S5 EP48: Dr Martina's Story - Childhood Trauma, Cult Survival, and Healing! Artwork

Well, That F*cked Me Up! Surviving Life Changing Events.

BITE-SIZE PERSONAL STORIES OF SURVIVING LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCES: Hosted by Luke Colson and Kyle Wise, we feature weekly guests and explore extreme personal life changing experiences and the journey emotional and physical recovery. Each guest discusses their story of how their lives were turned upside down, by unexpected events. Stories like surviving a car crash, surviving abuse, being paralyzed in an accident, witnessing a crime.. and many more! Luke and Kyle will take an honest, raw, yet positive and hopeful approach, to really find out how these sudden events have effected our guests, and hear about the tools they use to overcome the subsequent struggle and adversity. We will focus on the journey to success and recovery, and hear stories of how our guests overcame trauma, and mental health challenges like ptsd, anxiety depression and phobias that have often lead to addiction, alcoholism, and disorders. While we will focus on the events themselves, and the lasting effects of these moments, our goal in this podcast is to concentrate on the positive journeys of resilience, recovery and hope that comes from these extraordinary stories. Join us for the ride of your life, and other peoples too! Why listen? We hope that our listeners will feel comfort, empowerment, strength and hope through this community of people and the stories we share. Everyone’s experiences are unique, but the circumstances around recovery and healing can be a shared and comforting journey. EMAIL: wtfmupodcast@gmail.com MUSIC by DeVyruss from Pixabay SPOTIFY: For reasons that no one at Spotify knows, our podcast does NOT play on the Spotify App from IOS devices. It works on every other platform, and even works on Spotify App from Android and works just fine on Spotify for Desktop. Spotify tell us they don' t know how to fix it. We love our listeners and encourage you to find another way, and another platform, and we apologize, this one is out of our hands.

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Well, That F*cked Me Up! Surviving Life Changing Events.

S5 EP48: Dr Martina's Story - Childhood Trauma, Cult Survival, and Healing!

December 11, 2025 • Luke Colson and Kyle Wise • Season 5 • Episode 48

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Dr Martina Zangger's story is one of extraordinary resilience and recovery after childhood sexual abuse, and her message, that shame must be taken from the victim and placed on the perpetrator.

Abused at just four years old in Switzerland by her grandfather, a respected judge, and her uncle, a well-known politician, Martina grew up shrouded in silence.

Moving to Australia at 12 years old, In her search for healing, Martina fell in love with an Indian guru at 18 years old, and was invited as a mail order disciple to live in his cult in the U.S, provided she paid $8000 for the privilege.

So desperate to get to her guru, and with few skills she was talked into becoming a sex worker in Darlinghurst, Sydney at just 19. She eventually made enough money to go to the Ashram but unfortunately all was not what it seemed in 'the brochure!' She was subjected to exploitation and hard labour. Her journey from trauma to survival is confronting but deeply inspiring.

Today, Martina holds a PhD, is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Newcastle, and has spent over 20 years working on the frontline with women and children impacted by sexual assault and domestic violence.

This is an AMAZING episode!

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