Against All Odds Podcast, The Less than 1% Chance with Maria Aponte

Maria Aponte
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Maria highlights stories of people that have been the "less than 1% chance" and have come out of their situations thriving and seeing life as happening FOR them and not TO them! Inspiring and empowering stories that will show you that against all odds you can make it through anything!

  1. 13h ago ·  Video

    Rebuilding SightWhy Everyone Looked Like Voldemort After a Stroke: Mindy Jackson on Trauma & the Body (Part 1)

    Send us Fan Mail A stroke that changes how you see faces, a hospital stay filled with art supplies, and a decision to not accept "this is as good as it gets." Maria Aponte sits down with Mindy Jackson, LPC, Reiki master, and spiritual coach, to unpack a recovery story that blends real-world rehabilitation with energy healing, intuition, and a fierce kind of hope. After heart surgery in 2023, Mindy experiences a postoperative stroke in the occipital lobe and loses central vision — leaving her, in her own words, seeing everyone's face like Voldemort's. What follows is a deeply human look at neuroplasticity, PTSD-informed healing, and the moment you choose to fight for your life even when the odds feel brutal. From there, Mindy shares how painting became a tool for healing, including an intense four-month creative arc where she painted the 22 Major Arcana of the tarot and felt herself "live" each card's meaning, naming the finished collection "Return of the Divine Feminine." We talk symbolism, the divine feminine, and what it means to restore balance inside yourself so your relationships and community can change too. If you've ever wondered whether creativity can be medicine, this conversation gives you a grounded and surprising perspective. We also go back to the beginning: childhood sensitivity, a near-death drowning experience at age five, out-of-body memories, and the way imagination may be less "make-believe" and more a language your nervous system understands. Then we move into generational and ancestral trauma — how a closet-hiding memory with her mother shaped a lifelong freeze response, how her great-grandfather's railroad accident planted a scarcity mindset that passed down for generations, and how a single energy-healing session finally released trauma she'd carried in her body since being sexually assaulted at 16. This is part one of a longer conversation, with part two coming next week. If this resonates, follow the show so you don't miss the next chapter, share it with someone who's healing, and leave a review to help more people find these stories. What's one belief about healing you're ready to question? Connect with Mindy Jackson:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacksonmindy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindy.jackson.351 Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/profile/1298495 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance  I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."  Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    Rebuilding SightWhy Everyone Looked Like Voldemort After a Stroke: Mindy Jackson on Trauma & the Body (Part 1)

  2. Sep 4 ·  Video

    We Made A Plan And God Laughed: Jessica Terry on Foster Care, Infertility & Trusting God's Timing

    Send us Fan Mail A foster placement can turn you into a parent overnight and still ask you to live with uncertainty every day after. Maria Aponte sits down with Jessica Terry, a wife, homeschool mom, foster and adoptive mom, and founder of The Village He Builds, to talk about the real path to motherhood when infertility, courts, trauma, and faith all collide. We get honest about what it feels like to wait and wait for the life you imagined, then realize your "answered prayer" may arrive in a totally different form. Jessica shares how she learned to love kids from hard places while navigating case plans, reunification realities, and the complicated truth that adoption and foster care both begin with grief. We also dig into empathy, including why understanding a birth parent's story can change how you show up for the child, and why it's never a competition for who matters most in a kid's life. You'll hear clear guidance on misconceptions around foster care vs adoption, the difference between private adoption and adopting from foster care, and why people need to stop treating foster care like a family-building shortcut. Jessica also explains how she built The Village He Builds to create an intentional support network for foster and adoptive moms and "waiting hearts" walking through infertility. If this resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs a village, and leave a review so more families can find these stories. Connect with Jessica Terry:  Instagram (The Village He Builds): https://www.instagram.com/thevillagehebuilds Facebook: Jessica Terry https://www.facebook.com/jessica.Chrstina.585 Instagram (personal): https://www.instagram.com/jess_christina_t 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance  I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."  Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    We Made A Plan And God Laughed: Jessica Terry on Foster Care, Infertility & Trusting God's Timing

  3. Aug 28 ·  Video

    She Dropped Out at 13 Believing She Was Stupid- Then Became a Doctor with Dr. Jodi-Maree Cronin

    Send us Fan Mail A kid who leaves school before 14 isn't "supposed" to become a doctor, and that's exactly why Dr. Jodi-Maree Cronin's story hit us so hard. Her childhood was marked by domestic violence at the hands of her father and two separate sexual assaults before she turned 12- the kind of trauma that quietly shapes everything: confidence, relationships, body image, the ability to trust. But she also carried something just as real: a stubborn belief that hard work and the right support could change a life. We follow the turning points that made the impossible practical- returning to study as a young mom, tackling a bridging program alongside her own mother, and meeting a teacher who didn't hesitate to say "you can do anything you want to do," then mapped out the exact steps to medicine. Jodi-Maree shares what it was like to push through imposter syndrome in biomedical science and finally feel the weight lift at her medical school graduation. Then we go deeper into the cost of caregiving and burnout: the PTSD she developed as a first responder, and what she calls "emotional debt" - the interest you pay when you keep saying yes while abandoning your own needs. In 2014 that debt came due when she attempted suicide, something she says most doctors don't survive given their access to lethal means. She did...then relapsed in 2017, lost her decades-long relationship, her medical career, and declared bankruptcy. Maria also shares her own story of surviving sexual assault, staying silent, and later facing HPV and cervical cancer, connecting the dots between suppressed emotions and the body's breaking point. Together they talk about the circle of control, being the "thermostat" in tense moments, and why happiness often shows up as a side effect of inner peace rather than something you chase directly. Jodi-Maree explains how her assistance dog Benni taught her relational safety and inspired the work she does now, building emotional wealth through values-based living. If you're healing from trauma, navigating mental health, or trying to rebuild from ground zero, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories. ⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of domestic violence, child sexual assault, and suicide. Listener discretion advised. If you or someone you know is struggling: the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by call or text (988), and the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is available at 1-800-656-4673 or online at rainn.org. You are not alone. Connect with Dr. Jodi-Maree Cronin: 🌐 Business site: https://pack4life.com.au/ 🌐 Personal site: https://jodimareecronin.com/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodimaree.cronin 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benni_the_gsp 📚 Books: Memoir- Benni: The Best Medicine Has Paws: https://a.co/d/03PGDoDw Children's Books-  Belle is Sad: https://a.co/d/02v2uT5y Assistance Dog Benni: https://a.co/d/03su2rUs 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance  I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."  Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    She Dropped Out at 13 Believing She Was Stupid- Then Became a Doctor with Dr. Jodi-Maree Cronin

  4. Aug 21 ·  Video

    When The Universe Locks You In A Sauna with Ana Victoria Cibrián

    Send us Fan Mail Abandoned in a hospital bed after a hysterectomy, Ana Victoria Cibrián hits a breaking point that forces one question: am I going to keep surviving, or am I finally going to live? Ana Victoria grew up as the eldest of three siblings in a Spanish household marked by daily violence and abuse. By 21 she'd lost her father, and stepped into a caretaking role for her mother and younger brother far earlier than most people ever have to — long before she'd had the chance to process her own trauma. That survival pattern followed her into an eight-and-a-half-year relationship with a narcissistic partner, one that ended when he left her for another woman while she was recovering in the hospital. We talk candidly about the grief that can follow a hysterectomy — identity, body image, and the quiet fear of being "less" afterward. I share my own story of sexual assault, cervical cancer, and how unprocessed pain can show up in the body over time. From Reiki and emotional healing to learning how to feel without getting overwhelmed, we explore what it takes to reconnect with yourself when your nervous system has been in fight-or-flight for years. Ana also brings a fresh lens through transpersonal psychology and astrology, including Chiron, the wounded healer, to help make sense of how suffering can become service without minimizing what happened. We dig into emotional armor, boundaries, communication that feels safe, and why conscious relationships require both inner work and real relationship skills. If you're healing from trauma, recovering from narcissistic abuse, or trying to build emotional safety and intimacy, this conversation offers language and tools you can start using right now. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of healing and resilience. Connect with Ana Victoria Cibrián:  🌐 Website: https://anacibrian.wordpress.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anavcibrian 📸 Astrology & Relationships Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrologiaparaelcambio ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AstrologiaVincularyRelaciones 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance  I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."  Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    When The Universe Locks You In A Sauna with Ana Victoria Cibrián

  5. Aug 14 ·  Video

    Born From Conflict, Raised in Love: Rachel Aponte on Family, Reconciliation, and Learning She's Enough

    Send us Fan Mail A family can love you deeply and still place you in the middle of a war you never asked for. My niece Rachel Aponte joins me for a raw, funny, and surprisingly tender conversation about being born to teen parents and growing up as the oldest grandchild on both sides of a Puerto Rican family split by conflict, resentment, and years of forced "cordial" moments at big events. We talk about what it does to a kid when tension is the baseline: becoming conflict-averse, taking on adult responsibility too early, and measuring your safety by other people's moods. Rachel shares the turning points that changed everything, including the hard conversation that repaired her relationship with her dad, the misunderstood season when we were both struggling and neither of us had the full picture, and the way empathy grows when someone owns their choices without excuses. She also takes us back to her wedding day, when the two families reconciled for the first time in her life, and to a quiet moment where her famously stoic grandfather consoled her grandmother — something she'd never once seen him do. Then we get practical about healing and mental health. Rachel opens up about therapy, unlearning accomplishment-based self-worth, and why "I'm enough" is not a slogan but a skill. She shares the nightly wind-down routine that helps her anxiety and sleep, plus the mindset shift that lets her be loud, sensitive, and fully herself without shame. Today, Rachel is the Director of Education and Community Engagement at The Visual Art Center of New Jersey, where she leads community outreach with local Latino students. If you're navigating family estrangement, intergenerational trauma, reconciliation, or the pressure to prove your worth, you'll take away language you can use right away. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review if our stories helped you breathe a little easier. What part of Rachel's journey felt the most familiar to you? Connect with Rachel Aponte:  📸 Instagram: @raponte5690 or @rachel.zumbafitness 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachel-aponte 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance  I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't."  Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    Born From Conflict, Raised in Love: Rachel Aponte on Family, Reconciliation, and Learning She's Enough

  6. Aug 7 ·  Video

    The Lights Started Flickering: Erin Gallagher's Awakening After 17 Years of Addiction

    Send us Fan Mail A two-week challenge to stop drinking turned into a full-body wake-up call, and then something even bigger. Erin Gallagher spent seventeen years numbing herself with meth, crack, and eventually alcohol, sleeping in storage sheds by twenty-one and telling herself it was all she'd ever be. When a friend finally challenged her to quit drinking, she agreed mostly to prove him wrong. Within two days she was shaking through withdrawal, and within weeks she was having a spiritual awakening so intense that lights would flicker whenever she walked into a room. Erin unpacks the long shadow of growing up in an alcoholic household: people-pleasing, freezing, learned helplessness, and the victim story that says you can't change. She explains why different recovery paths work for different people, including frameworks like Adult Children of Alcoholics, and how holistic practices like Reiki, tarot, Akashic Records, and intuitive development supported her own healing. Maria shares her own first unexpected energy-healing experience at a spa in Miami, crying through an entire session before she even understood what Reiki was, and together they challenge the phrase "everything happens for a reason," offering a more honest option: choosing purpose without minimizing pain. If you've been wrestling with faith, guilt, or feeling "too sensitive," this conversation gets practical. Erin shares grounding rituals, energetic boundaries, and why taking one small action can break a stuck cycle faster than you think. Hit play, then subscribe, share it with someone rebuilding their own life right now, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of resilience. Connect with Erin:  Website: https://erinspirational.bio.link/ Facebook: Erin Gallagher - Psychic Coach and Teacher, Master Healer Instagram: @erinspirational Substack: Erin Gallagher 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't." Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    The Lights Started Flickering: Erin Gallagher's Awakening After 17 Years of Addiction

  7. Jul 31 ·  Video

    11 Months Unemployed, 11 Films Later: Vedant Akhauri's Unlikely Comeback

    Send us Fan Mail Your career can change in a single moment, and for Vedant Akhauri, it changed in the coldest way possible: he was mid-text with his own production team when his login just stopped working, no explanation, no warning. What followed was 11 months of job hunting through a Hollywood strike, an interview with MrBeast's team that came agonizingly close, and a four-year resume gap from COVID-era shutdowns that kept ending interviews before he got a fair shot. Vedant opens up about what it's like to be treated as "radioactive" the moment you're unemployed, watching mentors and former colleagues who once said "reach out anytime" go quiet, and how fast relationships reveal themselves as transactional once you have nothing to offer. Maria shares her own version of that gut-punch, being let go from a travel-industry career she'd spent over a decade building, and together they dig into the mindset shift from a traditional career ladder to a career jungle gym, where sideways moves, pauses, and pivots are strategy, not failure. Then we get into the actual turning point: transferable skills. A brutal live-events production gig became the proof Vedant needed to reenter film and video work, and saying yes to a single camera workshop he almost skipped led to relationships that turned into 11 films in one year, two of which won Best Picture at an independent film festival. He breaks down the two habits that carried him through the grind, delayed gratification and gratitude, and why he's learned to trust his gut even when it means turning down work that isn't right. If you're navigating a layoff, a resume gap, or wondering whether pivoting means starting over, this conversation hands you both the mindset and the tactics. Subscribe for more Against All Odds stories, share this with someone in a job-search spiral, and leave a review so more listeners can find us. What part of your career are you ready to pivot this week? Connect with Vedant: Podcast: Let's Talk Media with Vedant Akhauri Instagram: @letstalkmediava YouTube: Vedant Akhauri LinkedIn: Vedant Akhauri IMDb: Vedant Akhauri 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't." Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    11 Months Unemployed, 11 Films Later: Vedant Akhauri's Unlikely Comeback

  8. Jul 24 ·  Video

    It's Not Your Time: David Chametzky's Journey From Suicide Attempt to TEDx Stage

    Send us Fan Mail Six years ago, David Chametzky was 36 hours into a suicide attempt when he heard a voice tell him, "It's not your time. Go back and tell your story." That moment turned into a TEDx talk, several Amazon bestselling books, and a philosophy he calls "peace, love, and bring a bat," a New York-born, baseball-rooted approach to authenticity, boundaries, and hitting your own sweet spot even when life throws curveballs. David opens up about the cruelty he faced right after his attempt, the hard lesson that "knowing the resources" isn't the same as using them, and a heart scare two months ago that echoed the same "it's not your time" feeling (98% blocked widow maker artery, caught just in time). He shares why he believes 89% of suicide attempts don't end in death, and how the right resources and outside perspective can raise that number even higher. Maria shares her own experience navigating her daughter's bipolar diagnosis as a single mom, and together they dig into why telling your story, even the messy, unfinished parts, is how healing actually happens. You'll leave with grounded takeaways on self-love, daily routines like meditation and goal-setting, and the permission to give yourself grace while you keep moving forward. If you or someone you love is carrying a story they're afraid to tell, this conversation is your permission slip. Hit play, then subscribe, share it with someone who needs a lighthouse right now, and leave a review so more listeners can find hope and real tools. Connect with David:  Website: davidchametzky.com  Instagram: @davidchametzky  Facebook: David Chametzky  LinkedIn: David Chametzky  Podcast: Peace Love and Bring a Bat 📖 NEW BOOK: Against All Odds: The Less Than 1% Chance I wasn't supposed to survive. As the surviving twin with less than a 1% chance at life, I've spent my whole existence beating odds nobody expected me to beat. In this memoir and anthology, I share my story alongside eight other unbelievable accounts of people who refused to let impossible circumstances write their ending, from cancer and addiction to childhood trauma and grief. Eleven stories. One roadmap for anyone who's ever been told "you can't." Get your copy here: https://books.by/love-your-life Support the show Love Your Life Follow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HERE Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

    It's Not Your Time: David Chametzky's Journey From Suicide Attempt to TEDx Stage
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Maria highlights stories of people that have been the "less than 1% chance" and have come out of their situations thriving and seeing life as happening FOR them and not TO them! Inspiring and empowering stories that will show you that against all odds you can make it through anything!

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