A Contagious Smile Podcast
A Contagious Smile Podcast is a supportive space for abuse survivors and special needs families, focusing on trauma recovery and turning pain into power. The show covers topics like domestic violence, narcissistic abuse, childhood trauma, and disability advocacy. Each episode features raw conversations with survivors, mental health experts, and advocates, offering practical resources for PTSD healing and emotional wellness. Hosted by Victoria Cuore, an award-winning trauma advocate and survivor, the podcast aims to provide blueprints for recovery and highlight the triumphs of the special needs community.
Episodes
Turning Pain Into Purpose With Peer Support
Send us Fan MailYour worst day can feel huge, right up until real loss snaps everything into focus. We open by sending heartfelt condolences to our friend Monk Sticky after he loses his mom, and we talk honestly about what grief looks like when the world keeps moving and you still have to hold it together for the people you love.Then we swing into the messy middle of everyday life: trying to launc
Hair, Boundaries, And Hard Truths
Send us Fan MailA gross joke turns into something unexpectedly honest: what does it look like to take your life back when people have spent years trying to manage how you look, what you share, and even what you’re allowed to call “normal”? We talk about cutting off long hair as a line in the sand, body autonomy after trauma, and why self-expression can be a real mental health reset, not a shallow
Living One-Handed And Refusing To Shrink
Send us Fan MailSomething as “small” as a haircut can crack open the real conversation: what happens when your body changes and the world thinks it gets a vote. We get personal about scars, body dysphoria, and why hair, looks, and other surface stuff should never be the deciding factor in love or respect. We also say the quiet part out loud: the most attractive person in the room can become ugly f
Claude Racine Velinsky Explains How She Rebuilt Her Life After Postpartum Depression
Send us Fan MailPostpartum depression doesn’t politely arrive with a warning label. It can hit like a trapdoor, and our guest Claude Racine Velinsky names the parts many people are afraid to say out loud: the panic, the grief for your old life, and the terrifying question of whether you just ruined everything.Claude’s story is uniquely sharp because she comes from a world built on discipline, perf
From Dancer To Mother: Breaking Hustle Culture And Finding Peace with guest Claude Racine
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Grace By Night And The Cost Of Hope with Victoria Cuore and Antonio Sabato Jr
Send us Fan MailGrace By Night made us stop, breathe, and feel everything, so we brought Antonio Spider Jr back to talk about what it takes to tell a story that honest. We get into why the film hits like a roller coaster of love, sorrow, and redemption, how a great screenplay and a fearless director can unlock a career defining performance, and what changes when you are making independent films wi
Shot In The Line Of Duty With Ret. Sgt. Eric Kocheran, Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon
Send us Fan MailA five minute stop at the office becomes a fight for survival. Retired deputy Eric Cochran answers a knock at the back door of his sheriff’s office and ends up shot through his lung, diaphragm, and liver, facing transfusions, a medically induced coma, and a long road back. The physical scars are obvious, but the episode goes where most stories stop: what it feels like to take a lif
Faith And Fire with Victoria Cuore and Antonio Sabato Jr.
Send us Fan MailIf you’ve ever felt like the world is getting darker while your own hope gets thinner, this conversation is a jolt of light. We’re joined by Antonio Sabato Jr, who shares what it looks like when faith becomes a real, personal relationship with God, not a public image and not a transaction. He talks about seasons of anger, doubt, and brokenness, then the shocking moment when you rea
How Dancing And Self Love Break The Dark Cycle with Victoria Cuore and special guest Antonio Sabato Jr
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The Math Shirt Moment
Send us Fan MailThe fastest way to understand our show is to hear us do what we do: laugh hard, pivot fast, and still land somewhere real. We start with a brand-new side business and a T-shirt that probably should not be worn around polite company, then we slide into the kind of honest marriage banter that only works when there’s trust underneath it. Along the way, we share a recovery check-in aft
From 9/11 Responder To Patient Advocate And Trauma Coach with Michael Mackniak, Victoria Cuore and special guest Craig Sotkovsky
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Daniel Ryan Cotler, Victoria Cuore and Michael Mackniak Explains Why Narcissistic Abuse Leaves No Bruises
Send us Fan MailAbuse does not have to leave a mark on your skin to change the way you think, remember, and trust yourself. We sit down with Daniel Ryan Cotler, author of *Voiceless No More* and founder of the Heal Loudly movement, to name what so many survivors struggle to explain: coercive psychological abuse that feels like love at first, then turns into confusion, isolation, and relentless sel
Real Talk On Respect with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon
Send us Fan MailSomebody can be laughing with you one minute and quietly fighting shame the next and that whiplash is real. We start with our usual marriage banter (dogs, treats, and a brand-new tattoo), then slide straight into the bigger topics people dodge: weight loss, body dysmorphia, and what it feels like to step out of a 20-year comfort zone and finally wear the clothes you avoided out of
This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore with Special Guest Alison Graham
Send us Fan Mail“Bounce back” sounds motivating until you’re living with chronic pain, a major diagnosis, or a life event that permanently changes the map. We sit down with speaker, author, and resiliency expert Alison Graham to talk about what resilience looks like when the old path is gone and your capacity is stretched thin. If you’ve ever felt burnt out, stuck, or quietly overwhelmed while sti
Cup Of Mud with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon
Send us Fan Mail“A cup of mud” turns into a whole philosophy tonight. We start with the messy, funny reality of married life: coffee orders that confuse strangers, typing versus dictation, getting roasted by our kid, and yes, losing at bowling even when the lane has every possible advantage. It’s light, it’s chaotic, and it’s us.Then we pivot into something heavier: what happens when post-op care
This Is What It Takes with Mike Mackniak and Victoria Cuore. With Special Guest 3-time World Record Holder, John GrahamPanic Attacks And Presence
Send us Fan MailHe could memorize a shuffled deck of cards in 21.5 seconds, compete on a massive Chinese TV stage, and beat world-class opponents with pure focus. Then he found himself calling 911, convinced he was having a stroke or a heart attack. That contrast is what makes our conversation with three-time USA Memory Champion John Graham so gripping: elite performance is not the same thing as i
When A Hospital Visit Feels Like A Ticket Line
Send us Fan MailA six-hour ER wait time shouldn’t come with a text message like you’re waiting for a table, but that’s exactly where we found ourselves and what happened next still doesn’t feel real. After we send love to Jessie Tyler Williams as she shares the devastating loss of her daughter to overdose, we shift into a raw, unfiltered talk about addiction, grief, and what families carry when th
We Break Down How Peer Support Builds Trust
Send us Fan MailWe start with the kind of married banter you can only have when you know each other too well, then we turn toward something bigger: what it means to show up for people’s mental health in a way that is real, affordable, and grounded in lived experience. Along the way, we celebrate major milestones like an Evergreen Award for our contribution to the mental health space and exciting b
What If The Real Boundary Is Love
Send us Fan MailSome people don’t just accept kindness, they consume it. We’re candid about what it’s like to be the kind of person who will give time, energy, money, and care without keeping score, and how easily that generosity can attract people who take advantage. We also wrestle with the protective side of love: as spouses, how do we shield each other from being used without hardening our hea
This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore with special guest Daniel Ryan Cotler. Healing Loudly After Narcissistic Abuse
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Somebody Has To Say It Podcast: Are Our Words Making Us Meaner Than We Think with Mike Macknaik and Victoria Cuore
Send us Fan Mail“Literally” might be the most abused word in the English language, but our real problem is bigger than a few annoying phrases. We start out laughing about the modern lexicon that drives us nuts, from “also too” to “no worries” to the oddly formal “have a great rest of your day,” and then we follow the thread to what’s underneath: when language gets lazy, our thinking gets sloppy, a
What Legacy Are You Really Building
Send us Fan MailThe scariest thing you can do in a family built on masks is tell the truth out loud. We sit down as Michael and Victoria and talk through a chain of stories that start with a simple change, Victoria’s hair after surgeries, and quickly turn into a deeper conversation about identity, grief, and what we refuse to chase anymore. Along the way, Victoria shares a Make-A-Wish memory where
BRAND NEW PODCAST SOMEBODY HAS TO SAY IT WITH VICTORIA CUORE AND MIKE MACKNIAK
Send us Fan MailElectronic medical records were supposed to make healthcare simpler. Instead, we’re watching patients get buried under repeated intake forms, duplicated medication lists, and “pre-check” paperwork that seems to disappear the moment you walk through the door. We say what a lot of people are thinking: if the chart is electronic, why are we answering the same questions at every visit,
When The Likes Fade, The Truth Stays
Send us Fan MailA seven-hour surgery is one thing. The days after can be the real test, especially when your body reacts, your pain is off the charts, and you’re trying to get medical people to listen while you’re still healing. We share what spinal surgery recovery looks like in our house, why Victoria refused to use a pain pump, and how a “simple” allergy oversight can turn into swelling, skin r
Mediumship Without The Movie Magic
Send us Fan MailYour gut knows things before your brain can explain them, but how do you tell the difference between real intuition and a loud imagination? We sit down with Danielle Ribbon Clumber, an LCSW trauma therapist in Utah and founder of Willow Medella Wellness, and her husband Nganga Mr. Pishu, a medicine man and practitioner, to talk about mediumship as a lived reality: confusing, valida
Surgery, Setbacks, And Self-Advocacy
Send us Fan MailOne minute we’re hearing, “You can go home,” and the next we’re being warned that leaving in the wrong condition could mean paralysis. That whiplash sets the tone for a raw, honest update from Victoria and Michael after a major spinal surgery that turns into a week of complications, extreme pain, and a crash course in what patient safety really looks like when you’re the one in the
His First Pedicure Michael's Father's Day
Send us Fan MailA Father’s Day pedicure turns into a surprisingly tender milestone when my husband walks in convinced it “isn’t for men” and walks out admitting the hot rocks, paraffin, and toe rubs were the best part of his day. We laugh about gifts that are equal parts love and necessity, like replacing a ruined recliner and an air fryer that became a health hazard, then we pivot into the real w
How The Guardian Model Rebuilds Mental Health Care
Send us Fan MailThe fastest way to break a person isn’t always the illness; it’s the system that treats them like a number and calls it “care.” We sit down with veteran attorney and nonprofit leader Michael Mackniak, a nationally recognized mental health advocate and the founder behind the Guardian Model and the Care Coalition, to talk about what actually changes outcomes for people who are stuck
We Cannot Keep Pouring Into People Who Never Pour Back
Send us Fan MailSome people call you a friend, then disappear the second you stop being convenient. We get blunt about that kind of fake loyalty and what it does to your trust, your energy, and your peace. From old work “friends” who vanish to the constant drain of being the dependable one, we talk about how to spot the pattern early and set boundaries without turning cold.Then we shift to what re
When A Medium Nails The Details with special guests Danniel Worthen Cullumber and Gvnage Mishipeshu
Send us Fan MailA stranger says one word that stops us cold: “hands.” Danielle Worthen Columber has never met us, never heard our backstory, and we give her nothing to work with. Then she describes what she’s sensing and I lift my arm and she realises I’m an amputee. That moment sets the tone for a conversation that’s equal parts psychic medium reading, trauma-informed care, and the kind of grief
This Is What It Takes with special guest Daniel Ryan Cotler, Psychological Warfare In Intimate Relationships
Send us Fan MailThe most dangerous abuse is often the kind nobody can photograph. We talk with Daniel Ryan Cotler, author of *Voiceless No More* and founder of the Heal Loudly movement, about the reality survivors describe as narcissistic psychological warfare: coercive control, gaslighting, charm in public, cruelty in private, and the slow collapse of self-trust that makes you question your own r
Amir Arison: The Kind of Human the World Needs More Of
Send us Fan MailA kid who has endured more surgeries than most adults can fathom sits beside a mother who refuses to let trauma be the last word. Then our guest, an actor best known for his work on The Blacklist, steps in with a mix of warmth, honesty, and wildly curious detours that somehow land exactly where they need to: on resilience, meaning, and the small choices that keep you alive.We talk
Amir Arison Beyond The Blacklist: Why Faith's Poetry Touched His Heart
Send us Fan MailA few lines of poetry can hit harder than a whole hour of advice, and that’s exactly how we choose to end this one. We wrap up by reading a poem from Faith Cure Solomon that puts a mother-daughter relationship into plain, vivid words: shared humour, shared pain, and a love that doesn’t disappear when life gets messy. If you’re drawn to spoken word, emotional storytelling, and real
Care Coalition Caregiving Guests of Kellan Fluckinger
Send us Fan MailWhen you’re trying to keep a loved one safe, get the right diagnosis, or survive a crisis, the healthcare system can feel less like support and more like a test you did not study for. We sit down with attorney and systems advocate Michael Magniak and domestic violence advocate and therapist Victoria Cure to talk about what gets lost between insurance rules, rushed appointments, and
A Medium Names The Missing Hand
Send us Fan MailShe said one word that changed the whole room: hands. Danielle Worthing Columber had never met Victoria before, didn’t know her history, and was doing a true cold read when that detail landed and the camera revealed an amputation. What follows is not a polished performance. It’s a raw, human conversation about validation, grief, and what it feels like when someone names the thing y
What A Roast Reveals About How We See Ourselves
Send us Fan MailYou’re getting a front-row seat to a special kind of family chaos: we hand the mic to the crew, announce a roast of Michael, and let the night spiral in the funniest way possible. What starts as trip talk and a Stranger Things tour recap turns into a rapid-fire comedy session where nobody is safe, everyone talks over each other, and the jokes land like popcorn. If you love an unfil
Schizophrenia And The Long Road Back
Send us Fan MailA schizophrenia diagnosis can feel like your future just collapsed into one terrifying question: what happens now? We talk with Matthew Dixon, founder of MindAid and the first person living with schizophrenia to bicycle across Canada twice, about what it actually feels like when symptoms creep in, intensify, and reshape your identity. Matthew shares the parts people rarely explain,
Five Hard Truths About Caregiving Rights And Advocacy
Send us Fan Mail“HIPAA” gets blamed for everything, families get shut out, and a loved one in crisis gets reduced to a label and a sedative. We’re not doing that. Michael Makniak and Victoria Cure unpack the real-world misconceptions that derail caregiving and fiduciary decision-making, especially when mental illness shows up as episodes, psychosis, and emergency room chaos.We talk about why menta
Breaking The Silence On Abuse
Send us Fan MailA lot of people say they want survivors to “speak up” until the story gets messy, angry, and specific. We go there. We talk about domestic violence and coercive control the way it actually shows up: not as a single incident, but as a system of fear, manipulation, and escalating harm that can follow you into the ER, the workplace, and the courtroom.We also zoom out to the global rea
Trauma Recovery Through Laughter and Honest Marriage Talk
Send us Fan MailCaregiver resilience stories come alive when you laugh through the hard moments. Your body can outpace your mind, and when sciatic nerve pain hits while life demands everything, standing tall means honest marriage talk, real laughter, and asking for help. Join us as we check in from the chaos of caregiving life, navigating trauma recovery one day at a time.Your body can change fast
Surviving Financial Crisis | The Resilience Story You Need to Hear
Send us Fan MailWhen Anil Gupta's wife heard "we're homeless," she smiled. That single reaction becomes the foundation for trauma recovery, not from abuse, but from the identity collapse of financial ruin. In the 2008 crisis, Anil lost everything and convinced himself he was a failure. Her belief in him when his own mind wouldn't listen reveals what caregiver resilience tr
Navigating Addiction, Mental Illness & Trauma | Civil Rights with Mark Astor with special guest Mark Astor
Send us Fan MailWhen love alone won't stop the spiral, families need answers. A parent's worst nightmare: substance use disorder and mental illness collide, triggering crisis calls, involuntary holds, and court battles. Trauma recovery isn't just emotional; it's legal. Florida attorney Mark Astor reveals how families navigating addiction, mental health emergencies, and special
A Private Message From Grandparents And A Skeptic’s Reaction
Send us Fan MailOne conversation can shake your certainty, even if you’re the type of person who normally needs proof. We sit down and tell the story of meeting Danielle, a therapist who is also a medium, and why what she shared stopped us cold. Victoria is careful about what she reveals publicly, especially when it comes to her grandparents and the kind of grief that never really fades, so when D
How Matthew Dixon Recovered From Schizophrenia And Biked Across Canada
Send us Fan MailA schizophrenia diagnosis can feel like your life has been rewritten without your consent, and the hardest part is often the unknown: Will I get better, will I ever feel like myself again, and who will still see me as me? We talk with Matthew Dixon, who answers those questions with uncommon honesty, detail, and calm. He shares what it was like to go from university life to suicidal
When A Stranger Shares A Dark Secret
Send us Fan MailA guy offers to help us move a table and chairs, and for a few minutes it feels like a normal neighborly moment. Then, out of nowhere, he mentions multiple felonies and casually claims he got caught trying to kill his wife. That single sentence flips the whole night on its head, and we walk through what happened, what safety steps we had in place, and why “he seems fine” is never a
This Is What It Takes: Mental Health Care That Listens with Special Guest Rebecca Tuoni. Unbreakable Caregivers
Send us Fan MailWhen trauma survivors stop seeking help, the system has failed. Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore share how retraumatization in healthcare and mental health settings can silence the very people who need support most—and what we learned about rebuilding trust in recovery. A raw conversation on surviving systems that don't listen, and finding providers who actually do.The fast
Miracles, Caregiver Resilience, and Showing Up with Amir Arison
Send us Fan MailDomestic violence recovery and caregiver resilience aren't one-time breakthroughs; they're built day by day. This week, we sit down with actor Amir Arison to explore what it really takes to keep showing up through trauma, medical complexity, and the kind of responsibility that never clocks out. A conversation about miracles, work ethic, and the practical faith that sustai
Choosing Courage Over Fear | Cheryl Preheim on Special Needs Resilience with Cheryl Preheim of NBC 11Aive and Faith
Send us Fan MailWhen doctors told Faith's family to "let her go," they chose courage instead. NBC journalist Cheryl Preheim sits down to discuss trauma recovery, special needs parenting, and how refusing limits transformed one family's pain into a lifelong mission to help other survivors. A story about caregiver resilience, medical trauma, and the power of choosing hope when th
This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore. People Stop Seeking Help When The System Stops Listening
Send us Fan MailThe moment “help” makes you feel smaller, unheard, or more afraid, something in the system has already failed. We sit with the uncomfortable reality that mental health care and hospital care can retraumatise the very people they are meant to support, and that one bad experience can shut the door on treatment for years. If you’ve ever walked away from an appointment more confused th
The Power of Unscripted Healing | Trauma Survivors Talk Real
Send us Fan MailMichael and Victoria reveal why A Contagious Smile stays unscripted on purpose, because trauma recovery and caregiver resilience stories can't be rehearsed. Discover how lived experience teaches what textbooks can't, why real conversations create healing, and what "anything goes" actually means for abuse survivors navigating domestic violence recovery.A show can
Healthcare Trauma: When Systems Fail Special Needs Families | Fight Back with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore
Send us Fan MailWhen special needs families fight healthcare systems, they're told they're doing everything wrong, while goalposts keep moving. Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore expose how institutions abandon caregivers, blame survivors, and fragment care into impossible bureaucratic labyrinths. This isn't a survival hack episode; it's an accountability conversation about wh
Creating Safe Spaces for Abuse Survivors | Support Systems
Send us Fan MailHealing from trauma and abuse doesn't happen alone. In this episode, we explore how to build and access real mental health support networks designed for abuse survivors and caregivers. Discover practical resources, red flags in broken systems, and why resilience grows in community, not isolation. Your path to thriving starts with connection.Something big is happening behind th
Building A Free Mental Health Resource Network For Caregivers with Michael Mackniak
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From Teacher to Griever | How Katie Rizzo Survived Opioid Loss
Send us Fan MailOne phone call. One prescription. One life split into before and after. Katie Rizzo, a former AP biology teacher, lost her firstborn son, Nicholas, to opioid addiction and overdose. In this raw conversation about grief, caregiver resilience, and trauma recovery, Katie shares how she rebuilt her identity when loss stopped being an event and became her permanent companion.One phone c
Ripple Retreat: Trauma Recovery Meets Sobriety and Service with guest JJ Holley, A Veteran who lives to pay it forward
Send us Fan MailJJ Holley spent seven years rebuilding his life. Now, in a historic farmhouse in Maine, he's building something bigger: Ripple Retreat, an alcohol-free wellness space designed to flip the script on tourism and trauma recovery. In this walking tour episode, JJ shows us how one veteran's journey from survival to thriving is creating measurable change for entire communities,
A New Partnership For Trauma-Informed Mental Health Support with Michael Mackniak
Send us Fan MailThe scariest part of a mental health crisis isn’t always the symptoms. It’s the moment you realise nobody is talking to each other and your loved one is getting treated like a problem instead of a person. We sit down with veteran attorney and caregiver advocate Michael Machnac to share a major new partnership bringing his care coordination work together with Victoria’s trauma-infor
Domestic Violence Exit Strategy | Safety First, Judgment Later
Send us Fan MailSurviving abuse feels impossible, but leaving without a plan can be even more dangerous. In this episode, our hosts dig into the real barriers that keep people trapped: isolation, financial control, custody fears, trauma bonds, and the escalating danger of exit attempts. If you've ever wondered, "Why don't they just leave?" we're here to tell the truth.“Why
TikTok Toilets And A Very Bad Diastat Day
Send us Fan MailOne phone call can flip your whole world. We start with real life and real laughs, then move into the kind of story that makes your stomach drop: what happens when a school says your child had a medical emergency, but the timeline and the paperwork don’t match what you know to be safe care.We talk about why families choose no contact, why the “but they’re your parents” line misses
What If Overworking Is A Trauma Reflex
Send us Fan MailBurnout does not always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like answering messages at midnight, working seven days a week, and telling yourself you will rest after the next task. We get honest about what happens when your life becomes one long to do list, why “just push through” stops working, and how switching things up can be the difference between staying steady and giv
Grits, Cravings, And Caregiver Burnout | Special Needs Health Crisis
Send us Fan MailWhen Michael's A1C hits 9, denial stops working. In this raw conversation, we explore how trauma survivors and caregivers navigate health crises, lifestyle change, and the hidden cost of managing a loved one's chronic illness. From trauma responses to GLP-1 medications, we talk about breaking old patterns—and why that's harder than it sounds.A blood test can be loude
Friending: A Real-World Cure For Loneliness
Send us Fan MailLoneliness doesn’t always look like sadness. Sometimes it looks like a full contact list, nonstop group chats, and a Friday night with nobody to actually meet. We sit down with Gaborg, co-founder of Friending, to talk about why modern life is producing more isolation in spite of constant connectivity and what we can do about it before it gets worse. If you’ve felt burned out by soc
The Man Behind the Badge joins us with special guest Eric Robinson
Send us Fan MailA lot of people want the wild FBI stories. We wanted the part that lingers after the story ends, what the work does to your nervous system, your faith, your marriage, and your view of other people. Former FBI agent Eric Robinson joins us with zero script and a ton of honesty about how you stay human when your job is to stare at the worst of human behaviour all week. Eric talks SWAT
Coffee Beans, Misheard Words, And A Very Honest Marriage
Send us Fan MailA Broadway-directing Hollywood powerhouse drops in, tells Michael he’s flat-out wrong about being “bad at podcasting,” and then takes it further by reading Faith’s poem on air. That single moment cracks the whole night open. We talk about what authentic confidence sounds like, why a real voice beats a polished persona, and how the right encouragement can change the way you show up
Arim Arison Tells Michael about how great he is at Podcasting
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How Narcissistic Parents Lose Control When You Heal
Send us Fan MailSome people don’t hate you because of what you did. They hate you because you healed, and now they can’t control you. Tonight we get honest about narcissistic parents, the scapegoat role, and that gut-punch realisation Victoria shares: “She doesn’t like me because I fixed what she broke.” We talk about how toxic family systems survive on leverage, blame, and silence and what change
You Can Rebuild Safety With Small Daily Steps with Guest Joshua Hess
Send us Fan MailSomebody can be sitting in an urgent care exam room with bruises, fear, and an abuser answering every question and still have no clear way to say, “I’m not safe.” We go there, plainly and practically, with our guest Joshua Hess, a physician assistant and former teacher who now hosts the research-driven podcast. Oh that’s a fact.We talk about what medical teams can notice when a pat
We Tried To Help His Dad And Uncovered A Nightmare
Send us Fan MailHe’s supposed to be “Dad” and he’s supposed to be safe. Then one phone call turns into months of ambulance rides, doctor appointments, opioid red flags, and a home that slowly stops feeling like home. We share what happened when we took in Michael’s biological father after a death in the family, believing we were doing the right thing and trying to build a relationship that never h
Teaching Responsibility Without Shame
Send us Fan MailResponsibility sounds like a boring word until life makes it personal. We kick things off with a question we’ve all wrestled with: how do you actually teach responsibility, especially to teens, without turning your house into a battleground? From a blunt teen pregnancy “what if” to the very real chaos of a brand-new puppy, we talk about how responsibility isn’t a speech, it’s a pat
How A Couple Protects Joy From Outside Drama
Send us Fan MailPeople love our chemistry and our laughter, but we don’t pretend life is perfect. We keep our home “drama trauma-free” by choice, even when outsiders try to pull us into mess, guilt, or old family patterns. That simple rule sparks a bigger conversation about what it really takes to protect a marriage, rebuild trust, and keep joy from being negotiable. We go deep on relationship hea
From A Scare To A Smile With Lessons On Health Love And Healing
Send us Fan MailA Sunday lands us in the emergency room, and somehow it starts with a “gunshot wound” joke and ends with one of our most honest conversations yet. We walk you through what happened, what helped, and why a simple decision to get checked out can be the difference between powering through and protecting the people who depend on you. Yes, there’s a neon pediatric bandage. Yes, there’s
From Picture Books To Magazine Covers With A Survivor Advocate
Send us Fan MailA lot can happen in one night at our house: a hurting back, a clean bedroom victory, a few laughs we didn’t plan on, and the kind of deep parenting truth that only shows up when you stop pretending life is tidy. We start with something simple and powerful, our children’s book series and the “I choose my brave” moments that help kids handle embarrassment, anxiety, and new challenges
What If Healing Is Control You Take Back
Send us Fan MailThe jokes land fast, but the truth lands harder. We pull back the curtain on how narcissism doesn’t end with parents—grandparents can cross lines too, using children’s stories or medical needs to win attention, favors, even faster restaurant tables. That’s not quirky family drama; it’s exploitation. We talk through the damage it causes, how to set boundaries that actually hold, and
What Protects A Victim When Power Looks The Other Way
Send us Fan MailA toga on the cover and a chiropractor who sends Michael flying might sound like pure chaos, but the laughter is only the doorway. We use that breath of humor to step into what really matters: building a trauma‑informed academy that protects survivors with layered security, clear boundaries, and scholarships that remove financial roadblocks. We share why we refuse rapid‑fire conver
A Near-Miss At The Range Sparks A Candid Conversation About Parenting, Predators, And Protecting Kids
Send us Fan MailA ricochet at the range, a Hello Kitty bandage, and a house full of laughter set the stage for a deeper conversation about how families build real-world safety. We start with humor, then move into the practical: what range safety taught us about risk, response, and turning a scare into a teachable moment for kids.From there, we open the door to the Stucco Squad, our ten-book series
We Confront Sexualized Media, Unequal Pay, And Who Really Runs The House
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Inside Our Fight Against Abuse, Cover-Ups, And Silence
Send us Fan MailWhat if a simple “I love you” could steady someone on their hardest day? We open our hearts and our home to talk about building safety from the ground up—personally funding 480 academy scholarships, writing a child’s-eye-view book for noisy and unsafe homes, and speaking plainly about the harm that thrives when institutions deny, delay, or deflect accountability. The conversation m
Puppy Love And Tough Truths
Send us Fan MailA mountain drive for “just one puppy” turns into two sleepy golden retrievers, a tour of a master blacksmith’s forge, and a sobering question we can’t ignore: why are survivors still punished for staying alive? We move from warm, funny moments in a whelping box to the hard edge of a case where a woman with documented abuse went to prison for self-defense. The contrast is intentiona
Rising From The Ashes; Love, Knives, And Courage
Send us Fan MailWhat if the loudest part of your healing is the quiet choice to keep going? We start with playful chaos—forgotten rolls, pajama days, and TV heroes—then step straight into the fire: how survivors bank strength in secret, how evidence dismantles gaslighting, and how family love can turn scars into story. Along the way, we celebrate the unexpected: a message from a Chicago PD favorit
A Hard Look At Consent, Courts, And Courage
Send us Fan MailStart with a Valentine’s greeting, end with a fire in your chest. We open warm and then drive straight into the hard truths about consent, courtroom trauma, and why too many survivors are punished by the very systems meant to protect them. From a 1960s case portrayed on screen to present-day stats that will stop you cold, we look at how disbelief, repetition, and composure theater
Rising Strong From Domestic Violence
Send us Fan MailWhat if hope felt practical? We open with big news—a future celebrity co‑host, a magazine cover, and a wave of new faces in our academy—then pull the curtain back on why we do this: to help survivors leave, safely and on their terms. No scripts, no posturing, just real talk that trades judgment for strategy and turns fear into a plan.We walk through the hidden mechanics of control—
