A gathering designed to educate, empower, and connect women is coming to Lexington. Thrive is a day-long event focused on the art of self-care for women.
On a recent Tuesday at her home yoga studio, certified menopause movement specialist Lisa King captures the sound of her one-on-one session. The lights are dim, a candle is lit, and a yoga mat with bolsters and blankets is set up for a session meant to help relieve tension in the body.
King works with women in this way regularly. She’s one of the co-founders of a day-long event to be held in Lexington called Thrive, a health gathering where women can learn together, feel empowered, and connect.
“Thrive is an opportunity for women to come together with other like-minded women in a safe space to have discussions around topics that maybe we don’t talk about enough, things like financial wellness, and nutrition, and hormone imbalances,” said King.
There are several speakers and topics for the day, said King, including setting healthy boundaries and functional medicine. King will lead a session on menopause, movement, and the nervous system.
"I want women to know that they don't have to suffer through menopause as they age. Because there are reported about eighty symptoms that go along with menopause. And I think for women, we've just been told historically and even very recently that that's just something we have to deal with. That's just how it is as we age. And that is certainly not true. We don't have to suffer with insomnia, joint pain, and hot flashes. There are things that we can do utilizing movement and other resources so that we feel our best," said King.
Physical Therapist Kelsey Karnes, one of the co-founders of Thrive, said while Thrive is a place where women can learn about burnout, setting boundaries, and financial health, there is also information on pelvic health, which Karnes is passionate about.
“Research shows that one in three women experience pelvic floor dysfunction in the U.S., and that number increases to one in two women, so 50 percent of women after menopause having pelvic floor dysfunction, “ said Karnes.
The physical therapist said this is the second year for Thrive, and it’s valuable for women of any age.
“It allows you to take time and space to literally just care for you as a woman. I think it’s important for us as women to take time away and step away from the day-to-day rat race that is life and do things that fill us up and care for us. And that’s what we hope Thrive is for women,” said Karnes.
It was King and Karnes' client, Kim Schroeder, who came up with the idea for this daylong self-care event. Schroeder approached King and Karnes and suggested they create an event where women could come together in a safe space to have difficult conversations and get high-quality information and sources for self-care. It’s something Schroeder wished she had. For years, Schroeder had experienced trauma around medical issues she was dealing with. The 47-year-old was diagnosed with endometriosis in her early twenties. She had infertility issues and several surgeries that took a physical and emotional toll on her. She says even though she’s a trained researcher with a PhD in education, many times during medical appointments, she was reduced to a puddle of emotion and felt dismissed. It was the teamwork of Lisa King and Physical Therapist Kelsey Karnes that helped Schroeder through the physical and emotional challenges.
“On days when I wanted to give up, they were like, no, you know your body, you are the expert on your body, you’ve been researching this for three and a half years. You are doing the right thing. Don’t let people who’ve met you for 30 minutes tell you what you’ve been experiencing for 30 plus years,” explained Schroeder.
Schroeder said her experience of support from these women was so life-changing that she felt that an event supporting other women and encouraging self-care would be valuable.
“We wanted to create a wellness event that was uplifting and supportive, and that definitely gave women high-quality information, and that they walked away with ways to potentially improve their life. But it was in a positive and accessible way, so they didn’t walk away feeling overwhelmed or shamed for things that they weren’t doing,” said Schroeder.
Thrive is scheduled for March 1st at the Embassy Suites in Lexington. The co-founders expect to triple the number of women who attended last year.
