The Magic of Yes: Lori Pappas’ Journey from Fierce Competitor to Wise Woman

You’ve done everything they said would make you feel whole. You’ve worked harder than anyone around you. You’ve achieved, provided, held it all together. But deep down, something’s missing. You’re tired of being strong. You’re ready to feel. To soften. To stop the endless striving.


This episode of We Are Already Free is a lifeline. Lori Pappas built an award-winning software company in a man’s world, led teams of hundreds, and checked every external box of success. Then, in her fifties, she walked away from it all - career, marriage, country. She moved to rural Ethiopia. Alone. She founded a charity that’s since served over 100,000 people. In her sixties, she met the love of her life. Now, at 75, Lori is no longer trying to be impressive. She’s becoming real.


This conversation is a masterclass in unhooking your worth from your performance... and saying yes to the life that’s actually yours.


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What you’ll hear in this episode:


– How Lori’s childhood trauma shaped her hustle– The cost of success when it’s built on disconnection– Why silence and curiosity became her greatest teachers– Somatic tools to calm the mind and reconnect with your body– How love can find you... after you’ve stopped looking– Why “yes” is one of the most powerful spiritual tools we have


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Timestamps05:33 The trauma that set her path: exorcisms and institutionalisation13:13 How she succeeded by armouring up16:00 A silent hilltop in Ethiopia and the collapse of her false self27:00 Dating at 60+: how she met the love of her life33:11 Somatic healing, mantras, and non-directed attention41:48 Losing identity in success, reclaiming it in presence49:00 Trust, service, and the uncomfortable truth about helping56:49 Reflection + Dopamine Detox invitation


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Resources– The Magic of Yes by Lori Pappas (https://amzn.to/4kRo84T) - Lori's Website: https://www.loripappas.com/– Free 21-Day Dopamine Detox Challenge - alreadyfree.me/reset (http://alreadyfree.me/reset)


Get full access to We Are Already Free with Nathan Maingard at wearealreadyfree.substack.com/subscribe (https://wearealreadyfree.substack.com...)