Laura Davis

I write books that change peoples' lives. The Courage to Heal and The Courage to Heal Workbook have paved the way for hundreds of thousands of women and men to heal from the trauma of sexual abuse. Becoming the Parent You Want to Be, a rich resource guide co-authored with parenting expert Janis Keyser, helps parents develop a vision for the families they want to create. And the first book I wrote inspired by my relationship with my mother, I Thought We'd Never Speak Again: The Road from Estrangement to Reconciliation teaches the skills of reconciliation and peace building to the world, one relationship at a time. My latest book, my first memoir: The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story, which tells the story of my dramatic and tumultuous relationship with my mother from the time of my birth until her death from a much more dramatic, intimate, and personal point of view. It gives a no-holds-barred peek at the real me-the woman behind the teacher, the facilitator, the author. In the course of my long career as a communicator, I have been a columnist, a talk show host, and a radio news reporter. My other passion—aside from writing—is teaching and encouraging others to write. I love building writing communities where people can find their voice, tell their stories and hone their craft.

I Spent a Long, Dreamy Day Resting in a Tiny Village in Portugal and Here’s What I’m Thinking About

When Brenda Porter and I were talking the other day about running another Creative Camino trip next year, I was clear about my position—it was a definite yes! I wanted to do it again. But I hadn’t been the person who had organized all the logistics, who had sent those hundreds of emails to hoteliers

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An Unexpected Lesson

“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can—there will always come a time when you are grateful you did.” —Sarah Caldwell Tell me about a life lesson you learned in a completely unexpected way from a completely unexpected source.

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COVID on the Camino, Day 5

I woke up at 5 AM this morning with a raw throat and a cough, feeling scared. Not that I was dangerously ill with Covid—though I was definitely still SICK—but because I was losing the sheltering cocoon and safety of the group. My plans going forward were not clear. My return ticket to the US

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COVID on the Camino, Day 4

My group just had their final art/writing class today and I wasn’t with them. I won’t be at tonight‘s final dinner either. However, they’re going to have a closing circle outdoors for an hour in the late afternoon/early evening and I will try to make that. I’m in my cozy cell/like room at the monastery

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A Respite and an Oasis

Today we walked 6.8 miles, about half the miles we walked yesterday. Piece of cake. It was so much easier, and so nice to stop earlier in the afternoon and get to relax. It was a much mellower day. The weather could not have been more perfect for hiking: warm with a little cool breeze.

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My Many Lives

“I have walked through many lives, some of them my own, and I am not who I was, though some principle of being abides, from which I struggle not to stray.” —Stanley Kunitz, The Layers Respond to these three prompts, each for fifteen minutes. Do them in a row: Who I used to be Who

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A 13.6 Mile Day

When we woke up this morning, it had been raining all night, so I assumed, as many of us did, that we’d be walking in the rain all day. So, we dressed for it, but then the rain never materialized. The sun came out, but it was never too hot. It was a perfect temperature

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The Things We Carry

We have a rest day today—no hiking—which means it will be a day dedicated to creativity. We called our pilgrimage the Creative Camino and today we’re focusing on the arts. I’ll be teaching a three-hour writing class this afternoon. Brenda taught a great three-hour watercolor session this morning. I love doing art with her. She’s

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