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A Contagious Smile Podcast — Kids & Family
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.

Latest Episodes:

Stitches, Survival, And Smelling Coffee Oct 12, 2026

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170 stitches, a house that smells like freshly roasted coffee, and a conversation that swings from laugh-out-loud moments to the darkest corners of chronic pain and survival. We’re Michael and Victoria, and we show up unfiltered while Victoria recovers from a surgery that’s been harder to bounce back from than expected. That real-time recovery sets the tone for an honest talk about what patients go through when the system feels rushed, cold, or careless.
We keep Domestic Violence Awareness Month in focus, because safety planning doesn’t stop when the calendar flips. We talk about building an escape plan, protecting loved ones including pets, and why holiday support matters so much for families in shelters. Kids often leave with nothing, then face Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just another winter day without stability. That’s why we’re pushing hard for the TopHost vote and fundraising: the goal is to put resources back into the community, not into our pockets.
Then we take a sharp turn into specialty coffee and explain what “fresh” actually means. From green beans and import timelines to roasting at home and degassing valves on coffee bags, we break down why grocery store “fresh” coffee can still be stale, and why truly fresh roasted coffee changes everything. We also open up about Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), the nickname “suicide disease,” and why compassion and patient advocacy are not optional when someone lives in relentless pain.
Listen, share this with someone who needs it, and help us grow the impact: subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what hit you hardest from this one.

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We Learn How Lived Experience Turns Pain Into Practical Healing with Victoria Cuore and special guest Jessie Tylre Williams Oct 09, 2026

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The hardest part of surviving trauma is not the headline event, it is what comes after: the disbelief, the systems that get it wrong, and the daily work of rebuilding a self you can actually live with. I’m joined by author and singer-songwriter Jesse Tyler Williams, who brings raw lived experience from childhood sexual trauma, domestic violence, and addiction, plus the hard-won clarity that comes from doing the work out loud.
We talk about why peer-to-peer support can land differently than clinical advice, and why both can matter. Then we get painfully practical about domestic violence calls, manipulation in the moment, and how a victim can be re-victimised by the very process meant to protect them. We also dig into what kids absorb, even when they “don’t see” the abuse, and how courtrooms, testimony, and custody pressure can confuse and frighten children. Along the way, we share tools that respect safety and reality, not wishful thinking.
The thread that ties it together is light: small, consistent actions that interrupt the cycle. We share the “contagious smile” idea as a mindset and a mirror exercise for rebuilding self-confidence after trauma, and we close with Jesse’s Rachel’s Light memorial work, including lighting a candle online and donating books so cost is not a barrier to healing. If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share it with someone who needs support, and leave a review so more survivors can find these resources.

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From Post Op Pain To Purposeful Impact with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon Oct 05, 2026

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Over 130 surgeries will teach you who is solid and who is just loud. While Victoria recovers, we talk honestly about what healing looks like right after the hospital: the itching, the bigger-than-expected scar, and the weird contrast of being treated like royalty up front and then rushed through post-op when the ward is full. It is funny in places, raw in others, and grounded in the day-to-day reality of surviving and still showing up.
From there, we get into something even more painful than stitches: performative support. We unpack the “whatever you need” people who cannot send a simple “Are you okay?” text, and why we refuse to change who we are to fit someone else’s coldness. We tie that to domestic violence awareness, survivor advocacy, and the language that blames victims instead of confronting abusers. If you have ever wondered what real partnership means, or why leaving can feel like trying to breathe in a smoke-filled cell, this conversation will hit home.
We also share a big ask with a bigger purpose: voting for Victoria Cure as a Top Host of 2026, connected to the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network. We explain how $25,000 would expand Contagious Smile support, scholarships, resources for special needs families, and survivor-led help without us taking paychecks. You will also hear what we are building right now, from free resources and peer support to Stronger Than A Mountain apparel and fresh roasted coffee shipped from Georgia.
If this message has ever helped you, please subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more survivors and families can find real support.

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Life After Surgery And Life After Abuse Oct 02, 2026

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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?

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You Are Strong Enough To Leave Abuse Domestic Violence Awareness with Victoria Cuore Sep 28, 2026

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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.

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He Brought Lube To A Vow Renewal, yep that's my husband with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon Sep 25, 2026

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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.

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Turning Pain Into Purpose With Peer Support Sep 21, 2026

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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.

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Hair, Boundaries, And Hard Truths Sep 14, 2026

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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?

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Living One-Handed And Refusing To Shrink Sep 07, 2026

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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?

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Claude Racine Velinsky Explains How She Rebuilt Her Life After Postpartum Depression Sep 04, 2026

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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?

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