FRĒDA WOMAN SERIES: LAURA L. RUBIN

Please give a warm welcome to Laura L. Rubin–journaling enthusiast (Sherpa in her words), entrepreneur, editor, writer, surfer, marketing & comms professional–and more because what can’t she do? Oh, and this month’s FRĒDA Woman! We’re so happy to have in the community because she’s simply the best and gives us the New York energy we all need.

We were lucky enough to grab for a few questions on everything from her journaling passion-turned-career to favorite things in the Hamptons and building community. Read on to see how “stories are medicine.”

TELL US ABOUT YOU.

I could give you my standard bio, but there’s nothing standard about FRĒDA SALVADOR So instead, here's a list. I like lists. 

• I am a corporate refugee and an accidental entrepreneur. 
• I had big jobs at a young age but it turns out I don’t much like being a boss. 
• I’ve been journaling since I was 8 and have never stopped. I keep all of them, but I don’t reread my own journals. 
• I grew up mostly in the East Village, NYC but found my way to the ocean as an adult and fell head over heels in love with surfing. 
• I founded a marketing & communications agency, which I ran for a decade and a half. I loved it until I didn’t. Then I stopped. 
• I’ve been an editor-at-large, but I’m actually fairly petite.
• I aspire to be a tomboy but I like shoes too much.  
• I have boatloads of maternal energy, but much to my own surprise I am child-free and have channeled that energy into other relationships and enterprises, instead. And it’s wonderful.  
• After moving from Montauk to Malibu, I currently live in Sag Harbor, NY where I’m writing a book about journaling in the digital age for Simon & Schuster (coming out 2026). 
• I am still not quite sure what to tell people I do for a living. I’m a journaling Sherpa? Let me know if you come up with something good. 

If there’s a narrative thread here it’s that life is full of contrasts and surprises, which is so much more interesting than if we get exactly what we expect.

TALK TO US ABOUT ALLSWELL.

Journaling has given me so much in my lifetime. It’s how I peel away external programming and tap into what’s true for me. It’s how I’ve made all the major decisions in my life – how and why I’ve started two companies, committed to or left relationships, moved across the country (and back), and built communities along the way. It’s how I know the contents of my own mind and heart, then effectuate them.  

All that good stuff is possible in a notebook, yet it was clear to me that journaling had a PR problem. It was more associated with angsty teen scribblings and cringe poetry than being the legit modality for mental, emotional and even physiological well-being that it is. 

I wanted to change the cultural conversation around what it meant to keep a journal. So I started with a simple offering, a design-forward, gender-neutral notebook with room to both write and draw. I put it out into the marketplace and things just kind of took off from there.

WHAT’S BEEN REWARDING ABOUT IT?

I have a remarkable job. I’ve now led hundreds of mindful writing workshops for groups in surprisingly diverse settings. From data analysts at Google, to Hotel du Cap in the south of France for Dior Beauty, to formerly incarcerated, formerly homeless young adults in downtown LA. And it always works. To paraphrase poet Hafiz, the seed cracks open. 

I never tire of witnessing people come home to themselves, their own innate wisdom, and reconnect with a sense of playful creativity. I love seeing it happen and find it endlessly fascinating. 

We are so highly programmed as adults, and our levels of self-judgment are intense. A journal becomes a permissive place to ask, “Hmmmm what if I took that risk? What could that look like?” These pages become your confidante. Yes, a place to heal but also a bridge to a life you love, one that is true to you. 

WHAT’S THE POWER BEHIND JOURNALING?

There is a lot of guru-ism in the wellness space these days. But the efficacy of putting pen to paper is not about me, it’s about you. Yes, I’m a skilled facilitator, but I’m not telling anyone what to write. All of that good stuff – the insights, ideas, wisdom, intuition and understanding – it’s all coming from the individual. 

We live in a really “noisy” time with an unyielding stream of carefully constructed distractions. Stepping away from screens and moving your hand across the page creates synaptic connections in your brain that help reduce anxiety, curb depression, increase mood and boost your immune system. Journaling does everything from speed wound healing to reducing PTSD. The upsides are immense. Compared to a lot of other modalities, the cost barrier is minimal and it’s on tap 24/7. You don’t need a co-pay, ClassPass or a special outfit to do it, and even a few minutes will do. 

TELL US ABOUT THE UPCOMING JOURNALING WORKSHOP IN OUR NYC STORE.

It’s going to be so much fun! I’ve created twenty original writing / drawing prompts for the FRĒDA x AllSwell journal, some of which tap into positive memories and the creative expression associated with personal style. I’ll tap a handful of those for us in the session. 

And it’s interactive. There are a lot of preconceptions about journaling, but my style of workshop is relaxed and safe. We’ll write and draw and have cocktails / tea. Nobody is asked to read aloud from their notebook. That would be super awkward and weird. Yes, there are breakthroughs but we also laugh, share anecdotes. Because stories are medicine. 

HOW DO YOU FOSTER COMMUNITY WITH ALLSWELL?

While journaling is an inherently personal activity, there’s something magical about what occurs in an AllSwell workshop, and it has to do with the concept of “parallel play.” Creating next to someone else amplifies the positive effects. You’re both tacitly encouraged by the collective and kept company while pursuing a solo endeavor. It helps people loosen up and push further into their own creativity. The result is a sort of group empathy. 

What’s really amazing is that it even works in digital workshops with participants in multiple locations and time zones. You don’t even need to be in the same room in order to derive the upside. It’s particularly remarkable when I lead sessions in the workplace. It fosters a mutual respect and care, even though nobody is sharing from their journal.

WHAT IS SOMETHING PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?

I’ve been cured of breast cancer for 17 years. But that’s another conversation for another time. 

WHAT’S YOUR MANTRA?

“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I’d like to see you living in better conditions.” 

- Hafiz. 

WHAT IN YOUR CLOSET MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD?

There’s a Dries Van Noten double-breasted suit jacket dress I got for myself a few years ago that always makes me feel like a 10/10 when I put it on. I can wear it with a delicate, strappy kitten heel or a tough lace-up boot, doesn’t matter. Hair pulled back or loose. I feel like the best version of myself, easy and chic and comfortable. Not trying too hard. 

I recently got a pair of FRĒDA SALVADOR moto boots and I am in love. They add a touch of tough (but not too much) to anything I have on. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE…

Store? Warm in Amagansett. Great edit. 

Vintage Shop? Marika’s on Shelter Island for furnishings and lighting.

Street? Main Street in Sag Harbor. Especially on parade days. 

Park? The dog park in East Hampton. Acres and acres of off-leash dog bliss.

Coffee Shop? The Soda-Drug diner on Shelter Island for the vibe. Il Buco in Amagansett for the coffee. 

Restaurant? Minnow on the North Fork for the most delicious line-caught, local seafood.

Sunday Morning? Surfing glassy waves with friends. 

Activity? Being the middle spoon between my dog and boyfriend. Serotonin heaven.