Laurie Woodward Launching the Leadership Revolution

The LLR staff had the opportunity to sit down with Laurie Woodward for some one-on-one questions about her life with Orrin Woodward. Laurie was a former accountant who is a beautiful mother of four healthy children, home-school teacher for her kids, the leader of the Team ladies, and a major component of the success achieved by Orrin and Laurie Woodward.

LLR: You have been married to Orrin for over 13 years now. Has he always been such an achievement-oriented person?

Laurie Woodward: When I first met Orrin, one of the things that struck me was how he was willing to go against the crowd. Orrin didn’t follow popular opinion to determine what he would do and that attracted me because I am the same way.

LLR: You had some trouble early in your marriage. What were some of the things you had to work through to make your marriage work?

Laurie Woodward: Orrin has a saying, “Anything with two heads is a freak,” and both of us were attempting to run our house. We both had lived independently and we had a hard time learning to live interdependently. Both of us lead in situations, but now we know which areas he should lead and which ones I should lead.

LLR: When did you realize that the two of you could build a great leadership team?

Laurie Woodward: When we went to Atlanta for a major function and saw over 70,000 people in the Atlanta Dome, I knew Orrin was going to do this. He kept looking around the stadium and telling me we would have the same thing. I had been married to Orrin long enough to know that he doesn’t say something that he is not planning on doing.

LLR: Were you excited about having a big team, as well?

Laurie Woodward: At first I was scared. I thought, "how are we going to be able to handle that many people?" However, I believed in Orrin and also knew that I would do whatever it took to help him. We were working together and as the saying goes; "together everyone achieves more." Orrin and I see opportunities in every problem, whereas many people see problems in every opportunity. We were not fast when we first got started, but we were steady and improved daily. That is the key: to get up every day and get better than you were the day before.

LLR: Did your families think you were crazy?

Laurie Woodward: Of course! They could not understand why an accountant and engineer would build such an unconventional business. Orrin and I had unconventional dreams and knew we could not obtain them by doing what everyone else was doing. If you want different results, you must do different things. Our family is now among our biggest supporters and many have joined the Team, but it did not start out that way. Orrin has a saying, “People of integrity expect to be believed and when they are not, they let time prove them right.” Many times when we were going through struggles, we would say this to each other.

LLR: What did you think of Orrin and Chris’s new book?

Laurie Woodward: I was so happy to hear they were finally working on the project. I have had the privilege of listening to the wisdom of my husband and Chris over the years, but now to have it in book-form will help many others achieve success. When I received my copy of Launching the Leadership Revolution, I stayed up past four in the morning to finish it. I was so challenged by the material that I could not put the book down. Anyone wishing to achieve more in life must become stronger at leadership. In my opinion, there is no better book to start that leadership journey than Launching the Leadership Revolution.

LLR: What do you see in your future?

Laurie Woodward: We feel our business is our calling. This is the vehicle we are using to serve our Maker. We have been blessed in so many ways through this business and are on our way to building a community of 1 million people. The reason I believe it is because Orrin said it would happen. Again, the thing I have learned about Orrin is that if he says he is going to do something, then he is going to do it. The only question is, who will be on this leadership journey to 1 million people with us? I'll tell you one thing, you can count me in!

LLR: Laurie, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to share today.