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A Contagious Smile Podcast
Stop surviving and start thriving. A Contagious Smile is a globally ranked podcast providing a safe haven for abuse survivors and special needs families navigating the journey of trauma recovery. Whether you are healing from domestic violence, narcissistic abuse, childhood trauma, or the daily challenges of disability advocacy, our mission is to turn your pain into power.
Each episode features raw, authentic conversations with survivors, mental health experts, and advocates who share actionable resources for PTSD healing, resilience building, and emotional wellness. We go beyond the struggle to highlight the triumphs of the special needs community, offering support for caregivers and individuals with disabilities who are rewriting their own narratives.
Hosted by Victoria Cuore, an award-winning trauma advocate and survivor, this podcast delivers the "blueprints" for recovery—not just Band-Aids. Join our community to find hope, humor, and the unstoppable spirit needed to rekindle your inner light.
Episodes
424 episodes
Faith And Fire with Victoria Cuore and Antonio Sabato Jr.
If 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 ...
How Dancing And Self Love Break The Dark Cycle with Victoria Cuore and special guest Antonio Sabato Jr
The Math Shirt Moment
The 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 sli...
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From 9/11 Responder To Patient Advocate And Trauma Coach with Michael Mackniak, Victoria Cuore and special guest Craig Sotkovsky
Daniel Ryan Cotler, Victoria Cuore and Michael Mackniak Explains Why Narcissistic Abuse Leaves No Bruises
Abuse 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 survivo...
Real Talk On Respect with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon
Somebody 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:...
This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore with Special Guest Alison Graham
“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 look...
Cup Of Mud with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon
“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 la...
This Is What It Takes with Mike Mackniak and Victoria Cuore. With Special Guest 3-time World Record Holder, John GrahamPanic Attacks And Presence
He 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 contr...
When A Hospital Visit Feels Like A Ticket Line
A 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 th...
We Break Down How Peer Support Builds Trust
We 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 exp...
What If The Real Boundary Is Love
Some 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 ad...
This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore with special guest Daniel Ryan Cotler. Healing Loudly After Narcissistic Abuse
Somebody Has To Say It Podcast: Are Our Words Making Us Meaner Than We Think with Mike Macknaik and Victoria Cuore
“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 form...
What Legacy Are You Really Building
The 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...
BRAND NEW PODCAST SOMEBODY HAS TO SAY IT WITH VICTORIA CUORE AND MIKE MACKNIAK
Electronic 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 thr...
When The Likes Fade, The Truth Stays
A 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 re...
Mediumship Without The Movie Magic
Your 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...
Surgery, Setbacks, And Self-Advocacy
One 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 t...
His First Pedicure Michael's Father's Day
A 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 ...
How The Guardian Model Rebuilds Mental Health Care
The 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 advoc...
We Cannot Keep Pouring Into People Who Never Pour Back
Some 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 dra...
When A Medium Nails The Details with special guests Danniel Worthen Cullumber and Gvnage Mishipeshu
A 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 a...
This Is What It Takes with special guest Daniel Ryan Cotler, Psychological Warfare In Intimate Relationships
The 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...
Amir Arison: The Kind of Human the World Needs More Of
A 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 wil...
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