Meet Laura Sherwood

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Sherwood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Laura, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout

Hustle culture told me burnout was normal. I chose to prove it wrong.

In my last corporate job, I worked 10-hour days, barely slept due to anxiety, and felt stuck in an endless cycle of working more and seeing fewer results. The more effort I gave, the more was expected—without rest or reward.

We’ve normalized burnout as an inevitable part of professional success. It’s more socially acceptable to say, “I’m drowning in work and exhausted” than to say, “I’m protecting my time and energy.” But just as winter calls for dormancy so that spring can bloom, rest is essential if we want to produce and be at our best.

I wanted to work for a company that valued its employees—so I built one myself. I took my decade of professional experience, my MBA, my fluency in two languages, and my passion for neuroplasticity and built something that allowed me—and now, my clients—to thrive in careers that pay us for our passion, while owning our time. I permanently walked away from a corporate system that rewards overwork and instead created a company that respects the natural rhythms of the human body and mind.

At Laura Michelle Empowerment Coaching, I work with high-achieving women experiencing burnout in private 1:1 sessions and group settings. Together, we co-create a career that fuels both joy and financial freedom.

When you stop living for external expectations and start building a life around your own identity and values, something shifts: Work gives you energy instead of draining it. You wake up excited, not exhausted. Burnout becomes a thing of the past. That burnout is a key ingredient for achievement and financial freedom is a lie. You don’t have to choose between success and well-being—you’re meant to have both.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Laura Michelle Empowerment Coaching is designed for high-achieving women experiencing burnout, guiding them into careers that align with their values, bring joy, and provide financial security. Through my flagship 3-month program, Dream Career Accelerator, clients uncover their true purpose and values, translating them into a clear, actionable business plan. My approach blends practical business strategy, nervous system regulation, and neural rewiring techniques to ensure lasting transformation—so clients don’t just dream about change, they actually live it.

A dream career can sound ambiguous, but the formula is simple:
1. Strip away the layers of social conditioning and reconnect with your true identity & core values
2. Create YOUR dream career – one that reflects your values, identity & passion
3. Backwards engineer the roadmap to get there – utilizing both business strategy & neural rewiring work.

My coaching business was born from my own journey. I spent my twenties chasing the so-called “American Dream”—a corporate career that looked perfect on paper but left me unfulfilled. Deep down, I wanted more: to live abroad, learn a new language, & work for myself. But I was held back by fear, self-doubt, and limiting beliefs.

Everything changed when I learned how to rewire my mindset and break free from the mental blocks keeping me stuck. From that moment, my life took off. I moved to Mexico, learned Spanish, earned my MBA, worked as a Chief of Staff at an impact-investing firm, and ultimately, built my own coaching company—one that empowers women to create passion-driven, well-paid, and meaningful careers.

What excites me most is seeing my clients step into their power, break the cycle of burnout, and create businesses that fuel both their purpose and bank account. I strongly believe you don’t have to choose between financial success and fulfillment – if you start living life according to who you truly are and what you want in life – you will have both.

If you’re tired of feeling stuck in a career that drains you, wondering if there’s more out there—there is. You deserve a life where success feels exciting, your work lights you up, and financial freedom is your reality. In just 3 months, you can rewire your mindset, create a career aligned with your purpose, and step into the life you know is meant for you. I’m here to guide through every step of the way.

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. Getting Clear on Your Real Identity (Outside of Socialization)
For years, I lived according to what I thought success should look like—checking all the right boxes, fitting into societal expectations. But true fulfillment came when I stripped away the conditioning and got clear on who I really was: my values, passions, and the life I actually wanted.

Take time to unlearn who the world told you to be. Journal, reflect, and ask yourself: If I was on my deathbed, what would I have wished my life had looked like? What type of legacy/impact do I want to leave? The sooner you define your identity, the sooner you can build a life that aligns with it.

2. Rewiring Your Brain for Success
No amount of business strategy will work if your mind is working against you. I had to unlearn limiting beliefs, shift my self-image, and train my brain & nervous system to see success as inevitable. Once I mastered this, everything changed—I finally took the actions I had been too scared to take.

Start by identifying the subconscious beliefs holding you back (e.g., I’m not smart enough, I’m scared to fail). Then, actively replace them with new ones through daily affirmations, visualization of yourself succeeding, and consistent, tiny steps outside of your comfort zone to show your nervous system you are safe. Success starts in your mind first.

3. Backwards Engineering Your North Star
Most people drift through life without a clear vision. I learned that if you define your ultimate goal and reverse-engineer every step to get there, success becomes inevitable. Instead of asking, What should I do next?, I asked, What does my dream career look like, and how do I work backwards from there?

Define your North Star—the ultimate vision for your life and career. Then break it down: What skills, knowledge, and actions do you need to make it happen? Reverse-engineer the process and take small, strategic steps every day.

By mastering these three areas, I was able to build a life of purpose, freedom, and financial abundance. My advice? Get clear, rewire your mindset, and create a plan that makes your dream career and life inevitable. It’s closer than you think.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

This answer is deeply personal, but I believe that building a career aligned with your true passions means showing up as your most authentic self—always.

Five months ago, my partner passed away in an accident. He was 31. I put my business on hold for a couple of months, as I learned how to exist in this new reality. Grief is like learning an entirely new language, and navigating it has been the most profound challenge of my life. Yet, I’ve never been more grateful for the skills I’ve developed through my work—honoring my truth instead of conforming to societal expectations, rewiring my mind to accept this new reality, and prioritizing my self-care without guilt. And because I built a business that supports my well-being, I was able to take the time I needed.

As I’ve slowly returned to work, taking on only a handful of private clients, I’ve approached this transition with deep self-compassion—allowing myself to move at my own pace. Learning to live with grief is a lifelong process, and I know it will continue to shape and deepen the coaching I do.

This experience has only reinforced what I already knew: we do not have time to waste living a life that isn’t meant for us. In 2025, we have the power to build careers out of our passions, to monetize impact, and to create lives that blend self-care, purpose, creativity, and financial freedom. The only thing stopping us is the belief that it’s not possible.

The time to step into your greatness is now. Life is not guaranteed, and your dreams cannot wait. I’ve seen that fragility with my own eyes, and I carry that truth with me every day. It has only deepened my commitment to this work—helping others create careers and lives that truly light them up because we only get this one life, and our time is limited. We must make it count.

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