We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Loreena Ryder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Loreena, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, in a family of 9. Two parents and 7 children. I am number 6. Matter of fact, that is how my mother would introduce me, on occasion. We lived in a mountainous valley, population of approximately 250 people. No stop lights, grocery stores, or gas stations within several miles. Sidewalks, pole lights, and next door neighbors only existed on television and in my imagination. Grocery store shopping occurred every 2 weeks with a butcher stop every month or so. Doctor visits only occurred if there was a problem that could not be solved with folk cures.
In my family, it was an understood expectation that we become self-sustainable at age 18 or upon high school graduation. When I reached adulthood, my goal was to become a college graduate. After all, I had been in the academic gifted program in school, and really loved learning. There was no guidance on how to reach this goal, as no family member had yet acquired a bachelors degree. I set out on my own quest on how to get there. I became a young mother along this journey. I had decided to continue on my path while pioneering single parenthood. Living independently as a single mother involved working both early and late hours, seeking out trustworthy childcare, paying bills on time and still prioritizing the simple enjoyment of life. I feel as though I had developed more resilience than the average young adult up to this point. The situation I encompassed and forged forward with built upon my resilience by ten-fold.
In the coming several years, I had married, added children to my family, moved across the nation 2200 miles away, and then back again. We had four daughters, a wonderful house with gardens to tend, grass to mow, and snow to shovel. The girls had school events, sports events, extra-curricular interests and activities. Amongst the chaos, I had attained my goal of college graduate!
Life was abundant. In spite of that, I desired something further to satisfy my personal intellect. The next phase of my life involved another move across the country. Our two oldest girls had graduated high school and were pursuing college education. The two youngest were elementary school age. I decided to pursue a naturopathic doctor degree in Arizona. We packed up our two youngest, the pets, and our belongings. Said goodbye to family and friends, sold the house, and ventured across country.
At almost 2 years into my graduate school program. A sudden and unexpected life transition happened. Divorce! Consequently, I was a single mother again. This time I had an elementary age child and a middle schooler. We were thousands of miles away from my family. I had to make the decision to quit my graduate program OR pursue my dream. Well, as you probably have guessed, I decided to pursue my dream. This added to my mountain of resilience. I was rarely seen without my study materials at my girls’ school functions or sports events. I was determined to reach my goal.
Fast forward to my current status. My girls are all grown and doing well. I graduated with a clinical physicians degree from one of the five accredited naturopathic medicine schools in North America. I am very satisfied with my choice of career and decision to pursue my dream. I believe that my daughters have also developed resilience through our life circumstances. We are strong women. When you allow life to teach you, you develop resilience.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Dr. Loreena Ryder received her Bachelor of Science degree from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. She obtained her medical degree from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Arizona. Her focus is female health, hormone management, gastrointestinal disorders, and pain management.
She has treated a variety of health issues using nutrition, exercise, herbs, natural supplements, and bio-identical hormones. During her clinical education, she developed her pain management protocols at the Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Ryder uses physical medicine and regenerative injection therapies such as prolotherapy, perineural, and platelet rich plasma. She is also experienced in many different IV therapy protocols.
Dr. Ryder is certified in Applied Kinesiology. This manual muscle testing modality assists in finding the root of the problem within the structural, chemical and mental aspects of the body. She is also certified in Neuro Emotional Technique. The body holds emotional trauma and expresses it in many different ways such as pain, depression, or anxiety. This bio-energetic technique offers a way to release trauma.
Dr. Ryder treats the mind and body using a whole health approach with diet, exercise, natural supplements, regenerative therapies that promote self healing, and prescription medications when necessary. She is passionate about improving the quality of life for her patients by providing support for mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Determination. You must have determination to pursue your goals. If you don’t, you will not have the motivation to get there. My advice is to know WHY you are pursuing your goal in the first place. Is it actually YOUR goal? Or is it someone else’s goal? Follow your heart. If you believe in whatever it is that you are pursuing, then you are more likely to get there. Don’t give up. Remember your WHY. Even if what you are trying to do has never been done before. Then, when you finally reach your goal, set more goals. It WILL pay off.
2. Training. Become trained in or develop a skill. Decide what niche you would like to be trained in based on your personal interests. You don’t need to have a college degree to be successful. Trade schools, entrepreneurship, and apprenticeships are great! Also, studies show that people who enjoy their careers attribute part of their satisfaction to their contribution to society. A certain level of gratification comes from what an individual is giving back to humanity. My advice would be to keep this in mind when deciding on a career. Ask yourself, ‘in my career, am I contributing to the betterment of our society or taking away from it’?
3. Balance. I believe balance is necessary to remain present in your life. It can be difficult to maintain life balance while working hard toward a goal. Looking back, if I had not made time for my girls’ sports events and extra-curricular activities…I’d have missed them. Once they’re gone, they are gone forever. I did not strive to be a straight-A student. I did not strive to be a perfect parent. I did not expect to have the most expensive clothes, car, or home. Life is for enjoyment, fulfillment, and relationships. My advice is to remember to live life while you are pursuing your dreams.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal patient is someone who is involved in the improvement and maintenance of their own health. Someone who values quality of life and is willing to make changes based on what is needed to achieve that. They can look past the standard way of living and understand that it may not be optimal to their health to live according to the standards around them. My ideal patient is curious and asks questions about their lab values, which vitamins to take, and how they can continue to improve their health. Although I see both males and females in my practice, I have a special place in my heart for women. Our bodies go through a lot of changes with puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, then menopause. I can help balance those changes in all stages of a woman’s life. I respect each patient and will meet you where you are in your journey to wellness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.naturopathicgroup.com
- Instagram: drloreenaryder AND naturopathicphysiciansgroup
- Other: Podcast: Your Health is Wealth
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