Characters of the Village – Laura Fredricks

By Joy and Brian Pape

When we learned that our neighbor, Laura, had been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, we knew it was time to learn more about her. We then invited her to step out next door to our apartment so we could ask her some questions.

What brought you to the West Village?
I was living in Philadelphia and in 2002, Pace University hired me to raise $100 million for its five campuses. I knew the West Village well because I grew up in Ridgefield, NJ and my mother, an artist, would take us to all the NYC museums and then head straight to the West Village. She loved Christopher Street.

Where do you live now?
I’ve lived on Barrow Street for 22 years. It is such a wonderful place to live. It’s uncanny, since my apartment overlooks Christopher Street. You can say I’ve come full circle.

Tell us about your work.
After we raised the $100 million for Pace, I started my own consulting business in 2008. I absolutely LOVE what I do. As an Ask expert, I help businesses, nonprofits and individuals get their best professional and personal life through THE ASK. Over the years I’ve raised more than $1 billion. Combining my background in law and philanthropy, I created the Five Laws on Asking – do them right and in order and anyone of any age can get exactly what they need and deserve. It is beyond rewarding when people tell me they got the job, raise, promotion, that they have stronger relationships, and just feel more confident as a person because they asked.

What is your best accomplishment to date?
It’s my seventh and latest book, Hard Asks Made Easy: How to Get Exactly What You Want. It is Amazon’s #1 Business Mentoring and Coaching and #5 Personal Transformation. I just recorded it for Audible this July and in two days it became Audible’s #1 Business Negotiating. I just got word that BookBub, a company that helps readers find new books and authors, named my book one of the top 15 Business Books for the second year in a row. I’m on Cloud 9!

What do you like to do in the West Village?
My absolute favorite is to walk along the West Side Highway up and down the piers, watching people reading, playing volleyball, the dogs in the dog park, and the kids in the water parks. It makes NYC come alive. I also love that I can get anything I want within three blocks and I tell this to all my friends who ask, “How can you live in the city?” You don’t need a car to get your groceries, go to the gym, post office, CVS, dry cleaners, coffee shop, deli, or any restaurant. The West Village is the jewel of NYC. We have a fabulous neighborhood and sense of community here. I would not want to live any place else. It’s me!

Are you involved with anything in the West Village?
When I first moved here, I joined the Bedford, Barrow, Commerce Block Association and I’m still a volunteer member. I think the most magical streets are where Bedford, Barrow and Commerce come together anchored by the Cherry Lane Theatre. I was on the theatre board for many years and then became chair. I really miss our landmark historical theatre but I understand all too well the economics of running an arts organization. From time to time I am called upon to share best fundraising practices with the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (aka Village Preservation). How lucky we are to have this group advocating to preserve our heritage in our neighborhood.

What do you do in your free time?
I’m an avid exerciser so in the winter I mountaineer the Catskill and Adirondack high peaks. Two years ago, I’m proud to say I did all 35 Catskill high peaks in the winter. This year I’m on to the Adirondacks; there are 46 of those monster peaks. I’ve done 14, so as we say, “game on!” In the spring and summer, it is kayaking and we’ve just branched out to kayak camping on islands in upstate NY. It keeps me young!

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Learn more about Laura at laurafredericks.com