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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:

When A Stranger Shares A Dark Secret May 14, 2026

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A guy offers to help us move a table and chairs, and for a few minutes it feels like a normal neighborly moment. Then, out of nowhere, he mentions multiple felonies and casually claims he got caught trying to kill his wife. That single sentence flips the whole night on its head, and we walk through what happened, what safety steps we had in place, and why “he seems fine” is never a real plan when you are responsible for your home and family.
From that shock, we zoom out into Mental Health Awareness Month and the bigger truth underneath it: you never fully know what someone is carrying until you listen. We talk PTSD, depression, therapy, psychiatry, and the tension between real healing and the quick fix mindset. Medication can be life-changing, but we get honest about how SSRIs work, why they take weeks, why you cannot start and stop casually, and why we want a blueprint instead of a band aid.
We also celebrate a massive milestone for our daughter: after years of complex GI history and a feeding tube journey that shaped our whole family, she gets incredible news and we soak in what it means to keep believing through setbacks. Along the way, we dig into narcissistic family dynamics, being used by people who only show up when they need something, and the difference between a “perfect” house and a real home built on love, safety, and acceptance.
If any part of this hits close to home, press play, share it with someone you trust, and leave a review so more people can find honest conversations about mental health, trauma recovery, and boundaries that actually work. What would you have done in that driveway moment?

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This Is What It Takes: Mental Health Care That Listens with Special Guest Rebecca Tuoni. Unbreakable Caregivers May 12, 2026

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When trauma survivors stop seeking help, the system has failed. Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore share how retraumatization in healthcare and mental health settings can silence the very people who need support most—and what we learned about rebuilding trust in recovery. A raw conversation on surviving systems that don't listen, and finding providers who actually do.

The fastest way to feel powerless is to sit in a hospital room while someone talks about your child like a “case” instead of a person. So we invited two caregivers who refuse to be sidelined: my co-host, Victoria Cure, and attorney and longtime advocate Rebecca Antoni. Between them, they’ve lived the reality of complex care at home and in the ICU, and they’ve learned how to keep moving when the stakes never drop.
Victoria shares a caregiving journey that starts with surviving domestic violence during pregnancy and leads to months in the NICU, repeated emergencies, trach care, feeding tubes, seizures, and a level of hypervigilance most people can’t imagine. Rebecca talks about growing up as the younger sibling of a profoundly disabled sister, then later adopting a child with VATER syndrome and navigating shunts, autism, pulmonary issues, and life-threatening complications far from home. We also get honest about the parts people whisper about: sibling impact, marriage strain, guilt, and what burnout feels like when it isn’t resentment, it’s a nervous system that’s simply worn thin.
You’ll leave with practical medical advocacy tools you can use immediately: how to push for answers without losing your humanity, why your gut matters, and simple systems like a one-page medical spreadsheet, a baseline video, and even an ER paperwork hack that keeps you at your child’s side. If you’re a parent, caregiver, clinician, or advocate who wants real-world insight into special needs caregiving, caregiver burnout, respite care options, and navigating hospitals, press play. If this helped, subscribe, share it with someone carrying the load, and leave a review so more families can find it.

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Miracles, Caregiver Resilience, and Showing Up with Amir Arison May 11, 2026

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Domestic violence recovery and caregiver resilience aren't one-time breakthroughs; they're built day by day. This week, we sit down with actor Amir Arison to explore what it really takes to keep showing up through trauma, medical complexity, and the kind of responsibility that never clocks out. A conversation about miracles, work ethic, and the practical faith that sustains survivors.

One family’s survival story collides with a working actor’s hard-earned truth, and the result is a conversation that feels both cosmic and deeply practical. We talk about what it means to keep showing up through domestic violence recovery, medical trauma, and the kind of caregiver responsibility that never clocks out. You’ll hear how Faith’s resilience is built day by day, how a mother’s devotion becomes a mission, and why “you survived 100% of your worst days” is more than a quote when you’ve lived it.
We also go behind the scenes of The Blacklist, from the dream of landing a series to the chain of miracles it takes to keep a role, and why the job is both a gift and a grind. Our guest reflects on faith and science, from the limits of what we can understand about the universe to the idea that prayer and meditation light up real pathways in the brain. There’s honest talk about anxiety and depression, therapy, and the strange crash that can come after a dream comes true.
The conversation turns toward purpose-driven work: the Contagious Smile Academy, the Stucco Squad children’s books supporting kids facing domestic violence, and the cost of helping people when you refuse to quit. We end with a challenge that every helper needs: find one small “selfish” joy that restores you so your devotion stays sustainable. If this hits home, subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more survivors and caregivers can find it.

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Choosing Courage Over Fear | Cheryl Preheim on Special Needs Resilience with Cheryl Preheim of NBC 11Aive and Faith May 07, 2026

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When doctors told Faith's family to "let her go," they chose courage instead. NBC journalist Cheryl Preheim sits down to discuss trauma recovery, special needs parenting, and how refusing limits transformed one family's pain into a lifelong mission to help other survivors. A story about caregiver resilience, medical trauma, and the power of choosing hope when the system says surrender.

Someone once told Faith’s family to “keep her comfortable and let her go.” That moment could have been the end of the story, but it became the start of a lifelong practice of choosing courage, refusing limits, and turning pain into help for other people. We sit down with NBC journalist Cheryl Preheim, a friend who has been in our corner for years, to talk about what it means to stare down fear and still decide you have work left to do.
We go back to how we met through Brave Conquer Fear and why Cheryl felt called to center humanity in every story she tells, from families she met after Columbine to kids navigating life-changing diagnoses. Faith shares how hospitals, surgeries, and recovery shaped her voice, and how she writes children’s books to meet kids where they are, whether they’re scared of the hospital, dealing with bullying, grieving a loved one, or living in a home that feels too loud. If you care about trauma-informed parenting, disability advocacy, pediatric healthcare, or mental health for teens and young adults, you’ll hear practical language you can use right away.
We also keep it real about the day-to-day: Cheryl’s Olympics reporting mishaps, the toll of long stretches of work, and the moment she knew burnout could put others at risk. We end with career advice that cuts through the noise: people can feel your heart, and authenticity creates the kind of connection that screens can’t fake. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs a little courage today, and leave a review telling us what “possible” looks like in your life.

Stucco Squad Series (10 book series) Paperback Edition

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This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore. People Stop Seeking Help When The System Stops Listening May 07, 2026

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The moment “help” makes you feel smaller, unheard, or more afraid, something in the system has already failed. We sit with the uncomfortable reality that mental health care and hospital care can retraumatise the very people they are meant to support, and that one bad experience can shut the door on treatment for years. If you’ve ever walked away from an appointment more confused than when you arrived, you’ll recognise the patterns we name out loud.
We move from personal stories to system-level problems: patients being treated like diagnoses, families forced to repeat painful histories, and fear-driven interactions that escalate rather than calm. We talk about bedside manner as a safety issue, not a personality trait, and why trauma-informed care means changing how we communicate in the room. We also dig into how HIPAA is often misunderstood and used as a wall when it should be a framework for appropriate collaboration.
From there, we push into solutions that actually reduce crises: proactive outreach after discharge, coordinated aftercare, and persistent engagement when “no” is coming from symptoms, not true choice. We share a powerful crisis story involving an eight-year-old and what it looks like to build trust without interrogation. We also celebrate momentum for reform, including recognition for the Care Coalition model for crisis response and family support.
If you’re a caregiver, clinician, advocate, or someone trying to get help without being harmed by the process, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the change you most want to see in mental health care.

The Conversation Continues Collection | Episode 001 Companion Workbook | Mental Health Support PDF - Etsy

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The Power of Unscripted Healing | Trauma Survivors Talk Real May 04, 2026

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Michael and Victoria reveal why A Contagious Smile stays unscripted on purpose, because trauma recovery and caregiver resilience stories can't be rehearsed. Discover how lived experience teaches what textbooks can't, why real conversations create healing, and what "anything goes" actually means for abuse survivors navigating domestic violence recovery.

A show can be funny and still hit like a truth bomb. Michael and Victoria keep Contagious Smiles unscripted on purpose, because real life doesn’t come with neat transitions, and neither does healing. We talk openly about why our conversations move the way they do, what “anything goes” really means, and why lived experience can teach things no textbook touches.
From there, we get serious about mental health support for first responders. We’ve seen what trauma does after the call ends: adrenaline crashes, tunnel vision, and the kind of PTSD that doesn’t disappear after a quick debrief. We also dig into autism and crisis response, where too many commands and the wrong approach can turn confusion into danger. Better training, better communication, and long-term care are not “extras” when lives are on the line.
We also share the caregiver and special needs side, including what IEP meetings can feel like when parents don’t know their rights, and why schools struggle to meet mental health needs with limited counseling support. Victoria opens up about body image after abuse and why patience matters in relationships when someone is rebuilding safety in their own skin. Along the way, we mention our work with Care Coalition, plus the community encouragement that keeps this mission moving.
If this hits home, subscribe, share with someone who needs support, and leave a review so more survivors, caregivers, and first responders can find these free resources.

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Healthcare Trauma: When Systems Fail Special Needs Families | Fight Back with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore May 01, 2026

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When special needs families fight healthcare systems, they're told they're doing everything wrong, while goalposts keep moving. Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore expose how institutions abandon caregivers, blame survivors, and fragment care into impossible bureaucratic labyrinths. This isn't a survival hack episode; it's an accountability conversation about why families in trauma deserve better. Hear how to recognize system gaslighting, document the chaos, and reclaim agency.

Healthcare can make you feel like you’re doing everything “right” while the system keeps moving the goalposts. We’re tired of families being told to stitch together courtrooms, hospitals, crisis teams, and insurance rules like it’s a normal Tuesday, only to be blamed when the pieces don’t hold. So we’re starting where most people actually live: the messy middle, when you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and still expected to advocate perfectly.
We talk about what turns care into chaos: uncoordinated providers who don’t communicate, protocols that reward speed over listening, and mental health care that can slide into labeling and prescribing without context. We dig into why families get shut out of planning conversations, how HIPAA gets used as a shield instead of a tool, and what “coordinated care” and real accountability should look like across emergency rooms, psychiatry, social work, neurology, and community services. We also call out the financial pressure points that crush people quietly: copays, transportation, Medicaid eligibility limits, waiver programs, and the way insurance barriers can trap families near the poverty line.
This launch sets the tone for what we’re building: practical patient advocacy, caregiver support, and clear steps you can take to protect dignity and get better outcomes, without pretending the system is fine. If you’ve ever felt dismissed, rushed, or boxed in, you belong here. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s carrying the care load, and leave a review with the question you want us to answer next.

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Creating Safe Spaces for Abuse Survivors | Support Systems Apr 30, 2026

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Healing from trauma and abuse doesn't happen alone. In this episode, we explore how to build and access real mental health support networks designed for abuse survivors and caregivers. Discover practical resources, red flags in broken systems, and why resilience grows in community, not isolation. Your path to thriving starts with connection.

Something big is happening behind the scenes, and we’re finally saying it out loud. We’re partnering with the Care Coalition and building a stronger, wider support system for people navigating mental health challenges, caregiver stress, and the moments when life feels like it’s asking too much. Along the way, we keep it honest and a little chaotic, because real life doesn’t show up perfectly polished, especially when we’re running on very little sleep and still trying to deliver for our community.
We talk about why this rollout matters: too many people get dismissed, overlooked, or treated like they’re inconvenient when they need help the most. Our work is about changing that with practical mental health resources, consistent encouragement, and access that feels human. We also share what it’s like to work as husband and wife, how we handle the day-to-day pressures, and why laughter is not a distraction from serious work; it’s part of how we stay steady enough to do it.
You’ll also hear why caregivers need care too, and how lived experience shapes what we’re building. We preview what’s coming for Mental Health Awareness Month: resource drops, tips, and “unknown facts,” powerhouse voices, and live opportunities to ask questions and get guidance. We’re inviting you into the Care Coalition newsletter for curated reading and helpful nuggets, and into the Contagious Smile Academy, where many classes are free, and scholarships exist, so finances don’t block support.
If this message hits home, subscribe, share this with someone who needs a steady voice right now, and leave a review so more people can find the help they’ve been missing. What’s one topic you want us to tackle next?

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Building A Free Mental Health Resource Network For Caregivers with Michael Mackniak Apr 27, 2026

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From Teacher to Griever | How Katie Rizzo Survived Opioid Loss Apr 26, 2026

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One phone call. One prescription. One life split into before and after. Katie Rizzo, a former AP biology teacher, lost her firstborn son, Nicholas, to opioid addiction and overdose. In this raw conversation about grief, caregiver resilience, and trauma recovery, Katie shares how she rebuilt her identity when loss stopped being an event and became her permanent companion.

One phone call, one prescription, one quiet apartment, and a life splits into before and after. We sit down with Katie Rizzo, a former high school anatomy and AP biology teacher, to talk about the loss of her firstborn son, Nicholas, to opioid addiction and overdose, and the brutal moment she realized grief was no longer an event; it was part of her identity.
Katie brings a rare mix of tenderness and clarity to subjects many of us avoid: bereaved parenthood, the stigma around substance use disorder, and the chaos a family carries while trying to save someone they love. She walks us through Nicholas’s story, from an adventurous childhood to injuries, painkillers, and the spiral that so often defines the opioid crisis. We also get honest about anger, blame, and how “legally acceptable” prescribing can still create devastating outcomes.
Then Katie shares the framework that changed how she survives: the “trimesters of grief.” She explains why grief can feel like a pregnancy you cannot end, how art becomes a lifeline, and why telling the truth out loud can be a form of healing. We also talk about non-opioid pain management options, shame, recovery support, and why law enforcement and healthcare need more trauma-informed responses during wellness checks and overdose calls.
If you care about grief support, addiction recovery, opioid addiction education, or helping families after overdose, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the line that hit you the hardest.

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