Lorraine Peters
Height: 5’6
Hometown: Rothesay, NB
Languages: English
Occupation: Entrepreneur
“You fat bitch…” Those 3 words changed the trajectory of my life…not being a high school drop-out, not being a teenager in the big city of Toronto alone pursuing a modeling career and not even having an unplanned pregnancy! But despite the pain and humiliation those words brought, they also propelled me into a powerful, resilient, and successful woman!
When you turn pain into purpose, you become unstoppable! After that incident I lost 35 pounds, became a personal trainer, authored the book, Curve Appeal, and threw my life into fitness and nutrition.
Pageantry has played a part in my life since my first pageant at age 15, but modeling and motherhood, adding two more children, along with my personal training and wellness consulting business kept me busy. However, my passion for serving others, becoming an herbal practitioner and fitness profssional, only grew. I became a personal trainer for one of the wealthiest families in Canada, coached 3 women to the National Women’s Tackle Football team, and at the age of 42, entered and won my first bodybuilding competition.
In between all of that I had a TV show, Friends with Manners, was a spokesmodel for a swimwear line, founded the only menopause cafe in Atlantic Canada, and had a small role in the Stephen King remake of Popsi!
My love for the modeling and fashion industry and instilling confidence in women, propelled me at age 51 to purchase the only modeling agency in my city. This is where I have focused my energy the last several years bringing value into the lives of women, girls and newcomers to Canada and watching them grow in their confidence and believe in their strengths and talents.
As I consider my life, in terms of legacy, when people think of me, I hope it’s the philanthropy and serving that shine the brightest, as my love for giving back and supporting organizations that grow and further the success of women will always be of utmost importance to me.
Organizations such as, 100 Women Who Care, Girl Child and Tea for TaTa’s, founded by my granddaughter and I, will always be near to my heart!
So while three words changed my life many years ago, now, wife, mother, grandmother, entrepreneur, author, fitness professional, herbalist, model, stylist, philanthropist, trailblazer, and the oldest Miss Universe Canada contestant, define my life!!
What are your interests and what do you enjoy doing the most?
Oh my! I have an eclectic array of interests, so here we go. Fashion. I hold a certificate as a fashion stylist and Image Consultant and I sell a line of clothing called Cabi. Cabi helps me connect with women in a way that makes them feel beautiful and confident. Next would be pageants. I have competed in pageants since I was 15 years old and as you can see I have no plans to stop. Modeling is another passion that has come right alongside pageants. I have done more modeling in my 50’s than any other decade of my life. Also high on my list of things I love to do is gardening, most notably, making herbal remedies and home made medicines from the plants and flowers I grow in my garden. My Calendula ointment is famous 🙂
List any special training you have had (music, art, drama, dance, etc.)
- Modeling
- Acting
- Yoga Instructor
- Fitness Instructor
- CSEP Certified Personal Trainer
- Therapeutic Touch Practitioner level 2
- Herbal Practitioner
- Iridology
- and I am a Certified International Etiquette Consultant, Certified Fashion Stylist and Certified Image Consultant.
In what sports, if any, have you participated?
My sport has always been Bodybuilding. I have exercised since I was 24, but I trained for and won my first Bodybuilding competition at age 42 after the birth of my third child. In addition to Bodybuilding I enjoy skating, swimming, hiking, snowshoeing and paddle boarding.
Name one person, other than your parents, who has had the most influence on your life. Why?
My best friend’s Mother had the most influence on my life. She was into all the things that I loved as a young girl and that my Mother was not interested in. Velma loved country music, make-up, fashion and going on drives just for fun. She was so fun to be with. What I loved most about Velma was something that I would not come to realize until I was grown. She was incredibly strong and resilient. In the 1970’s in small town N.B she divorced a violent husband and was left with 4 kids. She somehow managed to buy her estranged Husband’s family’s restaurant business and ran it successfully until she passed away in 2021. She never once bragged about being a Boss lady or complained about how hard life was with 4 kids. She has been the greatest example of grace under pressure that i’ve ever met. Thank you Velma.
What is your proudest personal accomplishment (other than participating in this pageant)?
In my nearly 6 decades I have 3 proudest accomplishments. #1 along with my Husband Randy, I have raised 3 children who are successful, well adjusted adults who love hanging out with their parents #2 Winning a Bodybuilding competition at the age of 42 was a dream I had carried since my teenage years and I still reflect on it positively. #3 Authoring my book, Curve Appeal, was a two year process and still one of the most rewarding endeavors of my life, mostly because it has helped many people lose weight and be healthier.
What is the most interesting or unique thing that has ever happened to you and/or what is the most interesting thing about you?
In 2013, then Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were visiting New Brunswick. My Daughters, best friend and I desperately wanted to meet Prince Charles. My oldest Daughter spend hours making fascinators out of oversized napkins to affix to their heads to hopefully catch the Prince’s attention. On the eve of the royal visit I had a vivid dream of exactly where the four of us needed to be standing to catch the attention of the Prince. I told the girls of my dream and we decided to stand in that spot. We saw the Prince exit his vehicle, turn the corner and locked his gaze in our direction and he didn’t stop until he was 2 feet in front of us. He spent 5 minutes talking to us and asking questions. I wish I had the same luck with lottery numbers!
What is your career ambition and what are you doing or plan to do to accomplish that goal?
I plan to double down on my work to inspire women and girls to chase their goals and dreams by finding self confidence and courage. Confidence is the foundation for moving past fears to reach your dreams, and these days far too many girls and Women are quitting because they are afraid. My academy will continue to teach confidence based courses that include public speaking, professionalism, walking, personal accountability, Interpersonal skills and deportment. Deportment covers everything related to elegance such as sitting, standing, posture and generally how we move.
What would be your “dream job” in life?
My dream job is to continue to teach and speak on the topics of confidence and courage, but the “dream” part would be that I would do it to BIG audiences all over the world.
Describe where you were raised and what your childhood was like.
I grew up in a tiny town on the border of Maine, U.S.A, called St.Stephen. I grew up on Park St in the 70’s and 80’s and with nearly 50 kids mostly the same age growing up there was bliss. Summers were spent swimming, playing ball on my Aunties lawn, skipping rope in the street and skate boarding. Winter brought Ice skating and sliding. The “Crazy Carpet” was the death trap of the day to take to the hills with. Being outside all day in the heat or the cold was just the way it was. If you needed to get warm or use the bathroom you simply went to the nearest neighbors house to do so. The most memorable summer of my life on Park St. was the summer i turned 12, it was 1977. I had watched the Miss America pageant previously and I was obsessed. I was not going to be happy until I produced my own pageant. If I could not find a pageant to join then I’d make my own! I canvased the girls up and down the street begging them to sign up. I asked the boys on the street to be judges, that was the easy part 🙂 I made the crown from tin foil and laid down the agenda for the day. I also entered my own event, but did not win. That was the best summer of my life.
List any interesting or unusual jobs you may have had.
The most interesting job I’ve had was as the Personal trainer for one of Canada’s Billionaire families. An unusual job i’ve had was that time I represented my husband’s company in court and I won against an actual lawyer. Talk about confidence. maybe a little too much!
List any volunteering you have done.
Board of Directors for Fitness N.B; President of Fitness New Brunswick; Fitness testing for Canadian Military applicants at the YMCA; PRUDE Inc Newcomer Women’s Leadership program facilitator. I am a recurring facilitator for this organization; Newcomer Youth Leadership facilitator; Mentor to International MBA students; Town of Rothesay Climate Adaptation committee; Rotary Club community clean up; Recurring guest lecturer at New Brunswick Community College speaking about professionalism.
What is your most unusual talent?
My most unusual talent is my strong intuition, gut instinct and ability to read people quickly. This talent makes me very good at energy healing and complimentary therapies such as Herbal Medicine, which is a long time passion of mine.
Where is the most interesting place you have been to?
In a word, Newfoundland. It is one of the most visually stunning places on earth and if you are Canadian you must go once in your life. The culture and history is truly like nowhere else. The most interesting thing though, is the fact that a mere 20 Km’s from the tip of Newfoundland you can see St. Pierre & Michelon, and that is France! yes, you can see France from Newfoundland.
What do you hope to be doing in ten years?
In ten years I will have capitalized in the most positive ways from being at the Miss Universe Canada pageant. I will be spreading my passion for confidence and courage to large audiences of Women and girls around the world. I will be promoting the benefits of pageantry, especially the Miss Universe Canada system. Competing at the Miss Universe Canada pageant, regardless of how far I may go, will be my legacy. I will use my experience here as a springboard for continuing my life’s work of mobilizing confidence and courage in women and girls.
Is there anything you would like to add that we haven’t asked?
I would be remiss not to mention my gratitude at being one of the first, perhaps THE first woman over age 28 to compete at the Miss Universe Canada Pageant. It is an honor to pave the way, and hopefully, make the path a little easier for women in the future.