Today we’d like to introduce you to Karrie Garcia.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Growing up, my family seemed perfect from the outside. My dad, a pastor, was tall, handsome, and kind. My mom was thin, beautiful, and had a gentle spirit. We went to church as a family every Sunday and pretended to be as healthy and put-together as people thought we were. Inside, though, we were deeply broken. Though she sat in the front row of our church for years, my mom was silently suffering from an eating disorder and depression. And, my parents’ marriage was failing. I acted out my own pain and brokenness by turning to drugs to numb my pain. By 13, I was heavily drinking and by 14, I was addicted to meth and was using meth for almost a decade of my life.
By 25, my parents were divorced and I was a recovering addict and a newlywed. I was “redeemed” and turned to what I knew best: ministry. Without realizing it, my marriage had become what my parents’ was years earlier — two people pretending everything was perfect while falling to pieces inside. My own brokenness and the root issues that caused addiction years prior then became the brokenness that led me to have an affair. My husband and I divorced and my ministry fell apart. It was at the same time that my mom’s own brokenness, and the lies she believed for so many years became the catalyst that caused her to take her own life. I was lost and more broken than I ever have been. I felt hopeless and alone.
In my despair, I found myself sitting at a stop sign and contemplating suicide. A bus was approaching the stop sign and I knew all I needed to do was drive in front of it. Then, I thought, all my pain would end. At that moment, though, I heard a whisper. “Karrie, I have seen it all and I love you.” God reminded me of His promises of grace, forgiveness, healing, and purpose. I turned my car and life around, and then began the long and difficult journey (including LOTS of therapy and LOTS of Jesus) of healing.
Years later as I was sitting in church with my new husband and kids, I heard God’s voice again. “Karrie, secrets kept you in bondage for years. Now, you’re keeping a secret that will bring freedom to so many: I see it all and I love them.” I knew at that moment that Jesus was calling me to start a movement of freedom, hope, and healing.
Enter Freedom Movement. What started as 50 women in a backyard sharing their own stories of brokenness and healing has become thousands of men and women across the country and in several other countries whose lives have been radically transformed by the truth that God loves them as they are. We also now offer workshops, training, resources, and life counseling and coaching as the next steps toward freedom. At Freedom Movement, we believe freedom comes from the courageous act of loving who we were created to be and that every person was created for a purpose and their story is the link to that purpose.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely NOT a smooth road! I have experienced the deepest hurt and most difficult times, but I have learned that God is closest in these moments. Whether in my own life or in that of the people around me, I have seen God’s love in profound and surprising ways. It is so easy to question God when life is tough — when we are in the storm. But it is in the moments that we wonder, “Where are you, God??” that He answers “I’m right here! I’m with you and I will not forsake or abandon you.” This truth is what I hope young women know, along with understanding that we must exchange our brokenness for His healing, our pain for His grace, and our ultimate surrender for His ultimate forgiveness.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Freedom Movement – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Every person was created for a purpose and their story is the link to that purpose. When we begin to unlock honesty, we start to authentically connect with the world around us and begin to experience healing now. We embrace honesty and create safe spaces for men and women to process and flourish.
This is an extension of my own deep care for others and my hope is that we’ll encourage a culture change in churches — a move toward radically loving the broken and providing tools and training that leads to healing and hope. In a world of behavior modification, FM strives to identify the problem behind the behavior, seeing community and connection before correction.
We hope to one day see a world where people are free to hurt and openly wrestle with our pain and faith, without the stigmas or condemnation that most often comes with doing so. We are not perfect people, but we serve a perfect God who will meet us in our brokenness and offers hope today.
Who have you been inspired by?
I’m inspired by the women who have the courage to love who they were created to be and do the tough work of identifying their brokenness and bravely share that with others so they, too, can find hope and walk in freedom. They choose to say “yeah, I’m a mess and I’m not ashamed to say that” because they know that God will use their misfit stories and their fragile places to bring healing to them and the world around them. These women are my heroes.
Contact Info:
- Website: wearefreedommovement.org
- Instagram: @karriescottgarcia @freedom_movement
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karriescottgarcia/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/wearefreedommovement/
Image Credit:
Michelle Sullivan Photography, Jeff Dillow
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