Forgive me, but I’m going to be direct with this one…

You wouldn't drive your car for months with the gas light on, wondering why it keeps sputtering. You wouldn't keep using a phone that dies at 20% battery and call it "normal." You wouldn't live in a house where the electricity only worked some of the time.

So why do some people go through the motions and just accept a life that feels drained?

What this week taught me about community, courage, and what's coming next

Tuesday, July 29th, Shine Brighter officially launched into the world. Wednesday, I found myself on Fox9 Good Day talking about the quiet epidemic of burnout. And that same evening, we celebrated together at the most incredible launch party I could have imagined.​

Here's what continues to amaze me: the incredible power of authentic community and what happens when you stop performing and chasing and striving and start showing up as exactly who you are.

When Fox 9 Good Day asked me about burnout recently, I found myself thinking about those 30,000+ interviews I've conducted over the years. What struck me most wasn't the individual stories, but the pattern—so many high-achievers looking successful on paper but feeling completely disconnected from themselves inside.

I'm writing this with that warm flutter of anticipation, the kind you feel when something you've dreamed about is actually becoming real.

Over two years of pouring my heart onto pages, wrestling with vulnerability, and learning to trust that my story might help someone else find their way home to themselves...

​Shine Brighter is officially available for pre-order

I was on LinkedIn last week a few weeks ago when I came across something alarming.

A woman had shared a vulnerable update about leaving her corporate job to start her own consulting practice. She was scared, excited, and beautifully honest about the uncertainty ahead.

The public comments were mostly supportive, but she'd shared in a follow-up with me that some private messages and comments made were... less encouraging.

Recently I had one of those days that felt like magic.

I woke up naturally, no alarm. Had the most present morning with my boys—actually playing instead of rushing them out the door. Got amazing work done that felt more like flow than force. Even squeezed in an hour-long run that left me feeling alive and grateful.

I was literally vibrating with joy.

And then it happened.

That voice. The one that's been lurking in my family line for generations.

"Well, have you really earned your worth today, Laura? Have you REALLY earned it?"

It came on so viciously, so suddenly. This sneaky program that just wanted to take me down, wanted to tell me I hadn't earned the right to feel this good.

Have you met this voice? The one that shows up right when life feels too good to be true?

This week, as we celebrate independence, I'm thinking about a different kind of freedom—the kind that comes from finally listening to that voice inside that's been trying to get your attention.

You know that feeling.

The one that whispers during your morning commute, tugs at you during another "successful" “quarterly review”, and keeps you awake scrolling your phone at 11 PM.

It's subtle but persistent. A quiet ache beneath the achievements. A restlessness that no promotion can cure.

That feeling isn't a problem to be fixed. It's an indicator.

That person who drives you crazy? Yeah, they're your teacher.

I have to tell you about something that happened to me that was equal parts mortifying and eye-opening.

There's this woman in my professional circle - let's call her Jessica - who used to make me want to crawl under a table every time she spoke at events.

She'd go on and on about her latest wins, drop client names like confetti, and somehow make every single conversation circle back to her achievements. I'd sit there internally rolling my eyes, thinking, "Everything is about her. It's exhausting."

Why I Wrote "Shine Brighter" (And Why It Almost Didn't Happen)

I'm sitting here with an advance copy of my book Shine Brighter in my hands, and honestly? Part of me still can't believe it exists.

Not because I doubted I could write it, but because two years ago, I was in no condition to write anything at all.

I was broken. Completely, utterly broken.

And if you're reading this thinking, "That doesn't sound like the Laura I know" — well, that's exactly why I had to write this book.

Why I Take My Shoes Off in the Front Yard (And Other 'Weird' Things That Keep Me Grounded)

My neighbors have definitely noticed. I'm pretty sure I'm officially "that woman" on the block now.

And you know what? I don't care anymore.

Because this "weird" five-minute ritual has become the difference between starting my day as myself versus immediately becoming who I think everyone needs me to be.

How Losing My Identity Led Me to Find Myself

There are moments in life that divide your story into "before" and "after." May 2023 was mine.

I had just landed in Miami with my husband for what should have been a celebration of another successful year and our 15 year wedding anniversary. The email notification chimed on my phone as we entered the baggage claim, the quarterly rankings were in.

The year before, I had generated nearly $900,000 in revenue for my firm. I was a star performer, someone others could look up to, the definition of professional success.

This time? $35,000. Dead last.

I sobbed. And sobbed. And sobbed.

The Truth About Living a Life That Actually Lights You Up

Let’s have a real talk today.

Not the polished version.

Not the highlight reel.

Not the “just hustle harder” nonsense we’ve all grown tired of.

Let’s talk about building a life that actually lights you up from within.

If you've been feeling it lately—that quiet nudge inside, the knowing that something needs to change, I’m here to assure you that you are not alone.

And that whisper is getting louder, isn't it?

Here's the truth we've been conditioned to forget: It's not the big, bold leaps that change everything. It's the quiet micro-moves you make every single day.

What if I told you freedom isn't some distant mountain to climb, but a series of heartbeats away?

Ever have one of those days where something on the inside feels unmistakably wrong?

You tell yourself the usual lies. You're just tired. One more coffee will fix it. Just check one more box and that hollow feeling will vanish.

(It never does.)

The corner office. The impressive title. The calendar that confirms your importance with every packed hour.

And yet—there it is again. That 2AM staring contest with the ceiling. The tension headache that arrives like clockwork every Wednesday afternoon. The digestive issues your doctor calls "stress-related" that no prescription quite resolves.

You've become masterful at compartmentalizing these signals. After all, discomfort is just the price of success... isn't it?

You are not your résumé. You are not your LinkedIn headline. You are not your inbox, your to-do list, or your overflowing calendar. You are not what you do.

But chances are, the world taught you otherwise.

From childhood, we’re praised for performance. Gold stars. Straight A’s. MVP trophies. Somewhere along the line, “What do you do?” became shorthand for “Who are you?” And we believed it.

I know I did.

There comes a moment — often quietly, often inconveniently — when the question surfaces:

"Is this it?"

You’ve hit the milestones. Built the résumé. Achieved the success you once dreamed of. But instead of fulfillment, there’s a faint, persistent hollowness.

If you’ve felt this, you’re not broken.
You’re just misaligned.

After interviewing over 30,000 professionals, I've seen the hidden pattern again and again:

The higher people climb, the more they're celebrated for what they do — and the easier it is to lose touch with who they are.