An Inspired Chat with Laura Bailey-Wickins of Northern New Jersey

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Laura Bailey-Wickins. Check out our conversation below.

Hi Laura, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
Thank you for the interview.

Given the current political hangover that was 2025, now fully leaked into 2026, we’re all faced with policy-related consequences following harmful rhetoric targeted at underprivileged and underrepresented Americans across many different communities. While there is much to discuss on multiple fronts, I would feel remiss if I didn’t speak specifically about the anxiety looming over the transgender community in the United States right now.

I’m a thirty-three-year-old marketing professional, and I’ve worked with nonbinary, transgender, and gay people throughout my entire adult life. Each one of these individuals was a caring, hard-working, and empathetic human being. My colleagues had dreams and aspirations like any American. Exposure like that comes only to those of us privileged enough to work a highly diverse city–in my case, New York City–or to those of us open-minded enough to actively seek it.

I feel that although we may agree or disagree on the various policies proposed that affect the transgender community, I stand firm in my core belief that transgender rights are civil rights. They are human rights.

For those reading this who feel discomfort at the thought of sharing space with a transgender person, do not seek out my business. As your fellow American, I implore you to find the courage to face your fear. A fear of what may seem unfamiliar to you.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well, I’m a digital marketing consultant with a decade of experience in acquisition marketing, demand generation, content marketing, startup/small business marketing, therapy marketing, and higher education marketing. All things marketing.

I own GrowthSpurt Strategies LLC, a New Jersey-based content marketing agency that develops lead-generating content for professional service providers, mental health professionals, and higher education marketing teams.

We encourage anyone interested in learning how to market their own business and promote themselves online to visit us at growthspurtstrategies.com. We house an abundance of resources tailored for small business owners with limited to no experience in the field of digital marketing.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I was a very, very shy child in my early years. At parties, hosted by both family and friends, I would opt to stay by my parents’ side following unsuccessful attempts at enjoying myself, in part from moments of brief humiliation from the other children. Growing up, I felt as though I lacked a roughness about me that young children often develop naturally through socialization.

In many ways, I’m still shy. But since my childhood, I’ve learned to harness the quiet humility that walks in-hand with shyness to develop a quality proven to be quite appealing among those in need of help. Through years of lived experience thus far, I’ve found a way to utilize this new-found emotional strength to support small business owners with personalities and professional characteristics like mine. I encourage them to embrace their discomforts to realize their dreams.

On more than one occasion, I’ve heard that life, work, and our world in general were built for “extroverts.” But life has no rules. There is no playbook on living, working, parenting, or romance. There is only community.

That’s what small business means to me. It’s the understanding that how we live, work, feel, and grow is thanks the people we meet on our individual journeys throughout life. Small business growth means building long-lasting relationships with professionals who share a common goal to “lift all boats.”

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Fear of failure. Failure, defined as judgement from others for risking everything to start a business. Failure, defined as humiliation for misrepresenting myself in front of peers. Failure, defined as discomfort from the realization that I may be stronger than I think I am.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
I’ve learned that people who start their first business are enamored with the idea of “independence.” For some, it’s defined as dissociation from a salaried lifestyle. For others, it’s relief from the constant agony of having limited control.

But what many small business owners actually seek is validation. Validation through sales. Validation through positive feedback. Validation that they achieved something they previously never thought possible.

Speaking from my own journey, when I began my business, I thought I was trying to be the best marketer I could be. Better than any professional I could have been working under someone else. What I realize now is that all my effort has been, and continues to be, in the pursuit of becoming a more courageous person than I was. And every day that I awake to a day of uncomfortable, emotionally challenging situations is validation that I will end the day more courageous than the one before.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: How do you know when you’re out of your depth?
Everybody needs some humility now and then. The best advice I ever received was to “stay in your lane.”

As a small business owner, I wear many hats, sure, but it’s equally important to place trust in the professionals you hire. Stay out of their way.

Once I notice that my initial quest for foundational knowledge in a technical subject leads me down a rabbit hole that prevents me from directing my limited time and attention toward critical areas of my business, I know I’ve gone too far. This is my “canary in the coal mine,” and when this happens, I seek out professionals to lead me in the right direction.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Designing Queer-Centered Spaces with Intention: Yinka on Building Events as Infrastructure for Care and Liberation

In this conversation, Yinka Freeman reflects on more than two decades of large-scale event production and

Highlighter Series
Building Culture at the Speed of Creativity: Dennis on Studio Dia’ani and the Future of Storytelling

In this conversation, Dennis, founder of Studio Dia’ani and Dia’ani TV, shares how his evolution from creator to studio

Highlighter Series
Raising Ocean Advocates: Blair Williamson on Travel, Storytelling, and Stewardship

In this conversation, Blair Williamson reflects on returning from a family journey to the Galápagos Islands and shares