Karli grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she trained as a swimmer and swim lesson instructor. She received a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders and Spanish from Missouri State University while using her swimming expertise to coach competitive athletes and teach swim lessons. After graduation, she moved to Arizona to pursue a graduate degree in speech-language pathology at Arizona State University, with the goal of working in pediatrics. Karli gained experience working with children in clinical and educational settings. She still loves to swim in her free time and has taken up hiking since moving to Arizona.