Overcoming Emotional Abuse with Dr. Luissa Kiprono

Episode 044 — Overcoming Emotional Abuse with Dr. Luissa Kiprono

Emotional abuse can make you question your worth, silence your voice, and believe you cannot survive without the person controlling you. In this powerful episode of Overcoming Anything, host Anne Vryonides sits down with Dr. Luissa Kiprono to talk about surviving emotional abuse, reclaiming freedom, and rebuilding a life rooted in resilience, purpose, and self-worth.

Dr. Luissa Kiprono is a high-risk pregnancy specialist, Air Force veteran, founder, and author of Push and Breathe. Her story takes listeners from growing up in communist Romania, to being brought to the United States under false pretenses, to enduring years of control, isolation, and abuse—before creating an escape plan, reclaiming her identity, and fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a physician.

Key Takeaways
• Emotional abuse is about control: manipulation, isolation, shame, and making you believe you cannot survive without the abuser
• Freedom begins with one decision, one small step, and one trusted person who helps you believe escape is possible
• Healing is more than leaving: it requires rebuilding self-worth, letting go of the poison of the past, and filling your daily cup

Timestamps
• 00:00 — Introduction: overcoming emotional abuse and reclaiming your life
• 02:10 — Dr. Luissa’s mantra: “I’m resilient, and tomorrow is another day”
• 05:30 — Growing up in communist Romania surrounded by love and family support
• 09:00 — Coming to America for what was supposed to be a two-month visit
• 12:00 — Passport taken, name changed, and freedom stripped away
• 16:00 — Isolation, control, limited schooling, and being denied access to money
• 21:00 — The darkest moment: realizing the dream of becoming a doctor was being used to control her
• 26:00 — The turning point: her mother’s gift, citizenship, and a two-week escape window
• 32:00 — Creating an escape plan: apartment, secondhand car, extra work hours, and one trusted friend
• 38:00 — The emotional meaning of becoming an American citizen and finally belonging somewhere
• 43:00 — Recognizing emotional abuse: control, shame, isolation, and self-blame
• 48:00 — Why emotional abuse is harder to talk about than physical abuse
• 53:00 — The lies abuse makes you believe: “You will never make it without me”
• 58:00 — Healing after leaving: choosing to become a victor instead of a statistic
• 01:03:00 — Reclaiming the dream: undergrad, research, Air Force scholarship, and medical school
• 01:09:00 — Rebuilding self-worth through small wins, consistency, and forward movement
• 01:14:00 — Letting go of the past so it does not poison the future
• 01:18:00 — Life lessons: lean on support, keep going, and fill your daily cup
• 01:22:00 — Advice for anyone still in it: start small, hold onto hope, and believe in the next step
• 01:26:00 — Where to find Dr. Luissa and her book Push and Breathe

Connect with Dr. Luissa Kiprono
• Dr. Luissa’s website: https://drluissak.com/ | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
• Telemedicine practice: https://telemedmfm.com/ 

Resources
• Push and Breathe by Dr. Luissa Kiprono, https://a.co/d/02bncbTt
• Signed special edition available through Dr. Luissa’s website, https://drluissak.com/book-us/

If this episode helped you, share it with someone who feels trapped, isolated, or like they’ve lost their voice—because there is a way out, and the first step does not have to be big. 

I’ll see you next time on Overcoming Anything.
 ❤️ Anne

Disclaimer
The content of this episode is for informational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional therapy, diagnosis, legal, or medical care.

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Transcript

Speaker 0:02

Welcome to Overcoming Anything, the podcast where we dive deep into stories of resilience, transformation, and growth. I'm your host, Anne, and today we have an incredible guest who has overcome emotional abuse. Joining me today is Dr. Louisa Kiprono, a high risk pregnancy specialist, an Air Force veteran and founder, whose powerful story reflects resilience, healing, and women's empowerment. Welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 0:29

Thank you for having me, Anne.

Speaker 0:30

My pleasure. So before we dive in, I always love to ask, what's one quote or mantra that keeps you going in tough times?

Speaker 2 0:40

I'm resilient and I know tomorrow is another day, so keep plugging.

Speaker 0:47

I love it. So how has that quote or mantra served you in your life and helped you through difficult times?

Speaker 2 0:55

It actually, in the beginning I was not aware, you don't wake up in the morning and say, oh, I'm resilient. I can do this. Tomorrow is another day. But, it all processes and comes together through days ins and days out of having, a lot of trials and tribulations in life. What I say to my sons and to anyone that goes through rough times, and I do not believe that there is a human out there that does not go through rough times at some point or not in their lives. This just can't happen. Okay? It's only in the, fairytales. I tell them, you are allowed to. You know, lay there after somebody really kicked you around for about 24 hours. Okay, I'll give you that 24 hours. And then after that you must, start reassessing in order to pick yourself up. And you say, you know what? Tomorrow is another day. We are going to tackle this. We'll just have to figure out another way to get to it, and we will make this happen one way or the other. In my home country, they say that if you don't, if you can't get through the door, you get through the window. I would say it further. If you can't get through the door or the window, you just pick the keyhole.

Speaker 2:12

I love it. I love it. Find a way in. So that's a very inspiring, story that you're talking about on how you just never give up. Just keep going and give your time yourself that time to grieve, whether, like you said, it's 24 hours, let yourself process those emotions and then pick up and keep going. So I love that. So let's start at the beginning. What is the most difficult thing that you've ever had to go through in your life? Living my home country. So give you a little bit of perspective. I did not just come here, decided one day, you know what, I'm just gonna move to America. I'm gonna move to America and make a life outta myself. No, it was a little different. I lived in, I was born in. Grew up in communist Romania, which had its own shortcomings and trials. But family-wise, I was surrounded by love and by trust. And, my family was extremely supportive. That means my mom, my grandparents, and, my, aunt and uncle. I came to America for two months, initially, came to visit my father, and I barely knew him, growing up. And then my plan was to go back home after two months, back home to Romania, go to medical school and become a physician. Was my childhood dreamed to become a doctor. And that, we had a plan. So that was my plan. About two weeks after I came to America, my father disclosed to me that he has no plans to letting me return to the United to Romania. I was extremely surprised, of course, and not only the surprised, I was just crushed and like, you brought me here under the false pretenses. You knew I'm gonna go home, right? And, when, when everything escalated, my passport was taken away. I did not speak any English. Just wanted to let you know. I spoke Romanian, French and German at the time. The communist government did not allow me to pick up English as I grew up, mainly because my father was a, defector, from the remaining government, he actually crossed the Dan River, escaped, um, sought political asylum in, Yugoslavia in Germany. He wasn't really a friend of the Romanian government, so I was not allowed to take English. And frankly speaking, I had no desire to take English because I, I wasn't planning to come here for good. Again, my passport was taken away. I was not allowed to return home. I was, my name was changed, from my maiden name to his mother's maiden name. And, I was persuaded to seek political asylum in the United States, after, all this has taken place, I reluctantly agreed, to stay in America when for in like under two. No, well under two conditions. One was for him to remarried my mother, which was his first former wife, and then to re reunite our family, so to speak. My mom was left behind the Romania. And then the second was for him to help me become a physician. None of which came to par. Oh, wow. Who took your passport? Was it your father?

Speaker 2 5:32

My father. Oh,

Speaker 5:33

okay.

Speaker 2 5:34

After that, a lot of abuse came through, and mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, rape, everything that you could possibly, imagine. And everything is really spelled out in my memoir, who depicts my first 15 years in the United States., Seven years afterwards, I managed to, get my American citizenship. And shortly, when I say shortly, within two weeks of that, I, moved out, and I just became my own person and have my own freedom.

Speaker 6:11

Wow, that must have been so difficult. So you moved here thinking you were going home. And then your passport's taken, and then you're living with your father who's doing things, unspeakable things. You don't really speak English. So how did you make it through that time? Were you going to school and then you found some friends at school that you could confide in or. How did you manage?

Speaker 2 6:33

I, he allowed me to take about a class a semester. Of course you had to keep up the lie, right? And think about the fact that, yes, I am going to help you get to medical school in probably the next three lifetimes. So you take one class a semester, as an undergrad. I came here when, I was, I remained, or I stayed in America right as I finished my high school. You can imagine that, I didn't have any undergrad or college, degree at that point. And in Europe, specifically the medical school, it's set up differently than here in America. In America. Friends, I was not allowed to have any friends. So the only really friend I had was a cat. It was a Sammy's cat. Her name is Suzette. She. To the day. She still, her picture still lays here on my desk. And she, she was the only being that I could have around live being, and my mom, my mom was called. So I was allowed to call my mom once a week on Sunday for a minute. So no, no friends. I started working,, when I started learning a little bit of English. I was working for his real estate company,, as, first as a secretary, then as a broker took my, I I was a real estate broker for 10 years under, three separate states in New England. And then, I had an allowance of $1 a week.

Speaker 8:04

Wow.

Speaker 2 8:05

I was also working at a grocery store, like a supermarket in, New Hampshire. And, all of those money, everything that would, I would make, it all goes straight to his accounts. So I really did not have, any financial means nor credit, nothing. So it's extremely hard to escape that situation.

Speaker 8:25

Wow. So how did you escape and did you find like a shelter that could help you out?

Speaker 2 8:31

No. So what happened? Actually, it was really like a divine interventionist, so to speak. It just,, so in, 1993, I was allowed to go home for a brief time for about five days, to go see my mother. It was set up in such a way, you have to understand, my father's mentality and brain of, Train of thought, he would let me go. But right before the school would start, the, the college class that I was telling you about. Yeah. 'cause then he knew that I was going to come back because he knew how much I wanted to, go to school. So I went home for five days. I went to see my mom. And at that point, My mom disclosed to me that recently she had a conversation with him in which she asked him, are you keeping my daughter there? My mother did not know of anything that happened, so because it, that would've crushed her. It would've killed her and I that I said, that is something I have to deal with and that will, I'll have the burden I have to carry. For the time being. So she says, what are you gonna do for my daughter? Are you gonna let her go to school? Are you gonna, is she gonna become a doctor? And so his reply was that, Lisa is gonna make a very fine secretary. So that was the straw. The broke the camel's back. Because when I heard that, I mean to the day, it gives me goosebumps. I'm like, how dare you dangle my dream in front of me, making me hope that this will happen? Because my idea is to become a doctor and escape this. Right? Right. Go to medical school. Go get out of this. Hell and just let it all behind. Just to find out that was never the idea nor the desire of his to let me go. So when I heard that and my mom gave me a, monetary gift, which was very much, in communist Romania, knowing the inflation and how much money she made yearly, in income. So she gave me a thousand dollars. As a gift. And I said, mom, I can't take this from you. I'm supposed to take care of you. You're not supposed to take care of me. Here I am, 25 years old. And, she said, no, you keep it, you take it there with you because you never know. So that thousand dollar, the, and the fact that I was working to that supermarket and the fact that I could, I got my citizenship that December, helped me. Put it all together and have an escape plan. And also he went, back to Romania for a couple of weeks, right there in December. So me having the liberty to act and have a very good friend, that she, without knowing all, any of the details, she just came, gave me rides. To go, try to find the, secondhand car and so forth. I told her I'm gonna be moving out. And she helped me, go find an apartment, put down payment, talk to my boss at the grocery store and say, can I have a lot of more hours? Got a second job. So everything I lined up, believe it or not, in those two weeks.

Speaker 11:39

Wow. You were meant to put your plan together and make it happen.

Speaker 2 11:42

Oh yeah. Like I said, that was a straw.

Speaker 11:45

Yeah. So was there a specific moment when everything felt impossible?

Speaker 2 11:52

Yes, it was, on my birthday. When I turned 19 years old, a month after I got here, after I already knew I would never go back home, that day. When, when I was laying on the kitchen floor, i'll leave it that way. Oh, the rest is in the book. That is when I thought that I can never get through anything anymore. I was like, my God, this is just not happening. It's just a bad dream that is never gonna end, and I'm gonna just die in this dream.

Speaker 12:25

Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, that you got to that point. Wow. My heart goes out to you. So once. Once you left, did you see your father again?

Speaker 2 12:40

I only saw him twice afterwards. One was, and only in public places, once was to, Was lunch, over lunch. We went there. We just, I went there for lunch like about a week or two after I moved out and he was trying to convince me to go back home. And I told him, I said, I'll never, I would rather sleep under a bridge before I get back. I go back there. Two is, when my mom, about a year later, I invited my mom over, since now I was an American citizen. And I was, an independent free human being. And, it was over Thanksgiving. And, my boyfriend at the time and the, his parents, they wanted to meet all and he asked me to invite him what I did. He, and he was, like he says, he got me, took me to this disgusting place. I dunno what he meant by that. He was a. Restaurant, that all had, we had a dinner. But really what it was, for me at least, it was some kind of a payback in a way, let's say it, because I said, mommy's here, she finally made it to America, and without your help.

Speaker 13:53

Wow. Wow. So I'm surprised he let you get your citizenship because then he would would lose freedom. Well the thing was, he couldn't do anything about it. 'cause I had my green card one, two, he was not here. So remember those two weeks he was out, right? He was not here during my swear in and friendly. I didn't want him to be here. It was my first real. Accomplishment in this country. I was the happiest at what, human, alive, that happy, and, I'm getting emotional. Think about it. I had my application for my passport and, for American passport. So I, because I didn't have a passport because he took it away and then they give it to immigration and then never had my passport again. And I got off from the sweat end in Concord, New Hampshire, and I went straight to the post office. 'cause at that time that's how you do it, right? Right. It's my first passport. So I had my citizenship document with me and the lady takes the package and looks, says. Oh, you just got this today? I said, yep. He says, well, you never, I'm not wasting any time. I said, oh no, I won my passport. And he actually took, she took my citizenship document, my natural naturalization, and I said, won't you make a copy? Says no, we need the real document. I said, you kidding me? I just got this. You want me to give it to you? He says, don't worry, you won't get lost. I'm like. I don't know about that. You never know. Yeah. Get it back. But I just got this, how would you take this away from me? Right, right. So tell us about that moment. Describe the emotion, the excitement, the how proud you felt of yourself.

Speaker 2 15:43

I don't know if you can ever describe the feeling. It was just an amazing feeling to, to be free to actually belong somewhere I belonged. Until then, I was nobody. I was a pariah. I was like a woman without a country, without a name, really without the status. That's an amazing feeling. That and then a co, a few others through my life afterwards to just mark my, like milestones in my journey through, through life and through resilience.

Speaker 16:16

That's so beautiful. So tell us a little bit about emotional abuse. If someone were going through this right now, what would the signs be or how could they recognize that they're in that pattern?

Speaker 2 16:31

So remember that your abuser has, wants to have full control. Whether is through power, physical power, whether it is through mental power. And a lot of the times, you know how they say, stones and, sticks can break my bones. But really what it is, it's the mental abuse that is going to get you. And because what they do is they. Manipulated to aid make you feel trapped and insecure and not worthy of yourself, and be ashamed of yourself. And we, women are extremely vulnerable when it comes to this. I mean, think about, I like to give this example when we are born, and grow up like little kids. Think of the little kids. They look so. Invincible. They think oh, little super humans. And no, they speak with their heart. They doesn't matter. You know what they say, they believe in it. They're like, you know what? The truth is, the truth. And then something is that we started growing up, towards teenage years or young adulthood, something happens to us, whether it is society. Societal norms. What is family? What is beliefs? We start being, put into these little boxes. We have to behave a certain way. We have to reply a certain way, we have to address a certain way, and everything else, less than that is considered full path. We women are very good at trying to get fit in that box. And when things happen against us and hurt us, we take on this self-blame attitude. Okay, I must have done something wrong. I must have wor something inappropriate. If you wouldn't for me to do this, maybe this wouldn't have happened. So our abuser actually can take all that and use it against us and. Let me tell you, there is nothing that you have done, said, or behaved to make an abuser treat you that way. Let's just make that very clear, because we are all unique individuals and we are not meant to just survive in this world. We are meant to thrive in this world, and it breaks my heart to see when women, seek. Approval and recognition from, from people who actually tries to manipulate them. It's,, it's something that I really believe in and that's what I hope through this podcast that I do, through webinars, through my book, through my platform, to instill women this idea that and this desire that they are worth, they are worthy. They should not be ashamed of who they are. And they should overcome.

Speaker 19:27

Absolutely. So why is emotional abuse often harder to talk about than physical abuse?

Speaker 2 19:35

I think, just think about this way. I read this somewhere, or two things. It makes a lot of sense. Only have a headache, right? You know, wake up and you have a headache. Right in the morning or you have a back ache, you go turn around and you say to your significant other, I have a back ache or a headache, but you never wake up in the morning and say, honey, I have a heartache.

Speaker 19:58

Yeah.

Speaker 2 20:00

Because we deep inside think that, Hey, that's my problem. I gotta deal with it. I'm ashamed to share. I have a heartache. But that is the most profound, sensible thing that you just open up and just say it and put it out there on the table. And you may say, what do they, what are they gonna think about me? Why don't you find out? Just say it. You'll be surprised that person in front of you. Actually, if they care about you, truly they will support you. They may not agree with you, but they will support you in all your decisions. And I think that's important to remember. My father said to me more than once, you will never make it without me.

Speaker 20:49

Oh,

Speaker 2 20:50

see what I mean?

Speaker 20:51

Yeah.

Speaker 2 20:52

But people tell you that a lot. You're gonna start believing that. And my blessings are that for the first 18 years and 11 months, I was surrounded by love and trust of my family back in Romania. A lot of children growing up. That go through mental and physical abuse, don't have that cornerstone that is the issue because they have nothing to, to hang onto. They don't have anything to relate to. You gotta have something that, gives you a little hope, says, you know what? I liked what I had. I don't like what I have now, but I will strive to make that happen again and come back full circle.

Speaker 21:39

Yes. And you did. So what lies, does emotional abuse make people believe about themselves?

Speaker 2 21:47

Can you repeat that?

Speaker 21:49

Certainly. So what lie does emotional abuse make you believe about yourself?

Speaker 2 21:55

Like I said, to me, that particular sentence that he used to throw at me, it only made me more determined. But, for a second there, you start, you pause and you're like, maybe he's right. And then I said, no, he is not right. I just a simple example, okay. When you don't have anything that you can build credit on, right? You have no car, you have no real estate, you have no student loans, you don't have a previous credit card. You don't even have, you have a, barely have some income, right? And then you apply to a credit for a credit card for a line of credit where the credit card company or the bank would say, we can't give you because you don't have a credit line. Right? A credit record that you are worthy of me getting you credit. But how would I have it if nobody gives you a chance? To have a credit or to give you a loan. So that was, see what I mean? So it kinda feeds the system, feeds against you in a way. But that has, there are many other ways and you have to just keep on trying. You have, remember about the keyhole? You must try. There has to be a crack on that white wall that you could. Find it a weak point that you can tear down that wall of abuse. The wall that's built around you to keep you alone and keep you, from really reaching out and hearing from other people. No, you are not weak. You are not to be ashamed. You shouldn't be in that situation. You can actually do better for yourself. That it's extremely important. But lies like, I, you asked, that is one of 'em, they tell you that, or it's just the fact that language, think about language and. Language is the biggest, and that is at the core of the trafficking, the human trafficking. You don't have to have a, somebody locked up in a house, right? All you have to do is bring 'em in a different country, and they speak no English or no language, or in our local language, what are they going do? How are they going to communicate survive? The only thing they're going to have is their, abuser, or their handler, so to speak. And that is their only way. They have no money, they have no, no resources, they have no humans to help 'em. That's why trafficking is so powerful.

Speaker 24:25

Yeah, you brought up some really good points there. So how does someone heal from emotional abuse beyond just leaving the situation?

Speaker 2 24:35

That's when the real work begins. A year after, I moved out and remember I brought my mom here.

Speaker 24:42

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 24:43

I was used to work three jobs.

Speaker 24:46

Wow.

Speaker 2 24:46

Three, still three jobs. I couldn't take classes, because I had no time. And, I brought my mom here and a visit for two months. She stayed here. So on Thanksgiving Day we're coming, out of the church. It was a small chapel in Manchester, New Hampshire. And I like to bring that story because it really, it is the corner store of how an abused and person. Ken actually has a choice. Again, we're walking from the chapel and all of a sudden, I feel like I'm walking by myself and there's nobody there, right? So I look in behind, I said, where should stop? She stop. I said, maybe she saw something in the snow. And I said, mom, I said, what's going on? I literally, I turned around, she says, no, nothing, and I stopped. She caught up with me and, she says. Lisa, I have a question. I said, okay, so what is it? I says, what about your school? What about your dream? And it took me by surprise because we're just, got outta the church. We just doing some small stock. And I looked back at her. I say, mom, don't you see how much you work? It just, there's just no time and there's no money. And I, I really don't know. I really don't think it's gonna happen. And at that moment, I realized that my dream was just about to get away the second time, and that time was like irreversible because again, life gets in the way.

Speaker 26:25

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 26:26

And once you get out of this kind of impossible situations, in the beginning, you're excited, right? You just have my freedom. I can do whatever I want. I can live my life the way I want. I can achieve my dream, but then. Then comes the daily rot, and you realize that no matter how much you stretch, there's only so much money. There's only so many hours in a day, and there is so much other things that you have to keep up. Bills, rent, life, mortgage for the car, whatever that may be. Mama never said anything else anymore that all she said. And she did not bring this back up for the remaining of the her stay. But that moment I realized that I have to make a choice to, become a statistic or to become successful, to really stay there and accept it as a victim or get up and figure out a plan to become a victor. To become resilient, to stay resilient in order to achieve my dream. That day, I said I am going to become a doctor. No matter what, I'm not gonna let this go. So that January when she left, about two weeks afterwards, I applied to,, undergrad. I applied to UMass, in Lowell, university of Massachusetts. And, got in. Took me two years. I finished my bachelor, took a year off, then, to do research in Boston.

Speaker 28:01

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 28:02

I worked as a research assistant in Boston for a year, and then, applied to the Air Force. I got, the Air Force Scholarship program for the health professions and, got admitted to five medical schools. And in 90, 98 I started medical school. And, 15 years after I stepped foot in the United States, I became a doctor.

Speaker 28:26

Wow. We're so proud of you. We're so glad you made that decision to choose you to choose your dreams.

Speaker 2 28:32

Yeah. And it wasn't easy. But let me tell you, it's, it just the fact that you can make it happen. Once you decide, once you get to that crossroads and you say, you know what, I'm gonna make it. If it takes me 20 years, I'm gonna make it. But I'll make it. I, even if I have to crawl, I will make it what I wanna get to do to reach my goal, to reach my dream. That is actually your fuel.

Speaker 29:00

Yeah, that inner fortitude you have is so amazing. So how did you rebuild your self-worth after you were totally like, so broken down?

Speaker 2 29:11

Again, that was my fuel. And when I, just going through that, medical school, getting to the application prices going, you have to remember Ann that. In my mind to this day, I lost seven years of my life.

Speaker 29:29

Mm-hmm. Wow.

Speaker 2 29:30

That's how I look at them. From 1987 to nine, from 9, 9 7 to 90 93, I lost. At this time I lost. Okay. And people say, you shouldn't look at it that way because it wasn't your fault. I still lost a lot of years. So moving forward, since that day that I decided to go back to school, it was just a race. I just felt always okay, it's a race. It's like being hunted. I gotta finish this chase. I gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go. And, that, that's how my medical school was. That's what, how my residency was. Although when I graduated medical school, I said, I'm a doctor and nobody will ever be able to take that away from me. That was so amazing that was actually my third biggest accomplishment. One is to get the scholarship from the Air Force to go to medical school. The third one is when I graduated medical school. And how that, that, I really think about it. You have negative reinforcement, you have positive reinforcement making your steps, what, however small they may be, but you are moving forward. That is the most. Powerful thing that you can do for yourself. It does. You don't have to go from zero to 60 right? In five seconds, 10 seconds, you show you go slow and steady. Slow and steady wins the race. So I did that. The second thing that I think it's worth mentioning, you gotta let go of your past.

Speaker 31:04

Mm-hmm. So true.

Speaker 2 31:06

You have to let go. It's like poison. If you don't let go, it'll poison everything you do. And really the past is the past, however shitty it may be. Excuse my French. Let it go. I didn't forget what happened to me. But I forgave him because he had to, I had to liberate myself.

Speaker 31:30

Mm.

Speaker 2 31:31

You know what I mean? Yeah. I had, I said I, I will have nothing to do with him. I just wanna let it go because it just living in the past and keep thinking about it and, oh, I wish I could have, should have didn't. That is not gonna help. Because all it's gonna do is gonna poison everything I do forward. It's like you're chained, you know you're a chain in the darkest pit, of your darkest day, and you can't get out because you keep feeding this poison to yourself. So I always tell my readers and my listeners, let it go. Let it be what had happened. Can you change the past? No, you can't. No. You have to make peace with what happened. Start fresh. Anchor yourself, with people who love you, who trust in you. Will you trust your mentors and move forward because that is the most important thing in life.

Speaker 32:29

So what life lessons did this experience teach you?

Speaker 2 32:37

For starters, A is let the pass behind you. Stay behind you. Two, there is no such a thing that it cannot happen. You can make everything happen that you really want to happen, okay? And there is no such a thing as you can't. You, if you work hard, you are consistent and you make realistic expectations. You will, it'll happen for you. Three is lean. On your community, lean on your friends. You don't need a thousand friends. You need one person out there that really believes in you and trust in you, and you can trust in them. That one person is gonna make all the difference in the world. Even if it's an animal, like without that cat, I probably would've gotten mad. Or somebody that I could talk to. Unafraid of repercussions. Even if you won't talk back, to me, and last is fill your cup. So what is that? Every human has their cup of joy, whatever that may be. For me, it's running. I'm a triathlete. I love to run. That is my zen joy.

Speaker 33:58

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 33:58

But you know, it could be journaling, it could be walking, it could be gardening, it could be taking your dog for a walk. You just, just staring in the space, whatever there may be. Yoga, you need that to, you need to. Exercise that on a daily basis for an hour, for half an hour, for 15 minutes, whatever, you have the time, but do it religiously and do it every day, because if you don't, what happen is it? Everything SAPs you away. There is no such thing. I don't have time for this. You must make time for yourself because if you just give, give, give what it is to your dream or to your family, or to your friends, or to your job. It will dry you up. It you'll become so exhausted. It's just like a phone. You don't charge it every day. What's gonna happen is you're not gonna get to use it for too long, and I really believe in, and I call it get your daily cup filled.

Speaker 34:56

I love it. So lastly, if there is a listener who's going through a situation similar to what you've been through, what advice would you share with 'em?

Speaker 2 35:08

Keep your friends close. Like I said, just even if you have just one and start small. Start believing in the small wins. And those small wins, use them as a stepping stone. Okay? And even if you have, two steps back and once the forward, look at that. Step forward as a positive. Okay? Look at the glass as half full. If you keep looking at it, half empty it. Like we all have half empty glasses, I'm sure, and on a daily basis, but just look at, could be worse. My favorite phrase. And my husband always says, why you say that? I say it could always be worse. And he says, I cannot believe you just said that again. I said, but he could think about it.

Speaker 35:57

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 35:58

You could just have six months to live. You just get, you know, or I don't know, your favorite plant just died or something that really is crushing you. But it's not, you know you are healthy or even, you have someone that loves you. You have a pet there that greets you every day. There has to be a glimpse of hope in everyone's life. Hang on to that.

Speaker 36:22

I love it. This has been such an inspiring conversation, so thank you so much for being authentic and vulnerable and sharing your story with myself and our listeners, because you will change someone's life. Someone who needs to hear this message of hope will have heard this today. So where can people connect and follow you and learn more about what you do?

Speaker 2 36:46

Certainly. So I have my two websites. One is, my book and my platform and, soon to be an a nonprofit. It's called Dr. DR Louisa, L-U-I-S-S-A k.com. My. Their website has my practice. I am the founder and CEO of a hundred percent telemedicine, practice. It's called www dot telemed, T-E-L-E-M-E-D-M-F-M. Dot com. I'm on social media. I'm on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and, on my website. I also have my book Push and Breathe. It's behind me right there. It's the Amazon bestseller. You can find it on Amazon, you can find it on Audible,, Spotify, apple, e Kindle. Now the only way you can get the book that's, I have a special edition that is got the author signature and it's, also has a bookmark that I personally design is through my website. So if you would like to have a personalized autograph by me, book with your name on it, then you could order it through my website.

Speaker 38:01

Great. Thank you so much Dr. Luisa. We will put all of your links down below in the show notes, and if you found this episode helpful, please share with someone who might be facing a similar challenge and needs to hear this message of hope, inspiration, and most especially overcoming. So don't forget to subscribe and I'll see you next time on Overcoming Anything.