Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Carlson-Laundry.
Hi Gretchen, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In February of 2022, my entire life changed. After more than 22 years in local government, I had a serious work accident that left me with a brain injury and PTSD. I suddenly found myself unable to drive, unable to look at screens for long, and needing a walking stick just to get around. I couldn’t go back to my job, and honestly, I fell into a deep depression. I felt like I had lost everything — my career, my independence, my identity.
Then one day, my neighbor showed up with a bunch of bananas and said, “Can you turn this into banana bread?” That moment sparked something in me. Baking became my therapy. I tweaked the recipe into something that would have made my grandmother drool. It grounded me and gave me something positive to focus on when everything else felt dark. That’s how The Naughty Banana Bakery was born — out of healing, humor, and the joy of creating something that made people smile. Banana Bread So Good It Should Be Illegal!
Now, I run The Naughty Banana Bakery website, where I take pre-orders for Sunday pickup from 2–5 PM in Roseville. Local customers, especially the Realtors of Crocus Hill, have supported me from the very beginning with yearly client-gift orders, which has meant the world to me. I haven’t even run any ads, afraid I’ll get too busy to fast.
During my recovery, in 2023 and 2024, I also wrote a book — Trauma Recovery Pathways. I wrote it entirely from a survivor’s perspective because I wanted people with PTSD to feel understood, not pathologized. I published it in May 2024 through my own tiny publishing company, Black Squirrel Publishing.
And something incredible happened in summer 2024:
At the Stillwater Farmers Market, a man came up to me, shook my hand, and said my book was helping a lot of people. He introduced himself as Jeff Anderson — the nationally known attorney who advocates for survivors of abuse. I didn’t fully grasp who he was until I got home and looked him up. I was absolutely blown away. That moment stays with me because it reminded me that what I wrote is truly making a difference.
Life hasn’t stopped testing us. My husband Mike — my partner since 1983 and my husband since 1989 — was diagnosed with cancer in late 2022. He went through chemo and radiation, was cancer-free for a while, and then at the end of 2024, it came back. So 2025 has been focused on helping him fight for his life again. Because of that, I haven’t pushed the bakery or the book as much this year — my husband comes first.
We also have six chickens and three ducks (and I’m madly in love with them all!). They’ve been a huge source of grounding and comfort for me — even though they are SO much work. Because of Mike’s fatigue from radiation and chemo, most of the daily work falls on me, but we have had help from family and friends. And Mike was able to build most of the duck house, before the fatigue got real bad. “The Feathers” as I like to call them bring me peace when life gets overwhelming. And, three of our six chickens are now laying, so there’s the benefit of the perfect food – the egg!
Once Mike is stable and I can breathe again, I’m excited and looking forward to give both The Naughty Banana Bakery and Trauma Recovery Pathways the attention they deserve. I want to create a full media kit, reach out to local radio and TV shows, connect with bookstores and libraries, and really share my story — because the bakery and the book are forever intertwined. One helped me survive trauma, and the other helps me share hope.
If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that healing often begins with something small — sometimes even just a bunch of bananas.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Running The Naughty Banana Bakery has been such a fun adventure, but it definitely hasn’t come without a few learning curves. Some of the biggest challenges I’ve had to figure out include:
Building my website from scratch
I had never created a website before, so organizing the pages, writing the content, and making everything flow the way I wanted took time and a lot of trial and error.
Learning how to price my products
Pricing homemade baked goods is an art form! I’ve had to learn how to balance ingredient costs, time, packaging, and what feels fair for customers—while still honoring the value of my work.
Keeping enough super ripe bananas on hand
This is a whole system in itself. Making sure I always have enough bananas at the perfect ripeness for orders (especially those unexpected last-minute ones!) has been a challenge I never saw coming.
Navigating Square as my online merchant system
Square has been helpful, but I’m still learning my way around it. I’ve been dealing with some frustrating “low stock” alerts on my website when nothing is actually low. It’s a work in progress.
Also, learning how to write and edit a book, start to finish and the art of publishing and promoting a book was a huge learning curve, and I am still learning. How to manage everything and make time for all on my plate, even when the plate gets stacked has been challenging and has made me grow even more.
These challenges have pushed me, taught me, and honestly made this whole experience even more rewarding. Every step has helped shape The Naughty Banana into the fun, a little bit naughty bakery it’s becoming, and how my book is part of my Naughty Banana Bakery and website are part of my book story.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a creator in a couple of different ways. I’m the author of Trauma Recovery Pathways, which I wrote and published through my own company, Black Squirrel Publishing, and I’m also the baker behind The Naughty Banana Bakery, my small in-home artisan bakery known for its “so good it should be illegal” banana breads.
I specialize in sharing real, lived experiences through my writing and in creating handmade baked goods that truly bring comfort to people. What sets me apart is that everything I do comes straight from the heart—no big production—just me showing up authentically for others.
I don’t use the word proud very often; I mostly feel blessed. Blessed to have written and published my first book, blessed to have built this fun and a little bit naughty bakery, and blessed to be married to my best friend for almost four decades. Blessed to have a caring, loving, talented daughter. Everything I do grows out of gratitude, honesty, and connection.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’ve never really seen myself as a risk-taker. I’ve always had a pretty big fear of failure, so stepping out and trying something new was never easy for me. Starting my own business felt huge, and writing and publishing my book was an even bigger leap. Both of those things pushed me way outside my comfort zone, but they also showed me what I’m capable of.
My view on risk has definitely changed. I’ve learned that you really can’t grow—personally or professionally—without taking some chances. We don’t achieve anything meaningful by staying in the safe zone. Those risks ended up being some of the most important decisions I’ve ever made, and I’m grateful I found the courage to take them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thenaughtybananabakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenaughtybananabakery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenaughtybanana
- Other: gretchenmcarlson.com (in development) and blacksquirrelpublishinghouse.com (also in development)
