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A Contagious Smile Podcast
A Contagious Smile is a powerful platform dedicated to uplifting and empowering special needs families and survivors of domestic violence. Through heartfelt stories, we shine a light on the journeys of extraordinary individuals who have overcome unimaginable challenges. Their triumphs serve as a testament to resilience and strength, inspiring others to rediscover their own inner light. Each episode features candid interviews with survivors, advocates, and experts who provide valuable resources and insights to support those on their own paths to healing and empowerment. Join us as we celebrate the power of resilience, the beauty of shared stories, and the unstoppable spirit of those who turn adversity into hope. Let us guide you in rekindling your spirit, because every smile tells a story of courage and transformation.
A Contagious Smile Podcast
The Launch of Contagious Smile Academy and The Best of te Best Webinar
We're thrilled to announce the launch of Contagious Smile Academy! This passion project represents years of experience transformed into over 100 practical courses designed to support trauma survivors, special needs families, veterans, and anyone seeking personal growth during challenging times.
The Academy features specialized collections including the Safe Haven Phoenix Center for trauma recovery, Stucco Squad for special needs support, Valor Circle for veterans, and our Social Media Playbook sharing how we've grown from zero to millions without a marketing team. What makes these courses unique is they're created by someone who truly understands - Victoria has undergone over 100 surgeries throughout her life and developed many courses while managing chronic pain, hearing loss, and the challenges of being an amputee with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Our upcoming webinar on July 13th brings together remarkable experts and survivors including Susan, who established the first rape crisis center in the country after her niece was murdered by an ex-boyfriend on campus. You'll also hear from attorney Whitney Knoxley, whose comeback story will leave you inspired, and former detective/judge Chris Callahan. We're offering free tickets through Eventbrite (search "best of the best for July 13th"), with options at $2.50 and $5 that sponsor access for those who cannot afford it.
We believe deeply in accessibility - when leaving domestic violence, "you have what's on your back, what you can carry, and your kids." That's why we've kept courses affordable and offer scholarships to those in need. One in four women experiences abuse, and you never know when these resources might be needed by someone you love - or even yourself. Your support through "buying a coffee" on our website helps ensure no one is turned away.
Ready to explore courses that might make you laugh, cry, or see things in a completely new light? Visit acontagioussmile.com and click the Academy tab, or go directly to acontagioussmileMN.co. Join our community of resilience, healing and growth - where paying it forward today creates support for tomorrow.
How do y'all work?
Speaker 2:I'm airing it. Go, keep going. It's the redhead and the redneck.
Speaker 1:A contagious smile brought to you by Victoria and Michael.
Speaker 2:The redhead and the redneck.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Y'all, I can't do it. I can't do it See.
Speaker 1:My wife and I, we cut up all the time and we just have a good time.
Speaker 2:He just asked me why don't you bring us in? And I said because nobody can do it the way you do. I mean seriously, but you were incorrect in one thing. Tonight, this episode is being sponsored by our academy, contagious Smile Academy, which is launching its first webinar on July 13th. It's so exciting. We have the best people ever. Let's just digress for a moment and celebrate this event, because we have just launched our academy.
Speaker 2:There's over a hundred plus courses in it, what, what, and there is so much awesomeness in this. There are courses in this that will make you laugh, that will make you cry, that will make you see things in lights you've never seen before. We have the Safe Haven Phoenix Center for anybody who's been through any kind of trauma domestic violence, sexual violence, sexual abuse, trauma in childhood, narcissistic trauma, you name it. It's in there and you're not having to sit in a room. Now don't get me wrong. I am the biggest advocate for therapy and having a therapist, but you get to do this at your own time. You do it in your own time frame. You sit there and you get to do it, and it's done by people who've walked in this life, who's been through the trenches and really has a firsthand look. I've written every single course in this. Right now we have over 100. My goal is to add more weekly, but right now I seem to be doing it daily. My favorite is the Stucco Squad, because everybody who knows me knows that I have such a big heart when it comes to kids. So the Stucco Squad's awesome. I just finished a course for summer, beginning with Stucco Squad, about how some of the kids can't go outside. So this whole course is like how to have an awesome summer inside with air conditioning and it is so cute. And then there's like bonus sections where there's like 50 different ideas for people who have not come up with ideas on what to do to keep the kids entertained and excited, even when they're hooked up to medical equipment. This thing has it all. I'm so excited.
Speaker 2:Then you have um. You have the valor circle for veterans and active military, and I actually just completed a course writing about the aggressor, the abuser, for him to partake or her to partake in it. My husband is yawning profusely at my words. It's kind of like I'm a little huh about it. Of like I'm a little huh about it. And then we have also the social media playbook on how we've gone from zero to millions, um, and how we've done it because we don't have a marketing team, we have me and how I've done this. And then let's see what else do we have? I think I've named them right valor stucco squad, limitless recovery, social media and safe haven. So we've named them right Valor Stucco Squad, limitless Recovery, social Media and Safe Haven. So we've named them all. But then there's fun stuff in between and a lot of the collections coincide with each other, so you might find a course in one and then a course in another collection, which is what's fun is you get to go and explore.
Speaker 2:But for those who have followed my ever loving daily thing of being in the hospitals OR rooms, you know, babe, I've actually, if you take a calendar which is 365 days, unless it's a leap year, because I know my husband's gonna say it I've had a surgery like basically every third day over the course of my life. I'm well over 100. Basically every third day over the course of my life, I'm well over 100. And so I just found out last week again, my goal is to go to a doctor and leave without them saying you need surgery just once, like could I make that happen. It would be fabulous.
Speaker 2:But I'm having. I've had ear trouble and hearing trouble since the trauma of the abuse and I found out that I have to have a major. I'm gonna get you a coffee and a smile in about five seconds. So I have to have yet a very life-altering surgery. And I'm a very big believer in laughter, and so I asked him while he was in there could he build me a USB port for my arm or something, because in order for me to function on a daily basis, I have to plug everything in, like I have to plug in my hearing aids, which I'm not able to wear right now. Because of this, I'm not able to hear completely correctly and my speech is taking a toll and I'm starting to see it and people are telling me that they hear my speech issue now now, which is hard for me as someone who speaks, you know, in public I would say talk too much what fell out of your face?
Speaker 1:this hearing, this hearing loss is not so bad okay you say I speak too much no, but that's what I would have said oh okay, uh-huh you said as someone who won three global awards we just got oh, you gotta rub that in my face I am okay yes, y'all, she did win, she no, we, we yeah she just won three global awards.
Speaker 2:For best trauma advocate in domestic violence. We won best special needs network globally and we also won the Evergreen Award as well for the advocacy of domestic violence and helping others, and all of our awards are out there and I'm so humbled by them. But one of the courses that I have in there is my butt is on bluetooth because, you know, at least three nights a week I have to charge my back, which is, you know, oh, so much fun and it's not fun, that's facetiously stated.
Speaker 2:And then you know my prosthetic. If I ever chose to wear it and the new one I'm getting, I probably will, if it gets to be what I want you you don't wear the old one because it's heavy, it's it's like a 10 pound weight my shoulder can't handle it right right. So I talk too much. So you know what? Watch this. Go for it. Go ahead, I'm just gonna sit, drink my unsweet tea and let you just jaw jack that you are so good your unsweet tea.
Speaker 2:Babe is nasty so is stuff 90 of the shit you put in your mouth okay, let's not bring up my past I didn't, I wasn't going to and ex-friends. They're not girlfriends if you only keep them for the night.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Those are called conquests.
Speaker 1:Conquests no.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh, you should have been in the United Nations Because you, you know, were so attentive to third world countries.
Speaker 1:What I'm just saying, I thought you were not going to talk so much.
Speaker 2:Okay, go ahead. Have at it, Hoss. Let's see our numbers.
Speaker 1:Go Go, three seconds, three seconds, y'all. She hasn't spoken. It's a miracle. So I want to give a shout out to DJ Blacks. He has officially and effectively provided us with quality equipment that you know, of course we had to purchase, but, um, I got a little overtime. I worked last few weeks but, um, yeah, he set us up real nice. Thank you, dj Blacks. My wife's just looking at me. Y'all already know I'm not the brains of this operation, so I don't have two cents to share, but my wife does and she is awesome. Oh, let me tell you what I did. Y'all, if y'all buy these little nugget ice makers, okay, and, and you're an atypical guy and you think I don't need the dang instructions, I can figure this out myself. All right, you sound like that listen y'all, I.
Speaker 1:Okay, we are on our second ice maker, right, because the first ice maker literally blew up. Okay, some some metal part fell off inside the ice and then the, the dangdoll top just exploded. All right, there was no fire. There was no fire, but it exploded so I'm having to send it back. So, anyway, got a new ice maker, ran it through and the whole time I'm taking out the whole ice tray dumping water in the bottom up under the ice. And that's how I thought you filled the dang thing up. Well, it's our second second week with the thing somewhere in there and month I have to clean it. So I moved it over to the sink to drain the water out and I'll be doggone if the top part didn't pull out to reveal y'all the water container where you put the dang water in. You don't pull out the ice tray and fill it up from the bottom up, you fill it from the top and now there's more ice in it than there's ever been, and you don't have to fill it every two years y'all.
Speaker 1:I felt like a complete imbecile and I told you what an imbecile. You know what imbecile is?
Speaker 2:it almost sounds like you're saying embolism embolism how do you get embolism?
Speaker 1:because I'm reading your lips and like it sounds like an imbecile pulmonary embolism so my wife is cracking up laughing and y'all know the first thing she yells faith. Don't look what your idiot father did that's the adjective I chose, but sure okay, maybe moron dumbass no I think I, I think I said yeah, okay. Anyway, our daughter had a good laugh at it also.
Speaker 2:Oh, she was knee-slapping, laughing so hard she goes. You couldn't make this up. This is great.
Speaker 1:So, guys, just quickly, quickly, All right, you're good for a quickie. Guys Quickly peruse the instructions so you don't look like an arse. An arse A-R-S-E an arse.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Like you're an arsehole.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 1:I would say you're an icehole.
Speaker 2:Ha, ha ha.
Speaker 1:Ha ha.
Speaker 2:So tell people about who's going to be speaking at the webinar. It's quite exciting.
Speaker 1:Susan, no, not Susan Ortega, y'all.
Speaker 2:Who is Susan Ortega?
Speaker 1:Oh my, are you serious? Yeah, I'm serious. Okay, we need to go retro some movies.
Speaker 2:Your movie choices suck. I'm not watching your movies. You have the worst taste in movies ever.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:He watches those not B-rated movies or B-classified movies. He watches the Z-classified movies. They get like oh my God, we spent $40 million. We have one watcher, woohoo, and it was in my husband Seriously.
Speaker 2:I mean his choice in movies is the cure for insomnia. Like, seriously, it is the shit you watch. I can't. He's like babe, watch a movie with me. I would rather have a gynecological examination because your movies suck. Your movies suck, they're horrible, they are so bad. I mean, my husband has so many amazing qualities and I'm very faithful, very honest, very loving. But I have to be very honest. Your choice of movies suck and that's why I'm so glad you and Faith, our beautiful beloved child, watch them together on your father-daughter night every Saturday and I don't have to partake in them. I sit in the office and work. It's great, because I can't, I just can't.
Speaker 1:The second movie that we watched last night at midnight was actually an animated cartoon.
Speaker 2:Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Speaker 1:No, the whole thing was an animated cartoon and I'm okay with that. It was sidebar Because it was yeah, you lost me already, I wouldn't watch it. Because it was our time.
Speaker 2:Okay, but both of y'all like to watch the dumbest shit, and here's what I don't get about our daughter. I mean, god knows that. That kid is the reason I live and breathe. However, why does she go on YouTube and watch the like Cliff Notes version of a movie in like 8.6 minutes?
Speaker 2:And then she's like oh, I need to see it because I just watched the what. I don't even know what it's called, I don't care, whatever she watches it. And then she's like, oh, I already saw this what. And then what she does that I'm so glad she does it with you, because she doesn't do it with me. I don't even know what's on tv anymore because I don't get the chance to watch it.
Speaker 2:She will be, and I love her to madness. She. She'll watch a movie with my husband and I'll think it's hilarious because I don't have to partake in this. Every two or three minutes she stops, has to ask a question and, what's even funnier, she's already seen it. She does it purposely to annoy him, or she'll be like or he'll have to he has not seen something and she has and and he'll be like don't tell me, don't tell me. And she'll be like let me give you a little clue. No, don't tell me. And then she'll blurp it out after, but then she'll stop and then it's like an eight minute dissertation and then I wonder where she gets that from and then she turns it back on what's wrong with your middle finger?
Speaker 1:it's the only one. I got it just pointed straight up there for a minute.
Speaker 2:Oh, there it is again I only have one, yeah, but she does. And then she pauses and she's like well, let me tell you something like non-stop. And then she pushes play. And then five seconds later she's like oh, I forgot to tell you about this sounds just like you no, it doesn wish. Well, not for that one part, but I'm just saying it's hilarious.
Speaker 1:She does the same thing on the video games. I don't know if you're aware of this.
Speaker 2:No, because I think video games is a waste. I hate them. Hate isn't strong enough. It does the exact same thing. No, because you know what the two of you, two youths, are in this constant competition, constant competition in video games. Right now, they're in competition as to who can beat the other one in Hogwarts.
Speaker 1:Hogwarts.
Speaker 2:And it's like as if y'all don't play enough. And you go in there and you want to play, and then she's like hi, abuelo, she always calls him abuelo. And then she's like guess what, I'm on level whatever. And he's like what? And he hasn't reached that level yet.
Speaker 2:And then he had to have her assistance and help beat oh yeah, and she was laughing so hard I was like you need to breathe, babe, please breathe, please take a breath, breathe in, breathe out. Like she's. Like I can't believe you need your daughter to show you how to do this. What an idiot like.
Speaker 1:She's hilarious so let let's give credit where credit is due. Okay, thank you for acknowledging all that I've done for her our daughter sees things a little different, okay, and I love it about her. I love it too, um y'all y'all being older, seeing the movie rain man and how dustin hoffman was able to count the toothpicks Right. She sees things different and she can master, manipulate these puzzles that she has on her phone. And it's the one where you connect the dots. I do the same one Without crossing the lines.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do the same one.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I watched her as we're standing in the grocery store line Right.
Speaker 2:For her to get me my roses that she got me, that was so sweet.
Speaker 1:For her to allow me to buy you roses from her.
Speaker 2:She was smart because she keeps her money away from you.
Speaker 1:There was like 30 to 40 dots. Oh, she's so quick and she, I mean she flew through the lines, I mean, and maybe made one mistake, yeah, but had to back up. But her mind is so quick and I knew that she could do this puzzle, that my old ass couldn't get through on this video game. And she showed me up. I mean she was quick, oh, it took her like 30 seconds Right, and I died like eight times. I was, you know, I wasn't even frustrated, but I was like I can't do this, I just don't see it.
Speaker 2:But yeah, and then it's like the comical conversation, because she'll be like, hey, did you get past this or find this, or just find this, or did you get through this maze, or whatever, and you're like no, and she just walks around and she goes up the stairs and she laughs and she's like amateur and she's oh.
Speaker 1:She comes back and says oh, oh, I've been in that part. Yeah, I've already. I've already done that, dad, I've already done that one too. You might want to, uh, get as many potions as you possibly can. I'm just saying I'm not daughter, I love you, but stop giving me hints. Oh, I've done that too.
Speaker 2:You might want to go and look up and up, but then, like a day or two later, you're like, hey, you want to give me a hint or you want to help your old man out here and show me how to do this. And, like you, you back up and you're like, hey, can you help me here?
Speaker 1:I believe if we don't keep up with them, they're gonna leave us behind who our children faith is never gonna leave me behind.
Speaker 2:You might be in the dust, but well you're.
Speaker 1:You're so far ahead of the game. Miss 192 iq, it's not 192 really not 192, what was it?
Speaker 2:I recall it like 162. Maybe something like that.
Speaker 1:You recall yeah.
Speaker 2:Einstein was 160, babe, then maybe it's not, I don't know. If you ask my biologicals, they'll tell you I'm like dumber than dumb. Well, let's ask them as soon as he comes on. Yes, wouldn't that be a hoot Woo? I haven't started drinking yet, I might just start.
Speaker 1:So if y'all haven't already, get on Amazon and pick up Victoria Curie's books. She's written at least 41, 42s in the works, actually, 43s in the works. Faith Curie has written some books. Y'all look her up. She's written some beautiful books about me. What about you, right?
Speaker 2:I have to say so. I had to go okay, and I know that so many people are gonna understand when I say this. So this past week I was meeting with a new prosthetic team, right and so highly recommended prosthesis team, you know. So I get, and everybody who knows me knows I'm always early. If I'm late it's insulting. It's insulting because it messes everybody else's day up. If I'm 30 minutes early, I'm on time, so I'm always really early. So our appointment was like 10. We left at like 8.
Speaker 2:And it takes forever because Atlanta sucks and Atlanta driver suck and traffic sucks. And Russia, there's not a rush hour. In Atlanta it's 24 hours, even Saturdays, sundays, holidays. It doesn't discriminate, it's constant. So I put it in the GPS, right, and I'm like whoo-hoo and I'm driving and driving, and driving, and driving. It doesn't recognize the building. There's no building. So it takes me behind a grocery store in a shopping center and I'm like, yeah, this isn't right. I already know that this thing is like on one of the top floors of a building. So we finally asked somebody and still I have never heard of that building. Great, so we're still driving, we're still driving and of course, faith's on her phone which is driving me bananas.
Speaker 2:And we finally find the building. I have not a clue how. And we get there and they're like oh, the parking deck's over here, great. So we get to the parking deck and then you have to go through this incredibly heavy door to get to the elevator. Well, if you are, you know, an amputee, or you're a wheelchair or both, how the hell do you open this door? There's not a button to push for it to open itself, right, you got to do it on your own. And then you get to the elevator and then you go down a floor. Then you have to go down a flight of steps and you're like okay, and then there's a sign it says no standing and I no standing in the elevator.
Speaker 2:No right outside the elevator. I looked over at faith and I was like that would piss me off if I was an amputee. Right, right, like these jokes they're doing on tiktok. How do you call a dog with no legs like, see, you know what? How do you have a conversation with someone who has no brain? Because that's not funny, like I think that's offensive.
Speaker 2:So we get in there and then you have to go into the building and then you have to go up to one of the top floors and you walk in there. I walked in. I was like y'all better be the best damn people in what you do ever, because this is some crap. I mean seriously, how do you not have it on Google? You can't fight. I tried to do a Google image of the building so I could see what the building looked like when I pulled over in the back of a grocery store building, nothing, nothing. And it's like you work with people who are amputees. Don't you think this is stupid? Just a thought, just a thought. I'm just saying. I mean, come on now, let's, let's, let's turn on the brain for a second. Really Speaking of turning on the brain, because you have not gone on about the webinar. We have the best people, the best people.
Speaker 1:I mentioned Susan webinar.
Speaker 2:We have the best people, the best people. I mentioned susan. Okay, susan's amazing. Susan is someone I interviewed years ago who only a few times in your life you meet somebody that you are just enamored with in such a professional way, right? Susan is an attorney. I couldn't do her story justice. Her niece, maggie, was in college and was murdered On campus by her ex-boyfriend and she has like Devoted her life To bringing awareness to domestic violence. She's written courses, she's written books. She's amazing, she is amazing.
Speaker 2:And so I reached out to her, knowing how busy she is, and asked if she would do this. And when she came back and said, yes, I was like a little kid at Christmas who got their you know, wanted toy. And I spoke with her today and was talking with her about a bunch of different stuff going on and I am just so enamored and impressed with this woman. She's going back to school in the fall, right, and it's like you know. She was like, well, people over 62 get free tuition. And I was like, well, you got to wait a little while, right, and she's like, ha ha, ha, you're, you know, you're funny and I know she's either in her late 70s, early 80s, somewhere around there.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to ask her age I never want to insult her or make her unhappy in any manner but she is the spotlight headliner for the webinar. She actually also opened the very first rape crisis center in the country and just awe inspiring. This woman is awe inspiring. I could sit and listen to her talk all day long and not say a word. And when we spoke today, I think I got like maybe not that much in Because I was just listening to her talk about everything and I was so happy, like so, so happy. So she's coming on there. And then we have Keelan Floshender, who I just adore. Keelan, he's amazing.
Speaker 1:Y'all like him, he's amazing.
Speaker 2:He's had me on his talk show in LA.
Speaker 1:He's got a good voice.
Speaker 2:He is just as real and great as they get Like. I just adore him and he's coming on. He has such a story of inspiration and recovery and all he wants to do is help people, and so we are so lucky and blessed to have the lineup that we have. And we have also chris callahan, who, um, is an attorney. He is, uh, somebody who used to be a police officer. I met him and knew him from when I was a teenager. We met when I was like 15, when we worked together, and then he was inspired somehow some way to go into law enforcement I don't know much about that. Anyway, yeah, that's a false statement and so he became like a brother to me and he is coming on. He spent some time as a judge and he's a speaker and an investor and he was a detective and just a powerful source of knowledge and wisdom, which you know. I hope he doesn't hear this, because I'll never hear the end of it.
Speaker 2:And then we have also D. Oh, she's a limelight. We have also D? Oh, she's a limelight. She survived domestic violence and she's a coach and a mentor and just one of those people you want to sit outside with in a rocking chair and just conversate all day right. Just a wonderful human being, a wonderful lady, who I'm very honored to call a friend, who is coming on and doing this as well, who I'm very honored to call a friend who is coming on and doing this as well. We have Whitney Knoxley, who is also an attorney, and she's amazing. I don't even want to share her story because I don't know what part of it she will share, what part she won't. You need to tune in just for Whitney's story alone, because the comeback story of Whitney is amazing. Her recovery is amazing of what she's gone through and you really need to tune in just to hear hers because it's so worth it. So we've got Keelan, we've got Chris, we have Susan, we have Whitney, we have Dee. We just have like a group of amazing, amazing people, and that's not even everyone. We have emily, who is also a podcaster, and she's done quite a bit, uh, when it comes to trauma, and she's going to be on.
Speaker 2:The list just goes on and on and on, and tickets are free. You can go to Eventbrite and put in best of the best for July 13th and we have free tickets. We have tickets that are $2.50. We have tickets that are $5. And that money is going to sponsor someone who can't afford it.
Speaker 2:If you leave a domestic violence situation, you have what's on your back. You have what you can carry with you, you have your kids. You know you're carry with you, you have your kids, you know you're trying to go into refuge. When you go into this situation and you don't know how to do certain things, you know these classes are out there for you and if you reach out to me personally, I'm going to make sure you get whatever you need in these courses and you're not going to have to pay for them. But but we do have to pay for all the platforms and all the things that we need to do in order to keep it up and going. And I've never taken a paycheck. My husband's never taken a paycheck from any of the work that we've done, and my husband's been doing this with me for five years. I've been doing this for 19 and a half years now and it becomes very hard financially, but we will not turn anyone away.
Speaker 2:So, if you look at it, one in four women are victims of abuse, whether it's your mom, your sister, your daughter or maybe even God forbid you. You never know. Like I had my arm September 7th, three years ago, the very next day it was gone. You never know what's going to happen tomorrow. So if you have the ability to pay it forward I mean, even a cup of coffee at Starbucks is more than $5 now. A Happy Meal is more than $5 now but that is going to bring hope and awareness and life and you're paying it forward. And you know what, if God forbid, the day comes when you need it, it's going to be there for you too. So you can go to Eventbrite there is a link down there also if you want to do a donation for even $5, $10. You know we had someone who gave us 15 cups of coffee the other day, which was amazing. That gives 15 classes.
Speaker 2:You know when, when you have special needs kids and you are literally pulled in a million different directions scheduling the appointments, implementing in the therapies that you were just learning, going in and fighting insurance and getting stuff approved. You know what? What? What burns me up so much about the insurance facilities is the fact that they don't care that that's a human being, that that's a child. They you know it's about. Well, let's see if we're gonna cover them. And then the doctors are no different. You know what happened to the day where the doctors care more about the patient than they do their paycheck or their kickbacks that they Get right.
Speaker 2:So, like you could need for now, if you need to have a surgery because you're in pain and discomfort unless you're in the hospital, as an admitted patient, say, to have a surgery because you're in pain and discomfort unless you're in the hospital, as an admitted patient, say, you have a child that has horrific earaches and they need to have ear tubes put in. You have to wait for insurance to approve and if they have Medicaid, it could take up to 30 days. So these beautiful little children are in agony because of it. And then that's horrible. I mean, that's absolutely horrible.
Speaker 2:And then you have to go and drive for gas, you know, and if somebody is on disability, they're on a very limited income and like, if you go to the hospital, it's anywhere from 14 to $20 to park at most hospitals, right.
Speaker 2:And then you have to pay for the gas. You have to pay for the wear and tear on the vehicle. Long term you have to pay if you're driving any far of a distance, you know, do you have to stop and get a snack? Do you have to stop and make sure your kid gets something to eat? There's all these different factors that people don't put into play to realize. So if these people, these beautiful families, need assistance, I'm going to make sure that those kids get into Stucco Squad, that those kids get into stucco squad, that those kids get into anything that they need that we offer, because that five dollars could go towards a parking ticket, it could go towards a snack for the kids, or the mom who is wearing herself down and, you know, trying so hard to put on that face for her kids, but when she goes into the bathroom she silently cries because she feels like no one's listening and no one gets it. Well, we get it because we've lived it and we still live it.
Speaker 1:so so many times we we sat in uh the NICU and would walk just the hallways right. We wouldn't be NICU.
Speaker 2:NICU is neonatal intensive care unit.
Speaker 1:I was in the NICU for six months but we would not see parent one in any of the rooms for forever, for for there would be days and weeks, uh, the longest parents that way but a majority months right people look at it like it's a babysitting service.
Speaker 2:I get rested. It was crazy. Not everybody, but there's a majority and it's always been that way, right, and it's horrible. I mean, there were so many days when faith was in the hospital last year for six weeks you and I would share a sandwich for the day, because hospitals don't care if you're impatient. They don't even give you a break on parking. It's $14 a day, right, and that's just what it is. And then when we would try and eat each meal that comes to the room which is not tasty you know you're not asking for a decent meal, but like, make it where it doesn't taste like cardboard is at least a parent plates, at least $10. So for the two of us it would have been $60 a day just for the parent tray.
Speaker 2:If we went downstairs which neither one of us would want to go and leave her at the same time then it's even more so. But then we would just get a sandwich and split it a lot of time. Or when he would have to come home, he would bring snacks back up and we would eat those. I mean he even brought tea up because the drinks nothing there is free, you know, and I mean it's like they charge you $85 for a baby aspirin but you're going to pay $6 for a tea, right, and it's so wrong to pay six dollars for a tea, right, and it's so wrong. So if you have the ability, you know five dollars, ten dollars, whatever it is, even if it's one time you know that could be for your sister, that could be for your niece, that could be for yourself one day, and we just ask that you know, pay it forward, because it does come back around.
Speaker 1:It comes back around tenfold yeah, buy that cup of coffee, y'all it.
Speaker 2:It really does help others and if you don't want to go to event bright and look, you can go to a contagious smilecom and in the right corner it shows buy me a coffee. And when you open it up it talks about transformation and how. That's what this is for. It's for transformation, where you can set up if you want to do monthly or if you want to do just a one time, and it does. I mean. You know writing these courses, I look at them and I compare them to other courses similar out there and people are charging anywhere from $99 to $497 for these classes.
Speaker 2:But it's not what it's about. What it's about is helping others that need that extra support right now and I know it'll come back around at some point in time and you and I as a family have really sacrificed a lot so that we could continue to provide these services. You know, as long as Faith has been okay, we have, you know, sacrificed personally the two of us as long as she's good. But you know, we just want to make sure that nobody is left alone, nobody's unheard, nobody's unseen, and everybody realizes that they're valued.
Speaker 1:So, speaking of these courses, they can access these courses. How they can access these courses? How.
Speaker 2:You can go to a contagious smilecom and go onto the Academy tab. Also, you can do a contagious smile M, as in Mary and as in Nancy, so a contagious smilemnco, and it pulls it up and you'll see the option of join or explore. Hit the explore button and it shows you all of the collections. It lets you click on and read the overview of each course. There's some in there that are hilarious. I mean, they were so much fun. And you know what, if you have a course suggestion that you think needs to be in there, send me an idea. I'm happy to do it. We've just started doing something else that I'm so honored to do. We're going to start doing dedicated courses for individuals. So, like JJ Holly, who helps us now, who owns Ripple Retreat, has his Ripple was his good friend that passed away serving, and so we're going to do a dedicated course in his honor.
Speaker 1:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:And so what we do is if you have someone that you've lost to like breast cancer or any plethora of things addiction, you name it, you know, or you just want to thank someone for being your rock during your traumatic event and helped you through your trauma, we can do one for them and those proceeds will go to help in the scholarship fund. So that's so much fun to do that and really bring light to those that are helping brighten up that darkness.
Speaker 1:These courses y'all, and when both my wife and I have been on the masterclasses, she likes to take one by uh, I believe, chris foss oh yes, okay, okay, him on the show.
Speaker 1:He was an fbi top hostage negotiator I opened that door, y'all sorry drop the mic, but anyway uh, those master class courses are just like what you find here in our academy I keep saying her academy because you know she's sitting here doing all this work one handed, you know, while I'm out. You know Jaw jacking, jaw jacking on my job, yes, playing video games she is. She has done awesome, awesome. You know, very meticulous job on the details of all these courses. So y'all get in there, join, start perusing through there. Uh, you like them, buy them. They're. They're dirt cheap. Okay, could, could she mark them up to 3399, to, you know, $516? Yes, she could, but she doesn't. She wants to make this minimum as possible but still be able to function as our network grows, as our business grows. Okay, just recently we had to get new microphones. Y'all we had to. Our old ones were just shitty, they sucked. And I'm, our old ones were just shitty, they sucked.
Speaker 2:And I'm sure everybody can hear the difference already.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we had to get a new soundboard. We had our soundboard stolen.
Speaker 2:We did, we did.
Speaker 1:And then you know, we just had to upgrade stuff, we had to upgrade our computer we haven't done yet because we have to wait. A have to. She's just ran out of room. All the things that she does.
Speaker 2:Well, I've had this computer for like five years right.
Speaker 1:Her graphics aren't up to par. She needs, you know, better graphics card.
Speaker 2:So do you have an issue with being a little meticulous and anal, about making sure everything is just right?
Speaker 1:But the stuff that she produces, y'all is absolutely phenomenal. So get on there, joined. Y'all is absolutely phenomenal. So get on there, join the mighty networks. Say hey, you, you get logged in. I'll say hey to you right off the bat. Okay, I'm going to welcome you to our community. Hey, holler at me if you've got any questions. Uh, and then and then, and then start perusing through these courses. Uh, jj, I understand he's going through the courses and he loves them.
Speaker 2:He does, he actually does all the independent activities.
Speaker 1:That's awesome.
Speaker 2:He's a jump my skillet, as you call it, because he's like do you tell people how you sit here in absolute agony and pain and you're writing all these courses Like and no, I don't because, I don't, because it doesn't make a difference to me.
Speaker 2:I'm still going to do it Right. And the fact is is that people who, like a lot of people, don't know who what CRPS is and it's complex regional pain syndrome and I have it and you know I am an amputee, I just got a STEM router spinally put in and it's just, you know, and what really, just I don't want to say, irritates me. But you know, I don't care if it's one surgery or a hundred surgeries. When people hear, oh, she's having another surgery, it's like, oh, okay, it's a day that ends in Y, you know she's having it, but it's, it's serious and it's still scary.
Speaker 2:I'm very scared for my family when I go in and have all these done. I feel like a hollowed out woman. I do because there is not a place. If you took a picture of a skull that I have not, or a skeleton that I have not had, and none of it's been cosmetic, which I think by now I should be able to get, like buy a hundred, get one free, or something, right, but literally it's just, what else can they do to me? I mean, I'm so robotic that instead, you know, my body parts are like between the ages of eight and 15 years of age, so I'm really not my age when it comes to the fact that this is where I am with my replacement parts, and so I'm at a point where it's like, oh, I don't need a shower, I just need a good WD-40 washing, because my husband is just mesmerized by all of our cameras around the property. He's just watching everything am I interrupting you?
Speaker 2:no, but it's just like what are you interrupting me? Okay, so yeah I'm watching security I just need wd-40 washes, but it's, it's yes sitting here, stop it. You're the one always talking about keeping it pg burrito. What are you talking about? What was it you said? You needed lube I said I needed a wd-40 wash isn't that the same thing, y'all?
Speaker 1:you're asking me, I'm asking them, they're the ones listening wow, I don't.
Speaker 2:I don't even know what I'm gonna do with you you ain't right I'm not right, I'm not the one who said it yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Hey, speaking about those courses again, didn't whitney? Um? Isn't she one of the products of one of your courses? Uh, did she? Wasn't she one of the first ones that came to you about social media following?
Speaker 2:Whitney came to me about her podcast, um, right off the bat before she started and launched and she's amazing and award-winning and awesome and she I helped her with creating her tagline and teaching her a little bit about podcasting. But, like you know and I've done some marketing for a bunch of different people and helped their numbers grow and showed them how to do it winnie is like a self-starter. She's amazing, like people really need to tune in just to hear her, and she has a huge heart and she's got such a comeback story, so people need to tune in just for that.
Speaker 1:She does have a huge heart. She was there for us during our With faith.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. She started to go fund me for us because I mean you wouldn't leave and I was there and so you don't get paid unless you're at work. And so she helped launch a GoFundMe and I called her so many times and she just listened and listened, and so I'm forever in debt to her for that.
Speaker 1:Well, good, and you've got more on the lineup for the webinar.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, We're're gonna end up with another one. My goal is to have like a special webinar eventually every week where we bring in someone and people can tune in and just listen to that person and ask questions and and that would be amazing and that's my goal is to get to that point where we do it weekly and have somebody come on that people would be interested in in that topic and y'all.
Speaker 1:I do apologize if uh you've tried to reach out to be he never checks his email contact. I am having technical difficulty with my a contagious smile, uh email I just have you tried turning it on. Yes.
Speaker 2:Well, I would ask you if you checked it on your computer. But if you, guys, I almost want to take a picture of his desk and put it out there. But it's kind of funny because his desk is so hoarded with hoarding, like Haven, that it covers over chaos. No, it's not. His desk is so messy that the pile of crap is over half as tall as the big monitor on his computer, and so that is another reason. So you can always reach out to me, because I answer emails at one in the morning, at five in the morning. I just it's always right there. So, yeah, you can reach out to me online and you know work on that. But you know you should try and clean your desk a little bit. Just get that mess off. I'm out there working. You have no, no yes no, absolutely not video games.
Speaker 2:You were up today at like 10 30 and at 12 30 you were napping.
Speaker 1:It's Sunday.
Speaker 2:I don't give a rat's behind. You were in pajamas all day.
Speaker 1:Who doesn't take a nap on Sundays? Me. Well, you're like the Terminator. Is that a bionic joke? Yes, you don't stop. Is there a?
Speaker 2:problem there's people running in the yard.
Speaker 1:Well, that's just great, so you can take us out.
Speaker 2:No, you're so good at it, go ahead.
Speaker 1:No, no, I brought us in laughing.
Speaker 2:Right, so that because you didn't complete it in its entirety? No, you didn't, you were laughing profusely. Therefore, you did not complete it in its entirety, so go ahead.
Speaker 1:Thank y'all for listening to another episode of Unstoppable with the lovely, sexy, feisty, saucy, saucy. I haven't used that word yet Saucy.
Speaker 2:What is that? You're saucy? What the?
Speaker 1:heck, is that? Feel a mix. Victoria curate, which y'allall get on Amazon. Get her books who Kicked First and Nark Nark, who's there. Okay, I can't read them. I won't read them. Not that I couldn't read them, I just.
Speaker 2:Nark, Nark. Who's there?
Speaker 1:I didn't read the entire thing. Okay, lord, and her first book kicked first. I could not read it's, it's, it's too much for me. Anyway, y'all pick up those books and we'll see you next time. I can take the smile signing out. Good night, y'all.
