Kara Chamberlain: Kidnapped by a Serial Killer at 15 and Escaped, Now a Survivor Advocate

The human will to survive can't be underestimated. That's the mantra of this week's Team Never Quit guest, Kara Chamberlain. While watering plants in the front yard of a friend's house, Kara was kidnapped at gunpoint by a serial killer. She was only 15. Making mental notes of every detail along the way in her abductor's car - from memorizing the serial number of the large storage bin he forced her into to counting the turns he made, the music he played, his Marlboro Red cigarettes, details from within his apartment while handcuffed and gagged, Kara used every bit of it to her benefit. She not only escaped after 18 hours, but the details she recalled helped catch him. Kara's case also helped police link the killer to three unsolved murders in other states.

These days, Kara's life is dedicated to spreading hope and strength to other survivors.

In this episode you will hear:

• We all have the ability to turn negatives into positives
• Volunteering to go outside and water the plants made me a victim of opportunity.
• When that red flag hit me, I felt a gun pressed to the side of my neck.
• He was fact-gathering about me, and I was doing the same about him.
• We can decide if we pick up the offense to something or pick up strength.
• You’re either going to be defined by something that happens to you, or you’re going to be refined by it.
• I was praying non-stop: “Help me to find an opportunity to escape.”
• When it was over, I just wanted to go back to normal life – The life of a 15-year old girl.
• The biggest threat to kids these days is online predators.
• Have an open communication & dialog with your children. Teach them how to set boundaries and how to respect other people’s boundaries.
• The best thing we can do for our children is to give them tools to deal with anything bad that happens. “I will never get mad at you.”
• “Stranger Danger” is not the biggest threat to kids right now.
• [Melanie] “The inspirational thing is not that you just survived and moved on – it’s that you helped others. That’s the difference between being a survivor and being a hero.”
• I’ve always felt that what happened to me was so I could help other people.