Look to the sideline of an SEC football game, and you may see ESPN Reporter Lauren Sisler executing her signature “sideline shimmy.” It’s a dance she’s perfected over the years, performing it with athletes, mascots or just by herself. Her moves on the sideline represent the joy Sisler brings to her profession and the strength she’s developed by overcoming tragedy.
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Lauren’s unique platform allows her to speak on the dangers of opioids and addiction on the sidelines and in the community.
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Shatterproof tells Lauren’s story of losing her parents to opioid addiction, and overcoming her grief.
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Lauren lives in Hoover with her husband, John, and their son, Mason.
Sisler got her start in sports broadcasting while attending Rutgers University. She found that storytelling, which served as an initial spark, has taken a far more prominent role in her career, saying, “That was something that I didn’t necessarily see early in my career, but it has become more and more visible. It has been really the primary drive for me as I’ve developed in my career as a sports reporter.”
Sisler landed in Alabama in 2011 while working for ESPN. Though she hails originally from Roanoke, Virginia, Alabama has become a second home. She has found a lot to appreciate in the Yellowhammer State saying, “It is very underrated in terms of the outside world’s perception.”
She feels that Birmingham, in particular, flies under people’s radar. Straddling the line between a small city and a metropolis provides a unique living experience for all residents.
Sisler resides in Hoover with her husband and nine-month-old son. Since neither she nor her husband are from Hoover, the topic of moving arose, but neither of them felt a move would make sense. Hoover had become home, after all.
“It really has been just a beautiful journey of getting to place our roots here and embed ourselves in a community,” Sisler said. “We truly believe that the community is our family, and that’s very special to me. You can’t find that everywhere.”
Connecting with others is of particular importance to Sisler. In her freshman year at Rutgers, she lost both her parents to prescription drug overdoses. Along the path to recovery, she found a passion for telling her story with the hope of helping others in similar situations.
“It is always my hope and goal when I stand in front of them to meet them where they’re at and help them see that their story is important,” Sisler said. “Their story is powerful. They, too, can fall in love with their story. Ultimately that gives them the ability to move forward past some of the things that might be holding them back in their lives and help them to really find their purpose.”
Alongside these public speaking outings, Sisler has spent the past two and a half years working on a book titled “Shatterproof: How I Overcame the Shame of Losing My Parents to Opioid Addiction (And Found My Sideline Shimmy).
The fruits of the writing process have certainly shown themselves to Sisler. Despite being twenty-one years removed from the tragedy, many aspects of it were hidden, revealed only in the act of putting pen to paper. Just as she does in her speeches, Sisler hopes that “the incredible amount of healing” she got from writing the book extends to her readers and helps them find their sideline shimmy, whatever form it may take.
To purchase the book, visit laurensisler.com.