A Contagious Smile Podcast

Victora Cuore; A Contagious Smile, Who Kicked First, Domestic Violence Survivor, Advocate, Motivational Coach, Special Needs, Abuse Support, Life Skill Classes, Special Needs Social Groups
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Personal Journals
  • Updated Weekly

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.

  1. 1d ago

    Life After Surgery And Life After Abuse

    Send us Fan Mail They got her through surgery, but nobody talks enough about what happens right after the operating room when you’re still foggy, hurting, and being told to get dressed and get out. We’re Michael and Victoria, and we’re sharing the raw play-by-play of her latest arm surgery recovery, the nerve pain and swelling, and the frustrating moment we felt rushed out of post-op before her body had time to settle. From there, the conversation turns into the bigger story so many people live with: leaving an abusive relationship doesn’t magically erase the damage. We speak plainly about long-term trauma, disability, and why a survivor’s “after” can last for years or a lifetime. If you care about domestic abuse survivor support, trauma recovery, chronic pain, or rebuilding identity after life-changing injury, you’ll hear both the hard truth and the hope we’ve had to learn the long way. We also talk about what it means to keep a mission alive without big donors. Voting opens October 5 for Top Host of 2026, and we explain exactly where the $25,000 would go: back into peer-to-peer support, resources, and scholarships we’ve been funding ourselves. We share what we’re building through ContagiousSmile.com, what’s new on StrongerThanAMountain.com, why we roast green coffee beans for our own coffee line, and how Victoria’s new books and workbooks support women and kids navigating survival, court, and healing. If this hits home, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more survivors can find real support. And when the voting link drops on October 5, will you vote and help us keep this work going? Support the show

  2. 5d ago

    You Are Strong Enough To Leave Abuse Domestic Violence Awareness with Victoria Cuore

    Send us Fan Mail One hit can flip your whole world, and the scariest part is how fast your brain tries to explain it away. We talk openly about domestic violence, coercive control, and the moment a relationship crosses a line that never should have existed. You’ll hear why denial is such a common first reaction, what “power and control” looks like in real life, and why an apology is often less about love and more about keeping you from leaving. We also get practical, because motivation without a plan can put survivors in more danger. We walk through real safety planning steps: quietly building emergency cash, opening a separate bank account, sending statements to a dummy email, protecting key documents, thinking through phones and tracking, and making a “bug out bag” that actually fits your life. We share home safety tactics too like avoiding kitchens and bathrooms during escalation, staying out of corners, and teaching kids exactly what to do if yelling starts, including how to call 911 and what information they need. This conversation is for survivors, friends, and anyone who wants to understand the realities of leaving an abusive relationship. If someone you love is isolated, afraid, or walking on eggshells, please share this. Subscribe, leave a review, and pass it along to help more people find support and a safer way out. Support the show

  3. Sep 25

    He Brought Lube To A Vow Renewal, yep that's my husband with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon

    Send us Fan Mail He plans a birthday breakfast. Two hours later, we’re standing at a cemetery while Michael pulls out a handmade 12-page scroll, custom silver rings, and asks Victoria to marry him again in front of her grandparents’ gravesite. It’s sweet, funny, a little chaotic, and it sets the tone for what comes next: the honest truth about what it takes to feel safe after trauma and to build a life that’s bigger than what tried to break you.  From there, we shift into Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the work we’re building in the open: peer-to-peer support, scholarships, resources, and projects that help survivors without asking their bank account to “prove” they deserve care. We talk about healing after medical trauma, what it means to be believed, and why lived experience matters when someone is finally ready to talk.  Michael brings the “man side” of domestic violence into the light, naming emotional abuse, psychological manipulation, and how shame can push people toward isolation and alcohol instead of help. Victoria shares hard truths about coercive control, leaving safely, and why consent still matters inside marriage, including the reality of spousal rape. We also explain why we’re writing kid-level companion books that guide children through courtrooms, custody changes, and the fear that it’s somehow their fault.  If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more survivors and supporters can find these tools when it counts. Support the show

  4. Sep 21

    Turning Pain Into Purpose With Peer Support

    Send us Fan Mail Your 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 launch Stronger Than a Mountain coffee and merch while TikTok seller support runs us in circles, the chaos of building a business account that suddenly “does not exist”, and the exhausting reality of digital entrepreneurship. It’s funny, frustrating, and painfully relatable for anyone who has tried to build something online while life keeps piling on. October matters to us for a deeper reason: Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We share what we’re rolling out, including lives, a webinar, and a peer-to-peer support directory built around lived experience. We also talk through new parent and child healing workbooks designed to help families navigate separation, divorce, court parenting time, and safety after domestic violence, with language kids can actually understand. And we get personal about the long-term cost of abuse: corrective surgeries, anxiety after past infections, chronic pain, and why survivors often feel forced to “prove” their truth over and over. If you care about domestic violence awareness, survivor support, trauma recovery, safety planning, and real-world resources that meet people where they are, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more survivors can find this support. Support the show

  5. Sep 14

    Hair, Boundaries, And Hard Truths

    Send us Fan Mail A 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 makeover. From there we get into the daily reality of disability and chronic pain and the gap between “I get it” and actually living it. We share the small moments that test a relationship: mobility limits, dressing rooms, heat, medical procedures, and the kind of support that matters when nobody’s watching. If you care about accessible living, caregiving, or building a safer partnership, this part hits home. Then the episode takes a heavy turn into consent and power. A high school “brag” gets re-examined as an adult and named for what it was: a minor in a relationship with an older partner and parents who should have protected him. We also dig into narcissistic abuse, scapegoating, smear campaigns, and why the black sheep learns to keep receipts, especially when narcissism seems to worsen with age. You’ll hear updates on Contagious Smile, peer-to-peer support, survivor privacy tools like a quick-exit button, and what we’re building next, including Stronger Than a Mountain coffee and apparel printing. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review: what boundary are you setting next? Support the show

  6. Sep 7

    Living One-Handed And Refusing To Shrink

    Send us Fan Mail Something 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 fast when they open their mouth, and the kindest person can feel flawless because you can see their heart.  Then we shift into the day-to-day reality of living one-handed and why people take so much for granted. Shopping carts that pull sideways, tying shoes, buttoning clothes, opening bottles, working a keyboard designed for two hands, even using a drive-thru or an ATM, it all adds friction most people never notice. If you want a quick empathy test, try doing your next routine task with just your right hand and pay attention to what changes.  We also talk about what we’re building: Victoria’s new Amazon workbook, Every Step Belongs To Me, created to help special needs kids and adults learn independence skills step by step, plus our upcoming We Built This Finally Heard webinar during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We dig into integrity, why survivors protect their word, and how thoughtless phrasing can trigger deep pain. Along the way, we share updates on Stronger Than A Mountain custom apparel, an LGBTQIA collection, and a hard question about family narcissism, redaction, and protecting people even when it hurts.  If any of this hits home, listen, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more survivors, caregivers, and families can find us. What’s one “simple” task you never noticed until life made it hard? Support the show

  7. Sep 4

    Claude Racine Velinsky Explains How She Rebuilt Her Life After Postpartum Depression

    Send us Fan Mail Postpartum 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, performance, and constant “what’s next” energy. After years as a dancer and choreographer working around major artists, she steps into motherhood and watches her identity collide with a new reality where rest, slowness, and presence are not optional. We talk about the pressure to “do it all,” the seduction of hustle culture, and how building a massive business can still leave you feeling empty at the dinner table. We also dig into marriage dynamics, role expectations, and the moment her son’s words cut through the noise and force a reset. Health is part of the rebuild too. Claude opens up about Hashimoto’s, stress, and the mindset shift that became her superpower: refusing to accept a situation that isn’t okay, and searching until she finds a real path forward. Along the way we challenge polished social media narratives and land on a simple idea with teeth: happiness is the overcoming of obstacles, not the absence of them. If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these honest stories. What part of Claude’s journey do you see in your own life? Support the show

  8. Sep 3

    From Dancer To Mother: Breaking Hustle Culture And Finding Peace with guest Claude Racine

    Send us Fan Mail Support the show

    From Dancer To Mother: Breaking Hustle Culture And Finding Peace with guest Claude Racine
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Victora Cuore; A Contagious Smile, Who Kicked First, Domestic Violence Survivor, Advocate, Motivational Coach, Special Needs, Abuse Support, Life Skill Classes, Special Needs Social Groups
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    434
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Contagious Smile Podcast
  • Show Website
    A Contagious Smile Podcast

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