Chappell's first daytime appearance was as a day player on "All My Children" in 1989. In a July 2006 interview in industry magazine "Soap Opera Digest", Chappell recalled actor Maurice Benard helping her through her first scenes. After a brief run on "Santa Barbara" in 1990, (she played a classmate of Eden's who died of an ice overdose), Chappell was cast as Dr. Carly Manning Alamain (Katerina von Leuschner) on "Days of Our Lives". She portrayed the role from June 1990 to October 1993. Chappell and future husband Michael Sabatino met on "Days of Our Lives", where he played villain Lawrence Alamain.