Laura Morton

Stories are fundamental to how we think about the world, but more so, how we think about ourselves and others and how others see us. They’ve been around since the beginning of time. Hieroglyphics, religious stories, they’re how we were taught to read how we learned in school and so on. Whether you realize it or not stories are basically what got you from diapers to where you are today. Laura Morton is one of the most sought after storytellers in publishing and now she is sharing those stories on the stage. Her ability to create an emotional connection with readers is the secret to her books success. And now, she has created a simple step by step method to help business leaders in all fields understand the value of storytelling in their field. So often the internal messaging of a company is confused when it is shared externally, leaving employees and customers scratching their heads or worse, headed to the competition because they don’t understand the mixed messaging an organization is sending. Morton’s simple, detailed and entertaining presentation is a true game changer for any company, leader, manager, sales professional, philanthropy, fund looking to raise capital, virtually anyone in business seeking to connect on a deeper and more personal level in today’s disconnected world through powerful storytelling. Too many companies and executives are caught up in using fancy business jargon that is meaningless or following a “ME TOO” marketing strategy, which amounts to telling someone else’s story instead of telling their own. They are relying on meaningless words that don’t accurately or authentically characterize what they do, why they are different, or how they provide value to customers, shareholders, employees, and society. This type of authentic, meaningful and informative content is now considered the rule, rather than the exception. To Morton, great story telling is the difference between simply speaking and actually being heard. Regardless of what you do for a living, at some point, you will be asked, “What’s your story.” It’s a simple question most people fumble over answering with confidence. Having this response formulated and ready will definitely set you apart from the crowd, but more so, it will no doubt help you understand where you’ve been, where you are now and where you want to go in life.

On the day Joan Lunden’s cancer memoir, Had I Known hit bookstores, Laura Morton found a lump in her left breast. She had just spent 18 months documenting her friends cancer journey and knew right away, this wasn’t normal. This is the deeply heartfelt story of how Morton lost her mom to cancer in 1975, when she was age 10 and was diagnosed with breast cancer 40 years later in 2015 when her daughter was 7. This news came on the heels of reassuring her young daughter that not all mommies get cancer and not all mommies die. But of course, life can and often does surprise us, changing in unexpected ways in an instant. This is the healing, moving and poignant full circle life lessons learned by experiencing her 7 year old daughter’s journey as she watched Morton go through her own cancer battle—just as she did her own mother 40 years earlier—it’s an intimate look at mother/daughter relationships, what they shared throughout their very personal experience, how it changed their lives, brought them closer, opened up their conversations and created a stronger family connection.

Undoubtedly one of Laura Morton’s most popular speeches, this is “the BEST of” life lessons world renowned collaborator to the stars Laura Morton has collected throughout the years writing more than 40 books with a variety of personalities from all walks of life….She has been rock stars, politicians, rival soap stars, reality stars, child stars, a sitcom star, morning show hosts, hard news journalist, health advocates, and a bounty hunter. She has been kidnapped, in prison for manslaughter, has been the top male super model, a race car driver, donned the cover of Sports Illustrated in a swimsuit, been in one of the greatest boy band’s in history, a mega pop star, has founded several billion dollar companies and yes, is The MindFreak who can levitate in front of thousands of people. She has been born again, Jewish, Mormon, Christian, Buddhist, Catholic and Christian; She is gay, straight, bi, curious and so much more…..She created the 4 addictions and the back seat ministry, is the ultimate politician—and through all of this, can tell you one surprising similarity almost every celebrity shares in common (you will never guess it!) No one has had a better perspective, has done a deeper sociological study or has had a deeper inside look at life, what it takes to succeed and the tremendous lessons each of these fascinating personalities has shared on the most personal an intimate level. The gifts of failure, friendship, family and “faking it til you make it.” Morton has heard and learned it all from the very best. Funny, poignant and truly unforgettable…..  

What is a warrior?  To Laura Morton, a warrior is someone who is brave, courageous, compassionate, genuine, authentic, action oriented and someone who advocates for a cause. A warrior is also someone who perseveres in the face of adversity, exhibits unwavering strength, lives life with dignity and with an indomitable spirit.  This speech is a fearless attack on living everyday life in the warrior mindset—its breaking free of worry, not being attached to the opinions of others and living an authentic life. When Morton chose to become a single mom in her 40’s—a decision which at the time, was bold and brave, she was actually required to undergo a psychological “evaluation” before the NYC IVF doctors would agree to treat her. She ultimately went through 7 rounds of IVF without telling anyone what she was doing because she didn’t want to and couldn’t afford to jeopardize her career opportunities. At the time, she thought this was a true warrior story until she finally became pregnant at the age of 43. That’s when she came to understand the true meaning of “warrior mom”—at least warrior mom to be…She delivered a book to her publisher 2 days before delivering her daughter without her editor ever knowing she was pregnant. In typical Morton style, she never skipped a beat. After giving birth, life as a warrior mom had instantly begun. As women, we fight for our family, our loved ones, our communities and the causes we believe in. We put ourselves last on the list, of course until something happens that forces us to become warriors in our own lives and fight for ourselves….and that’s when the word warrior can take on even deeper meaning and purpose. 7 years later, Morton would become a warrior yet again, only this time fighting a foe known as breast cancer. Refusing to be defined by her disease, this is an uplifting, inspirational speech of overcoming adversity by turning everyday obstacles into opportunities and facing down her fear and becoming an everyday victor instead of victim told through humor, perseverance and heartwarming depth.

There’s remarkable power in reflection and letting go of the past, an addiction that holds a lot of people hostage and keeps them stuck in life– but it requires looking the art of healthily looking backward to positively move forward. What was once a giant blurry image in the windshield one day becomes a distant memory and brief moment in time simply mentioned in passing.  This is the story of how we get from “here” to “there…” When we live life in crisis we can only deal with crisis. The goal is to let go—which is not forgetting but accepting what life has brought to us, embracing the gifts of adversity, learning to move on with positivity and believing that life is happening FOR us and not To us.

Laura Morton’s entire career can be described in one sentence: it didn’t go as planned and that’s ok with me. This is the story of how she failed her Series 7, became a successful headhunter, sold Chrysler 75,000 copies of her career videotape, “Successful Interviewing”, then started her own successful production company, locked Richard Simmons in a limo, fed him Haagan Dasz ice cream to get him to work, was told her first book was a horrible idea, sold it for $750,000 anyway and put it on the New York Times Bestseller list having never written a book and then went on to write more than 40 books and 19 more New York Times bestsellers….it’s even more interesting than it sounds….This is the story of what you do and how you approach everyday matters more than what you do every once in a while….It’s the ultimate story about the art of reinvention, staying relevant in an every changing landscape, having an insatiable willingness to grow, change and by all means never letting anyone else dictate the outcome of your life. Morton doesn’t hear the word NO and doesn’t allow other people’s beliefs to hold back hers. You are in charge of your destiny. When you take the reins, you take control of your journey. Don’t let anyone else say you can’t because according to Morton…you can!

To many, Laura Morton is considered one of the world’s top “ghostwriters” but she hates that label, preferring the title of world class collaborator because that is the art of what she does. By her own admission, the best work is always the product and in the spirit of a true collaborative effort between people who are doing what they love. She has created a groundbreaking and inspirational speech that draws from her experiences as the “top gun” collaborator in publishing and brings those principles into the workforce. When you create world class collaborations within an organization, you build morale, productivity and ultimately profit. When you grow your people first, your business ultimately grows.

Laura Morton is the leading expert in telling other people’s life stories. One commonality she hears is that people want their lives to mean something. To have had purpose. But what does it means to live a life of significance? How do you get there and stay intentional by adding value to others through your actions every day? This is a moving and powerful presentation filled with stories and lessons about learning to turn the page and letting go of the past, realizing there is more to the book of life than the page you’re stuck on, closing the chapter on hurt, pain and anger and never going back to re-read it again by staying intentional in your everyday actions, learning to live your best and most meaning life of significance.

The telling of one’s life story is one of the greatest challenges any author faces. Having written more than 40 memoirs and 19 NY Times bestsellers, Laura Morton has become one of the leading experts in the field–the go to for those who can’t do it themselves. Several years ago she was called to a meeting with famed director Blake Edwards late in his career. Edward’s shared how many times he had sat down to write his memoir and had met great frustrations that while he could write about other people, he found it extremely difficult to write about himself, a common hurdle even for the best writers. Regretfully, he never did write his autobiography…though he and so many of his fans surely wanted him to. There is an art to sharing a life on the page—and this speech will help the audience find their voice, focus their thoughts and get started on the process. 

* Morton is also a host, moderator and expert interviewer