Member & Writer Profile: Maggie Laubscher + a Playlist
words and music by: Abby Yemm
Maggie Laubscher
We are turning the tables this week to do a profile on the profiler: Maggie Laubscher! You may recognize her name from the dozens of beautiful pieces she has written for The Nelle. She has helped cultivate a strong, singular voice (alongside our dynamic founder, Lauren Merriman). What you might not know is much about Maggie. I, her best friend of three decades and Nellie deejay, am here to shed some light. It also happens to be her birthday today! Though she doesn’t love attention, it is my job to ignore that. I’m simply asking you to pop a Truly (one of her faves) and anytime I say “truly” you take two sips. For Maggie. Truly.
Maggie’s talent is multifaceted to say the least. She and her husband are raising two lovely, intelligent, interesting boys. She organizes like a m’fer (no really, her pantry is 🔥). She can write both creatively and in a corporate scenario (she has worked for Forbes Travel Guide in luxury travel, for the last decade as well as a gig with Soho House). She has an eye for design, an immaculate aesthetic for life and the most amazing thing? Maggie truly takes care of everyone around her. She is a pro at showing up. She is a nurturer, yes. But also a powerhouse Scorpio that gets sh*t DONE. Say hello to the magnificent Maggie (please wish her a happy birthday). Behold, a woman still waiting for Jimmy Buffett to get his Grammy. A woman that truly burned a candle for Tom Cruise for far too long. A brave, bold, modern woman. Cheers!
What's your porn name (first is your pet's name and second is the street you grew up on)?
Bear Heritage (This is a truly awful name. It sounds like a bespoke children’s clothing line).
What's on your epitaph?
‘Don’t worry, baby’
Name 3 literary characters that have guided you through life.
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice -- A cliche answer but a true one! She hit me at the exact right time in my childhood. The idea of a young, outspoken female contrarian is what every adolescent girl needs to forge ahead with the messiness of life. She challenged the societal system in her own small ways, and it was very empowering to sit with.
Boris from The Goldfinch - Despite this novel’s accolades, it’s a bit controversial and some hate it. Also, the movie adaptation was not great. However! The character of Boris came along in 2013 when I needed some inspiration. I felt him so deeply - he careened through life recklessly and joyfully. He was honest and not a snob - two brave things in life. My friend Andrea ended up giving me a custom bracelet that read WWBD - What Would Boris Do. I love it so much.
Hermione Granger/Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter series - Despite the horrors of who J.K. Rowling has revealed herself to be, I will always love this series and these two characters. The books stand separate from J.K. for me. I included both characters since they are essentially the same - Hermione is just the younger version of Minerva. Both have helped me make decisions at different times in my life - they are individualist thinkers, rule followers, brave, and stubborn. They are everything I strive to be and who Michelle Obama already is.
What emoji best describes you?
🤓
What do you love about mom life?
I love the sense of wonder, both in them and in me. It’s a pure-of-heart thing, when they look at me with eyes wide and say something with total earnestness. One time we were driving, this was maybe six years ago, and my oldest looks out the window and sees the faded moon in the morning sky. And he says, ‘I think the moon stays up in the morning so the sun doesn’t get lonely.’ Just out of the blue. Kids are the coolest. I love our sense of being a team and having their back. I love being there for them, being their constant.
If you could be in any restaurant, in any city and with anyone, where would you go right now?
I would be having the most decadent room service breakfast on a balcony at Hotel Il Pellicano in Italy. It’s a hotel that’s been on my travel list for so long. I would want to be there with my dad right now. An old army friend of his just died - Mike Conine - and I just want to hug my dad. I want to be together, talking music and books and drinking coffee and seeing beauty and water in front of us. Mike and my dad were in Vietnam together and Mike pulled my dad out of a plane crash, saving his life.
What five cities live inside your heart?
Oooh. I love this question…
Hong Kong
Sterling, IL
New York, NY
Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Montecito, CA
What elements of The Nelle are you most excited about?
The aesthetic, the creativity, and the escapism of it. Lauren has a beautiful, particular eye for art in all forms. She is an innovative force and it’s so magnetic to watch it unfold with The Nelle. She is creating something unique and powerful - welcoming and unconventional.
What makes Kansas City home?
It’s a specific feeling I get when I’m here - a combination of charm, ease, and beauty. Charm from the architecture and small businesses everywhere, ease from the smallness of the city, and beauty from the arts scene and all the green everywhere.
If you could tell your twenty-year-old self something, what would you say?
Don’t be friends with everyone! It’s okay to say no. Get on acne medication. Don’t worry so much.
When did your crush on Tom Cruise fade? Be honest.
Hahaaahaaa. OMG not soon enough. It started in middle school and lasted til mid-freshman year of high school, I think? A big part of that crush was all those insane strong middle school feelings, obviously. And with those feelings came feeling at odds with my mom suddenly, for no reason. She is the most beautiful, wonderful person - but hormones do strange things to teenage girls against their mothers. Well, during that time, one of the only bonds I allowed was the movie Top Gun. My mom was taking pilot lessons (she can fly Cessna airplanes! The coolest) and I was loving on Tom Cruise, and it was the perfect storm. We would lay on the floor and watch it together in the study, and it was a really peaceful, calm time of bonding.
Define yourself or style using 3 brands of any kind.
What book changed your life?
These three, each at different times in my life…
The Lord of the Rings series (specifically The Fellowship of the Ring. And NOT The Two Towers!)
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
You are forced to get a tramp stamp. What does it say?
Midwest is Best.
and a companion playlist…
a playlist
We can’t let you go without a companion playlist. We present to you the Maggie playlist, by yours truly. Enjoy! Check it out here.
Be well and play on, Nellies. XO