Ep.85 Lori Ann King, Come Back Strong, Balanced Wellness After Surgical Menopause

Calm the Chaos

Lori Ann King is on a mission to inspire you to live a life of true health, love, laughter, and freedom! She is the Amazon best-selling author of Come Back Strong, Balanced Wellness after Surgical Menopause, and a two-time contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series.

Lori didn’t start off being a writer or an author as this journey came to her a bit later in life. She found that she was communicating best when writing and it was her way to process those things around her easily.

In 2014/ 2015, Lori experienced some health challenges and with her doctor, decided to remove an ovarian ovary and ovarian cyst. She went into the surgery expecting to be right back at it in no time but that’s not what happened. She woke up having a full hysterectomy and a full ovariectomy which means that everything was gone. With this procedure, you pretty much lose all your hormones so that puts you immediately into surgical menopause.

Lori thought that menopause was night sweats and hot flashes but she wasn’t prepared for all the other symptoms that came: insomnia, the rollercoaster of emotions, weight gain, and brain fog. She immediately felt out of balance.

It was by researching online and getting involved with other blogs that she discovered other people writing on this topic and started to contribute with her writings. She started to share her story to be an inspiration to others and it was then that she started to write and she kept on writing! She found that through writing, she was connecting with women globally which was very humbling. Menopause is a global issue and we need to find a way to deal with these setbacks so we can find our balance and come back stronger!

Lori goes on to share her experience of waking up and not being in control of her emotions and being frustrated by the pain and bloating in her body. Little did Lori know that this would be years of trying out how to feel good again in her body. This involved some hormone therapy and a lot of lifestyle changes as well. She really had to ask herself “ Is this how I want to feel for the rest of my life or can I change it? “.

Since writing the book, Lori has connected with women all over the world who have thanked her for writing her story as they feel less alone. We as women want to be seen, heard, and be part of a community and not feel so alone.

We talk about how her book has helped women who are going to be getting a hysterectomy and what they can do for themselves as it relates to hormone therapy and other modalities. She also has many suggestions on how to enlist the help of a friend or family as support prior to a procedure and how they can support you in the overall journey.

Lori was very fortunate that the doctor she was working with at the time was very knowledgeable in hormone therapy and felt that it is an art and science. The Science part is the testing and the art is listening to the patient or symptoms and working together down the path together. Her doctor empowered her to play a role in her health.

She shares that if you are not vibing with your doctor and something doesn’t feel right then find someone that has the same belief or that treats you as a powerful part of the partnership and collaboration.

Lori supports her community with her course: Balanced Wellness During Menopause and coaching. Lori shares that she can’t go back and change what happened to her but perhaps she can help ease someone’s pain through their situation. Her course is born out of the book and helps women get through any type of situation, illness, surgery, or setback. The concepts are specific to all menopause and not just surgical menopause.

Lori goes on to share about another book that is coming out in September 2021 which is called: Transform. It’s a book about using your mind to transform your body. It comes from her and her husband’s journey. And if that isn’t enough there is another book called: Wheels to Wellbeing which is also being released that same month. This book helps us to understand the spokes to your wellbeing so that you can live a more blanched life.

We discuss how Lori and her husband continue to make intentional goals and be one another’s support in tough and challenging situations. They have a beautiful relationship that offers a lot of support and you’ll love hearing their story!

Lori asks the important question. What does healthy mean to you? What does movement mean to you? It’s finding those things that you love to do, and define what healthy means to you that’s so important to your overall success. We need to give ourselves grace and love during this change. So often it comes from a place of hate and we need to come from a place of self-love. Lori wants to live every single day as healthy and she can because there are people in her life that are counting on her! And she needs the energy to do that! :)

She encourages us to find the right movement that works for us and listen to our bodies. Sometimes we may feel like being more physical and other times we may need something less like yoga or Thai Chi. Be curious and open to finding what works best for you. It doesn’t need to be the same routine every day to be a form of self-care. Listen to yourself and honor what comes up for you, that’s self-care.

Resources and Links

Connect with Lori Ann King

Connect with Lori on Instagram Here

Free EBook Wheels to Wellbeing

Purchase any of Lori’s books here

Connect with Deborah Voll

Take The Midlife Quiz

Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook