 18 years. Her deeply held belief is that the twofold nature of providing support and empowering others can be transformative in any context, a truth that has been relevant in each of her professional contexts.

After living on the east coast for 11 years (Boston, New York, and DC), she returned to her Chicago roots in 2010. Lauren earned both her B.A. in Theology and M.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Boston College, and has certificates in Spiritual Direction (Loyola University Chicago) and Spiritual Entrepreneurship (Columbia Business School). She completed her D.Min. at Catholic Theological Union, with her doctoral project "Deepening a Sense of Belonging: Making Space for Religiously Unaffiliated Employees in Jesuit Higher Education.”

Oliver Goodrich, M.Ed., is a seasoned spiritual director, teacher, musician, and writer dedicated to the art of contemplative practice. With a professional journey that spans choral conducting, campus ministry, and higher education administration, Oliver has spent over two decades helping people find their voice—personally, musically, and spiritually. He is currently a doctoral student in theology and education at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, where his research focuses on the intersection of Ignatian spirituality and experiential education.

After serving in leadership and ministry roles at Bowdoin, Cornell, Loyola Chicago, and Gordon College, Oliver co-founded Spiritual Grounding with a mission to reimagine the ancient wisdom of the Ignatian spiritual tradition for modern spiritual seekers. Based in Portland, Maine, Oliver maintains a spiritual direction practice and frequently leads retreats and workshops. Guided by the belief that attentive, contemplative listening is a profound catalyst for spiritual growth, Oliver empowers people to (re)connect with the Divine, the natural world, and their own embodied wisdom.