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After Nearly Bleeding to Death, This Founder's New Perspective on Life Helped Redefine Her Business When Lauren Coles was diagnosed with a life- threatening condition called ectopic pregnancy, her life was full of regrets. Once she recovered, she decided to make a change.

By Lauren Coles

This story appears in the May 2017 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

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I was in bed, light-headed, feverish and bleeding to death. A few weeks earlier, I'd been diagnosed with a life-­threatening condition called ectopic pregnancy -- a fertilized egg implanted in the wrong part of the body. The treatment was risky and involved multiple terrifying medical procedures. Now my recovery seemed uncertain, and in what I feared might be my final seconds of consciousness, I began to count my regrets. There were many. I'd settled into an easy life, taking a backseat to my husband's career while I lost my sense of self. I'd had ambitions, but they'd shrunk to cooking us dinner and teaching yoga part-time. If I ever escape this bed, I decided, I'll prove to myself that I can do more. I'll never settle for less than what I'm worth.

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The doctor was called. I was stabilized. Weeks later, in the spring of 2016, I rose up -- and looked at life with an unsettling freshness. So much needed to change.