Lauren Weaver Named '20 in Their Twenties' by Arkansas Business

The 2025 20 in Their Twenties: Young Leaders Shaping Arkansas' Future

As published in the September 8th, 2025 issue of Arkansas Business. To subscribe or view the entire publication, visit their website.

Lauren Weaver, 29

Co-Founder & Co-Owner

upSKILLery & The Patient Whisperers

Bentonville, Arkansas

Professional achievements

Co-founder of upSKILLery, first of its kind learning management system for healthcare practices that delivers virtual team training on exceptional patient experiences through soft skills.

Community involvement

Miss Arkansas USA 2018

Miss Arkansas Collegiate 2016

Miss Arkansas Teen USA 2014

What you’re most passionate about in your career

“People’s emotions matter — emotions drive people, and people drive success. That is where soft skills come into play. Soft skills are just as important as technical skills to both patient care and the mental health of healthcare professionals. Mastering soft skills gives us the power to make intentional connections with others, not only at work but also with people in our everyday lives.”

One book everyone should read and why

“‘You Are a Badass’ by Jen Sincero. Jen does an incredible job of marrying mindset shifts with entertaining humor, so much so that I have come back to this book yearly. The basis of this book is that our thoughts shape our reality — the realization of that is powerful.”

A small habit that has helped you succeed

“Mornings of gratitude: starting each day with gratitude for the past, present and future.”

First job and lessons learned

“Working at my hometown snowcone stand in Greenwood. I started working there as soon as I could drive and didn’t think to tell my parents that I was applying before I landed the job. That summer job showed me that hard work and commitment equals opportunity and builds habits that will last you a lifetime.”

Biggest obstacle you’ve overcome

“Taking the leap from working in a private practice to entrepreneurship. To be honest, working for myself was never a life goal; it was scary to leave the ‘stability’ of a monthly paycheck. However, I did know from a young age that I wanted to create something special with my career, something that impacted others and made their lives better, and at the point of leaving practice, I knew I could make a greater impact outside of those four walls. Creating Upskillery alongside my business partner, Christine Scarlett, has been the journey of a lifetime. What began as a passion project, born from our commitment to supporting teams in practice, has become an incredibly fulfilling journey. When passion, vision and discipline align, momentum becomes unstoppable. In retrospect, that’s true stability: reclaiming control of your own path. Trust the process, listen to your intuition and pursue what ignites your soul — you won’t be led astray.”

Who you look up to and why

“My grandmother, Barbara Weaver. She was a wife, mother, sister, grandmother, friend and social worker. She was a woman who did it all! In her late 40s, she decided to go to college to make a career for herself and ended up obtaining both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees later in life. My mom is currently doing the same. She showed me firsthand that you, and only you, have the power and ability to write the next chapter of your life. While she had an incredible career as a social worker and made an impact with her grant work, that is not what people talk about today. They talk about her kindness, contagious smile and genuine love for people. That is the type of legacy I hope to leave.”

A word that describes you

“Dynamic”