INTRODUCING LORI BRUTON

BY LORI BRUTON I PHOTOS BY JULIE OLDFIELD

Tell us a little bit about who Lori Bruton is.

I am real and raw. My faith and family are most important to me. I enjoy coffee, cafes, dark chocolate, dancing, music, writing, and traveling. I am a loving, compassionate woman who likes to have fun. I broke out of the corporate cube because entrepreneurship is in my blood thanks to my dad. My parents divorced when I was 13. At 20 years old, I married a wonderful man and had two amazing sons who I adore. I never thought I would end up divorced. After forgiving myself, I reinvented myself and learned to enjoy life. The best part is my travel adventures. Being a travelpreneur gives me the opportunity to use an app to travel, be a travel writer, and meet amazing people in many places.

What is The LORI Factor?

The LORI Factor is a guide to find your way in life and live the life you were born to live. It’s how I transformed, got unstuck, and found the right path. Sharing it with others is healing broken hearts and impacting lives on many levels. My book, The LORI Factor: Live the Life You Were Born to Live, goes into detail. The core four steps are:

L – LOOK through the Lord’s loving eyes to see a larger vision of your life and create a vision of yourself beyond your circumstances and mental conditioning.

O – OPTIMISM. Have an optimistic spirit and the possibility that you can change your life.

R – REINVENT yourself. You’ve got to be willing to make radical changes in your behavior to live a purposeful life.

I – INVEST in yourself. Bet on you. You’re an asset to the planet. You have something special. You have greatness in you. You’re a masterpiece because you are a piece of the Master.

How did you get the name “The Queen of Hope”?

The people who have heard my transformational story found hope themselves and began calling me the Queen of Hope. One person said beneath my quiet demeanor lies a woman of steel. She recognized that I am on a mission to use my gifts, passion, wisdom, and experience to share my powerful message of hope, inspiration, and resilience that will make a difference.

How do you stay motivated and try and inspire others?

Let me be totally vulnerable. The truth is no one is motivated 100% of the time. Sometimes I need to rest and reset. We all must take time for that. I have found ways to stay motivated most of the time and to turn things around when I have difficult moments. First, having awareness of my thoughts, words, and mood is key. When I need to shift into a better state, I breathe, pray, journal, and put on some lively music and dance. Getting outside in nature is always grounding and uplifting. Listening to a motivational message in the morning sets up the day for success. My favorite one is Les Brown in the Georgia Dome.

Reading good books (including my own books) and surrounding myself with likeminded people keeps me inspired and motivated. Sharing resources, experiences, and messages of encouragement not only inspires me but inspires others as well. When I see how what I write, say, and do helps people, it warms my heart . It gives me purpose, energizes and motivates me to keep on keeping on and helping people achieve their goals and dreams.

What are some of the challenges you face regarding being an author and coach and how have you overcome them?

I tend to stay too quiet and haven’t made my books, services, and products known. I know my books are meant to get into many more hands. The challenge is not enough people know they exist. Effective marketing has eluded me as well as learning how to set up and connect technical aspects.

Where are the people who need what I have? Not knowing that has been a challenge. I have had moments of discouragement and wanting to leave my book and resources on the shelf. But, doing that would not help anyone. Here I am, being bold and courageous and busting through obstacles and getting in front of more people. What I have is valuable and enriches lives.

The word ‘coach’ can have many meanings. I define my role more as a guide and cheerleader, connecting people to resources and making referrals as needed. Some people think of a coach as a counselor. That’s not me. I can lead, guide, and encourage you and show you a better way (especially with travel).

What are the three most important words that you feel describe you and why?

Fun, funny, and creative. Fun keeps life exciting. I am not a ‘same thing, different day’ kinda gal. Variety is the spice of life. Speaking of spices, I love being spontaneous, surprising people, and baking for them or going on an adventure. My son and daughter-inlaw remember many times in many places when we laughed until we cried. Laughter is the best medicine.

Writers love words. Playing with words and turning them into funny jokes and silly stories in conversation fills the atmosphere with joy.

My creativity is expressed mainly with writing. It’s fun to write in my journal by the water, write poems, and create new ideas and posts. In fact, I created the tagline Lori’s Stories By the Water.

What’s one of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make and how did it impact your life?

Letting go of a man who I was deeply in love with. He knew how to play the game well. I didn’t know he was just acting. Realizing I was a pawn in his play was devastating.

I attended a Gary Coxe event in Florida and was invited on stage to have my breakthrough moment. I was asked questions and discovered I was in a toxic relationship. I didn’t want to believe it, but it was true. It was then I decided to love myself enough to let him go. It was a tough decision, but I knew it was the right decision. It took a huge amount of courage to call that man from the stage. We were dying together, not growing together. It wasn’t healthy. The breakthrough caused a breakdown and a broken heart for a while. It took time for my heart wounds to heal, and some spots are still tender.

That was a defining moment that impacted my life forever. That’s when I broke up with self-sabotage. I knew my mission was to help heal the brokenhearted, beginning with myself. After that event, my first book poured out of me entitled: Hole to Whole: Journey To Hope and Transformation.

What do you enjoy most about what you do? What do you find the hardest part about it?

Words have power. I enjoy seeing how my divinely inspired written and spoken words impact lives and touch hearts. People light up and are filled with hope. The lives I touch shows people not just how to cope, but that they don’t have to strive, they can thrive. I enjoy helping people with my gift of writing and the way I travel, and offering resources for their mind, body, and soul. The hardest part about it is when people are not open. Knowing I have solutions for them, but they are not willing to listen or invest in themselves. I know it’s their choice. I had to learn you can’t help people who don’t want to be helped. Even worse is when they did experience a solution, did get results, but decided not to continue.

Name someone who inspires you and why.

Les Brown, international motivational speaker and author, inspires me. One of his books is, You’ve Got to be Hungry: The Greatness Within to Win. Les tells his story about adversity and abandonment. He was hungry to overcome and decided to win in life. He helps others do the same. Les asked me a question in an interview: “What was a defining moment in your life; a moment that changed everything?” The most embarrassing, shameful moment came to mind when I told him that I ended up passed out in a church parking lot. (Gasp!)

From there, Les took me under his wing and helped me develop The LORI Factor. He wrote the Foreword for that book. He trained me how to find my Power Voice so I can step into speaking and sharing my powerful message that will impact and save lives. I am thankful to Les for believing in me when I didn’t believe in myself. He saw greatness in me. That was life changing.

What is the best advice/information you have ever been given?

My friend, John Paul Yalimanchili, was in town. He told me to stay connected with the Browns and to write my book. This was confirmation. I knew God spoke to me through John Paul that day. I am thankful. I continue to write, write, write.

What would you say is your greatest accomplishment to date?

First, choosing life. Using the gift of life and writing, I achieved published author status. Writing books, blogs, and articles, and putting myself out there took courage, perseverance, vulnerability, and hard work. It is worth it. When I held the first hard copy of my book in my hands with my name on it, my dream became reality. I also wrote a children’s book and am writing more.

What do you have planned next for The LORI Factor?

Under the umbrella of The LORI Factor is travel and wellness. I have in my hands the Netflix of travel. Travel is an essential key for improving wellness. I invite anyone to look at what I have to offer. You’ll be glad you did. Feel free to message me.

I am developing a course that helps people get unstuck, transform and achieve their goals and dreams.

What has been the greatest challenge in learning coping skills to deal with having diabetes and Bell’s Palsy?

When Bell’s Palsy hit me it was hard to face my own face. It was devastating and disfiguring. I know God is the potter and I am the clay, but really? I wanted the ‘molding’ to be done already and to be restored. For a while, I lost my smile. My facial expressions were hindered, which affected communication. Managing diabetes is a daily challenge with many variables. I’ve learned natural ways to correct and stabilize blood sugars.

What I have done to cope with these challenges is stay in faith, believe I can do better every day, have hope, and keep a positive attitude. Focusing on solutions and not listening to dooms day scenarios is essential. The Serenity Prayer is comforting: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Most importantly, I focus on God’s healing power and I believe in miracles. What makes you so passionate about helping others?

The Good Book says, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love— and the greatest of these is love.” I am passionate about sharing the greatest love of all. Everyone needs to be loved and accepted. I know what it’s like to be in pain physically, mentally, and emotionally. It bothers me to see others in pain. I have the heart to help others however I can. We are meant to enjoy life, be healthy, and fulfill our purpose and destiny.

I remember when my mother would bring meals to people who were in need and send cards. I carried on that same expression of love and caring. Animals are no exception. I was the one who fed the stray cats even though my mom told me not to.

What is one thing most people don’t know about you?

When I was in third grade, my dad, mom, sister, and I took a 6-week road trip out West. It was fascinating to see Old Faithful and going to sites in

California. That’s when I fell in love with travel. It was a fascinating experience and a wonderful memory that I will treasure forever.

Where will we see you next?

My travels will bring me to Cancun in the Spring. I am excited to share how I travel and invite others to do the same.

You can see my published travel articles and read my blog anytime.

Books signings are being scheduled. Stay tuned.

I am speaking at Kelly Breuer’s 2023 Health & Wellness Expo on June 17th at Perinton Square. Thank you, Kelly.

I will be in historic Aiken, South Carolina, in the fall for a press trip and writer retreat. Stay tuned for stories on that trip.

I plan to get invitations to speak and be a guest on podcasts. If anyone is looking for a guest, please reach out.

Connect with me on Facebook, Instagram, or send an email.

Much love, Lori Bruton

The Queen

of

Hope

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