The Conn3ction Coach

  A few weeks ago, I was talking to one of my mentors about some of the tougher things I’ve been through in life. At one point she paused and asked, “Do you ever rage?” I responded with something along the lines of “huh?”.   “Yeah,” she said, “do you ever get really angry and just allow yourself to let it out and rage? Smash plates, scream into a pillow, etc.?” I laughed and responded, “Of course not.”   She also knows this about me: I was raised by a mom and grandmother who were true Southern ladies. Growing up I wasn’t allowed (or was strongly encouraged not to) raise my voice, disagree, or even have an unpleasant look on my face out in public. My mom and grandmother wanted me to act like a lady, and anything considered unladylike was met with a stern, “Laura Lee, that’s not polite.” Considering the way I was raised and conditioned, raging was out of the question.   Teaching clients how to develop a better relationship with their emotions is a fundament...

Work ethic: this was a family value in the Gilliland household. My parents modeled hard work ethics for me throughout my childhood growing up, and I think I’ve carried the family value on. In fact, it caught on for me pretty early.  I won’t deny that I’ve been blessed with some talents and gifts, but I will say without hesitation that I’ve never been the best at anything naturally. Anything I’ve accomplished, I’ve had to work hard for it. Whether it meant staying up past my bedtime to earn an A on a math test in high school, or spending hours out in our driveway hitting shot after shot so I could contribute a few points for my team when it was game day, I have always been willing to put in the work to make things happen.  This trend continued as a young adult. I did well in college, but I definitely put in a LOT of extra time prepping for the LSAT to get a score that would allow me to get into a decent law school. And once I got to law school, I realized the material didn’t co...