Bald Is Beautiful

In her twenties, Laura Duksta loved the nightlife. She was working as a bartender in South Beach and, as her mom joked, "using my degree in sociology to have a great social life." And it was great, but Laura found herself wondering if that was enough.

Then one night, everything changed. "I started to pray for happiness for my sister," Laura says. "And I heard someone tell me to pray for my sister's son instead. He wasn't in trouble, but it made me think about the love between parents and children." Inspired, Laura started working on a children's book, I Love You More.

The next year, shortly before she turned 30, Laura took another giant step. She decided to stop wearing the wigs she'd worn since she was diagnosed with the hair-loss condition alopecia at 11 years old. "I'd kept my bald head a secret for 19 years," Laura says. "I'd always worried about what people would think and it just consumed me." Her 30th birthday party was also her "coming-out party," and she's been bald and proud ever since.

These days, Laura (a.k.a. The Bald Chick) is a frequent guest at elementary schools, where she reads I Love You More to kids and talks with them about love and acceptance—of themselves as well as others.

"I want the children of the world to know how loved they are," says Laura. "That's the message of the book. In it, a mother and child tell their love for each other in their own way, and I show how that love connects them." Her own journey has taught her "such great lessons about compassion. I would never trade that compassion for a head of hair."

Laura's Tips

Connect with a higher being.
Know that you have the power to fulfill your greatest vision.

Share.
Teach what you love to anyone who is willing to listen.

Celebrate your successes.
Stay focused and don't be afraid of failure or criticism.