Conversations with Laura Whitfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Whitfield.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Raleigh, the youngest of three children. My mother was a Wake County Public School teacher and my father was an editor at the News & Observer for many years.

There was often a typewriter on our kitchen table, and I was fascinated as I watched my father write his stories. When I was ten, I threaded a piece of notebook paper through his typewriter and typed my first poem. That poem, now framed, sits on my desk to remind me of the moment I started writing.

Four years later, my twenty-three-year-old brother, Lawrence, died while climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland. That night I had an epiphany: Life is short. You have to take risks and dream big. I spent my first summer after high school on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a magical few months filled with friendships, boys, and beer. There I met a handsome DJ who everyone called “Steve the Dream,” and risked my heart. When September came, Steve moved to New York City to become a model, prompting me to start thinking about modeling, too.

After just one semester of college, still seeking to fill the void left by my brother’s death, I dropped out and moved to New York to become a cover girl. But while juggling the demands of life in the big city—waiting tables, failed relationships, and the cutthroat world of modeling—I lost my way.
My coming-of-age memoir, UNTETHERED: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground, is about a young woman’s quest to find hope and stability after a devastating loss. It is my story of overcoming shame, embracing faith, and learning that taking risks—and failing—can lead to a bigger life than you’ve ever dared to imagine.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I majored in Economics at UNC and, though I’m glad to have my degree, I never used it. Instead, my life took many unexpected twists and turns. My first job out of college was working as the receptionist and assistant to the president at McKinney, Silver & Rockett (now McKinney). That inspired me to become an advertising copywriter. I then became a mom and stayed home with my children for several years.

Next, I became a staff writer at an international relief agency, which gave me the opportunity to work under tight deadlines and hone my storytelling and fundraising skills. After quitting that job, I worked as an assistant to a “New York Times” bestselling author. Then, out of the blue, I was offered a job as a kindergarten teacher at a private school in Durham.

I thought I would quit after a few years to write full-time, but I ended up teaching for fifteen years. While I was teaching, I wrote a newspaper column about parenting and freelanced as a travel writer. I also worked as a communications director for several nonprofits. Some of the more difficult challenges I faced over the years were the deaths of my parents, a divorce, and breast cancer.

One of the more adventurous parts of my story is about modeling. As I mentioned, above, I went to New York to model when I was 19 and became a Wilhelmina model. I returned to NC when I was 20, and returned to New York when I was 23 to be told I was too old.

Then, when I was 43, I started modeling again, signed with Wilhelmina Miami, and modeled for ten years. I learned it’s never too late to pursue a dream.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Even though I have been writing for more than thirty years, I have just published my first book at the age of 65.

It’s called UNTETHERED: Faith, Failure, and Finding Solid Ground (She Writes Press, April 5, 2022). I am working on a second memoir about my faith journey and I have an idea for a historic novel that begins in Cornwall and ends on the Outer Banks.

When I’m not writing I love spending time with my family, traveling, reading, and helping our local housing insecure and homeless communities.

How do you define success?
I’ve come to believe that success is all about using your God-given gifts to serve others. I hope to continue doing that with my writing, and in my work with the homeless and those being evicted.

I also feel it’s important for me to be there for my family and friends. Relationships are what matter most.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://laurawhitfield.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurawhitfieldwriter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurawwriter
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerwhitfield
• Other: https://laurawhitfield.com/untethered

Image Credits
Annie Timmons Photography, Ray Matthews Photo, and Scott Teitler Photography