We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura Mickler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.

Laura , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

I don’t just take vacations, I prioritize vacations because travel feeds my soul. The key to taking a vacation is to schedule it and stick to it! Don’t be shy about telling customers you are going to be out of the office–they value their time off too. If you are at the place in your business to delegate, this is also extremely important. Give your team a plan in your absence. If you absolutely can’t stand to get away from work, my suggestion is to work 1 or 2 hours in the mornings to keep caught up, then leave the place you’re staying and enjoy.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have had a winding and wonderful career path from fraternity/sorority life at the university level, to community education to fundraising/development and finally my most recent career in mortgage lending. I was at a point that the work I was doing did not feel aligned with me. I began to have extreme physical and mental health issues because of this. During that time, I discovered yoga and began a regular practice. This led me to take my 200 hour certification to teach.

After a year of extreme personal strife, losing my mother & grandfather within 6 weeks of one another and getting sicker and sicker, I decided to walk away from mortgage lending with no idea what would be next. The space to open my yoga studio fell into my life and I decided to give a studio a try. I was able to create the space that I wanted to create and the community that I needed. We have steadily grown into a wonderful boutique yoga studio for slower and gentle yoga practices.

My bread and butter, however, is coaching. I love to see the transformation when people get themselves on their right path. I had worked with various coaches throughout my career and had inadvertently become a coach to many folks that I know. It became clear that my path would be to coach others and I began my coaching practice.

One of the main frameworks I have developed in working with people is to help them figure out “why not?” when they say they want to do something, but “can’t.” It may not be an immediate payoff, but there is always a way to make it happen. We work through changing someone’s mindset to get them where they want not be or even to figure out where they want to be. There are so many things that can go into someone feeling like they can’t move forward: self-esteem, relationships, money, circumstance, and the list continues. My job as a coach is to tailor our time together to each individual so that they can get on the path to what their dream can be. I’ve had clients publish their first books, decide to move to a different state, pivot their business and ask for a raise. Whatever it is, we will figure out YOUR steps–some people need smaller or bigger staircases than others.

Most of all, I’m proud of the variety of ways I am able to provide support to clients who need it…whether it be in their personal or professional lives. Often, one blends into the other, so I focus my coaching on both.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I would say that the most influential book for me has to be “We Should All Be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers. I could not put this book down when I opened it. I was so enamoured with the ideas and pracitices in this book, I found myself sitting with Rachel after joining her mastermind a mere 2 weeks after reading her book.

Rachel shared so many philosophies in her book that resonated with me. The first is that we as women are always told we need cut expenses and save because we are frivilous. Rachel shuns that notion and says that we can always just make more money. Making money is also not as difficult as we make it.

Another takeaway from this book that I immediately had is that when women make more money, communities benefit. We become microeconomies unto ourselves, hiring other women and pouring money into our communities and charitable causes.

It all boils down that you should be unapologetically you in life and in business!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Where I live and am from is a very traditional, midwestern small town. People here follow a pretty standard life path: High school, college/trade job, marriage, kids, probably don’t love their job, make about $45,000 a year forever and are happy.

I have always wanted more and have wondered why no one else does. I want to travel (and do!). I want to have money to do whatever I want. I want to work for myself. While there are certainly people that want these things also, they seem few and far between.

I had to unlearn that it’s ok to want more. I had to unlearn that this is the only option. I can live here and still travel to England once a year. I can live here and make money and not feel bad.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lauramickler.com
• Instagram: @lauratakesabreath
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/lauradragoomickler
• Other: www.sacredstepsmuncie.com