In this episode of Adversity to Strength, Amy McKiernan shares her deeply personal and courageous journey of surviving childhood sexual abuse, trauma and the long road toward healing and self-acceptance.

Amy opens up about the emotional impact of abuse, the shame and self-blame that often follows trauma, and the difficult process of rebuilding your life after devastating experiences. Together, we explore resilience, recovery, mental health, self-love and the importance of having support systems and safe spaces to heal.

Amy also discusses the powerful lessons behind her book, the reality of speaking openly about abuse, and why helping others feel less alone has become such an important part of her journey. This is a raw, honest and empowering conversation about trauma, survival, healing and finding strength after adversity

https://linktr.ee/amckiernan.author

In this episode of Adversity to Strength, Raquel G. shares her deeply personal journey of growing up with emotional neglect, navigating the painful realities of maternal narcissism, and learning how to break generational cycles that shaped her life for years.

Through honest reflection and vulnerability, Raquel opens up about emotional withholding, difficult family dynamics, trauma, boundaries, healing and the long process of rebuilding self-worth and identity. She also discusses the emotional challenge of writing her memoir, This Is Not My Mother, and why giving a voice to unspoken pain can be such a powerful part of healing.

This is a thoughtful and emotional conversation about trauma, resilience, self-awareness and finding peace after years of silent emotional pain.

Topics discussed include emotional neglect in childhood, maternal narcissism, family dynamics, trauma recovery, boundaries, breaking generational cycles, mental health and personal growth.

Leah Renee shares her inspiring journey from growing up Mormon in Idaho to leaving the church, reinventing her life as a stand-up comedian, and exploring themes of identity, faith, and freedom. This candid conversation delves into her personal stories, challenges, and insights on religion, reinvention, weight loss, and using humour to process life.

https://www.leahrenee.co/

Vietnam veteran and former Marine door gunner Keith Cole joins Adversity to Strength for a powerful and deeply honest conversation about war, trauma, survival and life after combat.

Keith shares his experiences serving during the Vietnam War, the realities of combat, and the psychological impact war can leave behind long after soldiers return home. We discuss trauma, fear, survival, brotherhood, mental health and the emotional challenges many veterans face when trying to rebuild their lives after witnessing unimaginable events.

This conversation also explores resilience, identity, coping with painful memories and learning how to move forward while carrying experiences that never fully leave you.

An emotional and thought-provoking discussion about the human cost of war, overcoming adversity and the strength required to survive both during and after combat.

In this deeply personal episode of Adversity to Strength, Monae Evans talks about trauma, grief, resilience, identity, and the life-changing impact of hidden family secrets.Monae opens up about childhood adversity, losing her mother, navigating complex family dynamics, and the emotional shock of a DNA discovery that changed her understanding of herself and her identity forever.Together, they explore how trauma shapes identity, the psychological impact of secrecy within families, and what it takes to rebuild after devastating truths emerge. The conversation also touches on grief, healing, personal growth, and the importance of speaking openly about difficult experiences.This episode is a powerful exploration of resilience, truth, and finding strength through adversity.

https://www.instagram.com/monae1130/

In this inspiring episode of Adversity to Strength, Amanda Gordon shares her powerful journey of surviving severe childhood burns, overcoming emotional struggles connected to visible scars, and learning to embrace herself fully despite years of adversity.

We explore resilience, self-acceptance, confidence, trauma recovery, and the importance of community and peer support in the healing process. Amanda also opens up about using music as a form of expression and healing, her experiences performing alongside legendary artists including Patti LaBelle, and how her life experiences shaped her passion for helping others.

This conversation dives into the long-term emotional impact of trauma, the importance of trusting your intuition, breaking away from limiting beliefs, and finding strength through adversity.

A powerful and uplifting conversation about healing, identity, resilience, and turning pain into purpose.

⁠⁠Amanda Gordon's Website⁠

Jessie Tylre Williams shares a life most people wouldn’t survive — and the truth about what it really takes to come back from it.In this episode of Adversity to Strength, Jessie opens up about over 25 years of addiction, surviving childhood sexual abuse, violent relationships, and hitting rock bottoms so deep she describes them as “a basement beyond rock bottom.” This is not a polished recovery story. Jessie speaks honestly about losing everything, more than once, and what it actually felt like to live through it — the chaos, the pain, and the moments where survival itself was uncertain. We explore what it took for her to rebuild her life from scratch, including starting again at 50 in a completely new country, and how she reached 17 years of sobriety after a lifetime of struggle.This conversation goes beyond inspiration — it’s a raw look at resilience, identity, and what happens when you face the truth head on.https://www.jessie-williams.com/

On this episode of Adversity to Strength, Amanda J. Scott shares her experience of living through 17 years of emotional, financial, and physical abuse, and what it actually took to leave.

This is a grounded, honest conversation about how abuse becomes normalised over time, why people stay even when they know something isn’t right, and what it feels like to lose your sense of self within a relationship.

Amanda talks openly about the reality of living in survival mode, the psychological impact of long-term abuse, and the moment things began to shift. We explore what it takes to acknowledge what’s happening, the complexity of leaving, and the slow process of rebuilding self-worth and identity afterwards.

This episode isn’t about theory, it’s about lived experience, and the reality of finding a way forward when everything feels stuck.

https://www.amandajscott.com/

Ronald “Zion” Roseboro shares his journey from trauma, silence, and incarceration to rebuilding his life and becoming a trauma-informed coach.

This is a conversation about what happens when men are taught to suppress everything, o stay silent, to appear strong, and to carry pain alone. Ronald opens up about his early life, the choices that led him into prison, and what it was really like on the inside, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.

We explore the struggles of reintegration, the reality of facing yourself after everything falls apart, and what it takes to begin again. Through therapy, self-awareness, and confronting the truth of his past, Ronald started to rebuild — not just his life, but his identity.

This episode goes into male trauma, emotional suppression, relationships, and the idea of what it really means to heal and move forward with purpose.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to hold everything in, or carry things alone, this conversation will resonate.

 https://www.theshamefreelife.com

This inspiring interview with Deanna Steinle explores living with generalised Myasthenia Gravis, navigating diagnosis, treatment, and advocacy. Discover her journey from misdiagnosis to becoming a passionate advocate for rare disease awareness and the role of service dogs in managing chronic illness.