Скачать или смотреть I Thought Climbing Kilimanjaro Would Fix My Body. I Was Wrong. | Kara Richardson Whitely

In this video, Kara Richardson Whitely recounts the emotional and physical highs and lows that followed her initial Kilimanjaro summit, specifically her experience with relapse and renewal. After conquering the mountain the first time, Kara felt an overwhelming sense of empowerment—like she could do anything. Her next major life event was starting a family, but pregnancy brought intense fear and a return of her binge eating behaviors. Despite public praise for her weight loss, she felt ashamed and isolated, unable to admit to herself that she was struggling. Without the tools or support to address her disordered eating, Kara gained back much of the weight she had lost. Coupled with the physical effects of lipedema and the exhaustion of new motherhood, she found herself once again battling shame and self-doubt.

Determined to reclaim her strength, she set her sights on returning to Kilimanjaro. But this time, her mindset was skewed. She viewed the mountain as a solution to her body image issues, not a celebration of her abilities. In denial about the reality of her condition, she didn’t even try on her hiking clothes before the trip—only to realize, at the mountain base, that nothing fit. In a panic, she had to sew two pairs of pants together and, emotionally overwhelmed, binged the night before the climb. The next day, sleep-deprived and anxious, she was slow and physically unprepared. She made it to summit night but was unable to reach the top. The defeat hit hard, reinforcing her fears that perhaps she didn’t belong in the hiking world anymore.

What followed was a deep emotional spiral, with Kara finding herself consumed once again by binge eating disorder. Then, a lifeline appeared—an email from a friend inviting her to climb Kilimanjaro again, this time as part of a fundraiser for a library in Kenya. Another friend and her cousin-in-law also joined the cause, pledging to raise significant funds. With over $30,000 on the line for an organization she deeply cared about, Kara was faced with a powerful question: not 'How can I say no?' but 'How can I say yes?' This reframing marked a pivotal shift. Kara decided that this climb wouldn’t be a punishment for her body—it would be a pathway to something greater. She committed to preparing mentally and physically, not with the goal of weight loss but to honor the journey. Training became a practice in self-respect rather than self-hatred. She let go of toxic diet culture ideals and focused on what she loved about her body and the experiences it had given her. In choosing self-compassion over shame, Kara began the process of loving herself exactly as she was, creating a new foundation for healing, growth, and purpose.

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Check out Jenn Cassetta's Podcast - The Art of Badassery Podcast: Mindset, Motivation and Empowerment for Women: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...