What do you do when your life changes in a way you never saw coming… and there’s no roadmap for what comes next?

In this episode of Riffin’ About Life, Brian sits down with Laura Bratton, who began losing her vision as a teenager, gradually, unpredictably, and without answers.

What followed wasn’t just a physical adjustment.
It was a deep emotional reckoning.

Grief.
Anxiety.
Loss of identity.
And moments where it would’ve been easier to give up.

But Laura didn’t just “push through.”

She learned something most people misunderstand about resilience, and it changed everything.

This conversation explores what it really means to have grit (and what it doesn’t mean), how self-compassion can exist alongside pain, and why some of the hardest experiences in life can reveal purpose in ways you don’t expect.

You’ll also hear a powerful story from Laura’s work that might completely shift how you think about limitations—and what people are truly capable of.

If you’ve ever faced something that felt unfair, overwhelming, or impossible to prepare for,
this episode will meet you there.

• Why “pushing through” isn’t the same as true resilience

• How to navigate grief without losing yourself in it

• The role of support—and why it can change everything

• A new way to understand self-compassion (that actually works in real life)

• How to find meaning inside experiences you never would have chosen

• Why your hardest moments might reveal something you didn’t know was there

Laura’s perspective challenges the idea that strength means ignoring pain…
and replaces it with something far more honest—and sustainable.

• Website: laurabratton.com