“For Laura Lavigne, life holds the magic of a treasure hunt. A keeper of small moments, a spreader of joy, a mother, a dreamer, a doer, not to mention a French baker, Laura is a bright splash of color on any canvas.”
Audrey Lin – ServiceSpace

My Story

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Laura Lavigne is a founding member of the International Association Coaches, a TEDx speaker, author, and “tribe builder.” She is the Director of the Anacortes Center for Happiness, the creator of the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge, as well as the founder of the Happiness Sprinkling Project.
I was born outside of Paris, in the 60s and grew up surrounded by strong minded, life-loving, colorful people. I moved to the United States (not fully voluntarily) at the age of 17 – one day after graduating from high school.

Life grabbed a hold of me pretty fast and I found myself embarking on an unlikely career as a makeup artist for the movies and fashion industry, which for a while included freelancing for Playboy magazine. 

I was very young, it was a lot of fun, it was a little crazy and after ten years of working and moving around (Miami, Chicago, back to Paris, Seattle, Honolulu), I remember thinking that the most exciting thing that could happen to me that day, was that a movie star’s nose would need re-powdering. As glamourous as it sounds, it just was no longer enough.
Radio interview
I was living in Hawaii at the time, had just met a young sailor and within a few weeks, got married. Soon after that, I closed my tackle box/makeup case for the last time, taking with me many memories as well as a non negotiable commitment to always truly enjoy the way I would create my income.

My new husband and I moved to a small island in Washington and for the next 12 years made three beautiful babies and created a variety of businesses reflecting the unavoidable reality that I had become an incorrigible entrepreneur.
The fact that neither one of us knew how to bake slowed us down very little in opening what would eventually become two award-winning French bakeries. You know why? Because we knew how the delicious pastries were supposed to taste. We knew just how crusty the wonderfully smelling bread was supposed to be. Discovering HOW to get there was the fun part. It often is – if we dare.

The years spent creating, raising and eventually parting with La Vie en Rose bakeries have been one of the biggest gifts of my life.

And then....

Following the sale of the bakeries – and a divorce – I entered a time of financial and emotional chaos during which I got to experience the adventure of raising three kids as a single mom – still plagued (or was it blessed?) with the strong knowing that I could not “sell my time” for work that would leave me feeling less than alive.
In that case, this translated to not leaving my kids to “go to work.”

This impediment lead me to exotic pursuits such as creating The Laundry Fairy (well, I did have a washing machine), running a community toddler group (I had one of those, too), selling apricot syrup at farmers market, providing amazing frozen croissants to French schools … and more.

And now...

Through all this, the same story kept whispering in my ear.
The biggest story of all, the one I now love to share:
Life  CAN be deliciously sweet.

Eventually, the world felt upside-up again and I discovered “what I want to do when I grow up.”

I wanted to share the gifts I had received so that others may live as close as possible to their true selves, in joy, in kindness and in contribution.

Today, I spend my time sharing what I know with people all over the world, reminding them of the immense power they have to make their lives – and others’ – brighter, happier. I do this through my writing, teaching, speaking and hopefully, being.

In the last few years, I have been lucky enough to take my work to a whole new level by launching some beautiful, happy-making projects such as the  Happiness Sprinkling Project, the Anacortes Center for Happiness and the 90-Day Gratitude Challenge.

I am blessed to be able to witness people's transformation as we travel on life-changing Happiness  Retreats all over the world.

On January 1, 2021 I said YES my dream and moved to Mexico where I now paint, grow, and continue to follow my life's work where it wants to take me.