MEET YOUR COACH
Hi, I'm Laura.
THE HERE AND NOW
It is easier to identify what you do not want to do, than it is to find something that gives you energy and purpose.
With nearly three decades in communications and corporate social responsibility under my belt, my list of “never agains” and “one-and-dones” was long. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy that career, it was simply the fact that for me, it had run its course – it was time for a change.
I stared at the white ceramic frame on my desk, with its dark calligraphed letters elegantly looped across the page and read the quote out loud.
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
This quote had been a longtime favorite of mine. I read it often. Yet, that day, it triggered a response I had never experienced – a desire to step outside of all that was comfortable, and make a change.
The business I would be shutting down was successful, if the measure of success was based primarily on financial benchmarks. Friends, former clients, and family projected their own fears onto me. Their questions ranged from, “Are you crazy?” to “What are you thinking!”
But I longed for different questions – deep-thinking, wide lens, forward-propelling questions.
What assumptions do I operate under that hold me back?
What does meaningful work look like to me?
What am I willing to change?
Of course, these eventually became some of the coaching questions I would learn in my Transformational Coaching course at NYU. I sent myself back to school and earned an Advanced Diploma in Executive Coaching from NYU, and a Certification in Positive Psychology from The Wholebeing Institute. I am a member of the ICF (International Coaching Federation), and I provide pro-bono coaching for transitioning veterans.
THE BEFORE
I was the Founder and CEO of LMB Communications, an award- winning, full-service communications firm. My corporate consulting career took me to four continents and provided access to CEOs and Boards of Directors for Fortune 500 companies. It allowed me insight into the complex workings of teams, managers, and the C-suite. I am keenly aware of the “people” challenges that arise at every level within a corporation. My clients have included Nestle Foods, SONY, McGraw-Hill, American Heart Association, Standard & Poor's, Hachette Book Group and Pitney Bowes.
THE LEAP OF FAITH
I jumped 12 feet from the Cape May Ferry, to start Escape the Cape in 2017. It was my first-ever triathlon. My daughter had recently recovered from sepsis, and this was the perfect opportunity to raise funds for the Sepsis Alliance. I knew I had to conquer my fears and compete. No, I didn't win. But I did cross that finish line, emerging with a huge smile and the satisfaction that comes when you know you have made a difference. I made the leap again two years later and am looking for someone to jump with me this year. Any risk takers out there?
