From Losing Her Sight to Finding Her Power: Grit, Gratitude & Growth with Laura Bratton

At age nine, Laura Bratton was diagnosed with an eye disease and told she would become blind. By the time she finished high school, she had almost no usable vision and was deep in grief, anxiety and depression. Today, Laura is a keynote speaker, author of Harnessing Courage: Overcoming Adversity with Grit & Gratitude, and founder of Ubi Global, where she helps people navigate change with courage, grit and genuine gratitude.

In this conversation, we explore what it actually looks like to live with grief, how to support someone who’s struggling, and how to execute on your goals when perfectionism, fear and overthinking keep getting in the way. We also talk about gym anxiety, self‑compassion, trusting your intuition in a noisy world, and why simple daily movement can transform your mental health.

Listen if you want to learn:

🔸 How to permit yourself to grieve without feeling “weak”.

🔸 The difference between moving on and moving forward after loss.

🔸 A practical definition of grit you can apply today.

🔸 A simple way to practise gratitude without a journal.

🔸 How to handle the anxiety of walking into the gym for the first time.

🔸 Why “you are enough” is a starting point, not a slogan.

Connect with Laura Bratton:
Website: 

https://www.laurabratton.com

 Email: laura@laurabratton.com
 Book – Harnessing Courage: Overcoming Adversity with Grit & Gratitude: 

https://www.laurabratton.com/book

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts.  

Transcript

Laura Bratton 0:00

Do not want to paint the picture, or I don't want anyone to walk away from this and say, okay, she had the tragedy, and boom, it was positive life and Tyrion Rainbows. Said, okay, Laura, you only have one word. The one word would be permission. Laura, it's not about perfection, it's about progress. Believe that you are enough. The way I define grit is it's acknowledging that hard and still choosing to move forward.

Jack Graham 0:30

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to the True Form Podcast. Before we dive into today's episode, I just want to thank the legends at Lumiflex for sponsoring today's episode. I'm actually blown away how this little red light therapy device is dramatically improving my health, recovery, vitality. Later on in the episode, I'll tell you how I've been using it and why you should think about getting one yourself. But first, we'll dive into today's conversation to help us, you and me, find our true form. All good on my end. Recording. I'd never want to start and forget the press record. All right, Laura, I appreciate you coming on the show.

Laura Bratton 1:12

Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.

Jack Graham 1:15

This has been this episode's been booked in for quite a while now, and I've been excited since we booked it in. So it's been about a month and a half, I think, since we organized it. So I'd like to start with two words that really stood out: grit and gratitude. Two words that you don't really hear combined too often, but when you hear it together, it's like two powerful words combined. How did you come up with that? Or where did it start?

Laura Bratton 1:41

The honest answer is pure survival. How I came up with the two words is pure survival. And what put me in that pure survival was the life experience of going through teenage years and also losing my sight at the exact same time. So as you're a you know hormonal teenager and your bodies and hormones and motions are changing by the second, I was also going through the experience of losing all of my sight. So by the time I graduated from high school, I had what I have now, which is very limited light perception, but no usable vision. Fast forward to the end of grad school, when I thought back to that, how did I survive? Those were the two words that I kept coming back to again and again and again and over and over and over. So it was once I didn't feel that going through it, but I realized that looking back, and then now since that was, you know, 2010 when I graduated from grad school. So even then, from now, every single day, those are the two words that I live by and practice and are my foundation every single day. So it's not just something I experienced in the past, but something I live every single moment.

Jack Graham 3:16

That would have been hard. Like teenage years is hard enough, but to add in losing your sights, that yeah, I can't even imagine what that was like. Can you just dive into that a little bit? Because yeah, coming out the other side and just doing what you do now is just absolutely amazing. So it's obviously you've taken that experience and turning it into something positive. So I appreciate everything you're doing, but just maybe go back and sort of talk through what that was like.

Laura Bratton 3:45

Yes, thank you for saying that because I do not want to paint the picture or I don't want anyone to walk away from this and say, okay, she had the tragedy, and boom, it was positive life and curing rainbows. Because that was so much of that was all the stories I heard in those high school years. So I thought something was wrong with me. I thought something was wrong with me because I was deeply, deeply, deeply grieving. I was not only grieving my blindness, but I was grieving that normal teenage experience. I was grieving the opportunity to get my permit and then full driver's license. I was grieving just the teenagers pulling an all-nighter to finish a project or say up this crane for an exam. I had to start studying three weeks before the exam. So, again, that's what I mean about just those normal teenage markers. So I was deeply grieving two major losses at one time. And what that looked like practically on a day-to-day basis was my first initial quick reaction was denial. Oh, in a few years, this will be all over. In a few years, I'll get my vision back and I'll be 2020 again. Oh, if I just manifest hard enough, if I just pray hard enough, it'll all come back magically. I didn't believe that, but that was their survival technique to get me through those initial days. Once the denial wore off, it was a level of anxiety and a level of depression I cannot put into words. And even now, even though I physically went through it, I still think back and say, How did I survive? Because the grief, the panic attacks, the depression were so incredibly deep. So I don't just mean, oh, I was worried, you know, like I mean literally constant panic attacks throughout the day. And I was so heavily medicated with anti-anxiety, sleep medication, antidepressant.

Jack Graham 6:07

Basically, my body was a zombie walking around. Wow. I did want to go into grief as well. Like you're a grief counsellor now. Yes. Your story is unique, but I think a lot of people do go through that through the teenage years. They feel like they don't fit in. They, you know, whatever they're going through, everybody experiences teenage years very differently. And coming out the other side, um, like sadly, I've I've known a few people and had a few friends that didn't make it through the other side. So what I'd like to dive into is that grief period. And when you can I guess from both points of view, if you're going through something like that, how should you be dealing with it? But also from a friend or loved one, how should you approach that person that you can see is going through some sort of period like that and help them get through it and grieve those situations whether it's you know losing a loved one, losing losing some sort of bodily function or just you know, your teenage years that you didn't really get to experience?

Laura Bratton 7:18

Oh, I love talking about this because it's empowerment, empowerment, empowerment. So, first let's talk about how just the grief perspective from the actual person going through it, and then from the support. So, the first thing I want to say to the person going through it, if I could only, if you like said, okay, Laura, you only have one word. The one word would be permission. I want you to hear both of us saying to you, you have permission to grieve. And I say that because we so quickly jump to the conclusion, I grieve for a week, I'm over it. Right? Or I should be over it, right? Like we often think of grief as weakness. Our grief should be, you know, three weeks and I'm done. A short time frame. And that was my experience, and that is the experience of so many people I've worked with from all over the world, not just a specific like me from the southeast United States, but all over the world. It's like we think we're supposed to magically get over it. There's no getting over it, people. This was a major event that it changed the course of our life. So that's why I say if it was one word, it would be permission. Give yourself permission to acknowledge a grief, to sit in the grief, and not sit in the grief like sit wallow victim. Sit in the grief to validate the pain. Let yourself feel this scares me to my core. This makes me angry beyond words. I just feel like I want to cry the rest of my life. Whatever that feeling is for you that grief is bringing, let yourself feel it and validate it. Rather than saying, I shouldn't be this angry, I shouldn't be this sad, I shouldn't be this anxious, just let yourself sit in it. I cannot say that enough. Because when you sit in it, it goes away. And not magically like snap your fingers again, rainbows and unicorns, but it goes away, like it slowly trickles out of your body when we turn towards our pain.

Jack Graham 9:57

So, any suggestions on how to go into it? Because sometimes it's very uncomfortable and you don't really want to feel those emotions. So, how can we sit in it? Like, how is it what's a good way to get into those emotions and sit in it?

Laura Bratton 10:10

Um that I'm so glad you asked because that leads to the support around us. Okay. And that leads to perfectly talking about that second question you asked of how can others support us? So, my best recommendation is with, like you said, that anger scares us, right? Or the overwhelm scares us, or the scaring, the feeling scared scares us. So it feels like it's too much for us to go into alone. That's when you tap into the support of others. And that support could be one trusted friend, one trusted family member, it could be your pet. It could be just being out in nature itself, just allowing nature to hold that anger for you. It could be music, it could be art, like drawing out what that anger, what that scared feeling looks like to you. But it's allowing another being to hold that emotion and to support you in that emotion. So then the answer to how do we support those in grief is listen, listen, listen. We so instantly, and I do this, and I'm absolutely trained in it, so I totally get it. It's natural and it's our human nature. When someone comes to us in griefs, we won't instantly fix, instantly take the pain away. Give them a 12-step to-do list, right? Like, do this, this, and this, and you'll be great, honey. And you'll sleep really good tonight, right? Because that makes us feel better. It's like, oh my god, I got to buy their pain. That's great. That just adds on one more thing to do. All we need is someone to listen to our pain, to listen to our grief, not fix, not jump to conclusion, just listen and then validate. And exactly what you said at the beginning of this conversation. I can imagine what that was like. That is just harder than I can comprehend. If we if we could rewind and I was back in high school, that would just you saying that to me would have been so healing. You didn't say, all right, you need to learn Braille, okay, you need to learn technology, okay, you need to learn a cane or a guide dog. That would have made me more anxious, right? All you said was you acknowledge my feeling. Does that make sense when I say the difference? Like, even in you, could you just kind of feel the anxiety when I was like, okay, use the cane, the guide dog, and technology for help. It's like you just tense up inside, right?

Jack Graham 12:59

Yep.

Laura Bratton 12:59

But when you just listen.

Jack Graham 13:03

Yeah, I agree. That's been a hard lesson for me to learn as well as a personal trainer. Like, that's when somebody comes with me with a problem, it's like, okay, well, do this, this, and this, and go and do it, and that'll achieve your goal. So when it comes to listening, that's been a hard lesson to learn. That just I just need to sit down, shut up, and listen, and yeah.

Laura Bratton 13:20

And here's the last thing I want to say: that is enough. For you as the person supporting, know that that listening, sitting down is shutting up exactly how you said it, that is enough. Because I feel like everyone says to me, Oh, but I feel like I'm not doing enough. I feel like I'm not helping them enough. That is more than they need. So when we can reframe listening is enough, listening is actually doing something, that makes it easier to just sit there and be quiet.

Jack Graham 13:55

100%. I love that. You did say something that was I've always pondered on. So I'm excited to dive into it, which is getting over it. A lot of people, where like especially when it comes to relationships or you know, a loved one passing, it's always like, oh, just give it time, grieve, and then you'll get over it. Should you get over it? Like, is there a point where it's just like done and it doesn't exist anymore? I've always thought that it should always exist in a part of you, and you just accept that grief.

Laura Bratton 14:28

The best way I can answer that is to illustrate it from my own life. I used to think get over the fact that you lost your sight. Seriously? Absolutely not. Like I even now in my 40s, yes, I'm well adjusted. Yes, I'm adapted, yes, the exception, my blindness. But you perfectly said it. I'm is I'm not over the fact that I lost my sight because I still have to deal every single day being blind in a sight of the world. So both can be true at the exact same time. We can grieve that major loss, we can grieve that physical part of us that we lost. So, for example, I can grieve my blindness, yet I can still move forward. So I totally agree with what you said. I do not believe we're just supposed to get over it and move on. I feel like we're supposed to feel like a way to live with it and move forward.

Jack Graham 15:38

I've had these little red lights, Lumiflex Body Pro, for a few weeks now, and it goes with me everywhere and it goes on me everywhere. I love putting this on my belly in the morning just to help my digestion get rolling. Any little niggles I've had from training the day before goes on there a few rounds and I'm ready to jump back into the gym. It's absolutely crazy how fast you can feel the effects of this red light therapy device. It comes with these amazing little straps that you can literally strap it to any part of your body, joints, limbs, anywhere. So anywhere you need a little bit extra recovery, it can do that. A couple of rounds of the red lights, and you are good to go. And you can get access to Lumaflex Academy, where you can actually start learning about the benefits of red light therapy and how to use it properly so you can actually see the benefits in your body as well. So check out the link, lumiflex.com.au, use the code TrueForm and get 10% off your Lumiflex products. Anything else on that then before we move on, like being able to live with something and then like continue with that grief? Because like I said, a lot of like I went through a breakup two years ago or something like that, and a lot of the time people are like, oh, you just got to get over like do this, this, and this, and you'll be over it, and then you can move on. So like I sort of feel like it's just always that, you know, you'll get over it soon, or you know, people put time frames on it, especially when it comes to breakups like for every month, every year, it's one month, or whatever it is. So is there any way that you can sort of like I guess practical tips you can start going into that grief and then start accepting it to move on?

Laura Bratton 17:17

Self-compassion. Self-compassion is absolutely the first tip and first advice I can give to move through it rather than because basically, when we're saying and using your example as an as an example, just get over your breakup. You know, like that that's minimizing your pain. That's basically saying swallow your feelings, ignore your feelings, and move on, right? But if you offer self-compassion, that's saying, okay, this breakup was really, really hard for me. I wasn't planning on this, this wasn't in my life plan for the next 10, 15, 40 years. So I choose to acknowledge that this is hard for me, and I will love myself enough to figure out a way to move forward. So that self-compassion is allowing yourself to acknowledge how you're feeling and love yourself enough to move forward. So it's not getting over it like sucking up, swallowing the feelings, push on so you don't feel it anymore. It's how do I love myself and be gentle enough to myself to support myself as I go through. And the best way that I can explain that to people is how would you talk to your best friend? You would not say your best friend, hey, get over it, suck it up, move on, right? But that's exactly what we said to ourselves. You would say to yourself, hey, I'm here for you. Call me at 3 a.m. if you need to, you know, call me when you need to vent, call me when you meet someone else. Like you would say it all, right? You wouldn't just say, hey, call me at 3 a.m. for the rest of your life. You would say both. Call me at 3 a.m. and call me when you meet someone you're interested in. Do you see how both can be true at the same time?

Jack Graham 19:16

Yeah, yeah.

Laura Bratton 19:17

So it's not self-compassion staying victim for the rest of your life and saying, oh, poor pitiful me. I want this breakup, I didn't see that coming. Let me wallow in that. It's saying both. Let me acknowledge that and then still choose to move forward and do both at the same time. So that's self-compassion.

Jack Graham 19:41

Yeah, and I love that. Like when you say self-compassion, people can get a little bit scared, but excuse me, you're literally just sitting in those emotions and feeling what you're feeling and accepting that. Like just that's all you're doing.

Laura Bratton 19:52

That's all acknowledge it. That's all you're doing. Yeah, if I could sum up again, self-compassion in one word, acknowledge.

Jack Graham 20:01

Speaking of acknowledge, I on this podcast, I am I always talk about bringing awareness to people, like being aware, like we you could just say it relates to what we were just talking about, being aware of those feelings, being able to just quiet the noise, sit down with yourself and just be aware of the world around you, your feelings, whatever you're trying to look into and achieve. But when it comes to sight, like I I want you to sort of go into like seeing and reframing the sight, because a lot of what we see in the world isn't actually us. Like I was saying before, this podcast is a way to bring out th their true self, like somebody listening, I want you to find your true self and who you are. And it's hard to see what that is sometimes. And people just sort of sit and what they look at is what they think they see, but there's a lot happening in the background, like your brain can tell you all sorts of weird things. And I don't think actually like visually seeing something is what you see. There's like I said, there's a lot more going on there. And like you went from being able to see and then not being able to see, and then still absolutely killing it in life and inspiring people. So it's not necessarily your vision that like was going to achieve that anyway. I I think that you I believe that you were gonna do that anyway. So can you sort of reframe, I guess, being able to see? I don't know if that makes sense at all.

Laura Bratton 21:34

Absolutely, and immediately what I'm thinking of is it's our deep intuition. The awareness comes to that intuition within us. And that's what I've learned, and that's a perspective I've gained through this experience. Like you said, yes, we assume it's our physical. 2020 vision giving us the awareness, giving us the acknowledgement, right?

Jack Graham 22:05

Yep.

Laura Bratton 22:06

I've learned it's our intuition, it's our deep, just inner being. An example of that, again, to make this concrete every day, like, okay, that sounds woo-woo. What are you talking about, person? A very practical example of that is someone I can have a conversation with them and they can present, put together and confident, and they have the latest iPhone and the latest computer and the latest jewelry and shoes. But yet what I'm hearing in their voice is deep panic. And typically, let's say if it's someone I'm working with, let's just use that for an example. If it's someone I work with and and I gently, what about the anxiety? Is like I've opened Pandora's box. Then they'll talk for hours about their anxiety. And when we get to the root, is they're they're panicked at their core, they're overwhelmed at their core, they're presenting and dressed like a million dollars, right? But I my instant intuition is picking up that anxiety. Now, when it's interactive, the reason I say someone I work with, when it's the interaction out in the world, clearly I'm not gonna say to them, like, I think you're deeply anxious. That would just be weird. I'm not saying it out in the world, but I'm just holding that information kind of in my mind. So does that make sense of it's it's just that deeper intuition we say through our words, we say through our tone, we say just through our aura, through our energy. Yeah, 100% we can present as a confident as we want to present. But that when that aura and energy is not presenting confidence, it's so obvious to me.

Jack Graham 24:10

Yeah, and I 100% agree, and that makes like total sense. I guess to bring that into my sort of world, right? I think people like visually they'll see a fit person with that six-pack and all muscles all over them, and they use that visual cue to go, oh well, they know what they're doing, so I'll buy whatever they're selling. Where if you stop, like just don't even look at it and listen to what they're saying, you it does come through insecure, and that they are trying to sell you whatever they're trying to sell you to just to make money. They don't really care about your overall health and wellness.

Laura Bratton 24:44

Yes. 100%.

Jack Graham 24:46

100%. Is it uh from your perspective, is there any way that people can sort of, I guess, see that and trust their intuition a little bit more? Is there any ways that you I don't know, can pass on that, you know, that intuition can like again come across very woo-woo, but I think it's very important and now more than ever, because there's so many outside influences and we don't know if they're real, like AI's making very good ways to sell you stuff or influence you, social media. So is there any ways that you can think of that would help people just tap into that intuition or just not even intuition, just being able to see the world for what it is?

Laura Bratton 25:36

Believe that you and meaning the the individual, believe that you are enough. And I say that because when we focus and turn towards ourselves and say, I believe that I'm enough. Yes, life's hard, yes, life's overwhelming, and I believe I'm enough, we then operate from the perspective, I'm enough. So that gives us that self-compassion, that grounding. So we're not constantly grasping for, I need this supplement, I need that facial cream, like right. Then we're not grasping for anything and everything to make us enough. So when we can come from that inner place of, I believe that I'm enough because I am who I am. Yes, I'm still gonna focus on growing. That doesn't mean we just sit and eat Oreo the whole day. But like when we focus from that mindset of I'm enough because I'm me, and I'm gonna focus on personal growth from there, that's a place of confidence, a place of grounding that we're then we're not constantly reaching out to look for people to validate us.

Jack Graham 26:56

Yeah, I love that. And I said, when you're enough, you don't want all those outside things, but you start realizing that you know you you do love yourself and you want to improve that self. And that comes from you know, eating healthy, exercising, doing all the things that actually make you healthy rather than 100% makeup, the face creams, all that sort of stuff.

Laura Bratton 27:18

100% because there's that's a completely different reason, right? When you're reaching out for the makeup, the face creams, the workout routines, it's like you're doing it in desperation to say to the world, I'm enough, I'm enough. Really, do you think I'm enough now? But but then when you're coming for that place of, I know I'm enough, I believe I'm enough, and so I'm gonna focus on that routine and that workout routine, that's a totally different mindset. One is like coming from desperation, one is from a grounded, confident place.

Jack Graham 27:55

Yeah, and when you get rid of all that other stuff, you actually have more time to do the things that you want to, and then would actually improve your overall health, wellness, and mindset.

Laura Bratton 28:05

All by it, just just that alone will improve it, right? That is so true. Yeah. We all need to rewind and listen to that about 12 times.

Jack Graham 28:15

Definitely 100%. It's easier said than done, that's for sure. This might sort of transition into where I wanted to go next is execution. I've I've had a lot of good conversations over the last couple of weeks with three really good trainers, athletes, coaches, whatever all three of them did all three. They're amazing people doing these amazing things. And what I find is execution. They're very good at executing things. Like whether it is training, business, one was another podcast host, but they execute those things, but they have a plan, they think about it, they put a framework in place, and then they execute. And execution is the one big thing that I think a lot of people struggle with. Like when it comes to health and fitness, people will get all excited, watch that YouTube clip or the reel, they're like, yes, I'm gonna go to the gym tomorrow, they'll lay out their clothes, get their gym stuff ready, and then when the morning comes and they need to execute and go to the gym, that's that that's the big barrier. Like there's a barrier of actually being excited and then execution. And all three of them have sort of said that you just gotta limit the barriers of you know from that excitement to execution. You just lay it all out, make it as simple as possible, remove all the barriers so you can actually execute a lot easier. However, you've lost your sight, which is a big barrier to execution. And like I said before, I do believe you would be doing what you're doing now. It's just you have been dealt with uh losing your sight. So there's a big barrier of you executing things, but you're still executing, you're still absolutely smashing it, you're inspiring people, you're helping people, you're getting everything done. So can you just talk on that excitement, being excited to help people, but then actually executing that as well?

Laura Bratton 30:12

So a coach said to me one time, Laura, it's not about perfection, it's about progress. And when she said that to me, it was like she unlocked, she had the key that unlocked everything. Because I feel like from my own experience, when I think about the execution, I was afraid to move forward. I was afraid to execute because what if it wasn't good enough? What if I failed? What if it made me anxious? What if it was harder than I thought it was going to be? It was all the what ifs because I was focused on perfection. When I could shift my mindset to the execution is trying, the execution is getting up in the morning, like with your example, getting up in the morning, putting on those workout clothes, and just going to the job. Maybe walking on the treadmill, lifting those weights, doing what you're going to do is way harder. At least you tried, at least you started, and that's progress. So when I could reframe, and the people I work with can reframe letting go of that perfectionist mindset and that just showing up and trying and trusting ourselves, that being enough, that helps us better execute.

Jack Graham 31:41

Because then it takes the struggle away and the what if I fail? Yeah, takes all those what ifs away. And I I love that. Like you're just trying to do something, you're not trying to be perfection. Like I said, when it comes, especially when it comes to the gym, people see all these exercise videos, reels of how it should be, like what exercise is perfect, you've got to do it this way, you got to follow this kind of program, and it's just overwhelming. And you think, oh, I've got to do all these per perfect things, otherwise, I'm not gonna get any results. But if you just turn up and have a go and just try, that is success and that is execution.

Laura Bratton 32:23

Yes, that is perfect, and that that that goes across all areas of our life.

Jack Graham 32:29

100%.

Laura Bratton 32:30

Just show up and try and see what happens. Maybe you don't do the stretch in perfect form, but you did it, right? Like, so you can try it again tomorrow. So, yes, that's a perfect analogy.

Jack Graham 32:44

Have you got any real-world examples? So when you graduated and you're figuring out what to do and where you wanted to go, have you got any examples of you just getting out there trying, maybe failing or succeeding?

Laura Bratton 32:58

1000%. Where do you want me to start? Absolutely. And here's the thing. Again, the key was trying. And and I I want to give a very specific example that makes me laugh now. And I was like, oh my gosh, I want to shake my head and be like, seriously, to my younger self. But again, at least I was trying. So let me give some quick backstory before I give the exact example and it'll illustrate where I'm going. So after grad school and all through, you know, college, high school, grad school, everything, people are saying to me, come and speak, come and speak, come and speak. You should be a professional speaker. And I'm thinking, guys, I'm trying to like know the difference in orange juice and milk in my refrigerator. I have nothing to speak on this, it's like this worth anything. So then I finally realized, oh, maybe this is not normal to go through this experience I've gone through and still survive, right? Maybe I should speak. So I started speaking, and oh my gosh, I'm embarrassed to say, like, literally, some of those first speeches were okay, this happened, and then that happened, and then that happened. And I literally told the crime story. Like, I feel bad for the people in the audience. Because all I did was tell my story. Truly, this happened and that happened, and I it was nothing for the audience to take away. It was all about like me and this experience. That was terrible. They could walk away with nothing, right? Because I was telling my story is all about me. Then once I started working with coaches, they could thankfully, like harshly, some gently, some harshly, say, uh, you're doing it all wrong, sister. You gotta talk about what have you learned from your experience and how what has you learned going to apply to the audience. So I share all that long story to say. Yes, I could look back and judge myself and be critical and be like, oh my gosh, that was terrible. What was I thinking? Or I could look back and say, I tried and I showed up and I started speaking. And now it has led to a career of where I figured out the theme of what I want to speak on, and it led me to a place of speaking now to corporations where I'm giving them actionable practical takeaways that they can apply to their company. So, yes, those first speeches were absolutely embarrassing and terrible, and like, oh my gosh, the audience walked away with absolutely nothing to take away. Yet it was me showing up and trying. So, again, I know that was super long to answer your question, but I say that to say it was trying, not perfection.

Jack Graham 36:15

But over time, like you said, you just turn up and sh trying and trying, trying. And this I'm guessing that was the start of all the how you came up, the framework of the grit and gratitude framework.

Laura Bratton 36:28

Right.

Jack Graham 36:29

Just trial and error, trial and error, trying to get better. And then well, maybe you can touch on the grit and gratitude framework and how that applied to your real life and then how we can use it.

Laura Bratton 36:40

Perfect. So I just want to quickly say to anyone and everyone listening, just show up. Take the pressure off yourself to get it perfect. If it's something you're passionate about, if where it's career or if it's personal, it does not have to be perfect when you first try. Just try. Don't be afraid to fail. It's not failure when you just show up and try. Use my crazy example to know, and it gives you permission just to put your toe in the water and try.

Jack Graham 37:19

Love that.

Laura Bratton 37:20

Yes, to answer your question. That's exactly how I came up with the grit, the framework of grit and gratitude. And I want to describe how I define each of those terms to empower each of you of how you can take the grit and take the gratitude to apply it to the change, to apply it to the adversity that you're going through. So grit is not what we were talking about earlier of get over it, suck it up, swallow the emotions, right? The way I define grit is it's acknowledging that hard and still choosing to move forward. So it's acknowledging that anxiety, acknowledging the panic attack, and choosing, I'm gonna do what I need to do to work through this panic attack and just still move forward. So it's not saying I'm going to wait until it's all over and life is smooth, then I'll move forward. It's doing both at the same time. That script of saying this is hard, and I'm moving forward. And I'll give a real world example. Just as I was saying earlier, I've been doing this forever, but I need these tools every single day. I had to send a work email earlier that made me super anxious. So I wrote the email, I read it about 12 times, and even though I was still anxious, I pressed the send button. I was still anxious after I pressed that sent button. But the point is, I didn't. So it's not waiting until my anxiety goes away and then pressing the send button. It's saying, okay, press it and trust yourself and move on. So that's the grit. And so that's how you can apply it in your change and your adversity. Choose to acknowledge what you're feeling and then still move forward with your plans, with that hard email, that hard conversation, whatever it is that you need to move forward from. It's not being grateful, like positive Pollyanna covering up the pain. So I want to make that very, very, very clear. It's not gratitude to minimize your pain. Yeah, you lost your sight, but be grateful, you have support, get over it, right? Like it's not minimizing the change, the adversity, the loss you're experiencing. What gratitude is, is being grateful, appreciative, thankful for what helps us navigate through life, through the hard, through the difficult, through the mundane. So again, a real world example, it's not me saying at the end of the day, oh, I'm so grateful for blindness. It's me saying at the end of the day, I'm thankful for the guide dog that helped me navigate through the day. So again, I want to make it very, very clear, and I can't say enough, it's not the false joy, happy, positive, everything's cheery, everything's gonna be turned into a life lesson. It's not all the rah-rah. It's acknowledging in life what helps you get through. And that gratitude becomes a source of healing, a source of strength, a source that's our foundation.

Jack Graham 41:08

A bunch of my clients are now using these amazing little red light therapy devices from the legends at Lumiflex. And it's awesome to see the effects with my own eyes. I've been telling everybody how these things just improve your overall health and wellness, but your recovery as well. I've even had one client use it as a part of her recovery protocol after getting PRP in her elbow. And a physio cannot believe how fast the pain went away, and she can start doing the exercises she need to to strengthen up that elbow. Other clients just love it after a hard session. Like we do a big leg session, they use it on their leg a couple of rounds, and they know the next day that they can still get up out of the chair, which is we we all know that feeling, so it's good to have that the next day. But you can use literally because of the design. Like I had the uh the owner, the founder, the CEO, John on the podcast talking about this, but he didn't talk about the design. The design is absolutely amazing. Like you know he's put a lot of effort into it because you can literally put this on any body part. You see these little slithers, you get straps and you can put it on your shoulder, arm, back, head, sides, anywhere on your legs, anywhere you want, it can go. So you know you're gonna get the benefits and it's gonna help that body part recover. So if you want to check them out and learn a little bit more about red light therapy device, check out the link in the descriptions or scan this QR code. When you're ready to get your own one, make sure you use the code TrueForm at checkout to get 10% off your Lumiflex products. I absolutely love that. And uh it's just a good way of thinking about things. Can I give you a real-world example and maybe just go through the grit and gratitude?

Laura Bratton 42:54

Yes, please, that'd be perfect.

Jack Graham 42:57

Um gyms are very intimidating places, and especially for females going for the first time, it can be quite intimidating, and you overthink of what's actually going to be inside. Everybody thinks there's big muscle guys grunting and screaming and slapping each other all over the and maybe some gyms are like that, not the one I work at, but it's just very nerve-wracking, and a lot of the time, just that execution is just going to the gym because they get so nervous, they're anxious of just walking, and sometimes they'll even get to the gym and not go inside because they're so anxious. How can we use that framework to get them in the gym and just starting to work out?

Laura Bratton 43:42

This is where that support comes in. So if if there's that friend they can text or call when they're sitting in the parking, like, oh my god, I can't go in. And that friend can say, I know, I got you, I was there, walk through the door. Or That if they could walk in the door and let's say you they're meeting you for that first personal training session, if they can just walk in the door and you can say to them, I know it's so nerve-wracking to be here for the first day, it's okay. You got this. Or if they can, vice versa, if they can say to you, Oh my gosh, I was so nervous, I think I might throw up. So if I like run out and you know, 10 minutes after we've been together, I might just run out, right? If you can just acknowledge the nerves, that helps take the nerves away. So if anyone in that example that's why I say support, either support of you calling someone and they say, I know that's nerve-wracking, I'm thinking about you as you walk through the door, or if you as a trainer can just acknowledge to them, hey, I know it took a lot of courage to get in the door. I know you probably have a lot of butterflies walking in the door, or just if they can say it to you, hey, I'm really nervous being here for the first time today. But the point is you acknowledge your nerves and you still do it, and you don't wait until your nerves are over. That's the key.

Jack Graham 45:18

Yeah, I I love how you frame that. It's just like, especially if somebody is nervous going into something, they can acknowledge it and then they walk through that. That is like still grit. And I love that. Can I say one last thing on that? Of course, yeah, go for it.

Laura Bratton 45:36

Okay, this is where this circles back to when I was talking about the intuition. Let's say, for example, sake, I walk in and I'm meeting with you for a personal training session for the first time. When you see me approaching you, if you tell by my body language or you tell by just my facial expression or even my voice when I say, you know, hello for the first time that I'm super anxious, just you don't just say, hey girl, hey person, I know you're anxious, but just say, hey, you're probably really anxious for this first one. Like if you perceive they're anxious, just name it. That is so deeply healing. Because then they know, okay, it's it's okay to be anxious and show up in this time, in this first session. So I just want to give you, as the trainer, permission, if you feel that nervousness in them, just call it out.

Jack Graham 46:36

Yeah.

Laura Bratton 46:36

I and that's the grip for them.

Jack Graham 46:39

Yeah. I and I appreciate that a lot, and it's something I need to start practicing and implementing a lot more for sure. Let's dive into gratitude a little bit deeper. It's thrown around a lot, that word, gratitude, and people say to do it in many different ways. Journal, think, sit down at the start of your day, practice gratitude. Is there any ways that uh can you I know you've defined it and I love how you've explained it, but is there any practical ways that people should be implementing gratitude? Should we be sitting down and journaling every day about it?

Laura Bratton 47:18

No. Because when I tell if they that's what they exactly what they ask me, like, oh my gosh, journaling's your thing, 100%. If journaling's not your thing, no. Here's the key to gratitude: it's integrated into our everyday life, it's not something we do separate, it's what we do in our day. So, what I recommend for everyone that I work with is at the end of your day, let's say you typically go to bed at, you know, nine o'clock. So at eight o'clock, eight fifteen, you're starting to like wind down your day, brush your teeth, get ready for bed. Put a reminder on your phone that will just remind you, and all it says is gratitude. When you see that reminder, as you're brushing your teeth, as you're, you know, checking the thermostat in your house, you know, all those things at the end of the day, just think back of your day. Okay, what are the three things I'm grateful for from today? So as you do that over time, the way our brains work, when we do that repeatedly, then throughout the day, things we're grateful for just start to pop up in our mind. So it's no longer three things every night. It's just you have a phone call and you hang up and you're like, I'm grateful that phone call's over. You're like, grateful, I'm still alive. That phone call's done. That or that wasn't near as bad as I thought it was gonna be. The gratitude slowly starts to happen throughout our day. But before we get there, what I recommend to get you there is just put that little reminder on your phone. Or a lot of people like write the word gratitude and stick it on their mirror that just reminds you at the end of the day, as you're wrapping up your day, what am I groping for from today? And that's the key from today. Because we all say family-friends shelter, right? We all say those big things. I got hot water and electricity. We all say those big overarching things, and we don't make it specific to our day. And then the other last thing I want to, again, goes back to permission. I want to give everybody, it's not three miraculous things for the day. I won the lottery, I got a thousand dollars, my bank account, I wasn't expecting, you know. It's not the huge miraculous things. It's I am so thankful today's over and it's time to go to bed. I'm thankful that tomorrow is gonna be, I think it's gonna be easier than today was. Again, it's not the miraculous life-changing, life-shattering things. It can be, wow, that chocolate I ate lunch today was really, really great. I'm really, really grateful for that chocolate. I really needed that boost today. So it can be those small, mundane parts of our day we don't even consider and don't even think is worth thinking.

Jack Graham 50:35

And I'm glad you said that. I I think sitting down and journaling is good. If, like you said, if that's what people love doing, then yeah, go for it. But you just for most people, you're just adding more barriers in.

Laura Bratton 50:47

They've got to go buy a little book, they've got to go, they've got to have a big pen.

Jack Graham 50:52

Yeah, it's gotta be the perfect little diary to write in. And then, like you said, when they sit down, they've got to think of these big things because they're they put all this effort in, so it's like, oh, well, now I've got to think of a big thing that I'm grateful for. And after three days, it's the same thing over and over and over. And uh, I like how you said you sort of said like people forget to be grateful for the bad things as well. Like you said, that bad phone call, like a good example, like, oh, I'm glad like that was a hard phone call. Like, maybe I was getting yelled at, or I was you had to yell at someone, like, not yell, don't fire someone.

Laura Bratton 51:24

I literally had this conversation with every yesterday, an HR director, that she was like, Oh my gosh, I'm so worried because I have to, you know, let someone go tomorrow. So yeah, it's just those everyday perspectives.

Jack Graham 51:40

Yeah, and just being grateful that you know that was a bad experience, but you went through it and it's done. And I think a lot of people aren't grateful for that as well. And um, I think a lot of people just need to add it into their vocabulary as well, not just sit there thinking about it or writing it down, but actually say, I am grateful for or I appreciate that. Like using the words rather than just the words.

Laura Bratton 52:06

Okay, you just made me think of something I forgot to say. The way that you can use those words is start getting in the habit of saying thank you to others. Thank you. And I don't mean like loved ones, like, oh, bro, annoying. Like, thank you for every time they do everything. And that's if it's annoying, then they tune you out. It's a cashier at the grocery store. You know, thank you. That the person that randomly holds the door as you're walking out of the grocery store. Thank you. You know, just acknowledging what people do as they do it again. So it's not one more thing on our to-do list, it's just we verbally say thank you to the people around us.

Jack Graham 52:46

Yep. Love that. All right, before we start wrapping up, I've got one question to finish us off, but I feel like you you can't use gratitude as your answer. You have to think of something else. If you could get every single person to do one thing every single day to improve their overall health, wellness, mindset, and it had to be a practical thing, what would you get of everybody to do?

Laura Bratton 53:19

Promise I'm not saying this because of what you do. I mean this very, very, very deeply. I'm not I'm a hundred percent not saying this because of your profession. So can I still say it? Of course. Exercise. The gift of just exercising, I cannot tell you how it has helped my anxiety, how it's improved my sleep, how it's helped my depression, how it's helped me be less judgy in my mind and less critical to myself. And I do not mean that exercise like six hours a day, you know, three hours in the morning, three hours at night, right? Like swim for three hours at lunch. I don't mean that like intense, it's never enough exercise. Just get out and walk 30 minutes. Do the elliptical for five minutes a day. If that's all you can do, whatever the exercise is, it doesn't matter. Just be out in nature for five minutes and just walk in circles if you need to. Again, that I don't mean intense some bodybuilder exercise, just moving our body. I cannot say enough about how it helps our mindset and helps our self-confidence.

Jack Graham 54:45

100% agree, and I appreciate you saying that for sure. And like where have you always worked out? Like you said, it's just helped so much with your anxiety. Yes, mindset.

Laura Bratton 54:57

Well, again, and it circles back to survival, right? I didn't do it because I had this brilliant insight of like, oh, exercise will help me. You know, like it was just out of pure survival. I just tried it, and and it deeply impacted my belief. I mean, just my overall well-being, my confidence, my belief in myself. So, yes, I can't, regardless of age, regardless, I come from an extremely athletic family. So people say, Oh, yeah, that's easy for you to say, but I don't mean it like that. I regardless of your background, regardless of what you're doing present, it works.

Jack Graham 55:41

And that's it's hard to communicate that to people without them trying it for sure. Like once you get into it and you start doing it, it's like, ah, this does work and it does feel amazing. And just on that note, like it doesn't have to be perfect, like we're saying. Like you don't have to have the perfect workout program, it doesn't have to be the perfect gym setup. Just you can go for a walk. Doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't have to be a perfect walk.

Laura Bratton 56:05

That and that again, take the pressure off yourself. It has to be a perfect, you have to run a marathon by the end of the week, right? Like take the pressure off of there's some huge goal at the end. And that's what I mean of just a walk outside for five minutes. And just if it's just walking to the mailbox like three times a day, right? Like just to get out and try something, that's enough. And then you see, wow, I feel better.

Jack Graham 56:39

Any final thoughts for the audience? We've covered a lot in this, so I feel like they're gonna get a lot out of this episode. I've got a lot out of it. It's the best way to start the day.

Laura Bratton 56:50

My final thoughts, and I I said it before, but just it is all sums up to trust that you are enough, and know that leaning on support and asking for support is not a weakness.

Jack Graham 57:13

Love that. Laura, appreciate your time, appreciate your energy and everything you're doing. If people want to connect with you and learn more, where can they find you?

Laura Bratton 57:23

The best place is my website. LauraBratton.com has all the resources on the speaking, the coaching, buy my book, reaching out, just connecting, it's all on the website.

Jack Graham 57:36

Amazing. I'll link it all in the show notes. Laura, thanks again.

Laura Bratton 57:41

Absolutely. Thank you for this platform.

Jack Graham 57:44

What is up? Thanks for being here at the end of the episode. Obviously, you've enjoyed it and it's helped you find your true form. And I bet you know somebody that's gonna help find their true form as well. So I'd appreciate it if you could copy this show link, send it to one friend or family member, and say, hey, have a listen to this. It's gonna help you find your true form. They'll probably have no idea what you're talking about, but it will help them. And I appreciate if you could do that. Uh, also, all podcast platforms these days have some sort of algorithm. So the more you interact with this episode, the better it's gonna perform and help reach more people and help them find their true form as well. So, five star review, positive comment, like, share, comment, however, you can interact with the episode. I'd appreciate that, and everybody listening that hasn't heard of the true form podcast is gonna appreciate it as well.