Waves of Recovery: Real Stories from ViaMar Alumni

The Inspiration Behind Waves of Recovery

The idea for Waves of Recovery began while I was listening to an alumna share her story with a group of new patients. As I watched the room respond to her honesty and vulnerability, I remember thinking, “How can I get more people to hear these stories?”

Our alumni regularly return to share stories of hope, resilience, and recovery with current patients. These conversations are powerful because they come from people who understand what treatment feels like and what it takes to continue choosing recovery afterward. We want to share hope and inspiration while also being honest that recovery is not always sunshine and rainbows.

The Power of Connection

Connection and community are crucial parts of recovery. Through shared experiences, conversation, and time together, we wanted viewers to see alumni living their lives, supporting one another, and building relationships beyond treatment. We also wanted to show that the hard parts of life and recovery can exist alongside the fun parts, especially as we learn to embrace our true authenticity.

Created by Alumni, for Alumni

From there, we decided that Waves of Recovery should be created entirely by alumni. Alumni serve as the host and featured speakers, while also contributing their talents through content ideas, graphic design, videography, editing, and post-production.

That part of the project is deeply important to us. We want the series to show that the possibilities in recovery extend far beyond simply getting through treatment. Recovery allows people to reconnect with their interests, discover new strengths, and use their talents in ways that serve others; especially in terms of giving back to the recovery community.

Offering Hope Through Honest Stories

For someone who is currently struggling or in treatment, hearing directly from alumni can offer a different kind of perspective. These stories do not present recovery as easy or perfect. They show that it is possible to move forward, build meaningful connections, and create a life that is larger and more fulfilling than the eating disorder.

We created this project because alumni voices deserve to be heard. We also wanted to show that every person brings something valuable to the recovery community. Whether someone shares their story, holds a camera, creates a graphic, edits a video, or simply shows up to support another person, those contributions matter.

What Waves of Recovery Is All About

As it says in the opening, “Waves of Recovery is a collection of real stories from ViaMar alumni who have each walked their own path of recovery. Every path looks different, with its own challenges, timeline, and moments of growth. Along the way, viewers will also see everyday moments, because recovery is about more than healing from the past. It is about reconnecting with yourself, finding joy, and learning to love life again.”

The sky really is the limit in recovery, and our talents can become acts of service that help someone else feel less alone.

You can learn more about Waves of Recovery and view the series here: https://alumni.viamarhealth.com/waves-of-recovery

Episode 1 Trailer: https://alumni.viamarhealth.com/waves-trailer-episode-one

Julia Giltner, Director of Alumni Services & Regional Referral Relations: Born and raised in Michigan, Julia graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2003 and 2007 with music degrees in performance and education. After teaching music in the elementary classroom for 9 years and then staying home with her kids (now 9, 7, and 5), she made a bold decision to transition into a new career. Her personal recovery journey from an eating disorder became the driving force behind this transition, leading her to a field where she could help others.

Julia’s road to recovery went directly through ViaMar, as she was a client here in the early years, participating in all levels of programming (residential, PHP, and IOP). She is passionate about developing ViaMar’s Alumni Program into a supportive community where alums can learn to live life together, helping them find fun, joy, and meaning in recovery. Julia is also a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CRPS). In her free time, Julia enjoys camping with her family, reading, crafting, walking/hiking/moving, and spending time with friends.

For more information about ViaMar Health, please visit: viamarhealth.com