Victoria Cuore is the founder of A Contagious Smile, a trauma-informed support platform and the first online educational academy of its kind created by survivors, for survivors. Having endured over 100 surgeries herself while raising her daughter Faith, who has faced more than 50 surgeries, Victoria transformed her lived experience of trauma, medical challenges, and survival into a mission of healing and hope. Through A Contagious Smile Online Academy, she provides accessible, trauma-informed courses and resources for special needs families, domestic violence survivors, veterans, teens, and individuals in recovery. Victoria also hosts globally ranked podcasts that give voice to stories of trauma and resilience, working alongside her husband Michael, a veteran and former law enforcement officer, to ensure no one walks the path of healing alone.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
Q. You’ve survived over 100 surgeries and your daughter Faith has endured more than 50. How did these experiences shape your decision to create A Contagious Smile?
When I was at my lowest—surviving brutal abuse, navigating one surgery after another, and trying to protect my unborn daughter—I had no safety net. No support. No roadmap for how to survive, much less how to heal. What I did have was grit, unconditional love for my child, and this unshakable belief that if I made it out, I had to build something better for others. Even if I couldn’t find peace for myself at the time, I was determined to create it for someone else.
That’s how A Contagious Smile was born. I started by writing workbooks and survival journals—resources I wish I’d had. They’re not based on theory. They’re rooted in lived experience. I didn’t read about trauma in a textbook—I lived it. I fought through it. And I used that pain to create a platform where no one has to feel invisible, unheard, or unworthy of healing again.
Faith’s journey made that mission even more urgent. Watching her face surgeries, bullying, and stigma as a child with special needs reinforced that the world needed a place where people like us—survivors, parents, families—could belong, be seen, and be supported without shame. So we built it. Together.
Q. A Contagious Smile Online Academy is described as “the first online educational platform of its kind, created by survivors, for survivors.” What makes your approach unique?
Our credentials aren’t framed degrees—they’re carved from survival. My lessons didn’t come from textbooks; they came from hospital beds, courtroom battles, and years of rebuilding after trauma. That’s what sets us apart.
This isn’t cookie-cutter content. Every course is handcrafted from lived experience and infused with depth, compassion, and fierce empathy. We don’t just understand trauma—we’ve walked through it barefoot. So when someone enrolls in our academy, they’re not met with judgment or textbook theories. They’re met with someone who says, “I see you. I’ve been there. Let’s walk this together.”
We’re the platform we so desperately needed—but couldn’t find—when we were drowning. That’s what makes us different. We don’t just offer education. We offer real healing from people who truly get it.
Q. The Academy offers free and low-cost courses across multiple areas. Why was accessibility such a priority for you?
Because I’ve lived the reality behind that choice—the one where you’re deciding between therapy and groceries, where you’re holding it all together for your child while falling apart in silence. I know what it’s like to feel desperate for help, but too financially strapped to reach for it.
That’s why accessibility isn’t just a feature of A Contagious Smile Online Academy—it’s the foundation. We made a promise that no one would be turned away, no matter their circumstances. Through scholarships and private sponsorships, we quietly and compassionately find a way to say yes. No hoops. No shame. No “prove you deserve help” process. Just open doors.
Because healing should never be a luxury. It’s not a privilege. It’s a human right.
Q. Your platform serves special needs families, domestic violence survivors, veterans, teens, and individuals in recovery. How do you address such diverse needs?
We focus on what unites us—not the details of our stories, but the invisible scars we’re all still learning to heal. Whether it’s a veteran battling PTSD, a parent navigating life with a medically fragile child, or a teen overwhelmed by anxiety, the need for understanding, dignity, and support is universal.
That’s the soul of A Contagious Smile Online Academy. Every course and resource is trauma-informed, radically compassionate, and designed to meet people exactly where they are. We don’t offer one-size-fits-all solutions; we offer real-life tools, spoken in the language of lived experience.
No matter someone’s background, if they’ve been hurt and are ready to heal, this is where they’ll be seen, supported, and never judged.
Q. Beyond the Academy, you host globally ranked podcasts. What role do these conversations play in your mission?
The podcasts are the heartbeat of our mission. They give voice to the pain so many people carry in silence—trauma, disability, parenting under pressure, PTSD, mental health, and the long, messy path to healing. We don’t gloss over the hard stuff, but we also don’t let the story end in despair.
These are raw, honest conversations about what survival really looks like. We talk about the parts no one else does, because that’s where real connection—and real healing—begin.
We’re not trying to fix the whole world. We’re just making sure no one feels like they have to walk through it alone.
Q. You work alongside your husband Michael, a veteran and former law enforcement officer. How has partnership influenced the Academy’s development?
Having Michael beside me has been nothing short of transformative. His experience as a veteran and former law enforcement officer adds a powerful layer of understanding to the work we do—especially for those dealing with military-related trauma, service-connected PTSD, and the emotional weight that so often comes with those roles.
Together—with Michael’s strength, my lived experience as a survivor, and Faith’s resilience at the heart of it all—we’ve built something that speaks to trauma from all angles: domestic violence, military service, medical trauma, parenting under pressure, and the daily grind of rebuilding a life that was never supposed to be shattered.
It’s not just a professional partnership. It’s a personal purpose. We’re healing as a family—and helping others do the same.
Q. What message do you most want people to take away from your story and the Academy?
That you are not broken—you are becoming. I’ve been shattered by trauma, exhausted by survival, and left to rebuild with nothing but faith and grit. But I was never done. And neither are you.
We created A Contagious Smile Online Academy to remind every person who’s ever felt invisible, discarded, or forgotten that you still matter. Even if the world gave up on you, we won’t.
Your scars don’t define your worth—they become the blueprint for someone else’s healing. Your pain has purpose. Your story has power. And your healing? It starts here.
Q. Looking forward, what’s your vision for A Contagious Smile?
My vision is to continue being a lifeline for anyone who’s ready to heal, no matter their story, their circumstances, or their bank account. Whether someone needs one of our courses, listens to a podcast episode in the dark of night, or just needs to know they’re not alone, our door will always be open.
A huge part of that vision is growing our scholarship program, so no one is ever turned away because of what they can’t afford. I know firsthand what it feels like to need help but not have the means to get it. That’s why scholarships are more than funding—they’re a message of hope.
When you sponsor a scholarship, you’re not just covering the cost of a course. You’re looking a trauma survivor in the heart and saying: “You matter. I see you. I believe in you. And I want to help you rise.” That one act of kindness—of being seen—can change everything.
Moving forward, I want to ensure that every brave soul who reaches out for healing gets a hand reaching back. More scholarships. More voices. More connection. That’s the future we’re building—one smile at a time.
