Testimonials
Amy Dennis
I hired Laura to help me explore ways to broaden my career path. It was a pleasure working with Laura. I learned a lot about myself. I also learned to think more deeply about what I want for myself and why. Laura is a great motivator and pushes you to be your best.
Tisha Schmidt, MBA
I had the opportunity to work with Laura following a job elimination. Laura led me through a Strengths Finder tool , which produced an updated resume that highlights my strengths rather than a resume that lists job duties and tasks accomplished. Laura also facilitated personal goal setting. I had spent much of professional life working… Read more “Tisha Schmidt, MBA”
Patrick W. Klesel, MBA
Laura is a great listener who positively motivates me to achieve my goals through a proven coaching strategy.
Angela Miller
Laura has been a mentor to several protégés in the Everwise program. Her insight and knowledge has been highly valued and her protégés have made measured progress toward their professional goals. Her commitment to development is evident and she is a delight to work with. Laura brings deep expertise in effective communication, personal brand and… Read more “Angela Miller”
Ryan Deaderick
Laura has been a joy to work with. She can seamlessly move between the roles of teacher, mentor, and coach to provide useful insight and challenging questions. I have worked with Laura for over a year and a half, and have grown tremendously as a leader and individual during that time. She has helped me… Read more “Ryan Deaderick”
Terry Hollandsworth
Working with Laura in communication training improved my self awareness, communication skills, and the relationships with my customers. I highly recommend her services and value her guidance.
Melanie Gorman, SVP YourTango.com
It was a joy to spend a weekend with Laura. I reached out to work with her after coming to a realization that the feedback from my supervisor, team, and clients were riddled with my own interpretation. I wanted to know definitely what I’m good at; what my strengths are and where I can be… Read more “Melanie Gorman, SVP YourTango.com”
Maureen McIntosh, LCT. M.Ed.CCC ACC
I have been working with Laura weekly for the last five weeks. She is personable, reliable, full of integrity and has managed to help me stay focused and on task. She is excellent at holding me accountable, a benefit of working with a great coach. I easily recommend Laura as a great coach that will… Read more “Maureen McIntosh, LCT. M.Ed.CCC ACC”
Betsy Eberg, CEP
I loved working with Laura! I learned so much about myself during the 6 months I mentored with her. Laura taught me how to be more self aware, and this has shed light into many areas of my life, both personal and professional. I am more intentional in my behavior. I now recognize that intent… Read more “Betsy Eberg, CEP”
Kara Rogers
The word that exemplifies my work with Laura is “intentional”. So many things in my life are on auto pilot, or I am multi-tasking so much I start “flying by the seat of my pants”. While I can and do get things done in both of these modes, it isn’t the best or most efficient… Read more “Kara Rogers”
James Wells, IPMA-SCP, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Laura presented an excellent program, “Building Healthy, Smart Teams,” during our local SHRM Chapter’s September 2012 meeting. She shared useful information and practical insight into the key characteristics healthy teams possess and demonstrate, which we can apply in our workplaces, volunteer organizations, etc. Laura added value to our Chapter’s meeting and we would welcome her… Read more “James Wells, IPMA-SCP, SPHR, SHRM-SCP”
Tim O’Neal, Manufacturing Leader
I am Tim O’Neal, a manufacturing leader at the Dow Chemical Company in West Virginia Operations. My leadership team played the Leadership Game. From the start, it was clear that this is no game. To my team and I, it was an experience. The principles and laws from John Maxwell are spread throughout the discussions… Read more “Tim O’Neal, Manufacturing Leader”
Kyle Mork
Laura has been a fantastic asset for our company and for me personally for well over a year. She has provided both coaching and consulting services, as well as handled group sessions with our managers. She has a unique ability to discern the core issue and help you work through possible solutions. She has become… Read more “Kyle Mork”
Wes Harvey
When looking for a coach to bring out your inner potential and guide you on a path of self-discovery, one word comes to mind when choosing the right person. Passion! Laura has a passion to become the best version of herself that she can be and in the process is looking to do the same… Read more “Wes Harvey”
David Rosier, General Manager Toyota North America Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia
“We engaged Laura because we recognized most of the team we considered our core leaders were not leading at all. In fact, they were so caught up in the details of day-to-day management activities, they weren’t growing themselves or developing their direct reports. We need leaders at every level of the organization if we are… Read more “David Rosier, General Manager Toyota North America Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia”
Margaret Mary Layne
“Laura Prisc was an invaluable asset in helping the Museum solve a troubling personnel issue between two very valuable, professional employees. These two particular members of our staff had to work together on a regular basis and it just was not running smoothly. The sessions that Laura set up and the assignments given to each… Read more “Margaret Mary Layne”
Barry Pearson, Group Manager Administration & Quality at Toyota North America
Every successful company strives for the next big idea that gives them the advantage over their competition. Focusing on human development has clearly become an area thru which companies separate themselves from the competition, and at TMMWV, we are no different. Two years ago, we began looking for a more comprehensive approach to human development… Read more “Barry Pearson, Group Manager Administration & Quality at Toyota North America”
Peter Hein
Laura provides a service that I feel more people should look into as it is very valuable. It is not just another rah-rah team training seminar, but a well thought out one-on-one program. We started with goals (work and changes in careers) but also how to achieve them which lead into discussions of leadership… Read more “Peter Hein”
James Owrey
It was a pleasure to participate in Laura’s Maxwell Mastermind Group during Fall 2012. She has a great acumen for teaching and demonstrating principles of leadership, particularly from the works of John Maxwell. Her caring nature combines perfectly with her commitment to accountability. This is an “actions-to-outcomes” approach that keeps participants both engaged and motivated.… Read more “James Owrey”
David Houser, West Virginia Market Manager PrimeLending, A Plains Capital Company
“When you meet Laura, it becomes very clear very quickly that she’s on a mission to wake people up to become their best selves, to become intentional leaders, and to live their lives on purpose! And she’s well-equipped to do it, continually investing in her own growth to ensure she’s ahead of the curve with… Read more “David Houser, West Virginia Market Manager PrimeLending, A Plains Capital Company”
Success Comes when You Surround Yourself with Complementary Partners with Business Explorer – Builder, Dave Dean
PodcastOver the course of his adulthood, Dave Dean has owned, built, been involved with, bought, sold, or closed 37 businesses; ~11 of them are still in his care today. It all started when as a young man, Dave bought the company his dad started but lost through receivership when it failed. He ‘arrogantly’ (by his own measure!) thought he could do it better. The experience was the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of learning, exploring, discovering, building, and releasing numerous businesses.
Fueled by his strengths (Laura is certain he has Input, Learner, Futuristic, Strategic, Connectedness, and Relator in his top 10!), he thinks of himself as a “business butterfly,” preferring the idea of being a ‘business explorer – builder’ to the term ‘entrepreneur.’ When he becomes intrigued by an idea, he dives in and becomes immersed until his curiosity is satisfied. Often, what that means is his giftedness is in seeing opportunity, crafting a vision, designing the big picture concept of how something can be, and then handing off the daily operations and detail work to someone more interested and gifted in handling those aspects of the process.
He says he was blessed when he met the man who would become an invaluable business partner while dropping off and picking up his young twin sons at school 20+ years ago! Darren’s skills and interests complement Dave’s nicely and together they are supremely more productive and effective.
It’s a perspective and process they share with clients in the Mastermind groups they facilitate, teaching other business owners how to think bigger, explore new ideas, expand their reach, and build satisfying work. Having experienced mentors has been another key to Dave’s success over the years; one has to be aware of those who are achieving the success you desire and be willing to learn from their experience, adapting it to your own needs and situations along the way.
Today’s conversation covers a broad range of ideas and topics associated with business including using style and strengths assessments (DiSC, StrengthsFinder, Gallup Builder Profile) within your team, the difference between having a business idea and actually being able to bring it to life (understanding the strengths of the team you need to bring along with you), and how to create real freedom in your life.
Nearing the end, Dave shares a story of a current endeavor – working closely with an artisanal chocolatier who is brilliant within his craft, but not as aware of or skilled with the numerous daily tasks and responsibilities of running a growing business.
When I asked Dave for his Bio, here’s what he shared with me…
“What the hell have you done?” my wife was a little suspicious as I handed her the bunch of flowers…
As it turns out her suspicions were correct, I’d just quit my job as a systems analyst and borrowed £13,000 to buy my father’s failed print finishing business from the liquidators. If I’m honest, that may well have been the first nail in the coffin of my first marriage.
That was the start of my entrepreneurial journey, now fast forward to today…
As a visionary and strategist, I enjoy starting and working with others to start new ventures from the ground up and then handing them over to my management teams to run day-to-day because they’re usually better than me at doing that!
I’ve started, developed and grown over 30 small businesses in many different sectors! Fact is, I love doing what I do and was once described as a “serial entrepreneur”… though I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or not?
One of my mentors, John Maxwell, says “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn!”
Well, that’s certainly been the case for me. I’ve had several failures in business – some of them catastrophic, but every one of them provided valuable lessons and helped me grow and develop. This development led me to realize I had experiences valuable to others in similar situations, but I didn’t know how I could help them.
The solution presented itself in 2011, when I joined LEAD Wales and experienced coaching for the first time. My coaching journey progressed and led to my earning ICF accreditation then Certification by the US-based, John Maxwell Team.
The result: My team and I have launched an exclusive co-working space and business club for entrepreneurs who want to develop themselves so they can, in turn, develop their staff and their businesses.
Come visit us in Llantrisant (UK) and see what all the fuss is about – contact me to arrange a visit.
Resources discussed and connect with Dave here:
Dave on Facebook
Dave on LinkedIn
729 Renegades Mastermind Groups
Priority VA
Culture Wins
Doing it Afraid: How one Woman Came to Life through Painting with Artist Libby Scheele
PodcastI’m taking a break in the month of February to rest, refresh, and refill, and so I’m sharing some of my previous episodes that I really enjoyed and whose messages are really resonating with me — still — even today. I hope they speak to a need you have, as well. Thank you for continuing to listen… and I’ll be back with new episodes soon.
We don’t always know whom we are meant to be when we are young, but if we are observant, there are clues everywhere. For Libby Scheele, they were obvious in her fascination with color and texture and a variety of materials that could be used in artistic endeavors. When she didn’t have ‘real’ art supplies, she expressed her creativity by arranging rocks and sticks.
Today, her work is much more sophisticated, as are her tools… even though they are the basics of an artist: high quality pigmented paints, good paper, sharp pencils, brushes, and permission to take the time required to allow the vision in her mind to emerge.
Libby studied art at university, but then was married and had three small children at home; there wasn’t time or space for art. But then she was introduced to the concept of an ‘artist’s date’ by a friend who further encouraged her to carve out some space in her home that was just for her. She did; it was in the furnace room! Not ideal, but it worked… and today she has a more spacious studio room in the home she shares with husband, Paul.
In today’s episode, Laura and Libby have an animated and sometimes emotional conversation about how their inner artists called to them, spoke to them, and finally drew them out into the act of creation, even though in the beginning you sometimes have to ‘do it afraid.’ It was also one of the things that drew them to each other at their first meeting. Libby describes it as a “spark when you’re in space with another artist.”
Libby shares the story of wanting to create art so badly that she called an artist and asked for a job as her assistant even though she had no experience, no portfolio… just an undeniable desire to learn and a willingness to do whatever it took to move forward.
You’ll want to listen in as she shares stories of pivotal moments in her growth and awakening as an artist, of the investments she continues to make in working with artists further along the path who are doing work she admires and longs to do herself, and of how important it’s been to find her own creative style, rhythm, and arena.
While Libby would feel compelled to sketch and paint regardless, she is currently driven by an altruistic impulse to create a body of work for her collectors that will, in turn, help to pay off the medical bills of a family member.
If you’re interested in learning more about Libby and the things she and Laura discussed today, check out these links:
All Behavior is Purposeful: Putting Choice Theory into Practice with Maureen Craig McIntosh
PodcastI’m taking a break in the month of February to rest, refresh, and refill, and so I’m sharing some of my previous episodes that I really enjoyed and whose messages are really resonating with me — still — even today. I hope they speak to a need you have, as well. Thank you for continuing to listen… and I’ll be back with new episodes soon.
Do you ever wonder why you or someone you know does the things that they do? In this episode, Maureen Craig Mcintosh explains how all behavior is purposeful. It’s our best attempt to satisfy one of our five basic needs. Hear as she describes what those needs are, the choices we make to fulfill those needs, and what it means to be demonstrating or receiving caring habits or deadly habits.
Maureen shares examples of the deadly habits, and explains how they are used to control someone else to get what you want, instead of controlling your own actions. She also speaks about ‘first date’ behavior; putting your best self forward to get what you want, until it is too hard to continually maintain.
Laura speaks to the thought that love and kindness are behaviors that we choose – and it seems that they are now principles that businesses need to teach. She mentions a book called Love Does, and describes how love is an action. The author, Bob Goff, followed up with another book called Everybody Always, which shares the idea that we should always love everyone even when it’s difficult.
They discuss how all actions are a means to an end, but certain behaviors and habits bring more success than others. Laura and Maureen give examples from their own lives of needing to make a conscious change to the caring habits in order to become the person she wanted to be.
Scientifically, we learn how to externally control our environment at birth. And through life, we have to adapt our behaviors to get what we want. They discuss how we have to change our behaviors and adapt in order to be our most authentic selves.
Maureen dives into the toxic triangle, and describes the negative actions we should avoid. She and Laura also discuss relationships and how to properly navigate these difficult situations.
Hear how these concepts can be shared with today’s youth to cultivate a happier society. Maureen and Laura speak again to the importance of shifting habits to create better, healthier reactions that help us succeed.
Choice implies responsibility. Listen as Maureen and Laura discuss emotions and actions, and how becoming more self-aware can allow us to take control of our lives and become more empowered.
Hear about our Five Basic Needs and how we should change how we go about achieving them as we go through life:
• Survival
• Belonging/Love
• Power
• Fun
• Freedom
Maureen helps us clearly define Caring vs. Deadly Habits and provides examples of associated behaviors. She explains how we should display the Caring Habits, and how we should cope, even when people are displaying Deadly Habits. She helps listeners reframe their thinking: What am I getting when I act this way? How can I behave to get a more favorable outcome?
Caring Habits:
• Supporting
• Encouraging
• Loving
• Caring
• Negotiating Differences
• Respecting
• Trusting
• Accepting
Deadly Habits:
• Blaming
• Complaining
• Nagging
• Criticizing
• Threatening
• Punishing
Resources:
Monctonrealitytherapy.ca
Love Does
Everybody Always
About Maureen:
Maureen is a former registered nurse with a 20+-year history of working with youth in the field of healthy sexuality, a licensed counseling specialist, certified professional coach, and Senior Faculty Member with the William Glasser International Association, not to mention a great friend of Laura for the past several years.