Hi. I'm Lori Voornas, and I'm very excited to be on the 94.9 HOM Morning Show.

Some of you know me and have been listening for the past 30 years. But for some, you have no clue who I am. So here are a couple of things to know about me.

I drove from Idaho to Maine when I was 21 years old in 1986

My roomie and best friend was from Maine. In the 80s Idaho was in a super recession and Maine's unemployment rate was rock bottom. She decided to move home and I decided to come with her. I was 21 years old and wanted a new adventure and I needed to leave Idaho. Maine sounded cool, although I had to look up on a map where it was. It was the best decision I've ever made. I love Maine and often forget that I was raised in Idaho, as I feel in my bones that I'm a Mainer. (don't worry, I know I'm not)

I've been in radio since 1988

This insane photo was taken at Glamour Shots. It was a live broadcast I was doing at a radio station in the 90s. But my very first job in radio was as a 'traffic manager' for 107.5 WBLM. I would have to explain to my friends that it didn't mean I was in a helicopter reporting the traffic. No, it was an office job scheduling the commercials that ran on the station. It was the perfect job for a Virgo (bonus fun Lori fact). One of my favorite moments was when 107.5 BLM moved to 102.9 BLM. A feat in radio I got to be a part of. From that fun office gig, I started some part-time work on weekends on air and then started to move around landing a morning show on 93.1 WMGX in 1993 with Willy Ritch. 'The Willy and Lori Show' morphed into the 'The Tim and Lori Show' and lasted six amazing years. Then I decided to shake things up in my career and move over to the radio group that had Q97.9. I started at The Q in 2002. My fun radio journey brings me to fun fact #3...

I was sued in 2000 by Saga Communications for leaving them

It's a  long story and if you are interested in the whole law part, you can read more here. But in essence, I had a 'non-compete' clause in my contract. My contract had expired when I switched stations. They sued to keep me off the radio for six months. They lost, but it was a very crazy experience. All I could think of was Ally McBeal as that was a very popular show at the time.

I never went to college

I've always been a little embarrassed by this fact. But, the older I get and the more people I know - they always say the same thing. Good for you! The first comment is, 'You don't have a college loan to pay off!' I sure didn't, and I think of all the careers in this world, radio has allowed me to have life as my education. Radio isn't rocket science. I believe to last in this industry, you have to be willing to work hard, be very nice, and always put the listener first. So far so good!

I came out on the radio in 2011

I've never been so scared in my life. I took my boss out to lunch (I was out at work, just not on the air) to tell him I wanted to come out. I'll never forget his reaction, he threw his hands in the air and said,

Is that all?! My God, I thought you were leaving!

I love that guy. I told him, that I was getting married to a woman and that well, it sure would be hard to hide that on the radio. Everyone was in complete support - including the hundreds of listeners I heard from. Sure there were a couple of nasty messages, but the overwhelming message to me was that they just simply didn't care. Oh and that they already knew. Apparently, it was the worst-kept secret. I had no idea. I was thrilled to be able to live my true life in front of the listeners who are so important to me.

As I start the next chapter in an already super long radio career, I hope to keep doing me. Make ya giggle in the morning and just start the day off on the right foot.