Episode Details

Today I have the honour of hosting a couple that is without a doubt one of the most profound life transformers on the planet.  Their impact can be felt globally through their ‘Transform App’ and ABC show ‘Extreme Weight Loss’ They are Chris and Heidi Powell. 

However, in today’s show, our main focus won’t be on their success, but rather on their adversity journey. The trials and tribulations they’ve had to encounter and fight through in order to be who they are today. 

Numbing the pain and suffering with Vicodin – Chris’ background story.

In 2006. A young Chris was pumped up with big dreams on how he wanted to make a difference and impact on people’s lives. This saw him invent a nutrition product, which he’d later on patent and borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund. Chris then outsourced the manufacture of his product in China. Soon enough, he was going to start making an impact.

This however, was never meant to be. When his product finally arrived from China. It was not at all what he had in mind. Its quality and design were all wrong and of poor quality. This broke Chris mentally. He would soon after this, develop an anxiety disorder.

When it rains, it showers. Two months prior to the failure of Chris’ dream Nutrition product. He had a back-disc problem which saw the doctor prescribe Vicodin as a way of numbing the physical pain. When his investment tumbled into pieces, and Chris was emotional and psychologically broken, he found out that Vicodin was not only a remedy to his physical pain, but his emotional pain as well.

Thus, began an addiction journey that would last two years.

Chris totally withdrew from the world. He never wanted to be around people unless he was high on Vicodin. It was all grey clouds and loneliness when he was alone and sober. But under the influence of Vicodin, Chris would change to all smiles and life of the party.

Chris convinced himself that no one wanted the boring sober Chris. Alongside his closest and most caring companions who were also drug addicts, Chris built his entire lifestyle under this philosophy.

And, because he was deep in debt and totally broke because of his newly found addiction. Chris’ friend, who was hooked on oxytocin allowed him to stay with him rent free.

A new start

Chris’ roommate leant towards suboxone as a way of trying to fix his addiction on oxytocin. What resulted was a traumatic experience of Chris driving his nearly dead roommate to hospital in order to be treated.

Driving back home. Chris couldn’t help but reflect on the events that nearly took his roommate’s life.

Constant reflection and self-examination would see a broken Chris seek refuge in a neighbour’s house for 2 weeks, where he solely underwent his detoxification.  

Heidi’s story.

Newly divorced, and still suffering from her own personal issues and insecurities, Heidi found herself searching for fulfilment in other people through relationships and connections.

Heidi was ever scared of being left alone to her thoughts, which would always torment her because she knew she would always have to face the truths and facts in her broken life.

Heidi was a people pleaser and couldn’t say no to any requests, because she was afraid of being deemed valueless by ones she turned down.  

She would later on go to see her therapist because of the identity crisis she underwent after the divorce with her husband. Her therapist suggested that she attends a self-improvement seminar as a way of fixing herself.

Meeting Chris

To deal with her personal identity problem, Heidi decided to attend the entire seminar with no makeup on.

While at the seminar fate would have her bump into Chris, who Heidi was not even in the tiniest bit interested in.

What followed after their first encounter at the seminar was a string of communication between the two. The f