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

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Jan 2026

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About the show

Maria highlights stories of people that have been the "less than 1% chance" and have come out of their situations thriving and seeing life as happening FOR them and not TO them! Inspiring and empowering stories that will show you that against all odds you can make it through anything!

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January 30, 2026Episode 2633 min

Reclaimed Her Health By Listening To Her Body with Eva Skarström

Send us Fan MailWhen the experts say “there’s nothing more we can do,” where do you go next? Maria sits down with Eva Skarström, a vitality guide and best-selling author, to unpack a practical path from chronic pain and burnout to a grounded, energized life. Eva’s story begins with endometriosis, expands into fibromyalgia and fatigue, and arrives at a powerful framework that helped her get her life back: calm the nervous system, cleanse the body, and connect with the self.We dig into the real mechanics of healing, not quick fixes. Eva shares how gentle yoga, breath, and heart-focused stillness shifted her out of fight-or-flight so her body could repair. She explains why gradual diet changes—reducing processed foods, phasing out dairy and gluten, and supporting kidney and lymph function—reduced inflammation without overwhelming her system. Maria adds her own journey through recurrent cervical cancer, the moment she overhauled food and movement, and the surprising role of Reiki and mindset in helping her body find its balance again.Together, we explore how pain can be information rather than an enemy, and how stored emotions and trauma show up in the tissues until they’re witnessed and released. Eva describes craniosacral work and energy sensing in simple terms, highlighting how safe presence can unlock tension patterns and restore flow. This is a conversation about agency: taking small, consistent steps, learning to trust intuition, and defining vitality as freedom, calm, and strength you can feel every day.If you’re navigating pain, fatigue, or a life that feels stuck, you’ll leave with doable first steps—five minutes of stillness, one nourishing swap on your plate, a nightly heart meditation—and the conviction that your body wants to heal. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review to tell us the one small step you’re taking today.Connect with Eva:LinkedIn: @evaskarstromFacebook: @evaskarstromInstagram: @evaskarstromSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 27, 2026Episode 251 hr 5 min

From Kidney Failure To Finish Line with Mark Maselli

Send us Fan MailA red kidney bean in the palm of a hand changed everything. That small birthday gesture revealed a living donor, set a life-saving transplant in motion, and became the spark for a comeback that defies every expectation. We sit with author and leader Mark Maselli to unpack how a feared family diagnosis turned into fuel, how a simple online plea found three matches, and how gratitude and grit carried him from the recovery room to the marathon start line in 346 days.Mark takes us inside the realities of polycystic kidney disease—aching joints, brain fog, and the emotional weight of a prognosis he grew up watching. He breaks down the practical steps that extended his runway: cleaning up his diet, dialing in blood pressure management, and setting a non-negotiable vision to avoid dialysis and get transplanted. When his function dropped to 18%, he asked for six months, humbled himself, and let the world help. The result? A donor discovered through a surprising family connection, and a transplant that delivered instant clarity and relief.We explore the Maselli Mindset—vision, discipline, resilience—and how it shows up when the miles get ugly. At mile 22 he almost quit, then remembered who he runs for: his grandmother, his mom, others waiting in wheelchairs at transplant clinics, and anyone facing a wall they didn’t choose. He finished faster, found community in Spartan and running circles, and turned survivor’s guilt into survivor’s respect. Along the way, we dig into saying yes before perfect plans exist, building habits around gratitude, and crafting a life that aligns energy, purpose, and action.If you need a reason to believe in second chances, or a push to start messy and figure it out on the way, this conversation is your sign. Follow Mark’s work, share this story with someone who needs hope, and subscribe for more comeback journeys. Your next mile could change someone else’s finish line.Connect with Mark:Website: https://www.masellimindset.com/Facebook: Mark Maselli IIInstagram: @MarkmaselliBook: The Overcomer's Journey: Unlocking Your Potential Through Vision, Discipline, and ResilienceTikTok: @Mark.MaselliSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 23, 2026Episode 2451 min

How A Near-Death Wake-Up Call Turned Hustle Into Harmony with Shelley Meche'tte

Send us Fan MailWhat if the badge of hustle is actually the burden blocking your purpose? We sit down with speaker, strategist, and best-selling author Shelley Meche'tte for a powerful update on her journey—surviving three strokes in one day, finding her voice again, and letting grace, not grind, set the pace. Shelley’s story doesn’t glamorize near-death. It reorders what matters: identity over titles, alignment over applause, and stewardship over striving.We unpack how purpose can stay the same at its core while the assignment changes, sometimes overnight. Shelley shares how she moved from a profitable but misaligned path to serving faith-driven women entrepreneurs with simple, grounded strategies that prevent burnout. Her framework of “solids and flexibles” is a practical game-changer: protect your non-negotiables, then let the rest breathe. From shutting the house down at a set time to prepping breakfast and clothes the night before, these small choices reduce decision fatigue and keep momentum steady. We also explore how intuition—the nudge of the Holy Spirit—guides pivots in business, relationships, and routines without drama or doubt.This conversation is honest about fear and starting over. Shelley challenges limiting beliefs like “you can’t revamp after years of work” and shows how past experience becomes a blueprint for what’s next. We talk gratitude as a daily anchor, fulfillment as the truest metric of fit, and the reality of our finite time—what we do with the dash between dates. If you’re craving clarity, calmer days, and a business that aligns with your calling, this is your reset.Subscribe for more stories that trade busy for purpose, share this with a friend who needs permission to slow down, and leave a review with one grind you’re ready to replace with grace. Your next aligned step starts here.Connect with Shelley:Website: www.ShelleyMechette.comInstagram: @ShelleyMechetteFacebook: @shelleymechetteFree Gift: 6 Spirit-filled Affirmations https://shelleymechette.myflodesk.com/affirmationsSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 21, 2026Episode 2342 min

How A Second Chance In Real Estate Built Legacy, Community, And Freedom with Armando Roman

Send us Fan MailStart 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: @flippingromanFacebook: @armandoromanrealtorSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 16, 2026Episode 2246 min

From Trauma To Trust: Embodiment, Gene Keys, And A Life Reclaimed with Shauna Hawkes

Send us Fan MailSome 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: @shaunaembodimentmentorFacebook: @yogabyshaunaSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 13, 2026Episode 2136 min

Resilience Is Built, Not Found—What Do You Anchor To When The World Crumbles with Shaina Hargens

Send us Fan MailThe 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.comInstagram: @shainahargensFacebook: @shaina.hargens TikTok: @shainahargensYouTube: @isoprosperitySupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 9, 2026Episode 2059 min

What Happens When You Treat Your Body As A Teacher with Mia Dins

Send us Fan MailWhat 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.orgPodcast: DinsTalk- Let's Talk Soul on SpotifyYouTube: lunamia8TikTok: @mia.dins Instagram: @mia_dinsSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 6, 2026Episode 1941 min

Overcoming Water Anxiety Starts With One Present Breath With Cori Myka

Send us Fan MailWhat 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.mykaAdult Swim Lessons:Website: https://adultswimlesson.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultswimlessonFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/calmwithinadultswimInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmwithinadultswimOrca Swim School:Website: https://orcaswimschool.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrcaSwimSchoolInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/orcaswimschSupport the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

January 2, 2026Episode 181 hr 1 min

Rewriting A Life: Trauma, Schizoaffective Disorder, And Fierce Hope with Maddie Andrews

Send us Fan MailWhat 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 AndrewsInstagram: @matmatt88Support the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE

December 31, 2025Episode 1725 min

Choose Your Family: Healing By Creating The Community You Needed with Catalina Popoveniuc

Send us Fan MailWhat 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 GroupWebsite: https://catalinapopoveniuc.com/Facebook: Psychotherapist Cătălina Popoveniuc Support the showLove Your LifeFollow Maria on Facebook HERE Follow Maria on Instagram HEREFollow Maria on YouTube HERE