Laura Has Been 'Expert Of The Week!'
About Laura's Work:
How/Why did you choose your particular field?
As a teenager, I became fascinated by the body's incredible power to heal itself. I noticed that eating well and living
a healthy lifestyle affected more than just physical health, but emotional and even spiritual well-being. This was made
clear to me by the contrast between my mother and father's lifestyle. My mother was into eating healthy and carried a copy of
Adele Davis' "Let's Get Well" with her everywhere, while my father was a junk food junky and was perfectly happy eating
a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner or a big bowl of buttery, salted popcorn.
Was there someone (in particular) who inspired you into it?
Absolutely. My mother was ahead of her time. After I was born, she lived with my dad in his parents' basement while
they saved to get a place of their own. She insisted on breast feeding me (which, believe it or not, they thought repulsive) and making me baby food from scratch.
Later, she started making her own granola and healthy treats like peanut butter fudge which was made with peanut butter
and wheat germ. Every morning, I drank a shake made out of orange juice and brewer's yeast (which is chock full of
B vitamins, but not very tasty) and took a teacup full of individual vitamins, minerals and herbs.
Throughout my childhood, my father made
fun of my mom for taking all her vitamins, but this just made her more determined to learn more about nutrition.
What is your 'Grand Vision' for your work, and where will it lead you?
To pass on my knowledge about health and healing and inspire others to take the action steps that will lead toward
vibrant health. When your body gets the nutrients it needs to heal itself, you transform yourself. In addition to having the
energy to be more productive in a way that satisfies you and serves society, you discover a deeper aspect of your being—
that part of yourself that is nurturing and knows that life is sacred. It is my goal to dwell as much as possible in my good
health and appreciate the gift that is my life.
Tell us a bit more about your website and your vision for its future?
Holistic Natural Remedies - is a tribute to my mother and the knowledge that is
passed on from mothers to daughters. In addition to articles that offer natural alternatives to common conditions and diseases,
we will be exploring health and the many aspects of well-being that come from making good choices about not only what you
put into your mouth, but how you feed your mind and spirit. The site will be a community of people who support each other
on the journey to get well.
What advice would you give an aspiring Holistic Practitioner?
Read all you can. Walk your talk. Experiment. Be a shining example of good health. Share your story and inspire others.
About Laura The Person:
What makes you laugh?
My husband and two boys. They remind me not to take myself so seriously. My dog Kira makes me smile all
the time because she's so demanding and is such a character.
What makes you sad?
My husband is disabled and lives in chronic, debilitating nerve pain. It makes me sad that he hurts so much. I wish that
there was something that I could do to stop his nerve pain, but sometimes, all I can do is be there.
What do you like to do when you aren't working?
I'm into barefoot running and working out with a trainer who inspires me to push myself. Since I work on my computer
and spend a lot of time in the stands watching my boys play high school and traveling team baseball, I need to make sure that I get
enough exercise.
I recently designed a line of t-shirts that celebrate the joy of being and doing what you love. The line is called "Therefore I Am t shirt
designs" and I'm pretty excited about them. The creative process—coming up with ideas like this—is not work to me, it's play. Since
I am highly creative and am always coming up with ideas, I do need to have periods of time where I shut my mind off and just allow myself
to be.
I love to go to the movies with my family and discuss the plot and characters on the way home. I am also an avid reader.
Tell us some more about YOU?
I think my most cherished achievement in life beside raising my children into caring, savvy human beings is the parenting
book that I wrote called, "Keepers of the Children." My husband is Native American and I borrow ideas from his culture
(such as the belief that each child is unique and it's the parents job to bring out this uniqueness) to teach parents
how to raise kids to develop their natural strengths so they can bring them to the world. Imagine what kind of world we
would live in if each child was raised to use his strengths to make a real contribution to society while creating a fulfilling life
for himself.
