Starting Over at Midlife: Michele’s Journey Through Weight Loss & Divorce

In this deeply personal episode of LoveLustRaw, Michele opens up about the moments that changed her life, and the women who helped remind her that starting over is possible.

Michele takes us from a hilarious and wildly awkward restaurant encounter into the much more vulnerable story behind her transformation. She reflects on once weighing nearly 300 pounds, undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, using Zepbound, and later having a 360 tummy tuck and inner thigh lift. Her transformation also involved two knee replacements, an ankle replacement, and three cervical fusions which allowed her to leave the sidelines and finally get back into the game of life. Along the way, Michele discovered that losing weight didn't automatically mean loving the woman in the mirror. Michele talks candidly about body dysmorphia, weight-loss plateaus, changing confidence, and the reality of “skinny privilege.”

Then comes the harder story: after 22 years of marriage, Michele made the decision to leave in March 2024. She shares what escalating conflict, emotional strain, and controlling behavior felt like, and how the stress affected her physical health, including severe anemia and dangerously high blood pressure.

Leaving wasn't the end of the story. It was the beginning of Michele finding herself again.

She talks about rebuilding her health, rediscovering confidence, finding laughter and joy, and learning to give herself grace for the choices she made while simply trying to survive.

Michele also pays tribute to a few of the women who inspired her. The most important influence came from her mother, Margo, whose strength shaped Michele from an early age and showed her how to survive anything life throws your way. To her mother Michele says “Thank You.”

Michele also discusses more recent women that have been inspirations on her rebuilding journey post divorce. Women like Mackenzie Fultz aka Freedom Barbie, whose public journey and physical transformation have inspired her, and Brett Butler, a pioneering female comedian whose story and resilience have made an indelible mark on Michele’s journey of rebuilding, rediscovering, and finding joy again.

In This Episode

**DISCLAIMER** The information shared in this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered as professional legal advice or a substitute for seeking professional legal advice. 

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lovelustlaw/id1819843688 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6BEWXKOaEo8lfK554a5NqE 
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2789d9c8-b4ab-4b4a-847d-a469d89b1d0b/lovelustlaw 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lovelustlaw 

Want to reach out to me? You can email me at hello@michelelocke.com. Want to find out what I'm up to? Follow me on socials (linked below).

Just remember Michele is spelled with one L and you can thank my mother Margo for that :)

Links
Michele Locke

National Domestic Violence Hotline (24/7/365)
Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233)
Text: START to 88788 
https://www.thehotline.org/
https://www.facebook.com/NationalDomesticViolenceHotline
https://www.instagram.com/NDVHofficial/

#healingfromnarcissisticabuse #womenhealingwomen #selfloveafterabuse #findingyourvoice #boundariesarehealthy #traumarecovery #mentalhealthhealing #reclaimyourlife