Writer • Speaker • IFS Practitioner
Stories about the strange, tender experience of being human.
I write and speak about the stories we inherit, the Parts of ourselves we don’t always understand, and the everyday moments that make us question what we thought we knew about ourselves and one another.
Through grief, family, creativity, and the peculiarities of human behavior, I explore what it means to be human—with curiosity, compassion, and a healthy sense of humor.
Words, Conversations & Curiosity
Writing
I write personal essays about grief, family stories, identity, creativity, Parts, human behavior, and the moments that make us reconsider what we thought we knew about ourselves.
My essays are published on Substack.
Speaking
I speak about the human side of change: the stories we carry, the Parts behind our reactions, grief and identity, curiosity, and the ways we understand ourselves and one another.
Coaching
I’m a Certified Internal Family Systems Practitioner, ICF Associate Certified Coach, and Certified Grief Recovery Specialist.
My coaching work helps people understand the Parts of themselves that can feel confusing, critical, reactive, or stuck.
The goal is not to get rid of those Parts.
It is to get curious about them, understand what they are trying to do, and build a more compassionate relationship with your own internal system.
Featured Essays on Substack
I Sound Just Like My Mother! Meet Martyr Mouse
For years, my sister and I teased our mother about her tendency toward martyrdom, even inventing a theme song for her. Nearly fifty years later, I caught myself doing exactly the same thing. To my considerable surprise, instead of being horrified, I was delighted.
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The Quiet Lessons of Lily Ming
When I adopted Lily Ming, I expected an affectionate, cuddly cat. Instead, I got a fiercely independent creature who kept her distance. It took an unexpected moment of connection to teach me something uncomfortable about myself: how much of my own affection depended on feeling loved in return.
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The Mom–Dad Money War
Growing up, I lived in the middle of my parents’ constant arguments about money. Mom believed spending was dangerous and wasteful; Dad insisted, “It’s only money.” Decades later, I found myself furious over Dad’s expensive mistakes while privately shaming myself for buying a second pair of glasses. I hadn’t just inherited their beliefs. I was still fighting their war.
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About Laura
I have spent much of my life trying to understand why people do what they do.
That question has followed me through banking, payments, fraud, conference programming, coaching, writing, grief, creativity, and my own family story.
Internal Family Systems gave me a language for exploring that question from the inside.
Writing gave me another.
Today, I bring those worlds together through essays, speaking, coaching, and memoir work.
stay in touch
Life is endlessly interesting, occasionally bewildering, and rarely what we expected. Join me on Substack for personal essays, unexpected discoveries, and the occasional laugh along the way.