Grit, Gratitude, and Going Blind with Laura Bratton

A chalkboard turns to “black blobs,” and a teenager’s life veers off course. From that moment, Laura had to rebuild not just her routines but her entire way of seeing herself, her future, and the world. We go deep into what grit actually looks like when you don’t feel strong, and how gratitude can heal without sugarcoating pain or demanding that you be “thankful” for the worst thing that’s happened to you.

We trace Laura’s path from denial and “I can’t” to a simple, specific practice: take life in small pieces—an hour, a morning, an afternoon—and document three nonrepeating things that helped you get through today. That shift—from being grateful for adversity to being grateful for the supports that navigate adversity—changes how you notice resources, ask for help, and recover your footing. Along the way, we talk about the lifelong nature of grief, why permission to keep grieving unlocks progress, and how to hold two truths at once: you can mourn what you’ve lost and still build a meaningful future.

Laura also brings a clear, urgent message about accessibility. If your website hides key info in images or skips alt text, people using screen readers can’t access your services—meaning less inclusion and fewer customers. Accessible design isn’t just ethical; it improves clarity and usability for everyone. We close with Laura’s core coaching insight: you are enough. Worth isn’t earned by output; it’s the ground you stand on while you take the next small step. If this story moves you, share it with someone who needs it, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hello there and welcome back to the next episode of Overcome Yourself the Podcast. As you know, my name is Nicole, and I'm so excited to be here today with Laura. So, Laura, please take it away. You have an incredible story of overcome. Um, I know that your two things of overcoming are grit and gratitude, and I absolutely love that. So please take it away, introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are and who you help.

Diagnosis and The Classroom Shock

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Yes. Thank you, Nicole. Thank you for this opportunity. So the grit and gratitude all came from my personal experience. So I would love to share a story that all that started the adversity that I experienced and had to overcome and work through. So as a 14-year-old, I'm sitting in geography class. Everything is, you know, normal. It seems to be normal. And the teacher said, take out your notebook and start copying down the notes on the board. So I did as I've always done. I took out my notebook and I started copying down or looked up at the board to try to start copying down the notes. And as I looked up at the board, all I saw were these black, shadowy blobs. They didn't look like letters, they didn't look like numbers, they didn't look like shapes. So I looked back down at my new book, adjusted my pen, looked back up at the board, expecting to see normal print. And again, all I saw was these fuzzy, blurry marks, black marks. So I just leaned over to my neighbor in the desk beside me and said, Wait, how are you copying down the notes on the board? The print's not normal. They the teacher hadn't put it up there correctly yet. What are you writing down? Her answer changed the whole course of my life. She casually just leaned over to me and said, Laura, what are you talking about? The print is completely normal, it's no different than it's ever been. And I just sat back in my chair and realized my new reality. So a few years before that experience in geography class, I was diagnosed with a very rare retinal disease. And all the doctors could tell us was, you will lose your vision, but we don't know at what rate. So as a 14-year-old, getting ready to finish middle school, I wasn't expecting, I knew my vision would decrease. It already decreased a small amount, but I was not mentally prepared for the significant vision loss and all the adaptations and adjustments that would come with that. So that's that's the moment when my new reality became real, and when I, from a mindset perspective, had to confront and figure out how I would move forward.

Denial, “I Can’t,” and Finding Grit

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Wow. So tell us more about that. I want to hear that journey of you overcoming yourself. What happened after you received this life-changing diagnosis and this happened to you?

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Yeah. So the first mindset perspective was not, okay, I'm going to overcome this, move forward, have a great future. That was not my first perspective. My first perspective was denial. This is too hard. I don't want to do this, so I'll just wake up and have my vision tomorrow. It'll just come back like I lost it. It was just complete denial of the reality. My next mindset was I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't. This is too much. This is too hard. The present, the future is too overwhelming. What I slowly realized was the gift of grit and gratitude. And what I mean by that was, while I was saying, I can't, I can't, I can't, it was the support around me was saying through their actions, you can do this day by day, moment by moment, literally minute by minute. So that's what I work with people and so passionate on helping people and empowering people today is when we're facing adversity, when we're facing change, when we're facing difficulty, how do we use the grit of rather than being shut down by the future, taking it moment by moment, day by day, hour by hour. And when I say that, I mean that literally. In those high school years, when I continue to lose a lot of sight, again, it wasn't me saying, okay, I can overcome. It was my parents who told me every day, we don't know the future, but we'll take it day by day. So just them reminding me of you don't have to figure it all out now. We just have to get through Wednesday morning and then Wednesday afternoon and then the full day on Wednesday, taking it in small amounts, that's the grit that I learned to develop.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Yes, and that is amazing. And um, you know, based on what you were saying, it sounds like you you did have to take time to mourn your eyes tight. Um I can imagine how hard that must have been for a teenager. Like that's already a hard time in your life, and now you've got this on top of it.

Permission to Grieve and Move Forward

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Yes, it was an incredibly difficult time, and that grief process was a huge part of saying I can't, because the grief was so overwhelming that I had no idea how I would overcome and get through the grief process. And the gift of a mentor is another part of that grit, both that I received and then I'm passionate about sharing with people today. So she gave me permission to grieve. So, what I mean by that is one day I we were in a meeting together, and at the end of the meeting, she said, Laura, I just want to let you know you think that you've been through the grieving process, you think you're beyond that, and now you can move forward. I just want you to know it's okay to continue to grieve. That doesn't mean you haven't accepted your blindness, that does not mean you're weak. That just means grieving is a part of your new normal life experience. So you can do both. You can grieve and you can move forward to live a full, purposeful life.

SPEAKER_00 7:16

I love that. Um, and you know, it makes me think of, you know, I lost my mom when I was one and a half. Um, and so that is something that I've had to grieve my whole life, you know, and every now and then there's moments, and 30 years later, you know, it'll be Mother's Day, and I'll be like, I hate Mother's Day, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Right, you know, yeah, it's a lifelong thing, it's a lifelong process and just that permission, you know, just someone giving you permission. Yeah, it's it's it's healthy and it's normal to grieve your mom your entire life. It's grief is not something we do and then move on, but you can do both. You can grieve your mom and live a happy, successful life.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

Yes, it's finding that balance, right? And doing it in their name, doing it in their honor, like taking the steps. Like that's you know, they that's what they would have wanted for you, right? Yeah, and I love what you said about how your parents brought you back into the now. Um, because that's something that I've had to work with with anxiety, depression. You're living in the past in your mind. Anxiety is like you're living in the future, and we have to learn how to live in the right now, yes, in the now, and that that's all we can control.

Living in the Now: Hour by Hour

SPEAKER_01 8:32

That was the gift my parents were teaching me, again, not through words, but through their actions was live in the now, and that's all you need to focus on. You don't need to worry about having the strength for tomorrow, next week. How do we have the strength for literally this hour? That was an incredible gift of empowerment because that's what I can control in a situation where there was so much out of my control.

SPEAKER_00 9:03

I love that. And I love how you were able to use this to inspire, inspire a whole business, right? Because now this is what you help your clients with. So can you tell us a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 9:16

Absolutely. So, what I do now is I'm a professional speaker, so I speak to businesses, to corporations, and then I also do one-on-one coaching. And what I do in both the speaking and the coaching is talk about and empower others through that balance of grit and gratitude. So, again, as we face adversity, as we face challenge, how do we use those two resources as healing tools so that we can overcome our situation, so that we can move forward in life? And my whole passion, the whole drive, the reason I created the business and the reason it keeps me going, and I love it every single day, is giving back for what I received. So, again, going back to that support, the teachers, my brother, the community, my parents, when they were telling me you can do this and having that grit for me before I could have it myself. I didn't just want to say, okay, I received that. End of story. I wanted to create a business, an opportunity to go and to be that in the world, to be that support for other people, to empower other people, to give them to be that great gratitude when they are going through so much adversity that they can't hold that for themselves.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Yeah, that is that is so powerful, Laura. Like that is that is just amazing. Um, and I love the goodness that you're spreading in the world, um, you know, as a speaker and as a coach, like you're impacting so many lives. Um, and you know, one of the things I talk about in my book is turning what you think is your biggest weakness into your greatest strength. And I'm sure when you were 14 years old, you were like, This is my biggest weakness. Um and now you get to use it as your biggest strength, right?

Turning Pain Into Purposeful Work

SPEAKER_01 11:12

100%, yes. And truly that's what drives me every day is this has been the biggest adversity, the biggest challenge, the weakness, just as you were saying, obviously, what caused all the anxiety, depression. Yet, how am I going to respond to it? I can respond by moving through it myself, mindset, but then also creating a platform so that others can benefit. So others going through change. Uh, a speaker coach of mine said it best. She said, Laura, your speaking gives your pain purpose. Yes. And I said, a hundred percent. I I talked for an hour and she said in one sentence. Yes, and that's exactly why I created the business because it gives the greatest pain in my life. It gives it incredible purpose and empowerment.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Yeah, and imagine how many people you get to help along the way. Yes. Um, right. Because your story is very impactful. So can we talk a little bit? Can we do a little bit of deep dive into gratitude? That's the foundation of everything I do. And some people might be like, well, I find it hard to be grateful for the you know, the terrible things that have happened to me. Um, what are what what what is your perspective on that? And what are you grateful for in this?

SPEAKER_01 12:38

So, my perspective is exactly that. It is really, really hard. And I and I did not want to find the gratitude and becoming blind, right? Like I'm not sure what I have to be grateful for as a high schooler who's so depressed and living in a constant state of panic attack while adjusting to life without sight. There's nothing to be grateful for. Again, it was another mentor who in those high school days said, Laura, I want you to start writing down three things every day that you're grateful for. And I don't want you to repeat, so I want to be very specific from that day, from each day. And as she said this, my immediate reaction was, okay, so you are not a good mentor. I am severely depressed, panicking constantly, every day, all day, and you're telling me to be grateful. Bad advice. I don't like that advice. So, in my stubbornness, in my okay, I will definitely prove her wrong. I'll be her mentor as a teenager. Of course, I thought I was gonna teach her what was right. I started to write down what I was grateful for, and the one day became three days, and the three days became 10 days. And what I realized, she was not saying, be grateful for the adversity, be grateful that you're becoming blind. She was teaching me the lifestyle of giving me the perspective of having the mindset of be grateful for what helps you navigate through the change. So, no, you're not grateful to wake up every day and not be able to see the world, yet you're deeply grateful for the guide dog that helps you navigate the world. You're grateful for the guide dog school that trained the guide dog that helps you navigate the world. You're deeply grateful for the brother who, in those teenage years, he still treated you like that annoying little baby sister that drove him crazy all the time. Like that is that is what we're grateful for. And what I found is focusing on what I'm grateful for that helps me navigate through the blindness is a source of healing, is a source of strength. Because again, I want to make it very, very clear. It's not being grateful for the adversity. Rather, it's teaching me to have the perspective of okay, so what am I grateful for today that helped me get through Tuesday, Thursday, whatever the particular day is. So that's the respect of gratitude that that mentor helped me to develop. Yes.

Gratitude Practice That Actually Heals

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Um, I I want to thank you for being so vulnerable and just telling us the truth that it's you you didn't even want to. Um I've been there, I've been in the daily panic attacks, I've been, you know, in the daily crying. Um, and I also thought in the beginning that gratitude would be it's just too simple to work. Like what how is that gonna help me at all? 100%. Yes, but my life changed. Um, and and you know, that practice, like you said, it just what it does is help you change your perspective. Um, so you just think about it in a new way. You're we're looking at the same situation, we're thinking about the same exact situation, but we're just approaching it from a different angle. Um, and so I love that. I love that so much. Thank you for sharing that with us.

SPEAKER_01 16:28

Absolutely. And you said it perfectly. It seems like it's not enough, it can't do anything, and yet it's one of the most healing resources that I've experienced.

SPEAKER_00 16:39

I love that. Um okay, now I want to ask you a question, and it's kind of out of left field, but I think it's a I think it's an important topic. So I am SEO certified, and one of the tips that I always have is make sure that your website is set up for things like screen readers. And so I feel like you might have some experience with that. And so I wanted you to give us your insights on why it's important to do things like provide alt tags for your images and make sure that you don't have any important text on images so that you know the screen reader can actually read it for you. So, can you tell us a little bit about that? You know, speaking of tools that can help you navigate. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

The benefit of that is that I, as a person who's blind or someone with any level of visual impairment who uses a screen reader, they can then access every part of your website. So let's say, for example, you have an offering or a service on your website and it's all images and it's not all text or it's not an accessible format. I don't know that's available. So I can't take advantage of that service, that value add. I, as a person who's vigilant pay or she's blind, doesn't have access to that. So it's as simple as making sure all of your websites accessible so that your services, your, you know, I have equal access just as someone with site. So it's an incredible benefit.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Yeah, you want to buy stuff too. You want to read the top 10, you know, great things to organize your closet. Like you want to know what's going on there too. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

All the blog posts. Yeah, absolutely. If it's images, then I can't access it. But if it's text, then it's perfect. No, no issues.

SPEAKER_00 18:35

Thank you so much for sharing that with us. Um, because you know, this is this is real life. And when we're doing things like putting together offers and building our websites, exactly what you said, we want to give equal opportunity to everyone who's a potential client. And I bet Laura, you're a wonderful client.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

And what also what I've found, a lot of feedback that I've received that I wasn't expecting was cited people will tell me, oh wow, you know, when I'll say, Oh, this website is great, it's very accessible. Let's say, oh, that was actually easier for me to use. So the benefit I found, yes, you're doing it for the purpose so that it's accessible to all people, yet even cited people love it and receive great benefits because it makes the website so easy to navigate. So I love the the ribble effect.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

Yeah, and it's just like um, you know, like having using a ramp versus steps. Everyone can use a ramp, right? And so like, yeah, that makes it accessible for everyone. Uh-huh. I love that. Whatever. Yeah. Just MD surgery, whatever. Yeah. There's so many reasons. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Um, so thank you for sharing that with us, Laura. But now we want to know how we can stay in touch with you, how can you know we keep up? How can we hire you to speak at our company? I'm sure there's a lot of listeners out there who'd love to hear more about your story.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

So the best place is my website, laurebratton.com has all the information about my speaking, the coaching, my book, all the information is there.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

And how can we follow you on social media? The best place is LinkedIn. I'm active on LinkedIn. So I'd love to love to connect on LinkedIn.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Awesome. Okay, and don't forget, everyone, all the links that she mentions um are going to be available down below in the show notes, depending on where you're watching. Um, so you can get in touch with Laura. So as we're signing up, as we're wrapping up here, Laura, I want to know when you're coaching your clients, what's that big tip? What's like the biggest aha moment that your clients get with you? We want to know the good stuff.

Web Accessibility as Real Inclusion

SPEAKER_01 20:52

Know that in the midst of change, in the midst of adversity, and then the midst of working through overcoming whatever life situation it might be, you are enough.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Yes, I love that. That is amazing. I'm clapping for you. Oh my gosh, that is awesome. Yes, knowing, understanding, believing that you are enough. You don't have to produce anything, you don't have to do anything. You are worthy. I love that, Laura. Thank you so much. Yes, absolutely. This has been another fantastic episode of Overcome Yourself the podcast, and we will catch you guys next time on the next episode. I already said the name, so I'm not gonna say it again. Catch you guys next time. Bye.