Lou
“Never be sorry for being who you are.”
Lou has a free spirit, a hilarious sense of humour and a warm heart. She never turns down an adventure and is always keen to learn something or meet someone new. She gets along with everyone she meets because she is incredibly welcoming, fun-loving and kind. Despite being hurt in the past, Lou gives infinite love to everyone around her, but she’s also had to learn to give this love back to herself. So Lou decided to embrace the adventure of a lifetime, and love is exactly what she found along the way. Meet Lou. This is her story.
Lou, on the lake (her happy place)
P: Please introduce yourself!
L: I’m Lou! I’m 30 years old and currently living in British Columbia, Canada but originally from the UK. I’ve spent the last 3 and a half years here in Canada and it’s the best decision I ever made.
P: Describe or define yourself in your own words.
L: I’m funny, loyal, kind and make a mean cup of tea. I enjoy travelling and living in the mountains. I'm most happy when I'm outside, camping, paddle boarding or basically anything that involves being on a lake.
P: What is your favourite thing about yourself?
L: This is a hard question to answer, I think a lot of people would struggle to let themselves be honest about what they love about themselves. I could write a list of things I dislike about myself, that parts easy but being honest about what I like about myself is more difficult. However, I like that I have an incredibly easy time befriending people. I’m approachable and easy to get on with and I use humour a lot, mainly as a way to break the ice and I think being funny is always the one thing people will describe me as and I’m pretty proud of that.
P: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
L: Just before coming to Canada, I went through a break-up. 6 years of building a life with someone just gone like it was never there at all. Nobody can ever prepare you for the moment the person you’ve been spending your life with, tells you they don’t love you anymore. I mean that shit really hurts.
It really did feel like the end of the world but with that, brought me independence and a greater connection to others. My friendships with my girlfriends grew and I learned to love myself again. I’d spent majority of my 20s giving every bit of love I had to someone else and now it was my turn.
By the end of the year, I had moved to Canada. I embraced every part of it and loved every minute. A few months later, I met someone who completely saved me and showed me how love was supposed to be. It took me a long time to accept it because I think as a woman, once we’re knocked down like that, it's a struggle to get back up and feel worthy of that love again.
P: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
L: Never be sorry for being who you are. You are small but you are mighty.
P: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to her if she were here now?
L: I don’t think I could possibly put just one name down for this one. I have too many women to count that have and continue to, inspire me. I have an amazing group of friends back home who are the strongest, bravest, bad-ass beautiful women you could ever know. The women I’ve met along the way since being in Canada, who I’ve learned and grown so much from. But most importantly, there’s my mama, who is always so unapologetically herself, there is nothing more inspiring than that.