I help nonprofits and purpose-driven organizations reduce friction in how they grow.

As Founder & CEO of Lake One, I lead a team of Digital Outfitters helping nonprofits, B Corps, and purpose-led businesses build sustainable growth systems built on HubSpot. Our work sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, and stewardship, connecting marketing, sales, and support so organizations can serve people better, not just scale faster.

Since 2014, I’ve partnered with founders and operators across nonprofit, healthcare, manufacturing, and technology, guiding them through the real work of digital transformation: aligning people, process, and platforms around a clear point of view.

My career began behind a microphone, as a DJ and later a reporter, where I learned how clarity and storytelling create trust. That experience still shapes how I lead today: designing systems that support humans, reduce friction, and enable better decisions over time.

I’m also a childhood cancer survivor and advocate. That experience deeply shaped how I think about stewardship, resilience, and the long view, and why I care so much about building systems that support people when things get hard, not just when they’re growing.

Outside of Lake One, you’ll usually find me rewilding my Minnesota yard, exploring trails, or supporting conservation and community efforts, reminders that growth only matters when it’s grounded in purpose.

Ryan Ruud

👋 I’m Laura King - mom, wife, people connector, executive recruiter, author, speaker, facilitator, coach, trusted advisor, mentor, mentee, lifelong learner, mover and shaker - yes, I am a lot of things. 

🔥 Join my Friday Peak of the Week, where we explore what it means to have career alignment, lead authentically, and build a life that feels as good as it looks.  https://www.lauraeking.com/peak-of-the-week

Award-winning executive recruiter (specializing in marketing) placing 500+ professionals since 2006. 30,000 interviews later, I can assess with precision extraordinary from ordinary. 

Founder of Marketers’ Community, drawing on decades of recruiting marketers, we bring together the best of the best marketer pros for learning, growth, and connection.

Executive Recruiter at SkyWater, where I conduct Sr-level marketing searches & am part of the DREAM TEAM of marketing & creative recruiters that know the best of the best in town. Seriously, try us. 

Author of Shine Brighter, published in July 2025 after 2.5 years clawing my way out of the darkness…

  what's the book about ??

  >>> through my 4 A's Framework (Awareness, Attitude, Action, Alignment) and the concept of "awakening," I guide you to reconnect with yourself. Most high achievers (including me) have built their entire sense of worth around being "human doings" rather than human beings. Transformation requires recognizing that you are not your achievements, your job title, or your last performance review. 

And yes, I’m *also* a coach/trusted advisor to execs that want to align their professional career for maximum impact, joy, and legacy. 

---

Personal interests: Walking in sunlight every chance I get, sauna and cold plunges every day, lifting heavy weights, meditation, spirituality, personal development, neuroscience (I love to read), gathering awesome people for live events, dancing, music, and playing with my 4 boys (ages 6, 8, 10, 13) and supporting my husband in the pursuit of our dreams…He made the leap from corporate to small business ownership with the opening of Rock U Music School in Woodbury, MN after our 4th son was born (yes, we were and still are kinda crazy)

LET'S CONNECT.

I love working with smart and interesting people on a mission to do good in this world!

If you have an immediate need for talent, ping me at lking@skywatersearch.com

If you want to get aligned in your career, find my accelerator program at lauraeking.com

Looking for the most energetic speaker for your next event? I’d LOVE to talk! More info on my website or DM me.

Laura King

Here we go, 2026! First post of the year with a cautionary tale to share…

I had coffee with someone last week who spent 45 minutes explaining to me why their career was stuck.

"I never get the opportunities." "I’ll never be promoted." "I'm just not good at networking."

And I sat there listening, counting every single time they argued for their own limitations. It was a game I started to play in my head.

Seventeen times.
Seventeen times in 45 minutes, they practiced the exact story keeping them stuck.

I learned how to be a really good listener as a recruiter & I can confidently say most people have no idea they're doing this, myself included (until about 2 years ago)….because the words coming out of your mouth feel like observations.

Like…you're just describing what's true. What’s actually happening.
But what if that’s not the case at all?
What if your words are instructions?

Think about it….the words coming out of your mouth are literally instructions.
And because your brain is an efficient, goal achieving machine it finds evidence for whatever story you tell it.

"I never get opportunities" → Your brain filters out every opportunity that shows up.

"People like me don't succeed" → You stop taking the risks that lead to success.

"I'm not good at this" → You stop practicing the thing that would make you good.

The fastest way to change your current reality? Pay attention to what's coming out of your mouth.

Speak only what you want to create.

(btw…when I write these notes… am writing this as much to myself as I am to you…I need all the reminders I can get!!!!!)

Hope you had an enjoyable holiday break and are excited to bring the best of yourself to life this year 😊

Executive Recruiter | Author & Speaker | Mom x4 | Closing the Gap Between Who Leaders Are & How They Show Up

BEING STUCK...I have some thoughts...

You’re not stuck because you’re lazy. Or unmotivated. Or afraid of change.
But…you might be stuck because you followed the "plan"

The plan you were taught to trust.
The plan that rewarded responsibility, consistency, and achievement.
The plan that worked until it didn’t. Because guess what???

At some point, you changed.
Your values evolved, and your definition of success got more honest. You’ve LIVED, and you’ve changed.

What once fit… doesn’t anymore.
But from the outside, everything still looks fine. Successful, even.

So instead of questioning the plan, you question yourself (I know this all too well…this was my entire 2023), asking myself:

What’s wrong with me?

Why can’t I just be satisfied?

Why do I feel off when my life is objectively good?

I’ve lived this. Read Shine Brighter if you want more anecdotes. Just know you are NOT ALONE!!!

I see it every day in high-performing professionals who’ve done everything “right” and still feel quietly misaligned.

The good news is…you’re actually not stuck. You’ve just outgrown the version of the plan you’re still living by.

Celebrate that awareness!!!!
Awareness is always the starting point of a meaningful next chapter.
And no…you don’t need to blow up your life to move forward.

If this resonates, PLEASE don’t ignore it.
Check out & apply for our cohort inside Rewire 
Attend the webinar on Jan 14

If you know this post is describing you, please take the next step. If not with us, then with someone.
You don’t have to stay loyal to a plan you’ve outgrown.

https://lnkd.in/gz_i3fmH

Most people think their goals fail because of discipline.

But after a decade in executive search, and watching high-performers repeat the same patterns year after year, I can confidently say it's not discipline you're missing.

It's something running quietly beneath the surface.
Your brain is a goal-achieving machine. And it will always default to what you believe, not what you want.

So when you set that ambitious revenue target, that transformation goal, that next-level vision...
And then by March it's gathering dust?

Tomorrow's newsletter breaks down the 4-step framework I use with clients (and myself) to resolve beliefs instead of just setting resolutions.

Because you don't create a new year by trying harder.
You create it by deciding what gets to be true for you.

→ Subscribe here to get it in your inbox Friday: https://lnkd.in/gUGndFzi

📸 me and my little buddy taking off on a plane ride last year to Florida. One of my goals is to travel more with my 4 boys....but I first had to get over a BIG limiting belief that has held me back for longer than I care to admit :)

What's a goal you want to publicly declare?

taplio

The Battle

Ryan Ruud

Laura King

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The Battle

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Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Laura King's LinkedIn Performance

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