A Contagious Smile Podcast

Epizódok

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  Cup Of Mud with Victoria Cuore and Michael Solomon 03.08.2026 36p

  Send us Fan Mail “A cup of mud” turns into a whole philosophy tonight. We start with the messy, funny reality of married life: coffee orders that confuse strangers, typing versus dictation, getting roasted by our kid, and yes, losing at bowling even when the lane has every possible advantage. It’s light, it’s chaotic, and it’s us. Then we pivot into something heavier: what happens when post-op care feels rushed, inconsistent, or flat-out disrespectful. We walk through a follow-up appointment...
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  This Is What It Takes with Mike Mackniak and Victoria Cuore. With Special Guest 3-time World Record Holder, John GrahamPanic Attacks And Presence 31.07.2026 46p

  Send us Fan Mail He could memorize a shuffled deck of cards in 21.5 seconds, compete on a massive Chinese TV stage, and beat world-class opponents with pure focus. Then he found himself calling 911, convinced he was having a stroke or a heart attack. That contrast is what makes our conversation with three-time USA Memory Champion John Graham so gripping: elite performance is not the same thing as inner safety, and the tactics that win trophies can also feed anxiety and panic. We dig into the...
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  When A Hospital Visit Feels Like A Ticket Line 27.07.2026 37p

  Send us Fan Mail A six-hour ER wait time shouldn’t come with a text message like you’re waiting for a table, but that’s exactly where we found ourselves and what happened next still doesn’t feel real. After we send love to Jessie Tyler Williams as she shares the devastating loss of her daughter to overdose, we shift into a raw, unfiltered talk about addiction, grief, and what families carry when the worst call comes through. Then we tell the story of a hospital visit that turns into a front-...
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  We Break Down How Peer Support Builds Trust 23.07.2026 31p

  Send us Fan Mail We start with the kind of married banter you can only have when you know each other too well, then we turn toward something bigger: what it means to show up for people’s mental health in a way that is real, affordable, and grounded in lived experience. Along the way, we celebrate major milestones like an Evergreen Award for our contribution to the mental health space and exciting book news, but we also say the quiet part out loud about being taken advantage of and why boundar...
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  What If The Real Boundary Is Love 20.07.2026 44p

  Send us Fan Mail Some people don’t just accept kindness, they consume it. We’re candid about what it’s like to be the kind of person who will give time, energy, money, and care without keeping score, and how easily that generosity can attract people who take advantage. We also wrestle with the protective side of love: as spouses, how do we shield each other from being used without hardening our hearts or turning into someone we don’t recognise? Then the conversation turns to family, es...
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  This Is What It Takes with Michael Mackniak and Victoria Cuore with special guest Daniel Ryan Cotler. Healing Loudly After Narcissistic Abuse 16.07.2026 56p

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  Somebody Has To Say It Podcast: Are Our Words Making Us Meaner Than We Think with Mike Macknaik and Victoria Cuore 14.07.2026 49p

  Send us Fan Mail “Literally” might be the most abused word in the English language, but our real problem is bigger than a few annoying phrases. We start out laughing about the modern lexicon that drives us nuts, from “also too” to “no worries” to the oddly formal “have a great rest of your day,” and then we follow the thread to what’s underneath: when language gets lazy, our thinking gets sloppy, and our empathy can shrink right along with it. From there, we dig into the labels that people t...
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  What Legacy Are You Really Building 13.07.2026 49p

  Send us Fan Mail The scariest thing you can do in a family built on masks is tell the truth out loud. We sit down as Michael and Victoria and talk through a chain of stories that start with a simple change, Victoria’s hair after surgeries, and quickly turn into a deeper conversation about identity, grief, and what we refuse to chase anymore. Along the way, Victoria shares a Make-A-Wish memory where she handed scissors to a beautiful little girl who wanted to be a redhead, a moment that still ...
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  BRAND NEW PODCAST SOMEBODY HAS TO SAY IT WITH VICTORIA CUORE AND MIKE MACKNIAK 09.07.2026 48p

  Send us Fan Mail Electronic medical records were supposed to make healthcare simpler. Instead, we’re watching patients get buried under repeated intake forms, duplicated medication lists, and “pre-check” paperwork that seems to disappear the moment you walk through the door. We say what a lot of people are thinking: if the chart is electronic, why are we answering the same questions at every visit, sometimes while we’re in pain, dizzy, or just trying to get basic care? Michael Macnack ...
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  When The Likes Fade, The Truth Stays 09.07.2026 52p

  Send us Fan Mail A seven-hour surgery is one thing. The days after can be the real test, especially when your body reacts, your pain is off the charts, and you’re trying to get medical people to listen while you’re still healing. We share what spinal surgery recovery looks like in our house, why Victoria refused to use a pain pump, and how a “simple” allergy oversight can turn into swelling, skin reactions, and a scary infection concern that sends you looking for a second set of eyes. Then w...
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  Mediumship Without The Movie Magic 02.07.2026 54p

  Send us Fan Mail Your gut knows things before your brain can explain them, but how do you tell the difference between real intuition and a loud imagination? We sit down with Danielle Ribbon Clumber, an LCSW trauma therapist in Utah and founder of Willow Medella Wellness, and her husband Nganga Mr. Pishu, a medicine man and practitioner, to talk about mediumship as a lived reality: confusing, validating, and sometimes isolating. With Abby jumping in as our guest co-host, the questions are curi...
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  Surgery, Setbacks, And Self-Advocacy 02.07.2026 37p

  Send us Fan Mail One minute we’re hearing, “You can go home,” and the next we’re being warned that leaving in the wrong condition could mean paralysis. That whiplash sets the tone for a raw, honest update from Victoria and Michael after a major spinal surgery that turns into a week of complications, extreme pain, and a crash course in what patient safety really looks like when you’re the one in the bed. We talk through the surgery and the aftermath: blood pressure dropping dangerously ...
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  His First Pedicure Michael's Father's Day 22.06.2026 39p

  Send us Fan Mail A Father’s Day pedicure turns into a surprisingly tender milestone when my husband walks in convinced it “isn’t for men” and walks out admitting the hot rocks, paraffin, and toe rubs were the best part of his day. We laugh about gifts that are equal parts love and necessity, like replacing a ruined recliner and an air fryer that became a health hazard, then we pivot into the real wins: cutting sugar, making diabetes-friendly choices, and watching A1C move in the right directi...
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  How The Guardian Model Rebuilds Mental Health Care 18.06.2026 32p

  Send us Fan Mail The fastest way to break a person isn’t always the illness; it’s the system that treats them like a number and calls it “care.” We sit down with veteran attorney and nonprofit leader Michael Mackniak, a nationally recognized mental health advocate and the founder behind the Guardian Model and the Care Coalition, to talk about what actually changes outcomes for people who are stuck in high-need, high-risk cycles. We get specific about care coordination: why the client has to ...
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  We Cannot Keep Pouring Into People Who Never Pour Back 15.06.2026 43p

  Send us Fan Mail Some people call you a friend, then disappear the second you stop being convenient. We get blunt about that kind of fake loyalty and what it does to your trust, your energy, and your peace. From old work “friends” who vanish to the constant drain of being the dependable one, we talk about how to spot the pattern early and set boundaries without turning cold. Then we shift to what real love looks like when it’s lived out, not posted. We tell the story of our daughter Faith sa...
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  When A Medium Nails The Details with special guests Danniel Worthen Cullumber and Gvnage Mishipeshu 14.06.2026 1ó 12p

  Send us Fan Mail A stranger says one word that stops us cold: “hands.” Danielle Worthen Columber has never met us, never heard our backstory, and we give her nothing to work with. Then she describes what she’s sensing and I lift my arm and she realises I’m an amputee. That moment sets the tone for a conversation that’s equal parts psychic medium reading, trauma-informed care, and the kind of grief honesty most people avoid. Danielle brings her lens as a licensed clinical social worker and tr...
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  This Is What It Takes with special guest Daniel Ryan Cotler, Psychological Warfare In Intimate Relationships 11.06.2026 57p

  Send us Fan Mail The most dangerous abuse is often the kind nobody can photograph. We talk with Daniel Ryan Cotler, author of *Voiceless No More* and founder of the Heal Loudly movement, about the reality survivors describe as narcissistic psychological warfare: coercive control, gaslighting, charm in public, cruelty in private, and the slow collapse of self-trust that makes you question your own reality. We also get precise about language. We’re tired of every bad partner being labelled a n...
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  Amir Arison: The Kind of Human the World Needs More Of 10.06.2026 1ó 3p

  Send us Fan Mail A kid who has endured more surgeries than most adults can fathom sits beside a mother who refuses to let trauma be the last word. Then our guest, an actor best known for his work on The Blacklist, steps in with a mix of warmth, honesty, and wildly curious detours that somehow land exactly where they need to: on resilience, meaning, and the small choices that keep you alive. We talk about Faith’s tattoos as a living record of survival, how adoption became a deliberate break f...
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  Amir Arison Beyond The Blacklist: Why Faith's Poetry Touched His Heart 10.06.2026 2p

  Send us Fan Mail A few lines of poetry can hit harder than a whole hour of advice, and that’s exactly how we choose to end this one. We wrap up by reading a poem from Faith Cure Solomon that puts a mother-daughter relationship into plain, vivid words: shared humour, shared pain, and a love that doesn’t disappear when life gets messy. If you’re drawn to spoken word, emotional storytelling, and real family bonds, this closing is built to stay with you. Faith’s poem moves from warmth to t...
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  Care Coalition Caregiving Guests of Kellan Fluckinger 09.06.2026 51p

  Send us Fan Mail When you’re trying to keep a loved one safe, get the right diagnosis, or survive a crisis, the healthcare system can feel less like support and more like a test you did not study for. We sit down with attorney and systems advocate Michael Magniak and domestic violence advocate and therapist Victoria Cure to talk about what gets lost between insurance rules, rushed appointments, and the real lives happening outside the exam room. We keep coming back to one sharp idea: people d...