Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors: Shatter Limiting Beliefs - Redefine Success - Chase Big Dreams

Harnessing Courage: Laura Bratton on Overcoming Adversity with Grit and Gratitude

• Erica Rooney

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In this episode of Glass Ceilings and Sticky Floors, we’re joined by Laura Bratton—speaker, coach, and author of Harnessing Courage. Laura shares her extraordinary journey of:

  • Navigating life after losing her sight as a teenager.
  • Building resilience through grit and gratitude.
  • Embracing the balance between grief and moving forward.
  • Letting go of comparison and trusting your inherent worth.
  • Learning to lean on community and borrow strength when needed.

Laura’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance, adaptability, and self-belief. Whether you’re overcoming personal challenges or navigating your own sticky floors, this conversation is packed with wisdom and actionable insights to inspire your journey.

Connect with Laura:

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Have you ever wondered what it really means to face life's biggest challenges and come out stronger on the other side. Today, we're diving into a story of grit, gratitude, and courage with someone who redefined what it means to live boldly. Laura Breton is a speaker, coach and author of. Harnessing courage and her journey will inspire you to see your own challenges in a entirely new light. Diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease at just nine years old, Laura faced the unimaginable reality of losing her sight, but instead of giving up, she leaned into her inner strength, built brick by brick and became an unstoppable force for good. Her story is one of resilience, adaptability and self-belief. And trust me, you're going to walk away from this episode, ready to tackle whatever is holding you back. You are listening to the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. The show that's here to empower you to break free from limiting beliefs, ditch toxic behaviors, and unlock the infinite possibilities waiting for you. I'm Erica Rooney, your host and biggest cheerleader on a mission to get more women into positions of power and keep them there where they belong. If you're ready to shatter ceilings, crush self-doubt and build a career and life overflowing with growth and abundance. You're in the right place. Here's the deal. We talk about the real stuff here. Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear, burnout, you name it. It's raw. It's honest. And it's exactly what you need to level up. So grab a seat, pop in those ear buds and let's dive in.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Today I have the honor of introducing someone whose story will leave you inspired and ready to tackle life's biggest challenges. But y'all, my friend, Laura Bratton is joining us today. She is a speaker, author of the book Harnessing Courage, and she has a journey that is nothing short of extraordinary. She was born and raised in South Carolina. So she's just a little bit below me, but her world shifted at just nine years old when she was diagnosed with an eye disease and faced the heartbreaking reality that she would lose her sight. Now, over the next decade, Laura underwent one of the most difficult transitions that I can imagine. And she learned to navigate life without vision, but that is not where her story ends. It is where it just begins and you get to hear it directly from this powerhouse woman today. Laura, welcome to the Glass Ceiling and Sticky Floor Podcast.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Thank you for the opportunity.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Oh, I'm so pumped that we're finally doing this, but you know what? We're going to dive right on in. Can you just drop me into your story? You are nine years old and you learned that one day you're going to lose your vision. I cannot imagine that, let alone at nine years old. Tell me. How did you feel? What was running through your mind?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

news was I was still a typical nine year old and I hadn't lost much vision at that point. They had said, you will in the future. So, the good news was I was still playing basketball and gymnastics and dance and brownies and church choir and still doing all the nine year old things, not being able to grasp my reality at all. When that did hit was when I was in middle school, a teenager.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Mm.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

that's when the reality hit.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Is that because you started losing more of your vision by that age?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

So I went from one day being able to read print, open my locker to the next day, not being able to see print, not being able to open my locker.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Oh, wow. It was that drastic?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

drastic. Yeah.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

my gosh. Well, what was the hardest part about coming to terms with losing your sight? And can you talk to me maybe about How that shaped your sense of identity.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

The hardest part was accepting, the loss and accepting myself in this new normal. So being a teenager in middle school, in high school, going through this huge physical change where it affects every single part of my life, accepting Am I still enough? And my belief, my mantra was this is too much. I'm not strong enough.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

What do you do when you feel that way? Feeling like you're not strong enough? Because I can feel that too. I can put myself in your shoes and I imagine I would probably feel the same way.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yes. Okay. That was absolutely the hardest part because there wasn't, like I said, there wasn't one part where I could say, okay, this is still the same. So that's where the grit and the gratitude came in because the grit of, I said, okay, this is too hard looking at the whole picture, looking at the future, how am I going to do college, how in the world will I survive, but when I took it, literally, hour by hour, day by day, that's what started to build the process of the strength. So, no, I don't feel like I'm strong enough. to plan my whole future and have it all planned out, but I can get through calculus in 10th grade. I can, just this one hour, okay? I just need to get to lunch today and then I'll figure out from 1 to 4. Later. So literally having the strength in that moment built on itself.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Well first of all, I ask myself all the time, how was I ever going to get through calculus?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

which is a great point. So, and that's where I lost that perspective of every teenager is asking themselves this question too. I lost that perspective. Oh my gosh, I'm the only girl in the world trying to figure out the future. And that's, that's where I had to be reminded, no, this is also just a teenage human thing. I just have the added. Difficulty of figuring out how to do it in a sighted wearer without sight. So what you just said was a huge change in my perspective.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

broke it down almost to these just very micro moments of let me just get through this and let me get through this and all of that. Yeah. And all of that just adds up evidence, you know, evidence that you can do these things. And then you finally, you pass calculus, you know, you graduate and then you went to, what was it? Arizona state.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, Arizona State. And the reason that I went from South Carolina all the way out there to ASU was specifically because of my situation. So they have one of the best disability programs in the country. So they fully integrate people with all types of disabilities, mental, physical, it doesn't, whatever it is, into their campus. As a teacher. equal accepted student. So you're not separated, you're not different, you're not other, you are fully integrated into the college experience just with the combinations made. So I had to go out there because blindness at that point, it had only been a few years, it was so new, I had to go to somewhere that told me the resources that I needed. Because I didn't, I didn't

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, that's amazing, though, because, yeah, if you are not blind and you've never been with anybody who is, how would you even know where to start?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Right. I didn't know, hey, it's an option that you have double time on your test, because it takes you double the time to read braille. Like, I didn't know that was an option, you know? I just assumed somehow it was going to fail on my test, because I only got it half done. But they could tell me, hey, this is what you need, this is what we're going to give you. So, that was the reason for ASU. Yes.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

that's amazing, and two snaps for ASU for being ahead of the curve. I have a, a nephew who has autism, and so he actually goes to a school, and he's only, Four, keep in mind. But he goes to a school where they're fully integrated with neuro normal or neuro typical children. And it's amazing for him, right? And like, that's, that's the kind of world we need to be creating and living in anyway, because guess what? That's the whole world we exist in.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

That makes me so happy for your nephew. Because, what I found in my situation is that when, I was continually integrated into the normal college world. What you just said that taught me, Hey, in the real world, this can happen. I can be integrated in with accommodations. It's not okay. For the rest of my life, I'm going to be separate. So that's a gift your nephew's receiving.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

It is a gift. So I'm glad you, phrased it that way because I know how hard it can be too for parents who are in the struggle. And I did want to ask you that because, you know, your parents played a huge role, I'm sure in raising you and just moving through this whole thing. And so I did want to ask your perspective when we're talking about this from the parental lens, right? For any parent who has a child that is. outside of the norm for any reason, right?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

what really helped you, in that time that came from your parents and like what would you encourage other parents who may have children who are going through something to do?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Brilliant question. Brilliant. Okay. So the greatest gift they gave me was treating me as their equal child. So I have one older brother, so as I'm 14, losing my sight. They have another child applying to college. You know, star quarterback of the football team. So there's two, two completely different situations going on in our house. what they did that was an incredible gift was my tours were still my tours. We just made accommodations. if I needed. Like, they didn't coddle me. They didn't say, okay, you can't go to college. They didn't say, hey, you can't go to this event with us because you can't see. They said, okay, you're going with us and we'll figure out what we need you to make accommodations. So, a very, very practical example, and, my mom and I still laugh about this. I thought I was gonna use my blindness to get out of, unloading the dishwasher. But, so one day I said to my mom, I can't unload the dishwasher, like, I can't see the, you know, exactly where to put the forks and the spoons and the knives. So, I just can't unload the dishwasher anymore. And I still vividly remember, she was standing, like, walking out of the kitchen, and she turned around the doorway, and she was like, Unload the dishwasher, figure it out. And the point was, she believed in me, that I could figure it out. she was teaching me, the gift she was giving me was, Yes, you are still a worthy daughter, a worthy human, you figure out how you need to unload the dishwasher and put the knobs and forks in. So it wasn't out of demanding, it was out of total love and I accept you for who you are and you're gonna figure out how to do this.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

also not going to take no crap from a kid who don't want to do their chores.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

But I needed that. Because if she had said, okay, okay, honey, that's fine, I would have been like, oh, good, then I can just use my blindness as an excuse. So that's the greatest gift my parents gave me just keep the normal standards. Don't lower your standards or expectations. Just make accommodations within whatever their situation is.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Normalcy with a round of accommodations. I like it.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Right?

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Alright, Lori, you talk a lot about grit and gratitude, and you mentioned it earlier, and you said that you really kind of leaned in and created that out of survival. Talk to me about that. Grit and gratitude because you speak on it. How do people really lean into the grit and gratitude because I think we hear a lot about Gratitude and just be thankful for all these things. But what does it mean in your world?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yes, okay, again, I'm so glad you asked because it's the graduate that I've learned to develop is not Be thankful for the difficulty, be thankful for what, you know, the positive, just be positive all the time and happy and tearful and thankful. That doesn't work when you have a, when you're going through any type of change. When we're trying to adapt and adjust. The gratitude that I found, that is so healing and I, I use every single day is recognizing what got me through and gets me through the trauma. So again, a tangible practical example is no, I'm not grateful that I can't walk around by myself but I'm grateful for the guide dog that gives me that ability to walk around by myself. So, no, I'm not thankful at all. that I can't pick up my iPhone and use it like everyone else, but I am so thankful that Apple has created a product. That makes the iPhone totally and every Apple product totally accessible. It's not being, oh, I'm just happy. I'm positive. I'm thankful. It's recognizing the strength and the gift that gets me through

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

I love that because all of that toxic positivity mess where it's all rainbows and sunshine and everything happens for a reason It's like that's kind of hard to really like buy that crap when you're

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

When I drop a blueberry on my kitchen floor and I step on it

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Right! We're not grateful for that!

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Just the day to day practical things that talk to your positivity does not work.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Let's dive in a little bit. Because I want to hear like, are there any specific habits or practices or shifts in your mindset? That have helped you through those moments where it did feel like it was too much or where you felt extreme frustration or anger or depression.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yes, all right, so let me back up one step so that the anxiety and the depression was absolutely the worst when it was like Again, this plays in that positivity. Just be positive. Just move forward. Just be the amazing superstar and just be that amazing person with a disability. And that just made me so depressed, so overwhelmed, so anxious. Constant panic attacks. But yet the other end of the spectrum was true as well. Playing into that victim. Oh, the world owes me. This is just awful. Let everybody just serve me. That was equally as depressing. So, that's where the balance of the great gratitude comes in. Of those, when I do feel those moments of anger, of depression, of anxiety, acknowledging, what do I need to think or do in this moment to get through this moment? And that's 100 percent where your book comes in about those sticky floors my sticky floor was, I'm not enough. Again, going back to that kind of teenage college years. Okay, because of the blindness, I'm not enough. So, just as you perfectly talked about in the book, it's constant strategies. It's not one time I woke up one day and said, okay, I believe in myself. I trust myself. I'm enough. Let's go. It's every single day saying, okay, no, I have the trust in myself that I am worthy, that I am enough, and that's what I choose for today. And that's an ongoing continual process.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

I tell people all the time, right? New level, new devil.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yes. Love it.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

you're a growth minded person. You're constantly trying to figure out what is the next thing, which means you're constantly living in the state of being uncomfortable, which also means you're always living in the sticky floor world.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Right.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

It does.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

that comes up every time you are 100 percent right.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

It does. And it's, it's so important that people realize like this is always a continual process. There's no magic, you know, fix. There's no easy button, right?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Right.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

yeah, that's not how the world works.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

And that's okay.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah. And that's what I want people to actually understand is not just that it's continual, but that it's okay that it's a constant thing to be dealing with,

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yes. Again, going back to

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

lot of people struggle.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

yeah. Going back to your question about the mindset, When I could accept it's an ongoing process and that's okay. You're never going to get to that, I'm going to red button moment, right? Where, okay, now it's perfect. It's just that it's okay that it's continual. That that sticky floor is going to be there and as I continue to work on it and work through it, that's okay.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

I love this and I kind of want to talk about the fact that like when you lose your sight, that's out of your control. Right. And I think a lot of people think about like, okay, this is what I can control, this is what I can't control and losing your sight. It's a very specific thing, but I know that there are other people who are out there right now who are listening and they have their own circumstance that is totally out of their control.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Right.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

What advice would you give them?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

What you can control is your mindset. And what you can control is believing in yourself. Knowing that you are worthy. That there's so many situations we can't control that are out of our control. What we can control is believing in ourself. And for me, that huge part was not believing in myself when things are going well, but believing in myself in the midst of so much happening that I could not and cannot still control. So that, that would be my biggest advice is choose even in this moment, even if it's for the next 30 minutes, 30 seconds, next, just one breath, just saying, okay, for this moment, I believe in myself, and I believe I'm enough. And then just let the each moment build on itself.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, and we talk a lot about the sticky floor of believing you are enough and knowing your worth because I would say out of all of the women who've been on this podcast, when I ask people what piece of advice would you give your younger self, a lot of it is that the women say, I wish I knew my worth. how do you start to know and recognize and truly believe in your worth?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

I think it goes back to just trusting the worth in our humanity. And the worth just in who we are and the gifts that we have to give, those gifts are worthy, those gifts are enough. Again, in my situation, I was constantly comparing, well, I'm not enough because I can't drive. I'm not enough because, you know, and I would name all the visual aspects. So that's where I had to step back and say, that's true that, no, I can't drive, but that doesn't make me less worthy. So again, just shifting my mindset to I am worthy just as I am in this new normal.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

In the new normal. I would say too, and I think just in my work with this podcast and in talking with other women that number one, we all have those moments where we doubt our

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

A hundred percent,

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah. And, and

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

our circumstances.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, regardless of our circumstance. And we wonder, you know, are we enough? Are we worthy? And I have found, for me, when I am in those moments where I do not feel worthy or enough, I can lean on The other people in my life and in my circle who do, and I, it's almost like I borrow it from them

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

100 percent yes,

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

And I think leaning into that community, you know, or whoever is around you, will get you through some of the hardest times. And then you can start to put those building blocks from, like, take it all the way back to when you and I just started talking in the beginning. You know, the building blocks of strength and the little pieces of evidence. And I tell people all the time, hindsight is a gift that we will all have one day. Today is not that day. But I bet now you can look back and see like, okay, this all unfolded for me. And here I am because of how everything turned out in my life. Right?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

right, 100 percent and again, a practical example of that is when I can circle back and think back on that time in the kitchen when I was trying to get out of dishes by using, you know, using my vision and my mom said, no, figure it out. That was an incredible gift. she believed in me. She knew I was enough. She knew I was worthy. She knew I could figure it out. And so in those moments when I didn't know how to figure it out, when I couldn't figure it out, in those most depressed, anxious moments, I could think back on that experience and say, okay, she believed in me to figure it out in that moment. So exactly what you said, I'm going to borrow her belief in me. Maybe I don't believe in myself right now. But I'm going to borrow her belief in me to get through the next 30 seconds. And like you said, then that builds on itself. So yes, I love how you said it.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yep.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Borrowing others.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

We just don't borrow it. I'll give it back to you later when you need it,

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

And that is so true, right?

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Oh my goodness.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

So true.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Oh my goodness. And Laura, your story, it's rooted in courage, right? Which is one of my core values. And so, I'm all about that. And, you know, we talked a bit about what courage looked like for you when you were in middle school, and you were going through it and trying to adapt. But you are in a completely different place now. What does courage look like To you now.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

What it looks like now is the balance of acknowledging this is still hard and I will figure it out. So what I mean by that is it's grieving and moving forward, grieving and moving forward. So you're, I'm constantly in that balance of, gosh, I'm so frustrated. I remember how easy this was when I had full sight. So acknowledging that while also figuring out, okay, so how, how can I use this iPhone? So courage looks like that constant acknowledging the difficulty and moving forward.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

I love that. It's very, that was very powerful. It gave me almost chills because it just kind of. took me in a time machine, like all the way to the future. And yes, things are going to be different for you and, and you are allowed to also grieve and be sad or how it is different for

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Right.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

and then move forward.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

And then

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

so beautiful.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah. And so again, as you were saying, is so many people listening to this, whatever your change, whatever the circumstances is that yes, you can't control. You have no control over the situation that is happening. But give yourself permission to grieve. Give yourself permission to say, Gosh, this is just really hard today. This week is just a really hard week, and I'll still keep going.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

mutually exclusive. Yeah. Oh my goodness. All right, Laura, if you could go back in time. to, you know, maybe let's say the middle school Laura, cause that seems to be when it started getting real hairy. If you could go back to the middle school Laura and give her one piece of advice. You know, knowing everything, you know, now all the life lessons you've collected, what piece of advice would that be?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Stop comparing. Because I constantly compared. I'm not good enough because I'm comparing myself people that are fully sighted and that's not equal playing field.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, it's not fair.

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, so I would the biggest just stop just take the pressure off of comparing yourself constantly and just be you

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Well, I'm going to take that advice. I know I need to do that

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yeah, you said give that advice then, but, can I give that to myself

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

still need that advice. It's a continual process and You know, we get stronger, we get better, but we still have good days and we still have bad days. But what I What I love about just life in general, right? Is that, you know, if you want to know true joy, if you want to know true happiness, you also have to go through the hard stuff. You have to have the bad days and you, have to suffer, right? Like that is just the experience that we have as humans. but there are things that we can do to make it better for us, like not comparing, trusting ourselves, knowing our worth, and all of those things add up and are just, So beautiful when in comparison to all of the other, you know, the mind trash that we have sometimes that goes

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Yes. A hundred percent.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

Oh my goodness. Well, Laura, if people want to connect with you further, if they want to work with you cause you are a coach as well and you do speaking and they have your book, where can they find you?

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

So the best place is my website. Just laurabratton. com.

squadcaster-91ci_2_12-09-2024_140714:

I love it. I will link it in the show notes so people can get you on their stages and check your book out and all the things. But Laura, thank you so much for this conversation. It was, long overdue and amazing, and I just think you're an incredible human being. So thank you!

squadcaster-036g_1_12-09-2024_140714:

Well, thank you for the work you're doing

Wow, you guys, Laura story really reminds us that even when life feels impossible, even when you're handed like an entire big old bag of dog pill, there is always a way forward. Her message of balancing grit with gratitude and leaning into community. You know, and, and really believing in yourself, even in the toughest moments, it's one that we can all carry away with us. So whether you're facing your own sticky floor or you're aiming to break through that glass ceiling, remember this, you are enough, you've got this. And y'all, if you love this episode, be sure to check out Laura's book, harnessing courage, and connect with her on her website@laurabratton.com. But until next time let's smash through those dang ceilings. Y'all.

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