Lorie Ladd reveals more about her personal self-love journey and embracing imperfection…
WORDS: TANYA SMALE
As a teenager growing up in the 80s, I appeared to be living the Californian dream. I had a lot of friends, we roller-skated every weekend and I lived by the beach. But I carried a lot of trauma. My parents divorced when I was six and my mother left me and my older brother in Texas with my father, while she took my younger brother back to California. It was around this time that I was sexually abused by a family member, although the memory only resurfaced when I was nearly 30. I had abandonment and unworthiness issues, which created eating disorders and I used alcohol to numb the pain.
My older brother and I moved in with my mum a few years later. My mum was very spiritual and she would hang out at Louise Hay’s house. She was aware of the Great Awakening that we’re experiencing now and, from the age of 11, I would attend retreats and seminars with her. I was the youngest person there but it fed my soul. I lived in two separate worlds: one with school and friends, and the other which was very spiritual and aware of the bigger picture. Occasionally, I would talk to friends about it but they would chuckle and say "Oh, that's just Lorie being crazy" But I knew these were truths that I felt deeply within my soul.
Guidance from above
At 13, my soul purpose was revealed to me. I was walking home one day when a voice, who I now know was a guide, said: "You're going to assist humanity in the ascension process." Back then, we thought ascension meant the world collapsing, so I thought I would be helping people off the planet or something. I remember thinking, "That's great but I don't even know if I want to do that." I also knew it wouldn't happen until I was ready.
After graduating, I studied for my Masters in psychology counselling and went on to do a PhD but I was miserable and doing it for the prestige, so I quit before finishing. I ended up working in banking, was briefly engaged and planned to start a family with my then boyfriend. For a while, it seemed I was going to have a regular life, although, occasionally, I asked myself ‘When are you going to do what you came here to do?’
Spiritual commitment
Everything changed dramatically in 2010 when I met Joe, my yoga teacher. There was this instant connection and familiarity between us and a deep love, but without any intimacy or romance. It was as if we had a soul contract: Joe was the catalyst that activated and reminded me what I was here for. I left my boyfriend and career and we travelled to Thailand
