Turning The Scars Of Tragedy Into A Ripple Effect Of Possibility

"Anything can create a positive ripple if we let it."

Life changed for Laura Beauparlant when she was hit by an impaired driver at 18, but it didn’t stop. The head-on collision shattered Laura’s femur and required 18 pins and a metal plate in her leg, as well as nine surgeries to heal. She was told the effects of the accident on her body would be lasting, and that she’d never walk well or do things like ski again. 

But Laura wanted to see what was past those boundaries. She wanted to find out for herself what was actually possible (she both walks and skis!). Now, instead of mourning that day or the scars it left on her body, she celebrates it annually as a beginning.   

“While I lived for 18 years before the accident, I came to life on [that] date 25 years ago,” Laura explains in an article she wrote last fall. “It was the birth of the new me. The me that challenges the status quo and grabs life by the horns.”

The lasting effects of the accident ended up being the visible and invisible scars she carries with her, but they’re now symbols of the strength and fortitude it took to heal in every way. So much so, that she sat for a photoshoot celebrating her physical scars to mark 25 years since the accident. 

“Living – truly living – means collecting scars along the way,” she states. “It’s not about our scars defining us – it’s what the scars teach us and how we can use our scars to teach others. There is so much possibility in the ripple effect we can create. 

Laura didn’t feel this way immediately. The enormity of the collision’s physical and emotional impacts were overwhelming in the beginning. 

The first two years were rough to say the least, but I have an amazing family that was there for me every step of the way, a surgeon and family doctor who cared about my mental health, and friends who got my sorry ass out of the house when boredom set it.

Little by little, Laura pushed past what seemed to be possible and rebuilt her life the way she wanted to. Now, she can look back on tragedy and see the way it drew out something amazing she’d always had inside. 

It taught me to enjoy the journey, to not wait for someday, to not live with regret and to forge my own path. It showed me that anything can create a positive ripple if we let it.

For Laura, one of those positive ripples is Lab Creative, a brand consulting company she founded a few years after her accident. 

My accident taught me to design my life, which led me down the entrepreneurial journey 17 years ago. I didn’t know anything about running a business but I knew I wanted to create something of my own. It gave me the courage, strength and tenacity to do anything I set my mind to. I created a business I love because I believe we can have joy in our work and the people we work with. I’ve seen the impact we can have on other people and the ripple effect it can have and that drives me in everything we do in my business. I want our clients to have joy, prosperity and fulfillment in their businesses and life. Because life is short and we need to enjoy the ride.

Today Laura celebrates the five year anniversary of Lab Creative! I’m celebrating Laura and her team too! The ripple effect of their work on my brand and business strategy has been significant. Congratulations Laura!