263. How to D.R.E.A.M. Your Way to Wisdom with Lori Pappas

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, we meet Lori Pappas, one of the first female computer sales reps in the world, an award-winning entrepreneur, and founder of the Global Team for Local Initiatives, where she spent over a decade in Africa helping more than 100,000 people.

After years of chasing success, Lori discovered that the true magic of life comes from saying yes—yes to forgiveness, boundaries, curiosity, and self-discovery. Her journey inspired the D.R.E.A.M. Framework, a practical guide for transforming challenges into wisdom.

In this episode, Lori and Yo talk about reinventing yourself at every stage of life, the myths that hold women back from self-advocacy, and how forgiveness and reflection unlock our deepest wisdom.

💡 Key Takeaways

✨ The Power of Choice
At 17, Lori learned one of her life’s defining lessons: she had choice. That insight—realizing we don’t have to “swallow” what life hands us—became the foundation for how she navigated every transformation that followed.

💖 Turning Struggles into Wisdom
Her years in Africa illuminated that our challenges are not obstacles but teachers. When we take time to reflect, our struggles become our superpower.

🌿 Boundaries as Self-Care
Drawing from her work, Lori shares common myths that keep us from setting boundaries—like believing others’ needs are more important than our own—and how self-advocacy is an act of self-worth.

💬 Favorite Quotes from Lori

“Our struggles and challenges really are the keys to finding our wisdom.”
“Boundaries are the bedrock of self-care.”
“Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting—it means dropping the hundred pounds of stones we carry on our back.”
“Fear can become your rocket fuel.”
“Wisdom is information minus the noise, over time.”
“Let’s just clean the closet of the noise.”

“Let’s really work on that noise. Let’s just get rid of that crap. If I had done that earlier, I could have traveled farther and touched more people.”

📚 Resources & Links

• 🌐 Website: loripappas.com

• 💌 Free Resource: Download a free D.R.E.A.M. framework of your choice → loripappas.com/dream

• 📘 Book: The Magic of Yes: Embrace the Wise Woman Within

• 💬 Email: lori@loripappas.com

• 💕 Join: Wise Woman Sisterhood Facebook Group

⏰ Episode Chapters

00:00 — Lori’s story: from rebellion to resilience
03:00 — The moment in the Sahara that changed everything
06:00 — Saying yes to life and boundaries
09:00 — The myths that keep us from self-care
16:00 — Learning to self-advocate
18:00 — Forgiveness and flipping the script
21:00 — Lori’s formula for wisdom
25:00 — The D.R.E.A.M. framework revealed
29:00 — Turning fear into rocket fuel
35:00 — Curiosity as nourishment for the mind
37:30 — Advice to her 20-something self

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