Blog
In Praise of Burning Bridges
I’d like to voice an unpopular opinion: I’m in favor of burning bridges.I learned something about myself recently that I found startling: I am a bridge burner.Anyone who knows me will attest that I am no diplomat. I do not find shared ground. I do not exploit commonalities. Blunt is...
Be the You that You Needed
Who did you need when you were younger?Last week, I got message on social media from a woman I’d only met once, at her sister’s funeral.I was close with her sister, Barbara, when we were both just getting started in our careers, working together to help create the national service...
Do You See What I See?
We were blind, but now we see.About a year ago, a bunch of speaker and author friends of mine were lamenting the fact that every single conference was going to be themed “VISION 2020!” We laughed and laughed, rolling our eyes, wondering how were we going to keep them all...
Never Apologize for Your Value
Walk away, loser. I know my worth. Do you? It's important that we know our worth, our value, and NEVER apologize for it. Allow me to tell you a story about an actual conversation I had this weekend.Him: "I'd like to hire you to be my executive coach."Me: "Sure, but I'm...
Everything is Uncertain, and Nothing is Forever: Dancing with Depression
Michelle Obama admitted last week that she’s been dealing with low-grade depression. Girl, same.Low-grade depression: check!Mrs. Obama didn’t have to do this. But she did. And I’m doing so she opened the doors for so many of us to have conversations that we were afraid to have before....
The Opportunity that Almost Didn’t Happen
This opportunity almost didn’t happen……but it was one of my highlights of 2019. Let me take you back: Whenever anyone posts about Limitless, I love to reach out. “Hi… I’m Laura. You’ve been posting about me and my book, and I figured I would say...
An Ode to My Teachers
Teachers have had a hell of a couple of years. They were thrown like cannon fodder onto the front lines. Parents, desperate to alleviate the burden of unplanned and untrained homeschooling, were torn between normalcy for their kids, battling within between economic stability of being able to actually work, and...
I Can’t Believe I Put on Pantyhose for This
I put on a pair of pantyhose twenty years ago. It was nineteen years before I’d wear another pair.When my last company was about five years old, I got the call of most entrepreneurs’ dreams. “Laura, we’ve been watching you, and we like what you are doing, and we’d like...
I Am the Problem
My business tanked because of COVID-19. But it wasn’t COVID-19’s fault.For the past two months, I’ve complained, whined, and cried to anyone who would listen that COVID-19 is the problem.COVID-19 is stopping me from running my business.COVID-19 is not letting me get on planes and stages.COVID-19 is getting in between...
Stage Left is My Jam
I make my living center stage, but if I’m being totally honest, I’d much rather be stage left.Stage left is where it’s at.In March, the business I spent the past four years building vanished into a germ cloud of coronavirus. This doesn’t make me special. It happened to a lot...
Cher Knows the Way
We’re all feeling a little lost right now, aren’t we?But Cher is never lost.Last night I was thinking about all the travel I’m not going to get to do this year, and about all the travel that I loved doing last year. One trip, in particular, stood out for me:...
Janelle Monae all Dae
Confidence, power, brilliance. I could look at Janelle Monae all dae in her limitless yellow. “Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable. I didn’t have to become perfect because I’ve learned throughout my journey that perfection is the enemy of greatness.”— Janelle Monae How many...