Meet Laura

Long before I was a coach or Reiki practitioner, I spent decades building a diverse professional toolkit of skills and competencies in surprising and unconventional places. 

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I began my career as a performing artist, honing strengths in relationship-building, resilience, creativity, resourcefulness, and a deep understanding of human emotion and behavior. I toured America for a year, in a new city every day, performing stage renditions of classical works like Poe and Twain for school children (also driving the truck, loading sets and scenery, grooming costumes and wigs, running electrical wire and hanging lights, manning the craft services table—true collaboration!). I performed in many Off-Off Broadway plays, indie and student films, random industrial commercials and training videos, blink-and-you'll-miss-me spots on comedy shows, voiceover gigs for special education media and books on tape, stand-in work for much-better-known actresses, and countless days of the actor's bread-and-butter: background work for movies and TV. For ten years I lived and worked in New York City, pursuing my dream of being an actress... 

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…The fuller reality of that dream is that I also held loads of other jobs at the same time. I waited tables at popular, touristy restaurants. I hostessed at hip, live-music venues. I hocked marketing swag on the streets for up-and-coming brands. I worked as a standardized patient (acting as a patient in a simulated doctor encounter), and later managed a college program, guiding and assessing medical students to improve communication and interpersonal skills. I facilitated training for corporate executives and mid-level managers using role-play to encourage greater self-awareness, empathy, and improved people-management. I was a Steve Madden shoe model! The list goes on.

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Eventually I landed a temp job... that morphed into a thirteen-year career... in non-profit public education reform. Working to ensure educational equity and academic excellence for underserved children, I got my first real taste of being in service to the greater good—to a shared mission that felt bigger than myself.

 

It was also here that I first witnessed the power of coaching to help people transform themselves from the inside out. It planted the seed that eventually grew into my desire to train as a coach myself, that I may master the art of supporting and empowering others on their own paths. 

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​Over time, and without really intending to, I drifted away from my acting dream. I loved the performing arts, but the lifestyle was not a good fit for me. It was increasingly difficult to stay grounded and maintain a sense of personal integrity while perpetually pretending to be someone else. The inherent instability and pressures of the performing arts world were too much for my nervous system. I deeply struggled with physical, mental, and behavioral health issues, intensified by the complexities of undiagnosed neurodivergence. And I seriously lacked the self-awareness and coping skills to properly care for myself.

 

Though I couldn’t have articulated it at the time, and outwardly appeared to be healthy and thriving—in truth, I was very unwell. 

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But like all good stories, mine has an inspiring arc! My personal journey of wellness and healing has been rife with challenges, and the game changer is that I’ve grown to value each and every one as an incredible opportunity.

 

Through the trials of grappling with illnesses, injuries, and the unique lens of the way I’m wired, I cultivated a deep sense of self-compassion and self-love—which has become the bedrock of my own successes in personal wellness. I learned to trust myself more than any external source of knowledge or wisdom—which serves me far better in all matters of true importance. And ultimately, I was guided to serve others through the wellness and healing arts as an organic byproduct of my own growth and development. 

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My first real foray into this work happened quite by accident when I learned yoga from a friend who offered me discounted private lessons while training to be a teacher. My quality of life improved dramatically, and I loved it so much! I craved more ways to tap into this internally sourced wellness. I rediscovered the seed I had sown about coaching and nurtured it to flower, reaping tremendous personal and professional benefit in all that I learned.

 

I then stumbled—by what appeared to be, but most certainly was not, sheer happenstance—upon a book about meditation, and was soon hooked into a robust and meaningful daily practice. I continued to follow the thread of my curiosity and inspiration to study alternative healing modalities, explore the wisdom and wellness practices of diverse indigenous and ancient cultures, and ultimately to train and become a Reiki Master.

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Along the way I left NYC to return to

my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,

where I now live and work with my

three extraordinary children, supportive

ex-husband/all-star dad, and

adorable brother kitties, Pepper and Silver!

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Which brings us to the present day,

and my work with Creative Rebel Wellness.

A meandering tale (far from over)

that hopefully offers you some insight

into where I’ve been, what I’m all about,

and how I may be of service to you

on your own journey to greater wellness. ​​

 

Stay tuned! The saga continues...