Meet Laura Coglianese

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

Laura, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Growing up, I had my fair share of insecurities (like most women do). I spent way too much time feeling like I wasn’t pretty enough, smart enough, thin enough, funny enough…just never enough. I was constantly comparing myself to other women, which, spoiler alert, did not help.

I worked on a lot of this through therapy, self-help books, and podcasts, and I did make real progress. But then, in the past year, I had some experiences that managed to unearth a whole new level of insecurities I didn’t even know existed. Looking back, I can see how those insecurities had been showing up in subtle ways for a long time.

To tackle my insecurities head-on, I had to dig into where they came from in the first place. When did I start feeling insecure? Who told me these were my flaws? What experiences made me feel like I wasn’t good enough? I wanted to be more confident and secure, but I knew that meant facing those “wounds” directly. Positive affirmations alone weren’t going to cut it because they can’t really compete with deep-rooted narratives buried in the subconscious.

So, I turned to Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which allowed me to get to the root of these beliefs and rewire my mental programming. It’s what helped me create lasting change, truly shifting who I am and allowing me to show up as my most confident, authentic self. And while I know this is a lifelong journey, I feel much better equipped now to handle whatever comes my way.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Almost three years ago, after 10 years of marriage and a two-year separation, my marriage officially ended in divorce. It was a massive turning point in my life. On paper, I had done everything “right”—got married, bought a house, earned two degrees—but deep down, I felt empty and lost. I had followed the status quo, only to realize it wasn’t the life I actually wanted. Cue the millennial mid-life crisis.

Even though I was the one who left, the last three years have been all about focusing on myself—grieving the marriage, the friendship, and the future I thought I was building. A big part of that process was “unbecoming” the version of me that others had defined and that I thought I had to be. It was uncomfortable, but necessary.

Then came the hard part: rebuilding. I had to figure out who I really am—what I want, what I need, and what I truly deserve. Along the way, I uncovered fears, insecurities, and doubts I didn’t even know were there. But facing those head-on was the only way I could move forward.

My personal and professional experiences have been the driving forces behind my coaching journey, shaping how I connect with and support the people I work with today. One of the biggest turning points came when I discovered EFT. After navigating some deeply triggering relationships, I realized that traditional therapy alone wasn’t giving me the breakthroughs I needed. When I tried EFT, it was like flipping a switch—suddenly, everything started to click. The shifts I experienced were so profound that I knew I had to dive deeper and learn how to help others unlock the same transformation.

For almost 15 years, I’ve worked as a social worker, supporting individuals from all walks of life through unique challenges and traumas. Over the past four years, I’ve been working with young adults in a workforce development program, many of whom face serious barriers that make it difficult to achieve stability and success. Walking alongside them through some of their hardest moments—and celebrating their wins—has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career. Those experiences also played a huge role in helping me uncover my deeper calling.

That calling inspired me to launch my coaching business as an EFT Practitioner. I now combine the insight I’ve gained from my personal transformation with my professional expertise to help ambitious individuals—athletes, entrepreneurs, and other high performers—overcome the mental blocks that hold them back. Whether it’s fear of failure, self-doubt, or anxiety, I’m passionate about guiding people through the “mental clutter” to help them step into their full potential. My focus is on working one-on-one with clients, but I’m also developing group workshops to reach more people because everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive, grow, and become the best version of themselves.

Without a doubt this is my calling, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Embracing My Emotions
I’ve learned that emotions are some of our most powerful teachers because they always have something important to tell us. When we stop trying to suppress, ignore, or distract ourselves from them, we gain deeper self-understanding. Anxiety, fear, sadness—they aren’t the enemy. They’re signals asking us to pay attention. The answers we need are always within us—we just have to get still and listen.

The truth is, people are often searching for shortcuts, but the real shortcut is doing the work. Avoiding our emotions only prolongs suffering. Once I started sitting with my feelings, two things happened: 1) They didn’t last as long as I thought they would, and 2) I began to move through them and uncover the lessons they were trying to teach me.

My Advice: Sit with your emotions—they won’t last forever, and they’ll teach you exactly what you need to know.

2. Shifting My Perspective to See the Duality in Everything
Perspective has been one of my most powerful tools. When I started seeing things as happening for me instead of to me, everything changed. Even the most painful moments—whether they were heartbreaks, betrayals, rejections, or closed doors—eventually revealed how they shaped my path. Of course, I didn’t always see it in the moment, but looking back, the pieces connected perfectly.

The key is to ask, “What can I learn from this?” in the face of challenges. That question puts the power back in your hands. It transforms painful experiences into stepping stones and puts you back in control of your life.

My Advice: Shift your mindset—look for the lesson in every experience, even the painful ones.

3. Trusting My Intuition
Developing my intuition has been one of the hardest but most rewarding parts of my journey, especially as someone who has lived with anxiety. It wasn’t easy at first—anxiety is loud and persistent, while intuition is often quiet and calm. For years, I ignored my intuition because the noise of anxiety drowned it out. But over time, I’ve learned to quiet the anxious thoughts and tune into that inner voice.

The practice of turning down the volume on anxiety allows intuition to come through, guiding us toward the next right step. It’s been a process of learning to trust myself, but every time I do, I feel more aligned with who I’m meant to be.

My Advice: Practice listening to your intuition—it takes time, but with patience, it’ll become your greatest guide.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal clients are ambitious, high-achievers with big dreams—think athletes, entrepreneurs, and other driven individuals who are ready to take things to the next level but feel held back by mental blocks. These are the people who know they’re meant for more but sometimes get stuck in their own heads—wrestling with self-doubt, fear of failure, performance anxiety, or imposter syndrome. They crave growth and are willing to put in the work, but they just need help clearing out the mental clutter to unlock their full potential.

These clients are truly the best to work with because they’re coachable, motivated, and open to new approaches. They’ve reached a point where they recognize that mindset is just as important as physical ability or strategy. They don’t want fluff or vague affirmations—they want practical, results-oriented tools that create real, lasting change. They’re ready to dig deep, get (a little) uncomfortable, and face what’s holding them back, whether that’s fear, comparison, or limiting beliefs.

These clients also understand that growth is a journey, not a quick fix. They appreciate the balance I bring—radical compassion mixed with a little tough love when needed. They’re willing to embrace the messy parts of transformation because they know that real success starts from the inside out.

My ideal clients are the ones who know they’re capable of greatness and are ready to do the inner work to get there. They just need a partner who can help them break through the noise, rewire their subconscious mind, and step fully into their power. And that’s exactly where I come in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.peakperformancewithlaura.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurajcoglianese/?hl=en

Image Credits

Kaitlin Powell Photography