The Courage to Reconcile
With Featured Guest
Laura Davis
Courage• Estrangement• Connection
Top Takeaways From This Episode
Books that change lives
Laura Davis writes books that change people’s lives and helps them tell the stories that matter.
However, ten years in the making, Laura’s newest book, The Burning Light of Two Stars, is her first memoir. She examines the endurance of mother-daughter love, how memory protects and betrays us, and the determination it takes to fulfill a promise when ghosts from the past come knocking.
A unique and mixed experience
Becoming famous for the worst thing that could ever happen to you is a unique and mixed experience. First published in 1988, Laura’s Book The Courage to Heal helped millions of women work through childhood trauma when she went public with her grandfather’s incest. A precursor to the #MeToo movement, The Courage to Heal became a talisman to women and an underground bestseller. This drove a wedge between Laura and her mother in their already tumultuous relationship. Laura says she spent the next twenty years uncovering “painful jewels.”
Life on her own terms
After years of dealing with trauma, long-term illness, and finally healing, Laura was ready to start living her life as her authentic self. Growing and healing from childhood trauma seemed only possible living 3000 miles away from her mother.
While recovering from breast cancer, Laura received a phone call that changed her life. Her mother would be moving across the country to live near Laura and her family. This, Laura knew, would bring more work and challenge.
“The woman who had betrayed me is moving to the town that I live in, and I invited her.” You can read the first five chapters of The Burning Light of Two Stars.
Two different coming out experiences
Coming out to her parents was two stark experiences. Laura’s Father, a hippie, living in California, welcomed Laura with open arms. Meanwhile, Laura’s mom’s worst fears came true when she would come out, “I’ll never have grandchildren.”
A beautiful life
Laura and her wife, Kare, have two children together through surrogacy. For many couples who do not have the means to reproduce on their own, there is always a struggle, specifically when deciding on donors.
Laura and Karen choose a known donor to inseminate with artificially. Strong boundaries are required when raising children with a known donor, but it is always essential for Laura’s kids to have the opportunity to know their biological Father. This is THEIR family.
Learn more about Laura and connect
You can find more about Laura Davis including her newest book, her other six books, audiobooks, workshops, and retreats on her website. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.
Giving is Good
Laura supports the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is the first national LGBTQ legal organization founded by women. It brings a fierce, longstanding commitment to racial and economic justice and our community’s most vulnerable. NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and public education. Although Laura is blessed to live in a community so open and welcoming of her and Karen, she knows this isn’t the case for everybody. She supports NCLR because she knows just how important it is to have support.
"That kiss changed my life. It was the kiss I was waiting for."
- Laura Davis
Meet your Host, Heather Vickery
Heather Vickery is an award-winning business owner and global leader with over 20 years as an entrepreneur. She leverages her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to coach individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment by helping them leverage their fear into intentional bravery. Heather says “When we choose bravely, on purpose, we choose bigger, have bigger successes and it’s contagious” A celebrated public speaker, Heather inspires audiences and empowers attendees with the tools they need to live bold and successful lives through creating balance, time management, mindfulness, as well as countless systems, strategies, and boundaries. She’s the author of Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus and Grow Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families. Heather is also the host and executive producer of The Brave Files Podcast.
Check out these other great episodes!
The Brave Files Podcast is supported by....
By choosing Libro.fm over other audiobook services, you support a local bookstore of your choice—and invest in your local community. They offer over 150,000 audiobooks via their premium platform (which was built with love from scratch) and give you bookseller recommendations for great audiobooks.
Proceeds from audiobooks purchased through Libro.fm are shared with your local bookstore. Your community sees 25% more money when you shop locally rather than at a national chain. More of your tax dollars are also reinvested into your community and you help create more local jobs because local businesses, bookstores included, are better at creating higher-paying jobs within the community.
Buying local is also better for the environment because it means less packaging and less transportation. Plus, digital audiobooks have an even smaller carbon footprint.
Purchasing your audiobooks from Libro.fm helps you nurture your community’s uniqueness! Local bookstores curate their selection based on what they know their community members are interested in. When you buy from local booksellers, you are participating in the conversation that shapes your local culture.
Grab your Free Trial and FREE Audio Book Now!
For you, the listeners of The Brave Files podcast, Libro.fm is offering a free audiobook with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.
