Lauren Conrad Highlights the Perspective She’s Gained Since Turning 40 After 'Working So Hard' (Exclusive)

Lexi Lane, Alex CramerSun, April 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Lauren Conrad at 'The Reunion: Laguna Beach' event in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 26, 2026Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic -

Lauren Conrad celebrated her 40th birthday in February with a prom-themed party alongside close friends born weeks apart

"I have a really good work-life balance, and I'm just trying to enjoy this moment," she told PEOPLE about her new life perspective

Conrad appeared on PEOPLE's cover ahead of The Reunion: Laguna Beach special

Lauren Conrad has come a long way since viewers first met her as a high schooler alongside her friends on Laguna Beach.

Conrad, 40, stepped out to the Reunion: Laguna Beach soirée at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, Calif., on March 26. At the event, she spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about how she's evolved since reaching her major birthday milestone.

"I spent my 30s and a lot of my 20s working so hard just being like, 'I want to do more. I want to take on more.' And now I think I've reached a place where I'm just so content," she explained.

"I have a really good work-life balance and I'm just trying to enjoy this moment. My kids are still pretty young, and I want to spend all the time I can with them, and I'm just trying to be present right now," Conrad added.

Conrad shares her two kids, Liam, 8, and Charlie, 6, with her husband, William Tell. She was set up with her husband, who is the guitarist for Something Corporate, while hanging out with friends in 2012. She and Tell, 46, got married in 2014.

Lauren Conrad and William Tell; the couple's two sonsCredit: Jennifer Graylock/Getty; Lauren Conrad/Instagram

However, Conrad had also encountered Tell at one of his concerts when she was 16.

"Our relationship has always been a very respectful one," she shared with PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "I remember really early when we were dating, I was joking, and I called him a name, and he said to me, 'So, I don't name-call. I'm never going to call you a name. Let's not do that.' I was like, 'Oh, okay. We're adults.' "

Conrad rang in her 40th birthday on Feb. 1 with a “Senior, Senior Prom”-themed party. “This is 40 ✨. Celebrated with three of my favorite humans @williamtell2nd @leslieannebruce @yashaaramin,” she captioned an Instagram slideshow featuring highlights of the bash. “We are all born a few weeks apart, so we threw ourselves a prom to celebrate together. And we had the BEST time!”

"I think in my 30s, it felt like a checklist, like, ‘By the time I’m this age, I want to do this and this.' Now I’m like, 'You’re good. You can slow down and enjoy it,' " she told PEOPLE.

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Laguna Beach aired from 2004 to 2006, and is getting a much-anticipated anniversary special. The reality show centered around high school students at Laguna Beach High School. Conrad — along with other cast members, including Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti — are back to revisit some of the memorable moments from the MTV series.

Conrad and Cavallari, 39, would later appear on the 2006 spin-off The Hills, showcasing their journey into adulthood in Los Angeles. The show, which also starred Heidi Montag, Audrina Patridge and Whitney Port, aired on MTV until 2010, but Conrad left in 2009.

From left: Kristin Cavallari, Lauren Conrad and Stephen Colletti in 'Laguna Beach' season 1Credit: Paramount+

Conrad told PEOPLE that she viewed reality TV as a "temporary thing to make my connections and then go on to my dream" of working in fashion design.

“I thought it was going to be easier, like riding a bike,” Conrad said of returning to TV for The Reunion: Laguna Beach. “But I actually had a pretty hard time getting back into it.”

While Conrad had been living in Los Angeles, she has since returned to Laguna Beach, Calif., to raise her family and continue working on her fashion line for Kohl's.

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“I feel very settled and happy,” she told PEOPLE. “I just feel grateful right now.”

The Reunion: Laguna Beach is out on Roku on April 10.

For more from Lauren Conrad, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE on stands now.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”