Welcome to the first edition of Founder Stories, a new interview series exploring the journeys behind the businesses people build.
For this first feature, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Laura Wagenknecht, MSW, CEC, founder of Mosaic Business Consulting. Our conversation covered her winding career path, the experiences that shaped her, and why she believes the strongest businesses are built around the unique person behind them.
If you ask Laura Wagenknecht about her career path, she’ll laugh before describing it as “a very diversified background.”
Her work life began early. At just 14, she was delivering newspapers, followed by cleaning motel rooms, working in fast food, waitressing, and retail while trying to figure out what direction her life would take. She initially enrolled in college to study music before leaving school and moving to Florida, where she discovered a passion for competitive tennis.
“I thought I might turn pro,” she said with a smile. “I probably wouldn’t have made it, but that’s okay.”
Life, however, had other plans.
At 20, Laura was involved in a serious car accident, followed shortly afterward by a tennis injury that ended her competitive playing days. During a visit to her chiropractor, Laura jokingly looked at her X-rays and asked, “Whose are those?” The answer was unexpected. Her injuries meant her competitive tennis career had come to an end.
Rather than defining her future, the experience redirected it.
Recovering from her injuries sparked a fascination with healthcare and the human body. She began working for chiropractors and other medical specialists, including family medicine, orthopedics, neurology, and allergy practices. Along the way, she found herself increasingly drawn to psychology and the question of what helps people heal, not just physically, but emotionally as well.
Eventually, she returned to college, earning degrees in psychology and social work before building a career as both a therapist and administrator. She spent years working in nonprofits, counseling individuals and families, leading programs, and teaching at universities including the University of Texas, Florida International University, and Monmouth University.
Looking back, Laura realizes every chapter prepared her for the next.
“I’ve always had both sides,” she reflected. “The therapist side and the administrator side.”
While she enjoyed helping people one-on-one, she also found herself naturally drawn toward leadership, program development, and solving bigger organizational challenges. That balance between understanding people and understanding systems would eventually become one of her greatest strengths.
Laura’s journey has been shaped not only by the careers she’s pursued, but also by the places she’s called home. Born near Philadelphia, she has lived in Italy and in communities across Connecticut, Ohio, New York, Virginia, Florida, California, Texas, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Those experiences, she says, broadened her perspective and deepened her appreciation for different people and cultures.
Those varied experiences ultimately came together when Laura founded Mosaic Business Consulting.
Today, she works with entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and service-based business owners who are ready to grow beyond feeling stuck. Drawing on decades of experience in psychology, leadership, education, and business, she helps clients uncover the beliefs, strengths, and experiences that shape the way they lead. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all advice, Laura believes the most successful businesses are built around the unique person behind them.
That philosophy became the foundation of her P.I.E.C.E.S.™ Framework. After years of recognizing the same patterns among entrepreneurs, she developed the framework to help clients connect the many pieces that influence their success, from mindset and clarity to strategy and execution. The goal isn’t to help people build someone else’s business. It’s to help them build one that’s authentically their own.
For Laura, the thread connecting every chapter of her career has never changed.
“Every role I’ve had has really been about helping people grow,” she said. “The setting changed, but the purpose never did.”
That purpose continues to guide her work through Mosaic Business Consulting, where she helps entrepreneurs uncover what makes them unique and build businesses from that foundation. For Laura, meaningful growth does not come from following someone else’s blueprint. It begins with understanding yourself and becoming more fully who you already are.
Founder Stories is an interview series by Nanette Asbury that explores the people, purpose, and passion behind growing businesses. Through thoughtful conversations with founders, makers, and business leaders, each story looks beyond the business itself to discover the experiences, values, and moments that shaped the people behind it.
