Aug 21, 2017
This episode is a little different than the typical health and wellness conversations we’ve had so far on the show. That said, there are significant ties to our health, living well, and ultimately making a significant positive impact on the world.
Our guest for today, Laura Pavlakovich, is a creative at heart, but her true path was not presented to her until she, as she describes it, “escaped the bubble” of life in a comfortable Southern California town. And while Laura was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes around the age of 4, for many years she worked very hard to not allow it to define her. I think that most of us would agree that we should not be fully defined by something such as an autoimmune disease, but it’s interesting how the very thing she turned away from, would ultimately be her calling card that would allow her to empower others to share their own voices of strength, hope and inspiration.
The path to the non-profit organization she founded, started during a year-long educational trip that took her around the world to witness how children lived in areas like Africa and Southeast Asia. And what Laura experienced on that trip altered her mindset permanently and served as the foundation for her non-profit called “You’re Just My Type”.
Laura and I dive a little into the time after her diagnosis and the incredible support she had from family as well as the lasting relationships she developed in diabetes camp. Laura then take us on a journey of how photography entered her life and how she used it to travel to some of the most interesting places on the planet. She also talks about how those experiences completely shaped her mindset. We then zero in on how art can be used to create a healthier life through storytelling, connecting others from around the world with similar conditions, and helping to educate and motivate the world to make change for the better.
This is a super interesting conversation about the arts, about being human, and about being part of something greater than ourselves.