Laura Radway Mayer Takes Life One Step at a Time With a Heart for Broken Women

by | Feb 2023 | Fayetteville, Fayetteville-Feature

LAURA RADWAY Mayer always looked for the child on the playground with no one to play with, and it’s no different today. Her heart is bent toward women and children with broken hearts and lives, and she has devoted her life to speaking worth into theirs. 

At the end of the day, every single person wants and needs to know they are valued. Experience may teach us that our value is limited to the things we do for people, but we long to know someone sees good in us and cares for us even if we can’t do anything for them in return. What, then, when we’re just “being” and not “doing”? 

Mayer learned early on from her grandfather, Rev. Joe Mayberry, that everyone has value. 

She said, “He was so good with people. If we saw someone in public who may have been the kind of person not many would stop to talk to, he always did. Then, he would coach me afterward and explain why he did it. He said everybody matters, and we’re all equal in the eyes of God; we all have value.” 

Photographed by Brooke Snyder.

Growing up, Mayer’s parents often took people into their home until they could get back on their feet. That and her grandfather’s influence shaped Mayer’s heart for service. Actually, heart-shaping is her calling. 

“I realized I really love public speaking, something a lot of people hate. It’s kind of a weird thing to love, but I realized I loved holding people’s hearts in my hands and motivating them to see themselves as God sees them and to view others that way, too. I love to build people up. I see people living so far below where they could be because of the messages they believed in their lives. You will become what you believe about yourself,” Mayer said. 

Mayer was a stay-at-home mom when she first began to feel a stirring for ministry, the details of which weren’t yet clear. She always felt called to be a voice for the voiceless and found her first outreach as co-founder of Clothe Our Kids. Mayer knew a lack of basic necessities like clothes held children back from other developmental areas in life. The organization offers more than clothes, shoes, and duffle bags. 

She said, “With Clothe Our Kids, the clothes are just the package the gift is wrapped in. The gift is the confidence we’re giving those kids.”  

Photographed by Brooke Snyder.

Soon Mayer sensed God calling her to a broader ministry, specifically women’s ministry. Again, the ministry’s details were not yet clarified, so she completed a four-year accredited ministry program offered through her church, Cornerstone Word of Life, and became a licensed minister while continuing her work as a mom. 

Mayer discovered Blue Monarch in Tullahoma, a residential recovery program for women abused or dealing with addictions, poverty, and mental health issues. She followed the program on Facebook and held to a desire within her heart to teach there one day. Before long, the door opened, and Mayer spent a year volunteering with the program. It was a reciprocal blessing. 

“I loved being there. Some of my favorite worship times were there with those ladies where we’d have music going before Bible study, and they had their hands raised and were worshiping God with everything they’ve got. God is putting their lives back together because they surrendered, and that’s what it takes. We often think to be a good Christian, we have to work harder to be free. We live in a society addicted to working harder, but freedom always comes after surrendering,” she said. 

Surrendering in life and ministry is not unfamiliar to her. It’s an ongoing dance between her and the Lord. 

Photographed by Brooke Snyder.

Mayer said, “I don’t have it all mapped out, but I know I want to help people. I know you just keep taking the next right step in front of you. It’s not a destination mentality; it’s “OK, God, I’m yours.” To live every day like you’re dancing with Him is a daily walk; it’s a daily dance. He leads to green pastures and good places.” 

While volunteering at Blue Monarch and waiting for clarification on the next steps following Clothe Our Kids, Mayer prayed for discernment. Some offers came, but she had no peace about them. 

Amanda Curtis mentioned that one day she’d get Mayer on board at Crossroads Pregnancy Clinic, a center providing care for women and men facing unplanned pregnancies. Mayer was appreciative but knew she didn’t have time. Then one day, Curtis, the executive director, called in need of a client development director. It was the perfect fit and answer to prayer, and Mayer felt it was the job God was calling her to take. She has been there since February 2020. 

“I’m walking hand in hand with these girls that want more self-development, helping them know they have value and worth,” she said. 

Now a trainer and board-certified mental health coach, her days are filled with her work at Crossroads, traveling and speaking at women’s conferences, and working on her podcast, The Laura Mayer Podcast. The message of her ministry is consistent throughout. As stated on the podcast, she speaks on the topics of depression, self-hatred, anxiety, healthy relationships, and boundaries from a life-giving biblical perspective. 

“God gets no glory out of us living broken and wounded,” she said. 

After putting some things on the back burner while her children were little, she’s looking ahead and pursuing her master’s degree in mental health counseling and is praying about the next steps from there. 

Mayer said, “I think every day you just wake up and say, ‘Lord, what do I do today?’ and minister to the people He’s putting in your path today. Don’t lean on your own understanding, but do it His way today. And if you do that every day, you wake up in the will of God.” 

What better place to wake up? GN

GET GOOD NEWS

We want to shine a light on people, businesses, and local events. Click the button below to make sure you are getting Good News in your mailbox, FREE every month.

Good News Photography

We wish we could publish all the photos we have, but we have too many! Browse our online gallery for free or purchase photos to be mailed to your home. All proceeds from photos go to local nonprofits.

More Good News

Faith: “I Got You, Girl.”

Faith: “I Got You, Girl.”

IT IS the best of times; it is (sometimes) the worst of times. I have three children, ages 16, 12, and 5. It’s not lost on me how fast they grow. Now, with a child who is nearing 18, it really does...

read more
Letter From the Editor – Education in Bloom

The women of Fayetteville

THE TEST of history has proven that women have been foundational, like a sturdy rock that can withstand a storm. They overcame obstacles century after century, constantly adapting to the needs of...

read more
Women of Fayetteville

Women of Fayetteville

JUST OVER 100 years ago, women finally received what other Americans, but not all, already had — the right to vote. Now, we have the opportunity to lift up and celebrate the groundbreaking women...

read more
Recipes – Spread the love

Recipes – Spread the love

MARCH 1 is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day — a day to celebrate the rich, gooey goodness of a pantry staple. What better way to start the day than with a batch of special pancakes? Then, keep up...

read more
From the heart

From the heart

IMAGINE LIFE is a car, and our goal is to make it from one side of the country to the other. The only way to do that is by having a full tank of gas. What is the gas in our lives, as humans, that...

read more
History over and over again

History over and over again

I AM IN the middle of my third decade of life, and within the last two years, I’ve discovered something I always ignored: music from the midcentury. Life does not seem to be slowing down. Our...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Faith – ‘Just as you are’

FOR OVER 30 years, children’s television host Mister Rogers came into the homes of millions via our television sets and told each of us one of the most important things a person could say to us. “I...

read more
History over and over again

Tis the season

ALL I want for Christmas iiiiiiis…yoooooOOooooOOoouuuUUUuuu.” Can you hear it already? It’s that time of year once again. A time of year when a heated blanket feels like a hug. Every inch of the...

read more
Leave it Powerless

Leave it Powerless

HOW CAN a word trigger so many emotional responses, and why is it fair that it does? While we could erase the word from the dictionary, doing so would do nothing to erase it from our lives. However,...

read more
Nothing to fear

Nothing to fear

A CHILD STARES at the blank page. She can’t remember the teacher’s instructions and believes she can’t draw. Only artists can do that. And she’s not alone. From childhood to adulthood, it’s a...

read more
Loving on Lincoln County

Loving on Lincoln County

LOOK AROUND the grocery store today andsee bewildered faces in every aisle. Buggies once packed to the brim are now carefully curated from half-empty shelves. Coupons and calculators are in hand....

read more
Hometown Hangout

Hometown Hangout

DO YOURSELF a favor and stop by Ken’s Fast Foods. You’ll be impressed by this small local restaurant with big flavors, quality service, and a budget-friendly menu. Be sure to get in early to beat...

read more
Meet me at the fair

Meet me at the fair

EATING FUNNEL cakes, enjoying carnival rides, spending time with family and friends: The Lincoln County Fair, Inc. aims to make a difference in people’s lives. This fall, the organization celebrated...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Go straight to the best

TAKE A deep breath and smell the aroma of lunch cooking in the kitchen. It was a very important meal. Jesus and the 12 stopped in to visit the home of Martha and Mary, in Bethany. Through the...

read more
History over and over again

Life’s short; eat dessert

WE DUST off the artificial pumpkin decorations and pull orange and purple wreaths from storage. We pull out rakes and sweaters as the weather drops like the leaves do. The weather feels therapeutic...

read more
Home, Heart, and Hospitality

Home, Heart, and Hospitality

HOME, HEART, Hospitality — Doug and Heather Clausen, owners of the new Fayetteville Liquidation Center (FLC), believe they’ve found all three here among the meandering hills of Lincoln County. The...

read more
At a crossroads?

At a crossroads?

HELPING PREGNANT women has been woven into the fabric of Amanda Curtis’s life. During the 1980s, both her mother and her aunt served as pregnancy help counselors, and in the early 2000s her father...

read more
Chicken Wings & other things

Chicken Wings & other things

WHEN ENTERING a particular local restaurant located at 2715 Huntsville Highway Suite C in Fayetteville, the first thing you will notice is the friendly servers taking your order, happy that you are...

read more
Caffeinated Craving for Apple Pie

Caffeinated Craving for Apple Pie

YOU’RE NOT supposed to have dessert for breakfast. Well, at least that’s what my parents always told me when I was little. Now that I am an adult that makes my own decisions, I decide what I want...

read more
An ocean of possibilities

An ocean of possibilities

IF AT first you don't succeed, try, and try again. And tried, and tried again is what Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library’s (FLCPL) staff did with the library’s summer reading program after...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Someone Has Your Back

WHEN THE SMELL of warm caramel coffee lingers in the air of your vehicle on the way to work, you don’t have to think about watching your back. While not every driver on the road is aware of their...

read more
Welcome coach B.J.

Welcome coach B.J.

FAYETTEVILLE HIGH School (FHS) hired Fayetteville native Billy Jack Netherland as the new head coach of the Tigers baseball team, toward the beginning of the school year. Known as Coach B.J. on the...

read more
The Warrior’s Exhibit

The Warrior’s Exhibit

ON MAIN Avenue North, in downtown Fayetteville, a particular building sticks out. It is hard to miss with its red, white, and blue colors bursting with patriotic pride. On the exterior of the...

read more
A Firefighter’s Many Calls

A Firefighter’s Many Calls

MOST EVERYONE takes comfort in knowing that when they need help, someone is there to answer the call. But who is that someone? In Fayetteville, it’s quite possible that the person answering your...

read more
Expect the Unexpected

Expect the Unexpected

MOST OF the population begins each work day with a basic understanding of the tasks that lie ahead of them. Expectations are clear, and circumstances are generally unchanging. For some, that may...

read more
Beano’s Southern comfort food

Beano’s Southern comfort food

I OFTEN FIND myself going to the same places for lunch on days when I feel strained from work. I visit fast food joints, not for the taste and quality, but just to get lunch “over with.” It...

read more
Bringing Rome, Home

Bringing Rome, Home

THERE THEY were, a young couple in love, walking hand in hand down cobblestone streets in Rome. The two were giddy, swooning equally over one another and the romantic allure of the ancient city...

read more
Work hard, cheer hard

Work hard, cheer hard

THE LINCOLN County High School (LCHS) cheerleaders attended the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) camp in Cookeville, Tennessee, June 21-24, bringing home three major awards. UCA — an...

read more
The rhythm of determination

The rhythm of determination

INSIDE THE pages of her favorite books, Sierra Arguello found a place of belonging but still longed for something that she couldn’t quite identify. In the early days of fifth grade, Arguello’s...

read more
More Than Pop Poms and Pyramids

More Than Pop Poms and Pyramids

AS THE sun slips behind the grandstands, the drum corp marches the band toward the Lincoln County High School (LCHS) field. Students and spectators follow on their heels, many carrying their...

read more
It’s Good to be Back

It’s Good to be Back

It’s finally here! Although the outside temperature argues for summer, your school spirit knows it’s fall. Tonight you’ve chosen shorts and flip-flops, but soon it will be flannel shirts, pants, and...

read more
A Fourth Quarter Fan

A Fourth Quarter Fan

FORGET YOUR most potent, most aromatic memories of high school locker rooms. Lincoln County High School’s football locker room is saturated with the winning spirit of three state championship...

read more
An Auburn Dream Come True

An Auburn Dream Come True

ACHIEVING ANY goal takes determination, self-discipline, and a certain level of grit. Short-term goals require a high level of mental acuity. Long-term goals require much more than a centered and...

read more
An Undefeated Tiger Season

An Undefeated Tiger Season

IT WAS the beginning of school football season, and the boys of fall were anxious to rough the field between the two goal posts. New faces filled the coaching staff of Fayetteville High School’s...

read more
Let’s Taco-Bout-It

Let’s Taco-Bout-It

“TACO TUESDAY” is a pretty well known term. In fact, many people use that term to plan meals for the week. It’s so ingrained in my brain that I find myself craving tacos most Tuesdays. This...

read more
Classrooms made of steel

Classrooms made of steel

THE CLASSROOM is like railroad tracks. Hard workers spent years, decades—centuries even—laying the groundwork for the trains to run smoothly from coast to coast. They’re strong. And they last for...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

So much more than teaching

DEFINING THE meaning of teacher requires more than Merriam-Webster; it takes a deeper look and a second glance. More than a job with a summer-long vacation, teachers are motivated by their love for...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Prepping for Back to School

IT MIGHT be one of the most exciting yet stressful times of the year, rivaling that of Christmas. It requires preparation, planning, logistics, time, and money. I’m almost sure there are military...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Like a rock tossed into the water

SURROUNDED BY a sea of classmates, a student filled with potential may feel invisible or wish he could disappear. Another student’s highest aim might be to coast through school until graduation. One...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

But, God

WITH THE first cup of steaming coffee in my hand and the stiffness still in my joints, I gently ease into my spot on the couch. A fresh, new day offers a blank page, although the to-do list in my...

read more
Making Strides in Education

Making Strides in Education

THE CARE for students in special education should always be a priority for the education system, but this care may be more important now, than ever before, with the current shortages of teachers....

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

A season like never before

THE LINCOLN County Lady Falcons softball team experienced some injuries during the season, but it ended with a feat never accomplished in school history: qualifying for the state tournament. “When...

read more
Called to Help

Called to Help

AS CHARLOTTE HOOPER attended regular services at The Father’s Refuge Church, she saw more than hymnals and church bulletins; she saw children and families in need. Wanting to help, she and her...

read more
The story continues

The story continues

RALPH ASKINS School has been Karrie Pittenger’s second home for most of her life. A safe, inviting environment is the heart of any home. It’s the same atmosphere Pittenger wanted for students and...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Classroom Approved

THE WORDS “back to school” can stir up many different emotions. Some young parents hear “school” and are instantly filled with dread and anxiety. Leaving their wide eyed babes for the first time can...

read more
3 meals. 1 burger

3 meals. 1 burger

Have you ever felt so hungry you could eat a horse? The growling and gurgling of your stomach begs you to fill it with something substantial. You’re angry and irritable because you know a mere...

read more
Boom! Bang! Race!

Boom! Bang! Race!

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO! The buzzer sounded and runners of all ages took off. Feet hit the blacktop in repetition as they spent the next 3.1 or 10.2 miles running in the muggy, summer-morning heat...

read more
Classrooms made of steel

The Sound of Trumpets

IF YOU took a snapshot of any 10 years in our country’s history, there is a hurt we were trying to heal. The same is true today. It’s our independence that lets us correct that, to heal, and to...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

More than fireworks & cookouts

Here are fun facts to challenge your players:  DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: John Hancock’s was the first and only one on July Fourth. The remaining signatures were added over time,...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Juneteenth

“FREEDOM” enters the chatroom, and immediately it’s all, barbecued meat and who’s got the biggest bang of a firework show. While Independence Day is our nation’s designated time to pause and...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

The Dream Maker

WHEN VIKTOR Makela arrived in America from Finland, the Statue of Liberty welcomed him. He brought more than a few material possessions with him; he arrived with a heart filled with dreams. Makela...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Food, Fireworks & Fun

WE WELCOME a summer celebration more than ever, and Independence Day is the perfect time to gather for food, fun, fireworks, and flag-waving. There’s an event near you, so there’s no excuse for...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Freedom of fire

WHEN I was a young buck, I decided if there was a rule, I was going to break it. There have been many distinct times in my life when I have felt suffocated by others’ control, expectations, or...

read more
A better view

A better view

FAYETTEVILLE MAYOR Michael Whisenant and the city alderman updated the city’s garbage and cart replacement policy to better clean the city.  The city will make available a 96-gallon cart to all...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

The Big Payback

NONPROFITS PLAY important roles in everyone’s communities, offering services from caring for animals and supplying food to the hungry, to fighting human trafficking and providing education. The...

read more
Taking over the football reigns.

Taking over the football reigns.

FAYETTEVILLE HIGH School (FHS) hired Daniel Johnson as the new head coach of the Tigers football team for the 2022 season. The new head coach seeks to take his team to the state championship to...

read more
Keeping it real

Keeping it real

DICK CLARK said “music is the soundtrack of your life.” Eric Michael Taylor would say music is his life, and he enjoys writing and performing the soundtracks of your life.  Taylor’s music style...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Floating Vacations on Local Water

Whether it’s relaxation or adventure you’re seeking, you don’t have to look far to find it. Middle Tennessee’s waterways will refresh and restore you. A lazy float with nature’s soundtrack of...

read more
Letter From the Editor – Education in Bloom

Selfless

THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER dictionary defines the word selfless as “someone who has no concern for self, or unselfish.” As the world keeps turning, it may feel like selfless people are few and far between....

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Do bunnies lay eggs?

Easter parades may have passed on by, but its many other traditions are alive and well. Even though the internet has changed how we watch movies, families still watch “The Ten Commandments” every...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

In the spirit of selflessness

WEBSTER MAY define selflessness as having no concern for self, but givers in our community give the world and our lives deeper meaning. They take to heart the well-being and care of others and place...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

When empty is full

AS MORNING’S first light nudged the last of the darkness, Mary Magdalene walked with heavy heart and feet along the dirt road. The garden’s birdsong and fragrant blossoms, usually welcomed,...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

No more debt

MEMBERS OF the Friends of the Library (FOL) hosted the “Last Gala” event at the Fayetteville- Lincoln County Public Library (FLCPL) on Feb. 26, to pay off the debt on the facility.  FOL, a...

read more
A life of service

A life of service

SOMETIMES PEOPLE’S great acts of service are not recognized enough today. Therefore, it was about time for Dr. Farris Beasley to be honored for serving Lincoln County all his life.  Beasley was...

read more
Attracting new business

Attracting new business

THE FAYETTEVILLE Lincoln County Industrial Development Board (FLCIDB) is looking to bring growth to the community as it seeks to attract business to the area.  The Tennessee Department of Economic...

read more
New football coach

New football coach

LINCOLN COUNTY High School (LCHS) hired Eddie Cunningham as the new head coach of the Falcon football team for the 2022 season. The new head coach plans to help his team return to good football. ...

read more
Life With Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Beautifully Different.

Leading the Way

IT’S HARD to imagine now, but there was a time when women weren’t allowed to cross the Fayetteville downtown square unattended. In the mid-1800s, several saloons were located around the square, and...

read more
Billy Hall – Custodian of Grace

Billy Hall – Custodian of Grace

BE CAREFUL what you pray for,” he said, laughing. “God has delivered, and it’s such a wonderful ride. I will never forget my journey here,” Mr. Billy said.  Mr. Billy and his wife, Shelia, have...

read more