“Suck It Up, Princess”: Karlie Thompson’s Story

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RAW CHATTER! Unfiltered Stories of Addiction, Recovery & Reinvention

Vicky Midwood - Human Health Strategist for high-performers

175 episodes

4 days ago

RAW CHATTER is a podcast of unfiltered stories about addiction recovery, mental health, and reinvention in life and business. Through candid conversations, we explore the psychology of addiction, resilience, and entrepreneurial growth. Each episode (some solo some with guests) dives into real experiences of struggle and success - raw, honest talks about recovery, resilience, and finding success beyond struggle. If you’re curious about mental health, addiction recovery, and how transformation fuels life and business, this is where those stories come alive.

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“Suck It Up, Princess”: Karlie Thompson’s Story - From Coma to Carbon Legs

RAW CHATTER! Unfiltered Stories of Addiction, Recovery & Reinvention

38 minutes 14 seconds

1 month ago

“Suck It Up, Princess”: Karlie Thompson’s Story - From Coma to Carbon Legs

Karlie Thompson shouldn’t be here - consultants gave her a 5% chance.

A fit, high-performing NHS comms leader, Karlie was put into a coma with pneumococcal pneumonia, developed sepsis, went into multi-organ failure, suffered a stroke on ECMO, and ultimately chose a bilateral below-knee amputation to live and walk again.

This isn’t a tragedy story.

It’s a masterclass in choice, grit, and joy in the smallest moments.

Karlie’s mantra: “Suck it up, princess.” - isn’t denial; it’s deciding to move anyway, cry when you need to, and keep going for the people you love.

In this episode:

🔥 The night everything changed and why being “healthy” saved her life

🔥 What ECMO is (and why only a handful of UK centres offer it)

🔥 Waking from a coma “locked in,” communicating one letter at a time

🔥 Choosing amputation vs. a wheelchair—and letting her kids vote

🔥 Body image after trauma, prosthetics 101, and setting wild goals

🔥 Joy not perfection: painting pots, iced coffee, and saying “I love you” on repeat

Quotables:

💬 “Kick the ball, buy the shoes, eat the cake. Tell people you love them.”

💬 “Sometimes you’ve just got to suck it up, princess. Other times, it’s okay not to.”

💬 “It’s not the field of sunflowers - it’s the flower.”

Connect with Karlie

🔗 Instagram: @karlie_thompson_suckitup

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karliethompson/

🔗 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karlie.thompson.58

About RAW CHATTER

Unfiltered stories of addiction, recovery & reinvention. Real talk on resilience, mental health, and the messy middle of becoming.If this helped you, hit Subscribe, drop a comment for Karlie and share this with someone who needs proof that comeback stories are real.

Vicky xx

To find out more about me and why I do this podcast

🧠 Coaching info: https://vickymidwood.com/

📩 Join the email list for weekly updates: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/426802/87719477697841062/share

Email: vicky@vickymidwood.com

Book a call: https://tidycal.com/vicky1/30-minute-chat

Connect via social media:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickymidwoodhealthcoach/

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https://www.facebook.com/vicky.midwood/

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