Laura: On living in Paris and writing a book about her time there

Laura grew up in Nashville, attending Ensworth and Harpeth Hall before heading to Baylor University in Texas where she earned a degree in French. Shortly after college, she joined a communications consulting firm in Brentwood.
But at 28, she felt stuck. She'd been dreaming about France for years, and suddenly waiting felt impossible. So she did what most people only dream about: she actually went. She took a job teaching English to 130 kids in Normandy for a year and got herself over there!

When that year ended, Laura wasn't ready to go home. Instead, she moved to Paris with no job and no apartment. She found work managing events for an economic think tank, but the boss turned out to be a tyrant. After a year of that misery, she quit.
Then came a dream job: the personal assistant to Olivia de Havilland, the legendary Gone with the Wind actress who was 87 when Laura started working for her. For 14 months, Laura got to know Olivia—truly know her—and found her genuinely inspiring. "It was life-changing being 30 years old, living as an expat in Paris, and working for Olivia," Laura says. She dated a Frenchman during this time ("90% good, 10% bad… but that 10% was a deal-breaker!” she laughs).

After nearly four years in France, Laura was ready to come home. She missed friends and family, and it felt like time to pursue a "real" career. She returned to Nashville and spent 10 years at Siloam Health, a healthcare nonprofit for people without health insurance, where she worked as a grant writer. She loved that job—the organization had a great working environment, and during that time, she met Andy.
Andy came with two daughters in their twenties and a seven-year-old son. They've been married six and a half years now, and of course Laura had to introduce him to France. They've been twice—including a honeymoon in Provence where Andy fell in love with the country just like she had.

Currently, Laura is working on a book about her time in France with Olivia. She tried writing while working, but it was too much. Her husband encouraged her to take a sabbatical and focus on the book full-time, which she's been doing since July 2024. The book is finished now, and she's working on the publishing side.
"It's been life-giving to work on this book," Laura says. "It brings back so many wonderful memories." She kept detailed journals during her time with Olivia, and those journals have become the foundation for her manuscript.
When she's not writing, you'll find Laura with her dog Ginger—a collie-golden mix who's a wild child—or at brunch (her favorite meal!) with her family or friends.

Photographing Laura was a joy. Part of it was practical—she needed book cover photos—but it was also about celebrating being a woman over 40 and seeing how far she's come. From Nashville to Normandy to Paris and back again, Laura's story shows what can happen when you follow your dreams.
And be on the lookout for her book, currently titled "My Year with Dame Olivia". I can’t wait to read it!”

40 Over 40: Laura's Story

Laura: On living in Paris and writing a book about her time there

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