Against All Odds Podcast, The Less than 1% Chance with Maria Aponte

Send us Fan Mail

Start before it’s perfect. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with real estate broker, investor, and developer Armando Roman, whose journey stretches from low-income housing to leading a growing brokerage while flipping and holding properties across Western Massachusetts. We explore how faith, mentorship, and daily systems convert adversity into advantage—and why waiting for ideal conditions is the fastest way to stall your future.

Armando breaks down how he moved from landlord to the BRRRR strategy—buy, rehab, rent, refinance—to scale acquisitions and recycle capital. He shares the moment he earned his license to move faster on distressed multifamily deals, then co-founded Signature Realty to create a win-win platform where clients and agents could thrive. We dive into the mechanics of finding and structuring deals, the power of value-first networking, and the underrated skill of bringing mentors something tangible—like a real lead—so you can learn while you earn.

The conversation isn’t just tactics; it’s mindset. We tackle limiting beliefs rooted in scarcity, how language shapes outcomes, and why your closest circle often predicts your trajectory. From navigating divorce and career pivots to raising kids and building systems, we talk about planning tomorrow tonight, holding yourself accountable, and protecting your energy so you can lead with generosity and grit. If you’ve hesitated to buy because rates aren’t perfect or to start a project because the path isn’t clear, this is your push to act, iterate, and let time and equity do their work.

If this story moved you, tap follow, share with a friend who needs momentum, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Tell us: what action will you take this week to move your life forward?

Connect with Armando:

Website: https://flippingroman.com/

Instagram: @flippingroman

Facebook: @armandoromanrealtor

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

Some stories don’t just inspire—they recalibrate what you believe is possible. Today we sit down with Shauna, a women’s embodiment mentor, yoga teacher, and Gene Keys guide who rebuilt her life after profound childhood trauma. She walks us through the turning points that moved her from anger and hypervigilance to a grounded practice of trust, presence, and self-leadership. You’ll hear how therapy opened the door, but embodiment—yoga, breath, somatic tools, and energy work—actually rewired the patterns living in her body.

We unpack that familiar feeling of being stuck and why it often comes from unclear desire rather than lack of discipline. Shauna’s no-fluff approach invites a new pledge: trust your inner nudge, decide, then back your decision without self-punishment. We challenge the myth of self-sacrifice and show why your joy is a strategy, not a luxury. When you become resourced, your energy changes everything you touch—parenting, work, health, and creativity. Maria shares a raw story of illness and recovery that proves putting on your own oxygen mask first can be life-saving and life-shaping.

Curious about Gene Keys? Shauna demystifies this contemplative system that names your shadows, gifts, and highest expressions. Instead of “fixing,” you learn to watch patterns with compassion until they reveal the gift they’ve been guarding. Real-world stories bring it home: careers realigned, relationships completed with grace, and long-dormant art returning to the center of life. If you’re overwhelmed or unsure where to start, Shauna offers the simplest first step—get into your body for five minutes a day. Move, breathe, dance, or step into the ocean. Movement moves stories, and small repetitions build self-trust like compound interest.

If this conversation lights a spark, share it with someone who needs a gentle nudge toward their next chapter. Subscribe for more courageous stories, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: what’s one decision you’re ready to back today?

Connect with Shauna:

Website: https://www.shaunahawkes.com/

Instagram: @shaunaembodimentmentor

Facebook: @yogabyshauna

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

The ground can give way without warning. When Shaina Hargens’ first child, Lee, was stillborn, the loss was a one-in-a-million event that shattered assumptions and rewired daily life. From that grief came a quiet question that shaped everything: what actually held me up? Together we explore how her answer became a practical, grace-filled approach to resilience that women can use in real time.

Shaina walks us through the anchors that kept her afloat—beliefs, community, reflection, and small, repeatable actions—then shows how she rebuilt her routine after her rainbow daughter arrived. We get tactical about energy management, including how syncing work with the menstrual cycle can reduce burnout and increase momentum. No hustle sermons here; just simple systems like alternating “in the business” and “on the business” weeks, clear pockets of recovery, and the courage to say no when your body says pause.

We dig into the Resilience Map, a choose-the-next-step framework for messy days when anxiety blurs everything. Whether it’s a three-item grounding exercise, a hard phone call, or a bath that unclenches your jaw, the map trades overwhelm for clarity. We also talk about honoring safety while moving through limiting beliefs, widening your circle when you’re ready, and letting faith reshape the story you tell yourself.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding it together on the outside while unraveling inside, this conversation offers language, tools, and permission. Build anchors before the storm. Rebuild them after. Sync your calendar to your real energy. And when the day feels impossible, choose the next right thing. If this resonates, tap follow, share with a friend who needs steady ground, and leave a review so more people can find their map.

Connect with Shaina:

Website: www.ShainaHargens.com

Instagram: @shainahargens

Facebook: @shaina.hargens 

TikTok: @shainahargens

YouTube: @isoprosperity

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

What if your body isn’t fighting you, but guiding you? That single shift turns breakdowns into intel and healing into a teachable skill. I sit down with soul-led entrepreneur and former elite boxer, Mia Dins, to trace a life that moved from an 80-person village to the New Zealand boxing team to multidimensional guidance rooted in the Akashic Records and quantum embodiment.

Mia opens up about early-life imprints, being written off, and finding a flow state in the ring that cracked her spiritual channel wide open. We dive into her cervical health scare—how she negotiated time, removed triggers like coffee, deepened meditation and breath work, and returned with clear results. I share my own journey through sexual assault, repeat surgeries, a hysterectomy, and the shock of a clean pathology that followed a fierce commitment to self-care. Together we explore womb wisdom, trauma alchemy, and the nervous system practices that turn dis-ease into direction.

From there, we zoom into the daily: how to curate your inputs like a sacred feed, why your vessel must match your mission, and how to fold movement, prayer, and creativity into one living practice. We unpack cycles and timing over hustle, the soil metaphor for belief change, and the real mechanics of intuition—one clear yes or no at a time. We also challenge worthiness myths: being “too much,” equating attention with love, and tying abundance to performance. The throughline is radical self-trust. Ask within first. Then act with courage and compassion.

If you’re craving alignment that lasts—health that holds, work that flows, and decisions that feel clean—this conversation is your field guide. Listen, share it with someone who needs a reminder that their body is wise, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Subscribe for new episodes that meet you where your soul is headed next.

Connect with Mia:

Website: https://www.luna-mia.org

Podcast: DinsTalk- Let's Talk Soul on Spotify

YouTube: lunamia8

TikTok: @mia.dins 

Instagram: @mia_dins

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

What if fear isn’t a stop sign but a signal to build better safety? We sit down with adult swim educator Cori Myka to unpack how confidence in water starts in the mind. From the moment you step onto the pool deck—pulse quickening, breath tightening—Cori shows why presence, not pressure, creates real progress. Instead of chanting “just do it,” we map out what makes it safe to try, define the feeling we’re chasing, and move forward with small, repeatable steps.

Cori’s story winds from a childhood steeped in swimming to a breakthrough with adult learners who carried history and hesitation into every lesson. She explains why adults need a different approach than kids: our brains forecast risks, remember old stings, and overcorrect. The fix isn’t to ignore those signals; it’s to use them. You’ll hear practical tools like pausing on the pool deck to breathe and name what you notice, wearing a life jacket to guarantee air during chaos, and designing a routine you can actually keep—think 1% change over time, not a 180 overnight.

We also connect pool wisdom to daily life. Maria shares how she rebuilt her podcast flow with clear boundaries, rest, and energy-led scheduling. Cori talks thought downloads—messy, unedited journaling that reveals mental loops and makes room for action. The episode culminates in a powerful transformation: a retired principal who once panicked when the bottom dropped away finally snorkels in Hawaii, experiencing wonder where fear used to live. It’s a vivid reminder that safety unlocks curiosity, and curiosity sustains growth.

If you’re navigating water anxiety, rebuilding a habit, or trying to choose what you want instead of what you “should,” this conversation offers a clear map. Listen, take one small step, and tell us what safety you’ll build this week. If you enjoyed the show, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help more listeners find us.

Connect with Cori:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cori.myka

Adult Swim Lessons:

Website: https://adultswimlesson.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultswimlesson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calmwithinadultswim
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmwithinadultswim

Orca Swim School:

Website: https://orcaswimschool.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrcaSwimSchool
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orcaswimsch

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

What if the diagnosis you feared became the doorway to your purpose? That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with mental health advocate and nonprofit founder, Maddie Andrews—whose story stretches from early childhood trauma to a life-altering medical crisis, and then into service, stability, and fierce hope.

Maddie opens up about being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, and the years she spent masking hallucinations, delusions, and crushing mood swings. She breaks down what schizoaffective actually means—how psychosis, mania, and depression can appear independently—and why treating it demands more than a single prescription. We also talk candidly about the stigma that surrounds serious mental illness, and the bravery it takes to be transparent at work, in relationships, and online.

The turning point comes with a near-fatal cascade: medication changes, unmonitored lithium, and a hospital stay that required dialysis. Maddie lost the ability to walk, talk, and swallow—and then taught herself to write her name again. From there, we explore recovery done right: sleep hygiene, strict routines, grounding techniques like 5-4-3-2-1, DBT skills that work in the moment, and the power of sunlight, movement, hydration, and peer support. We also dig into love and marriage through illness—how communication, “I feel, I need” statements, and honest expectations kept Maddie and her husband aligned through crisis.

Along the way, I share what it was like to parent a child through misdiagnosis, medication trials, and school-day meltdowns, including the small tools that changed everything—calm wake-ups, breath work, and daily affirmations. Together, we build a picture of recovery that’s realistic and deeply human: rigorous self-advocacy with doctors, community that reduces shame, and a belief that purpose can grow from pain.

If this resonates, share it with a friend who needs hope, subscribe for more Against All Odds stories, and leave a review to help others find the show. Your voice helps this community grow.

Connect with Maddie:

Website: https://www.jesupport.org/

Facebook: Maddie Andrews

Instagram: @matmatt88

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

What if the “normal” you were taught to accept was actually the harm you had to heal? Maria sits down with Catalina, a psychotherapist and survivor of narcissistic abuse, for a candid conversation about recognizing toxic patterns, choosing safety, and building the kind of community that helps people move from surviving to truly living. Catalina grew up under the weight of control and projection and later found herself repeating those dynamics in friendships, work, and love. The turning point came through learning—books that named the patterns, language that clarified the damage, and practices that made life feel safe again.

We trace the steps from awareness to action: how to spot early red flags like love-bombing and shifting goalposts, how to set boundaries without apology, and why reducing contact can be an act of profound self-respect. Catalina shares the unexpected way she found her public voice in English before Romanian, revealing how context can unlock expression for survivors who were told to stay small. Along the way, Maria opens up about her own against-all-odds moments—sexual assault, cancer, and parenting through mental health crises—and how sharing that story created connection where shame once lived.

At the heart of this conversation is Alive In Her, the global movement Catalina founded to offer what many of us needed: a village that validates, supports, and equips. It’s bigger than narcissism recovery; it’s about belonging, resilience, and choosing your family with intention. Expect practical tools for holiday triggers and difficult relatives, gentle scripts for hard conversations, and encouragement to create what you can’t find—whether that’s a Facebook group, a podcast, or the purple-covered memoir on your vision board. If you’re ready to replace isolation with community and guesswork with grounded steps, press play and join us. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Connect with Catalina:

#AliveInHer Facebook Group

Website: https://catalinapopoveniuc.com/

Facebook: Psychotherapist Cătălina Popoveniuc 

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

What if the love you want begins with the way you speak to yourself in the mirror, the glass of water you drink at sunrise, and the boundaries you keep when others won’t? Our guest, certified love and relationship coach Navi Bliss, takes us from a childhood marked by abuse and years of toxic relationships to a life rebuilt on self-worth, discernment, and joy. Her story is raw, but her tools are clear: stop outsourcing your value and start practicing it daily.

We dig into the four pillars of confidence that anchor Navi’s work. First, align your values so they don’t fight each other—redefine success so freedom, health, and ambition can coexist. Second, build self-trust with tiny promises you never break, turning reliability into identity. Third, live your passions to reignite energy and magnetism, even if your hobby is obscure. Fourth, practice loving kindness in four dimensions—mental, physical, spiritual, and aesthetic—because micro-rituals signal to your nervous system that you matter. Along the way, we unpack why “why” is the wrong question for ongoing abuse, how to set boundaries with a parent, and why representation in coaching opens doors for those who’ve never felt seen.

Dating gets a refresh here, too. Instead of chasing timelines, we explore going out for joy and stories, noticing red flags early, and letting healthy love find you when you’re not grasping. From a client who found lasting partnership in her late 50s to a laugh-out-loud red flag on a second date, the message is simple: you’re not late, you’re ready when you’re aligned. Expect practical steps, compassionate reframes, and a hopeful reminder that confidence is a daily practice, not a finish line.

If this conversation helped you, follow and subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review—what’s one tiny promise you’ll keep today?

Connect with Navi:

Website: www.naviblisscoaching.com
Instagram: @navibliss
Podcast: blissful-love-podcast
Clubhouse/Twitter: @navibliss
LinkedIn: Navi Bliss
Facebook: Navi Bliss
TikTok: @NaviBliss

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

A loud motorcycle, a quiet plaque, and a promise: we will remember. Maria sits down with Token Squid—executive director, veteran, storyteller—to unpack a mission that’s as simple as it is hard: show up for Gold Star families in person and keep their loved ones’ legacies alive. No scripts. No bureaucracy. Just miles, presence, and the right words at the right time.

We explore what a Gold Star family truly is and why visibility still lags, illustrated by a father who learned his own status in a parking lot. Token shares the moment a grieving mother heard, “That was a sniper’s bullet from 7,000 miles away,” and tore up her suicide note later that day. The conversation tackles PTSD without euphemism, challenges the “22 a day” statistic with lived examples of misclassified deaths, and explains why he refuses to call it a disorder. We also address Stolen Valor, how seasoned vets identify impostors, and why protecting the integrity of service matters for real families in pain.

Road stories keep the stakes human. A miracle engine code forces a 15 mph crawl across empty New Mexico, likely saving his life when a rear wheel bearing had failed; a tow driver named Alex donates a $3,000 haul after hearing the mission. We zig into history—Vietnam’s homefront loss, Desert Storm’s tempo, and an ancestor pulled from a Civil War mass grave who limped home and built a life—because memory is the work. Along the way, humor keeps the sadness from taking over, a patch (“My DD214 can kick your MBA’s ass”) becomes a fundraiser, and a plaque with Lincoln’s words becomes a bridge between grief and pride.

If service, sacrifice, and remembrance matter to you, join us. Listen, share with someone who needs hope, and help the Gold Star Ride Foundation keep riding: donate at goldstarride.org. And if this conversation moved you, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us which story stayed with you most.

Connect with Token Squid:

Facebook Page: @Gold Star Ride Foundation

Instagram: @goldstarride

LinkedIn: @AnthonyPrice

Website and Donate: https://www.goldstarride.org/

YouTube: @cafceo

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE

Send us Fan Mail

What if the story you inherited—be perfect, earn love, never be too much—was the very thing keeping you from feeling worthy? We sit down with inner glow coach and author Angie Hawkins to trace a breathtaking arc: childhood emotional neglect seeds a belief that love must be earned; success becomes a shield; a cross-ocean move promises a reset; and then life unravels. A flooded home, job instability, isolation, a breakup, and a pandemic converge into despair and an overdose. A friend’s quiet sentence—“It’s not your time”—becomes the hinge that swings everything toward purpose.

From there, we get radically practical. Angie walks us through how coaching gave her more than talk—it gave her tools. Boundaries. Emotional regulation. Identity change through consistent action. The result wasn’t instant bliss; it was a steady rewiring of “I’m not enough” into “I am worthy.” She names the first felt sense of self-love as a warm glow in the chest, the spark behind her program Shine from the Inside. We also explore embodiment as courage training: bungee jumps, skydiving, and that Navy SEAL-style ocean leap weren’t for clout—they taught her nervous system to feel fear and move anyway.

This conversation doesn’t skip the hard rooms. We open the door to difficult family talks, the risk of retraumatization, and why the goal is voice, not a perfect outcome. Angie’s memoir, Running in Slippers, meets grief head-on and makes space for the parts of life we’re told to hide. Along the way, we share small, repeatable rituals—three minutes of dancing, a surf at sunrise—that reconnect you to joy fast. If you’re a high achiever chasing approval, if grief has blurred your horizon, if you’re tired of fixing and ready to remember who you are, this one’s for you.

If this story sparked something, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these conversations. Your next brave step might be three minutes away.

Connect with Angie:

Website: https://www.runninginslippers.com/

Instagram: @angiehawkins808

YouTube: @angiehawkins808

Support the show

Love Your Life

Follow Maria on Facebook HERE
Follow Maria on Instagram HERE
Follow Maria on YouTube HERE