What Eating Disorders Don’t Tell You with Karina Chandler | The Hopeaholics Podcast

What Eating Disorders Don’t Tell You with Karina Chandler | The Hopeaholics Podcast In this powerful episode of The Hopeaholics Podcast, guest Karina Chandler shares an extraordinary journey of resilience, vulnerability, and transformation. Opening up about her long battle with an eating disorder, complex PTSD, childhood trauma, substance use, and a harrowing medical crisis involving encephalitis and toxic mold exposure, Karina reflects on the years she spent suffering in silence while maintaining the appearance of a functioning professional and mother. She speaks candidly about how addiction, shame, and secrecy intertwined with her past, the collapse of her marriage, and her eventual rebuilding from the ground up as a single parent. Today, Karina finds strength in recovery, fitness-based community support, spirituality, and service, and she discusses how these practices not only helped her heal but also reignited her passion for helping others. This episode offers a raw, deeply human look at survival, self-discovery, and the courage to reclaim one’s life. #TheHopeaholics #redemption #recovery #AlcoholAddiction #AddictionRecovery #wedorecover #SobrietyJourney #MyStory #Hope #wedorecover #treatmentcenter #natalieevamarie Join our patreon to get access to an EXTRA EPISODE every week of ‘Off the Record’, exclusive content, a thriving recovery community, and opportunities to be featured on the podcast. https://patreon.com/TheHopeaholics  Go to www.Wolfpak.com today and support our sponsors. Don"t forget to use code: HOPEAHOLICSPODCAST for 10% off! Follow the Hopeaholics on our Socials: https://www.instagram.com/thehopeaholics  https://linktr.ee/thehopeaholics Buy Merch:  https://thehopeaholics.myshopify.com Visit our Treatment Centers: https://www.hopebythesea.com If you or a loved one needs help, please call or text 949-615-8588. We have the resources to treat mental health and addiction.  Sponsored by the Infiniti Group LLC: https://www.infinitigroupllc.com  Timestamps: 00:13:39 – First Purge and Feeling “Powerful” 00:13:52 – Realizing the Eating Disorder Took Over Her Life 00:14:09 – Considering Surrendering to the Disorder While Driving 00:16:30 – Drinking at 17 and Being Introduced to Alcohol at Age 8 00:17:12 – Meeting Her Addicted Father for the First Time 00:17:29 – Her Father Showing Her Off Without Ever Making Amends 00:20:17 – Losing Her Developmentally Delayed Sister 00:24:20 – Working in a Prison Facility While Her Eating Disorder Spiraled 00:25:02 – Drinking, Binging, Purging, and Drunk Driving as a Daily Cycle 00:30:53 – Becoming a Clinical Director While Secretly Drinking Nightly 00:31:26 – Losing Her Career and Driving Uber Just to Survive 00:50:39 – Getting Her Second DUI After Months of Isolation 00:51:52 – Board Told Her She Must Get Sober to Restore Her License 00:53:01 – Sharing Trauma Stories While Climbing a Mountain in Recovery 01:07:06 – Crying While Realizing Her Pain Now Helps Others Heal