Puppy Love And Tough Truths

A mountain drive for “just one puppy” turns into two sleepy golden retrievers, a tour of a master blacksmith’s forge, and a sobering question we can’t ignore: why are survivors still punished for staying alive? We move from warm, funny moments in a whelping box to the hard edge of a case where a woman with documented abuse went to prison for self-defense. The contrast is intentional—joy reminds us what a safe home feels like, and why the fight for safety matters.

We unpack the gaps that keep people unsafe: low conviction rates for sexual assault, cultural reflexes that ask “Why didn’t you leave?” instead of “Where can we walk with you?”, and the way children absorb every raised voice even when hands don’t land. From our years in law enforcement, we speak candidly about domestic calls, lazy shortcuts that erase victims, and what good policing looks like when minutes matter. We honor the officers and soldiers doing it right while naming the cost when they don’t.

Then we offer tools. Our children’s series helps ages four to eight practice bravery with simple choices and gentle stories, while our trauma-lived academy gives survivors, parents, caregivers, and veterans practical courses they can take privately, often for five dollars or free when needed. Stucco the service dog even teaches math through cookie capers, because learning can be a bright place again. We also share updates on upcoming books, awards, and why community support keeps the lights on for families who can’t wait for help.

If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs strength today, and leave a review so more people can find real-world tools and a voice that won’t look away. And if you’re able, buy us a coffee to help keep the academy open for anyone who needs a safe start.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Howdy y'all. Welcome to another episode of a Catato Smiles Unstoppable with Victoria Michael. Hi. Yeah, that was your cue. Sorry. This is very unscripted up here, y'all. So we just fly off the cuff and just pull it out of left air and left air? Left air. Left air. You go in the left field a lot. Wow. Yeah, so you do we just pull it out of left air.

Meeting Will And The Litter

SPEAKER_05 0:28

You need a little puppy love. Today we went to see who I've always thought for like seems like a decade now, a good friend named Will, who's amazing and such an amazing person. And ends up he's family. He he's jumped over to the family category. And they have puppies. His sweet, sweet boy, Sam, he wanted a puppy to live on the legacy. And so Sam and Gracie, mom and dad, had puppies. And so we went up there and we were going to get they're color-coded, so we were getting purple because I want eventually to have the legacy of Stucco to continue because that's my baby boy. And we get there. Oh my goodness, the oh, these dogs. Okay, first of all, mom and dad are great, gorgeous, beautiful. Will and his wife, Mindy, are phenomenal, fantastic, amazing. And shout out because she's an amput like me. And so we go and we pick up our purple, and we can't bring her home yet, but we're just getting a little up and time in. That is the sweetest little girl. She is just a love pot. So she's giving me all those little puppy kisses and hugs and smoochies, and she's fallen asleep with me, and she's a cuddle bug, and oh, and Faith fell in love with her, and it was over. And so we had originally kind of sort of agreed that purple would be Michael's because I have Stucco and Faith has Rusty, and so we kind of agreed that purple would be Michael's, but that's not how this went. So instead we're getting two new puppies.

unknown 2:23

What?

SPEAKER_05 2:24

So we're having babies, we're gonna have two puppies now. So I'm so excited, but then my husband realized oh shit, now it went from so we had four boys and two girls, and now we're gonna have four girls and three boys. So yeah, it's not gonna work very well in your favor anymore, babe. But what sweet little faces! You'll have to go on our social media platforms, and I'll put some pictures up of the pups, and uh you'll get to see.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

So, a little background on our buddy Will there. He's he's very humble, he's an old fart like me.

SPEAKER_05 3:05

He's not an old fart, he's a sweetheart.

Choosing Two Puppies

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Right, he is, but I would I knew him first. Call him a sweetheart. I knew him first. I'll just call him an old fart. But Will is a master blacksmith, and when I say master blacksmith, his work has been featured worldwide.

SPEAKER_05 3:23

All these Hollywood films with like Denzel.

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Ugh. He is famous for his knives, swords, and tomahawks. They're gorgeous. Okay, especially his tomahawks. He has been commissioned by the Atlanta Braves over many years to produce Tomahawks. He has produced swords that have been featured in Pirates of the Caribbean, The Magnificent Seven. So those those are just some of the highlights. And we went up there to his home, beautiful home, in the mountains. Up in the mountains, and I got to see some of his showcase work, and it was beautiful. I mean, there are there are swords and knives and cleavers everywhere, blanks, uh already already uh completed orders, and then all these puppies, yeah. Yeah, then we have all these puppies running around. Oh how many puppies were there? About 10? 13? 10.

Will’s Blacksmith Mastery

SPEAKER_05 4:23

No, 10. Yeah, and then mom and pop, and oh, and those two, Gracie and Sam, are such great parents. Like they just kept checking on the babies and wanted to go in there. What sweet babies. I mean, just I was like, I'll just I was like, can I just I know it's a little early. Can we just put one in my bag and I'll just you know? So we have a couple more weeks to wait. And of course, Faith's like, no, what a wait, I want to know. And it was so sweet because just to see the happiness. I mean, golden retrievers now stucco and rusty are red, like red, like Faith and I red. And these two are pure white, and those are the rarities in a golden retriever breed, right? That's one extreme to the other, and like the extremes are white and red, and so we have candy cane golden retrievers, which are my favorite roses, the red and white. So, see, it's all beautiful thing, and my husband, who wants to call her Samba, Samba, Samba Rose. Everybody was like, No, nope, no, no, no. So when we we went and had dinner and we showed the waiter the puppy, and I was like, he won, he's like, What do you want to name her? And my husband says Samba Rose. He goes, uh no, no. So then today, Will and Mindy were like, no, and so I was like, Yes! So he's gonna name his, he's getting the blue one. And it's so funny because our favorite color is purple, and his favorite color is this blue, and those are the actual colors of the puppies we're getting. So it's kind of like meant to be. And these two like literally snuggle each other all the time. Like you have 10 of them in this gorgeous welping box, and they both come out at the same time and they both stick their little head out. And I got a picture of the two of them together, which I'll post it everywhere. Yes, so stinking cute. And I put I put our purple one down so she can get some water. And the minute I did, she just looked up at me and I'm like, done. Come on, come back, let's go. You can come right back up here. So we come home, and Stucco and Rusty are like, What the hell, dude? Like they're smelling us, they're smelling me, looking at me like, mom, mom, what what is this? No, this is absolutely nope. What is this? But I had taken a box of toys for all the puppies because we didn't want to leave one because the rest of them would want it, and they were all playing with the same ones when we left that they got when we got in there, which was super cute. So puppy, puppy love. Happy puppy, happy, happy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

And I was able to gift Will with a bracelet, a cuff bracelet that I made over the weekend.

SPEAKER_05 7:08

I'm a little jealous of this because you have made a bracelet that you're showcasing on your own wrist, wine for our daughter, a ring for our daughter, and a bracelet for Will, and I have none of the above. I don't have the ring, and I don't have the bracelet.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

I'll get right on it, dear.

SPEAKER_05 7:25

Yeah, I know what that means.

unknown 7:27

What?

SPEAKER_05 7:27

Dunkin' Donuts?

SPEAKER_00 7:28

I'll do it tomorrow.

SPEAKER_05 7:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

Oh.

SPEAKER_05 7:31

Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yep. So let's put all this to the side. So on the drive back, we're talking about things, and there's a woman that is now up for parole. And I don't have the article in front of me, but we were reading it on the way back. And this woman was sentenced to prison time for killing her abuser, domestic violence abuser. And this woman, bless her heart, had been sentenced, it was like 15 years or something of that nature. And she kept going to the police and going and asking for help. She got all the paperwork that gives you paper cuts and stuff. She got the TRO, she got the restraining order, which does nothing but pisses off your aggressor. And she did everything. And the aggressor openly admitted he was gonna kill her. He would kill her if she left, he would kill her if she tried to leave. He was gonna kill her and their kids. And so she didn't want her children to die at his hands. And he attacked her, and in complete self-defense, and there were wounds on her person at the time of this arrest, he beat her. But apparently, the court found her at fault for defending herself at a higher level and convicted her of murder. And so she's self-defending herself and her children, and she goes to jail for murder. And when she got out, she said there is nothing out there that protects us. So are we supposed to let them kill us? Because the system sure doesn't protect us. Who's supposed to protect our kids?

SPEAKER_00 9:23

Okay, so let me throw in my two cents.

Naming Debates And Color Picks

SPEAKER_05 9:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

Okay. Now, y'all know we advocate for the survivors, past victims, or could be current victims, but they're still survivors of domestic violence. They're freaking warriors, right? We are warriors. We do not condone whooping a woman, beating a child. We did not condone any of that abuse, okay? Now, both her and I, my wife and I, we were law enforcement. We all we know that there's always two sides of a coin. Now, my wife I can debate this to you all day. My wife has heard one side, and that was from whatever news you pulled it from. Okay, okay, so let's debate that. I would love a debate with you. I'm not against her.

SPEAKER_05 10:12

She had marks on her person from the assault.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Sure, she did.

SPEAKER_05 10:16

I'd love to debate with you. Okay, I don't give a rat's ass if he hit her one time, children are present, or whatever. Okay, let's take him, for instance, if I got hit, right? Let's take into a okay, I'm an amputee.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_05 10:30

I have my entire face is metal. I have 26 pieces of metal in my face. Right. I have a shoulder replacement. I mean, we can go down the list. I'm deaf in one ear and 88% deaf in the other. All of this is medically documented and proven, right? If I am labeled as disabled, I am labeled as crippled, right? Even though I hate those terms. So if I got hit and I have secondary concussion syndrome, and say I got hit in the head, and I go down, and I get up to defend myself, and he happens to get a roundhouse to the back of the head, or he ends up falling and hitting his head on concrete along the way, or whatever, and it's self-defense, and I'm defending myself to stop the threat to protect me and my children, and I have bruises and marks on my person. What is the hell is wrong with self-defense?

SPEAKER_00 11:24

All right. So those are those are facts that you hypothetically put out there, right?

unknown 11:31

Right?

SPEAKER_05 11:31

I'm giving you airtime for this because I can't wait to hear this.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

What were the facts surrounding her?

SPEAKER_05 11:37

She was beaten and defended herself. She was she was beaten, beaten and had a plethora of past documentation, okay, all the way to police reports, to medical records.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Okay, but that's that's beside the point right now, right? But shows consistency. It does, but is beside the point we're not supposed to show his lack of character, but they say characters. In the moment she's being beaten. Correct. In the moment she decided to defend herself, and or her children at the same time, they could have been right there. In fear of her life, she's ready, she's defending herself.

SPEAKER_05 12:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Is that the fact?

SPEAKER_05 12:15

That is the fact.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

So that's what happened.

SPEAKER_05 12:17

And so some judge who happened to be.

Bringing Scents Home To Stucco And Rusty

SPEAKER_00 12:20

So somehow, wait, wait, wait. In in the moment she defended herself and he died. Yep. How? It doesn't say, it just says he died from the attack or of uh which was defense. Okay, so we didn't even know how he died. Did he die right then? We don't know during the attack, during the defense? I don't know. Okay, we need to know that. See, that's why I'm not taking her side because we don't know these facts.

SPEAKER_05 12:44

Uh I have to look at the story. But here's one. You know, it depends on who you are. And I agree, I'll have a lot of people that'll say famous people get away with defense.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Oh, yeah.

Gifted Bracelets And Fairness Jokes

SPEAKER_05 12:53

And that that's true, and it's not true, because like, yes, that is true. Like, we learned today that James Brown, the famous singer, right? Beat the dog crap out of one of his backup singers to the point that her sister found her in the closet, and then, you know, she was all bloody and everything, and then he beat her again in Motown Records office, and she passed out in Marvin Gay's arms. Like she collapsed in Marvin Gay's arms, and then she had head trauma and she died the like couple days or whatever before her 25th birthday. But nothing was done to James Brown, right? So many people who are celebrities get away with stuff because of who they are. So many people get away with stuff because they're somewhere in the system or they know somebody in the system, which goes to the book Shielded that I just finished, which hopefully will be out in the next couple weeks, has to do with how the corrupt system is. And everywhere I go, like we watched Miranda Law, the true story, right? We we watched that that came out in 2023, and it's all about how you slept through most. And the thing is that it clearly states that out of 1,000 sexual assaults, only five assailants are convicted, right? That number is a fact all day long, and it is not okay. Then you have a one in four in a civilian sector, one in three in military, and one in three in law enforcement. Okay. And here's the thing, and I say this all the time, and I don't mean to sound like a record, I don't want to say broken record, I hate that term, but like if you have a mom, daughter, sister, and aunt or best friend or grandmother, one in four at some point in their life is gonna go through some kind of abuse, okay? And if you like, I was my abuser was military, and so if you have one in three that report it, how many don't? How many are afraid to go through? Now let's go back for a second and go back to the point where I was beaten on the installation in front of his captain, and the captain didn't do squadoche, right? So how many other and and again I'll say this every time we go on podcast, we totally support military and law enforcement, but every orchid has bad orchids, yes, has bad apples.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Everyone, I recently bought her orchids.

Case Of A Survivor Jailed For Self‑Defense

SPEAKER_05 15:30

Everyone, but that doesn't mean they're all bad, and so we heavily support law enforcement military. We absolutely do, but the ones that are corrupt, we don't, and that's what I'm saying. If another soldier beat his wife in front of a captain, they're not gonna report it because nothing's getting done to them, right? They're not getting a USM, you know, Article 15, they're not getting a or or whatever reprimand or whatever, they're not nothing like nothing happens, and you know, I knew about the transitional compensation group and all of that that happened because I was given the information from the advocates there, and the transitional compensation plan was developed for military survivors of abuse. How would I know about this if I wasn't given the information? And I had the card from the lady with her personal cell phone number on it in her handwriting with her name, and I had all the documentation. But did they give it to us? No, we didn't get a doggone red dime, we didn't get money for moving, we didn't get insurance, we got nothing, nothing. And so I understand, and this is what this woman stated. She goes, I understand why nobody wants to come forward, why nobody wants to stand up and say I'm being abused, and everybody is so quick to say, Why didn't you leave? Why didn't you leave? Why didn't you leave? Where do we go? You know, and then the courts get involved. Well, he might be a bad husband, but he could be a good dad. So we're gonna make you turn over your child to this monster for a weekend, and you're not gonna be there to protect his or her, you know, his the baby, girl or boy, you're not gonna be able to do it. And as a mom, that's my big that was in my biggest nightmare. Never gonna happen, right? How can you, and the courts don't understand, if you're being your wife, it's a matter of time before you beat the child, it's a matter of time. And to the courts just say, hey, he's not hurting the child, so we're not gonna restrict the child from seeing their parent. Well, okay, so what happens when the child does get hit? And just because, and let me say this very clearly, just because at the time the child doesn't actually physically get the assault themselves, they see it, they hear it, they feel it. They feed off of mom, especially that primitive young age. They see it, feel it, experience it. When they see or hear dad yelling at mom or mom yelling at dad, they're in the corner crying, holding their stuffed animal, hands over their ears, maybe wetting their pants. They're having an adverse reaction to what's happening in their environment and they're scared. And their home is supposed to be their safe place, right? That's the one place they're supposed to feel safe and secured. And they're not because what is gonna happen tonight? What if I don't finish my green beans or I can't fall asleep right away, or I hear a noise, or you know, and the monsters they start thinking they hear is really the yelling they hear in a different room, and they're just trying to psychologically filter it in a different way because they don't want to think that's their dad. But then they get to the point where they don't have a dad because they have animosity towards dad. Why are you yelling at my mom? Right? Why are you screaming? Why are you screaming at me when I try to protect my mom? I'm trying to do the right thing. You're teaching me it's okay. Now, how is it okay? For instance, the abuser can quote unquote have a bad day, right? Come home, have a bad day. Leave me alone. I had a bad day at work, I'm opening a beer, having a drink, whatever, and this is what they do. Why aren't kids allowed to have a bad day? You know, instead they get spanked, sent to their room, they get punished, they get yelled at. Kids can have a bad day too, but why are you taking out your aggression on the child? You know, that's just, I don't get it. I don't get it. And so many people say, Oh, they're all better, they serve their time, they're reformed, all you know, hogwash, hogwash. Don't tell me, because it's it's like a cycle. It's like a cycling effect, you know. Abusers go through a cycling effect. They have the courtship, and then you know, they go through the whole thing. And and it's literally when you go through this, these poor kids, everything affects them. Their grades start taking a tumble. They end up withdrawing, they become an introvert, they don't want to be home, they don't want to be at school because they're getting picked on about, you know, why they're not eating, or maybe everything's going on at home and and they're not getting, you know, help with their clothes and they're stinking when they go to school and they're putting on the same clothes and they're getting made front of, and now they're getting bullied. And they're getting this everywhere, right? So if you're having a bad day, take a freaking walk. Take a walk, go outside, shut the door, leave everyone at one point in time that you loved in the room or in the house, leave them alone and cool the hell off. Because at the end of the day, it's not worth it. It's not worth it. You are not a man, you are a flipping coward if you're gonna raise your hand to a child, a woman, another man, uh an animal. You're just a piece of shit.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

My husband's looking at me like So I want to back up and say that I agree with my wife, uh, that the the the victim victim, the survivors, are not represented represented like they should. Okay. This woman that we were discussing got sentenced to prison for killing her abuser. Okay. Yes, we don't know all the facts yet. We'll look into it. But how many times have we heard this same scenario? The the survivor, the one that was being abused, went to jail. And the abuser heaps the kids stays home with the kids, drinks beer, hangs out with the officers on the kids.

SPEAKER_05 21:50

Sexually assaults the kids.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Right. How many how many times have you heard that or read it? Uh it's popping up on the news.

Stats, Celebrity Impunity, And Systemic Gaps

SPEAKER_05 21:57

I can tell you personally how I Would get, I'm sorry, because he gets so upset when I talk about this. I would literally get the crap beat out of me where I didn't even look like me. And his knuckles would be all busted and red and swollen and whatever. And when somebody would ask him what happened, A, I'm clumsy. That was like the number one thing. I'm clumsy, clumsy. And it was, well, why didn't you just do what he wanted? Or why didn't you just give him what he wanted? And well, look what you did to his knuckles. Mine aren't busted up. You know, mine aren't messed up. So you're in here looking at my face, seeing that my face is all messed up, seeing that his knuckles are messed up, and you're getting on my butt about this situation. As if I I did all of it. And then put me on a guilt trip because he messed up his hands.

SPEAKER_02 22:58

No. No. Yeah. I just wanted to get that out of there.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

And I will not let another man touch my wife. And if I ever meet that abuser.

SPEAKER_05 23:21

Again. You met him before a few times. No, you met him a few times.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

A few times, but I don't remember once. That was uh in court.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

You met him early on too, and then you met him one other time.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

So y'all want to know about that abuse that happened? Hop on over to VictoriaCure.com and pick up her book, Who Kicked First.

SPEAKER_05 23:48

So let's talk about books for a second.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

You've only written and published 48.

SPEAKER_05 23:55

I don't know. So Shielded is coming out, and I'm very excited about that. But my husband decided to laugh at me because he said to me, What have you been doing? He was sleeping, go figure. And I was like, Come here, I want you to see. Come here, I want you to see. I started a book series for kids between the ages of four and eight. And it's called the Stucco Squad series. And it is so bleeping cute.

SPEAKER_00 24:21

Stucco's our service dog.

SPEAKER_05 24:23

My service dog. Our mascot. Our mascot. And the sweetest this book is so stinking cute. And what it does is it has, for instance, all sorts of different things. And it's going to be a series. And I've already, he's going to say, Of course you have. I just finished book two about five minutes ago.

SPEAKER_00 24:40

Of course you did. We just got home. And we've been out all day. How in the world? You know what? You're amazing. I swear.

SPEAKER_05 24:48

So we we did this, and then you did this. Oh, you haven't given the big announcement on the top thing yet, but hold on. So we the thing is, it's very exciting. So, like it has a scenario in the book. For instance, you hear your mom and dad arguing and they're yelling at each other, and it makes your tummy upset. So, what do you do? A, B, C, or D. And it gives you four choices. Now, you get to color in all the pages, which makes it super fun. And there's a certificate at the end, and it is so much fun to do. And it really, and it in the end says, I choose brave because you are choosing to be brave. And it teaches you all about bravery. And so I'm gonna do a series for ages two to three, and then going to do the four to eight, and then like nine to twelve, and then thirteen. And each series will have eight books in it, and then we'll go and look at maybe another series for each age group. But it's super exciting. I am so excited to be doing this, and it's kind of off the cuff because it's not really what I do, but I love doing this knowing that we're helping kids. It is so amazing to know that we're doing this at their level, at their understanding and their comprehension, so that they can really get in there and just learn. And it also discusses feelings and things at their level that maybe they don't want to talk about or things they're experiencing or seeing or afraid of. And it it lets the book talk to the mom and dad without the kids having to give out that information. And it's so adorable and cute, and I can't wait for that to come out.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

You know what? Maybe along with the stucco squat, I can make especially made you know handcrafted bracelets for the stucco squat.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

How about that?

SPEAKER_01 26:46

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 26:49

Yeah. Yeah, we'll try that.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

We'll take a look at that.

SPEAKER_04 26:54

So go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

I just want to give another shout out to our good buddy Will. And his his tomahawk was so impressive that I want to learn how to forge tomahawks now. I mean, it's it was just and you know, these things it was beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 27:12

Oh my god, it was stunning.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

His you know, his what he called his staple. Yeah, you know, the one that he always makes. And it was beautiful. Absolutely. So yeah, it was great, it was great going up there finally seeing him.

SPEAKER_05 27:28

Um and March, we're on the cover of Podcast International Magazine, and then we got some really amazing news yesterday.

SPEAKER_00 27:39

I don't know this title. You you've had to spit it out.

SPEAKER_05 27:41

I'm not gonna do that because I'm too humble. I don't do that.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

My wife got awarded top 30.

SPEAKER_05 27:48

Okay, that's been changed.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 27:51

So when we got home and I checked the other email, I got a notice. They're they're putting the final touches of it together. It's done out of New York. I've now been made into the top 20 most influential leadership women of 2026.

unknown 28:05

Sweet.

Children’s Trauma And Home As Safety

SPEAKER_05 28:06

So originally I was told yesterday I was in the top 30. I got today that after reviewing more about you and and having you answer our questions and speaking with you, she was amazing. Sandra was fantastic. And I talked with her quite a bit yesterday. She was like, I went in there and said, nope, somebody's getting booted to another number because Victoria is going up. And I was like, no, no, no, no, no. And she's like, no, no, but she didn't tell me where. But I got an email today that says you're in the top 20. So that's so honoring. And I told her, I was like, I'm not this person that wears that, like, hey, you know, and I said, it's because of people I get to help that have put us where we are, and that's why we do what we do, and so that's incredibly honoring.

SPEAKER_00 28:52

Right. It's very rare for my wife to even put the doctor in front of her name. She she's done she's done it in some of her books, I believe.

SPEAKER_05 29:01

No, no, no. I I have only some articles? Articles, a few. I think the one that shocked y'all the most was when we were with Faith, and she got one of the doctors and nurses got super stupid for a second and tried to talk down to us like we didn't know what we were talking about. And I schooled them. And I and I think that's the very first time I dropped the I'm a doctor title. Right. And you and Faith were like, Huh, what? I've never in my life heard her call herself that like never, ever, ever, ever. And that was, yeah, I don't think I've ever done that but once.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

It's because you hear my wife talk one time in the medical field, you you you know she has the knowledge of a doctor, and that's you know, due to her past and and our past. But I was always told if you have to tell someone you're the boss, you ain't the boss.

SPEAKER_04 29:55

Is that why you try to tell me you're the boss all the time?

SPEAKER_00 29:57

Oh, yeah, I'm the boss in this relationship, I'm the boss. You are out to lunch. Um you want to ask Faith? Go ahead. No, let's not. Let's keep her in a room.

SPEAKER_05 30:06

Yeah, I'd like to hear her say, yeah, dad's the boss. Yeah, she'd say dad's the bitch. She wouldn't say dad's a boss.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

You be PG.

Cycles Of Abuse And School Fallout

SPEAKER_05 30:14

Yeah, I don't think so. No. So we have I I just want to say for a minute, you know, and this is this is hard for me to say this. From the inception of 2006, when I started a contagious smile, this has all been funded out of our well, back then out of my own wallet. And it it's been a lot. And then as this continued and got bigger and bigger and bigger, and then the I started writing and things like that. And when Michael got his head out of his ass and we ended up back together finally. Thanks. You're welcome. And then we started podcasting, and we made it to top global percent, and we got into the millions of followers, and then it wasn't just that, and then it was we built this academy, and the academy is free or very low cost. And when I say low cost, it's under five dollars. There are some courses that teach you how to get your numbers, like where we have. Um, and I've gone through that and put those courses together. I've created over 150 courses at this point, and they're all trauma-lived. And there's the difference. We were actually awarded international best trauma supportive academy globally of 2025, some yeah, by Evergreen. And then we got best of the best by Insider Weekly for Trauma Support Academy as well. And so, what you know, and the thing is it's because of everybody who we get to talk with, and written and yeah, but we have been doing this out of our own pockets from inception. And for all of you guys who know, my husband was taking care of his dad while he was working full-time in the company who says they're family-oriented and is full of shit, released my husband, even though FMLA is in play, and and let him go. And so we have really been struggling financially, and we want to keep this going. So if you go onto a contagious smile.com, there's a buy-me-a-coffee there, and you can pay five dollars, which is less than a Starbucks. Because if anybody comes to us, and I bet you I've got over a thousand different courses that I've that I've comped. If somebody comes to me and says, I just can't afford it, I just give them access. And we have so many people that join, and I give them the option when you join, if you want to be seen or you want to be invisible. And so you have that choice because your confidentiality and your confidence and your understanding that that is my number one priority is my number one priority. So if you join the academy, you can choose to be seen or not seen. And then people in there won't know you're there if you choose to stay invisible. And so I've had people come in and say, I just can't afford a$5 course. And I don't ask twice. Okay, here, let me take care of it for you. And we are paying for all of it. I've created all the courses, it is incredibly costly when we are paying for everything and all the platforms that we do day in and day out. And my husband and I have never taken a paycheck from any of this. And we also the proceeds from the books go right back into this so that we can keep paying for it. And we've never, not once, right, babe, never taken a paycheck.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

You're right, babe.

SPEAKER_05 33:46

And it's now, especially with him not working, it's getting tough. And we never ever want anyone to go through what I went through by having to go through this by themselves. So we are asking if you can go go to a contagious smile.com. I'm gonna get it up on my site, victoriacure.com. If it's a buy me a coffee, you could do a five dollars, you could do a 10, you could do whatever you can that you're comfortable with, and then you could do monthly, you could do anything like that, and and it will help tremendously because here's here's the question. I want you to turn and look at your daughter or look at your son, and what is their safety and security worth to you? Because if God forbid, one day, one day they need something. The stucco squad is full up and running in the academy, and they get to do all sorts of fun courses. Like Stucco teaches them how to do math, stucco teaches them adding and subtracting, and it's not boring. Like, go in there and stucco's in a classroom, and he's he's so cute, and he's like, Where are my cookies? Where did my cookies go? And you have to help Stucco find his missing cookies, and it teaches you he started out with five and now he's got three. So, where is how many are missing? And it's so sweet. And we have a whole collection for people that are vets, and those are all free, and then we have caregiver section, and we have a section for people who've been through any type of abuse, whether it's physical or sexual or narcissistic abuse, it's all in there, and there are so many courses throughout all of the collections that will work for so many people. Like there's not just one collection people could sit with, they could go through multiple collections and find many courses that would work for them. And so all of these take a lot of time to create, they're not done quickly or half-assed. And if you do it and enjoy it, you know, tell somebody about it. And if you could say, hey, you know what, I have an extra$5. Let me put this in here because maybe one day it will help somebody. We have a whole collection for special needs families and kiddos. And to go on there and see the smiles on their faces while they play and do these games, it's so worth it. It really is. And there's so many courses for you as a parent, as a woman, as a caregiver, just so you could be in there and feel validated and heard and really respected. Those are in there. And so we try to make sure we've got something for everybody. And we normally don't go and put our hand out and say, hey, we need some help, but we don't want to stop doing what we're doing either.

SPEAKER_00 36:27

Oh my gosh, to get the emails that you have in the past that say, Victoria, I I read your book and it it saved my life. Just just that one out of you know the many years that we've been doing that, just that one alone would be totally worth it.

SPEAKER_05 36:44

Well, I've gotten many like that.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

But I've said just the one, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:48

Right.

Aligning On Victim Advocacy

SPEAKER_00 36:49

So, you know, we don't we don't do this for the money, y'all, but uh we can't because we don't care. Yeah. So y'all get in there and get you a cup of coffee and uh pick up a book while you're at it. You need to read uh these books. Uh this is real life events, this is a real war that's happening here on the home front. And it may be your neighbor, it may be your sister, it may be your daughter.

SPEAKER_05 37:14

Okay, your best friend. And there's there's courses in the academy also that teach you like the right way to help them and be there for them and and comfort them and give them support. Because if you've never been through it, A, God bless you, and B, a lot of people don't know what to say. Don't go in there, you know, like, haha, better you than me. No, don't don't do that. And we're here to help every step of the way with all of that. You know, I'll help you redo your resume. I'll help you. And my husband's like, everywhere we go, you're offering to help somebody with something. I mean, you know, here I am. Literally, the last surgery I had, I had my phone in my hand, they're pre-oping me. They're like, we got to put your IV in. And I'm like, hold on a minute. And I'm on the phone, and I'm literally like, okay, hold on. And I'm like, I'm literally got the team here ready to wheel me back to the OR. My husband's like, Are you serious right now? And I said, I will just a minute. Hold on, they can't start without me. And he's shaking his head, but that's what you do. That's because you need someone you know is gonna be there for you and help you and support you, and that's what we try to do.

SPEAKER_00 38:21

Yep. So y'all get her done. Get on them websites, victoriacuer.com and a contagious smile.com.

SPEAKER_05 38:29

And what is our academy website? You never remember having uh contagious smile dot emasin mary enazinancy dot co. And what is my website? He always spells my last name wrong.

SPEAKER_00 38:44

Oh, I just told him victoriacure.com. Cure is spelled cure.

SPEAKER_05 38:49

So many people pronounce it wrong, and it's you know, it's kind of like pure A, but with a C. And so many people just it's so cute to hear them, especially like little kids when they try to say it. So, but I just tell everybody I'm Captain Hook's sister, and they think that's so cool.

SPEAKER_00 39:07

And if you got a story you want to share with us, reach out, contact us on our primary website. And yeah, we have shared many stories. We've my wife has written a book with uh a compilation of y'all's stories.

SPEAKER_05 39:24

I'm gonna work on getting another one out.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

It was phenomenal. So sweet. I cried, guys. I I I I couldn't he's the pollinator. I read several stories on air, and I just man, it broke my heart. You know, here to hear the stories of abuse as seen through the the eyes of a child. That was dark. And and and you feel what they're feeling, you you you think what they're thinking as they're seeing this, and you you just hear the scared little boy, the scared little girl in there, and and you know, there's nothing they could do. It's it's they can't physically overpower the abuser, or or you know, they can't they're they're helpless to stop it.

SPEAKER_05 40:05

And now that you said that, think about that when their mom goes to prison for self-defense and the dad gets the kids.

SPEAKER_00 40:10

Oh yeah, just yeah.

SPEAKER_05 40:14

And I say this, this is probably one of my biggest taglines. You should not have to spend your adulthood recovering from your childhood. That's like one of my most quoted lines I say.

SPEAKER_00 40:25

You know, and I don't I don't know if I know both my wife and I were law enforcement. I did just over 13 and a half years. But a similarity, and and I'm not, and like I said, we're four police officers and military uh military. Okay, but you got some lazy cops out there, y'all. I would I can attest that because you know, at times I was one. Okay? If if I'm having a bad day, okay, this is a this is a job for me. If I'm having a bad day, I don't want to do what'd you say, squadoch. Yes. I think that come off uh kung fu panda or that skidoosh. I don't know. Anyway, I I won't I'll go sit and park somewhere and wait for the down one calls to come in. I'll go park up under uh a building and go right. I'll take a nap, I'll hang out when it's raining.

SPEAKER_04 41:18

Yeah, it's a J2 come.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

I won't get it. You just gave away my location.

SPEAKER_04 41:23

Why? Because I said J2? I didn't give away a location. I just said you were anyway. A J2 is a side piece.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

I'm not saying that uh all cops are like this, but some cops are lazy. So when when you get to a domestic violence call, that's the most dangerous to go on, and the officer sees hey, there's defensive wounds on the man. Okay, let's let's throw the man out there. It's predominantly men abusers, and there's all kind of whooping marks on the female, blood, fingerprints around the neck, thumb prints on the arm, you know, a black eye, a busted lip, his knuckles are are are like you said, scraped and and broken open in the skin. Yep. Sometimes that officer is to say, well, given the totality of the circumstance, I'm gonna call this an affray. An affray, an affray is a fight between two people, and there is no victim. Right. Right? Both of them are suspects, both of them are guilty, they both go to jail. Okay, now the officer could say that. Or he'd say, I just can't make a determination. Who's at fault here? He said she said there's no witnesses. Okay. So what are we supposed to do?

SPEAKER_05 42:44

Just lay there?

SPEAKER_00 42:44

I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna tell this lady, this is what I think you should do. Guy, you go have a beer at a bar, take a walk, you know, take take hang out with your boys or something, ma'am. You pack your bags, go to your sister's house for the evening. You know, y'all need to separate for the night and simmer down.

SPEAKER_05 43:01

Okay, but then what are we supposed to do? Not defend ourselves, just lay there and let our kids see that you know we're helpless.

SPEAKER_00 43:07

Some officers can be like that. Okay, I'm not saying now, again, we are for the police, you know.

SPEAKER_05 43:14

But we're also for them doing the right thing.

Interactive Bravery Lessons For Kids

SPEAKER_00 43:15

Right. Do the right thing. But I can attest, I got lazy because sometimes it was just a job. It wasn't a calling.

SPEAKER_05 43:23

Right before end of shift.

SPEAKER_00 43:24

Right. Oh, yes. I'm not I'm not gonna sit on a three-hour domestic call right at the end of my shift.

SPEAKER_05 43:31

What about the it was almost a year now? I went, I was called as the guardian for the kids and the advocate. I was out there six hours on a standoff. That was crazy, and there was a ton of kids involved, and it was the woman that was the aggressor.

SPEAKER_00 43:50

And after careful investigation, right?

SPEAKER_05 43:53

There was crisis control, law enforcement. I mean, everybody was there, and I was out there for six hours.

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Defects.

SPEAKER_05 44:01

Yes. And it was six hours long. It was like 1 a.m. by the time. And even the officers were like, I don't even know how to start this report. I don't know any of that. What is it, babe? And so literally, it was just you can't base that because this is someone's life. This is someone's whole life and their kids. And we should raise our kids to know that there are police officers out there that you can trust and go to when you're worried about something. You know, you should raise the children where that if they see a law enforcement officer, they should feel safe. But when you know daddy wears a badge and daddy comes home and is aggressive on mom, they don't feel like a law enforcement officer is safe. And that's what makes this so hard.

SPEAKER_00 44:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:53

Yeah. So I want to throw that out there. Well, that was a good little bit we talked about. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:03

So would you like to take us out? And y'all know we're now dropping two podcasts a week. We're doing a 90-day experimentation. And we hope it gets out there to the right people.

SPEAKER_03 45:16

What's he gonna go do when we're done?

SPEAKER_00 45:18

I have some bracelets to make.

SPEAKER_05 45:19

You're not taking 10?

SPEAKER_00 45:21

No. I took 10 on the way home.

SPEAKER_05 45:23

That's true, because I drove for the first hour and I went one mile. And he opened his eyes and he was like, Have I been asleep? And I was like, for 55 minutes. And he was like, What? And he goes, It kind of looks the same. I was like, We've been a mile. Thanks. Thank you. Yeah. Yay.

SPEAKER_00 45:43

It was worth it.

SPEAKER_05 45:44

So worth it. Do it again. Absolutely. 100%.

Forged Tomahawks And Magazine Cover

SPEAKER_00 45:49

All right, y'all. Thank you for listening to Unstoppable with Victoria and Michael here in the continuous smile. Be sure to jump on those websites. Pick up the book and buy a cup of coffee. Good night.