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Laura Galloway
Laura Galloway is a fascinating speaker and the author of popular memoir: Dálvi, Six Years on the Arctic Tundra. After visiting the Arctic, where she met and fell in love with a Sami reindeer herder, Laura left behind a high-flying corporate career in New York and uprooted her entire life. However, after a couple of months dating, the reindeer herder disappeared without trace in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, Laura remained in the Arctic for over six years, learning a series of lessons and coming to terms with the lifelong loss that had previously defined her.
About Laura Galloway
Laura Galloway was running a successful media company in New York when her life began to unravel. A difficult divorce, the loss of a major client and burnout from a fast-paced life were causing her to question everything. However, it was at this point that Laura made several visits to the North and fell in love with the frozen landscape and dramatic environment, which would become her home for the next six years.
Laura Galloway’s life changed when took an early-stage commercial DNA test that suggested she shared some distant DNA with the Sámi people – also known as Laplanders – the indigenous inhabitants of the northern European Arctic.
Intrigued by this revelation, Galloway made several visits to the North and was charmed by its beauty.
Eventually, she met a Sámi reindeer herder at a wedding, and took the decision to go North for an indeterminate amount of time. After three months, the reindeer herder left in the dead of night, never to return. Galloway decided to take the path less travelled, staying in the frozen north, dark nights and 24 hour summers of the Arctic on her own for a remarkable six years. Laura’s after-dinner speeches bring to life the story that has featured in her popular memoir. Her time in a reindeer-herding village in the Arctic required her to forge a solitary existence as she struggled to learn the language and make her way in a remote community for which there were no guidebooks or manuals for how to fit in.
Throughout her time in the Arctic, Laura adapted to an entirely new culture, climate, career and lifestyle, learning invaluable life lessons along the way. Her story is one that inspires audiences to appreciate the little things in life, to never be afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone, and to realise that family, happiness and a sense of belonging are things that you can create for yourself.
- From New York to the Arctic: My Story
- How I lost everything, but found myself, in the Arctic
Videos
Testimonials
"A captivating speaker with a story like no other; Galloway delivers a very personal story alongside a fascinating description of Arctic life."
J. Grant, the Third Lounge Lectures
"Take this unforgettable journey with Laura and return with gems for your own life."
Former Executive Producer, The Oprah Winfrey Show
"Laura Galloway joined The Luncheon Society for a wonderful discussion about her memoir, Dálvi: Six Years in the Arctic Tundra." It’s a captivating and deeply personal memoir of her experiences living in the Arctic tundra of Sápmi (Lapland) for six years…Galloway skillfully weaves together her personal narrative with a rich exploration of the history and culture of Sápmi and its people."
Chairman, The Luncheon Society
