Laura Higley – My Story

The thing I am most proud of is my ability to transform, do the hard personal work…face the shadow side and LOOK the demons in the eye. After passing out, getting a pacemaker, then discussing core values (not living according to them) and a dysregulated nervous system with my cardiologist, I set out to heal the highly sensitive person I was just diagnosed as…wow…now I understand why my reactions are bigger than life, why I feel things so acutely, how I get my feelings hurt so easily, how I see my world thru a lens of survival rather than thriving. I set out to face all the ugliness that is part of me, heal the childhood pain and trauma, and re-acquaint myself with the amazingly talented, kind, and beautiful woman I have become…to make my wounds my wisdom…to heal my inner child.

I was raised in a wonderful family where education was emphasized and winning an argument at the dinner table was important, but individual attention and emotional validation was passed over. I was the oldest of three children and the only girl. My parents played Vatican roulette (rhythm method of birth control) and had three kids in 3.5 years. My brothers are very accomplished people and amazing husbands and fathers. I am lucky to have them. The result of this childhood chaos and perceived intensity was a life lived by survival tactics. I have/am continuing to work at recognizing the difference between then and now and re-training my nervous system for joy, peace, and love – not an energetic state I am used to, but one I am achieving one day at a time.

In my childhood home, it was the Sixties. The times were intense. My father was a fervent supporter of the civil rights movement and his commitment to societal change and equality forms the basis of who I am today. I get my intensity and advocacy from him. My mom was an intense and joyful person most of the time. She balanced self-confidence on the second guessed side herself. However, she grew into her own and lived her life on her own terms – OUT LOUD. I get my energy and empathy from my mom. My father often attended rallies in the evening calming the racist rioting crowd down with his commonsense words blasted thru the bullhorn. My mom was a nervous wreck every time he left. She cried. I comforted. She knew this was who he was, but her fear was overwhelming. This began a cycle of pushing her fears to the side and soldiering on. Unfortunately, ignoring those fears and emotions resulted in a bipolar depression diagnosis and the subsequent years that followed to find a supportive treatment. My mom slowly spun down the depression spiral. I was parentified. I became the mom and that has given me both talents and tribulations. I am sorting thru them now.

However, life was most certainly not bleak. I got to indulge my imagination and creativity through the foreign students that lived with us. Since my father was high up in university academe, he was responsible for attracting globally diverse students to come to the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. We hosted master’s & PhD candidates from all over the world.

From the time I was 5 years old, I got to meet people that did not look like me, talk like me, eat like me or live like me; it was exhilarating.

I could explore the world without ever leaving my house through these meaningful conversations. It ignited a passion for travel, equality, justice and most of all learning…I am proud to be a lifelong student of life and learning. I have never “met a stranger” and I truly don’t understand prejudice…

My parents both grew up dirt poor from the Appalachian Mountains and were children of alcoholics. We gained traction through education. I was privileged enough to travel to Europe my freshman year in high school…my dad was checking out options for a sabbatical. The next year we were stationed outside of Innsbruck, Austria for a 6-month stay. I was convinced my father was taking me out of the country so I could not date…to his surprise, one of the first people I met was a 23-year-old ski instructor named Bernard…lol. It was an amazing experience in home schooling way before it was popular to do so…it took a lot of work to get the curriculum approved from sophomore to junior year so I would not fall behind. I soared. Got better grades than when I attended live. It was a struggle to go back… hard to get excited about a prom when you just spent the summer walking thru Rome, Florence, and Venice.

I went to college and thrived. Little sister in a fraternity, president of my dorm my freshman and sophomore years meeting all kinds of people and making a lot of new friends these years served me well. I created fundraisers for charity, social and cultural events, worked 3 part time jobs and put myself through school. I am a survivor of attempted date rape, my father being accused of sexual harassment, my mother going thru electroshock therapy for her bipolar depression, and all kinds of other life events. I am making my wounds my wisdom.

I have so many more projects and ideas. I plan to share my energy, light, experience, and talent to forge clear pathways for the next generation of women. We have serious problems to solve and a ton of global talent to be tapped into…I plan to travel worldwide and cultivate that talent. I am expanding my knowledge horizons with astrology, numerology, sound & energy healing, breathing techniques, metaphysical arts, painting, drawing, dance, singing yoga…I am going for the full Renaissance experience. I may have fewer years in front of me, but they will be packed full of joy, love, and light. I am so excited……let’s see what is next!!!

The future is bright. I look for all kinds of ways to make dreams come true.

I am assisting in the purchase of a CNC shop for a colleague that had to close her business due to covid – this is happening in October 2024, helping forge the credit solution for an FAA aircraft for maintenance repair and overhaul – I will assist with inventory management and valuation. I had a vision for an agricultural aircraft manufacturer and that vision is now coming true. We will re-launch a pedigreed company and aircraft and contribute to feeding the world and fighting food insecurity.