Tough Love
27 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago -Have you ever wondered how, after tragedy hits, some people are able to move forward and thrive?
In each episode of Tough Love, I'll interview a guest who has been through a traumatic experience such as medical infertility, divorce, abuse, the loss of a spouse, addiction, anorexia, a cancer diagnosis, a prison sentence.
I will listen to their story and ask questions. I'll concentrate on the strategies and the daily habits they implemented that helped them rebuild their life and move beyond trauma.
Tough Love celebrates human resilience, the amazing strength people display every day to live through what life has put in their path and move forward with courage and integrity.
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Episodes
How to Survive and Thrive with HIV, with Stephen Hart
June 04, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBFifteen years ago Stephen was drugged and raped by a stranger. Six months later he was diagnosed with HIV. It took him two years to start wanting to live again but today Stephen is a YouTuber and actor with a successful one-man off-Broadway show on his resume, called Shadowed Dreamer. In this interview Stephen and I discuss where to find the strength to keep going when the cards are stacked against you, the misinformation surrounding HIV, its treatment and life expectancy, and why HIV has ...
How to Survive and Thrive after post-natal depression, with your host Federica Leonardis
May 07, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 65.5 MBAfter giving birth to my second baby in October 2020 I expected to experience post-baby blues. What I didn't expect was to slide dangerously close to post-natal depression. In this episode Jemima Forrester of episode 2 fame interviews me, Federica Leonardis, aka your host, about a frightening brush with post-natal depression. I'm aware that compared to some of the stories my guests have shared on the podcast mine will seem way less traumatic but I wanted to share it to help mums out there...
How to Survive and Thrive after losing your child, with Megan Hillukka
April 30, 2021 00:00 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBMegan's third child died suddenly and unexpectedly when she was only fifteen months old. How can a parent recover from that? In this episode Megan and I talk about grief in its purest form, the importance of putting yourself back together even when you don't want to, and why self-care is actually a survival tool. Megan Hillukka is a grief coach and the host of the podcast Grieving Moms. Find out more about Megan and her podcast here or on Facebook @CultivatedFamily The book: Brené...
How to Survive and Thrive after rape, with Rosie Price
April 23, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBIn this episode author Rosie Price shares her story of the violent sexual assault she suffered when she was a teenager, at the hand of someone she knew. We talk about coping mechanisms, how it affected her identity and sense of self, and how the culture surrounding the notion of rape has changed in the last ten years. Rosie Price is a yoga teacher, a tutor and the author of What Red Was, a novel revolving around the main character's experience of rape, which in turn is based on Rosie's ...
How to Survive and Thrive after breast cancer, with Danielle Bitton
April 16, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBWhile in China on tour with the musical Evita, Danielle was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. After a test revealed she also had the BRCA2 gene, she decided to undergo a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, in addition to chemotherapy. In this episode we discuss her cancer diagnosis during the pandemic, a balcony concert and the choices we have even in the darkest times. Danielle is a South African singer, actress, DJ and breast cancer awareness warrior. ...
How to Survive and Thrive after leaving a religious cult, with Lilia Tarawa
January 22, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBFor the first eighteen years of her life, Lilia Tarawa lived in Gloriavale, a Christian religious cult founded in New Zealand by her grandfather. In this episode we discuss what happened after she left Gloriavale, along with her parents and siblings. How do you rebuild your life after having no life? How do you learn to make decisions for yourself after spending years with others dictating every aspect of your life, from what to wear to what to think and believe? Lilia is a New Zeala...
How to Survive and Thrive after a co-dependent relationship, with Nina Renata Aron
January 15, 2021 00:00 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBNina Renata Aron is the author of the excellent memoir, Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls, centred around a long and painful co-dependent relationship with an addict. The book ends not long after Nina finally finds the strength to walk away, and I wanted to talk to Nina about the aftermath but also about co-dependent relationships in general, something that doesn't get discussed enough. What exactly is a co-dependent relationship? And when is it right to leave? If addiction is in...
How to Survive and Thrive with regret, with Rose
January 08, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 64 MBWhen she was a teenager, Rose got pregnant. Her mother talked her out of getting an abortion so she decided to carry the pregnancy to term. However, her baby didn't survive and died four days after an extremely traumatic birth. Today, Rose has a successful career, a devoted daughter and just got married to a wonderful man but she's always regretted not getting an abortion and save everyone including herself a lot of pain. Where would she be today had her daughter survived? Would she be th...
How to Survive and Thrive after domestic violence, with Michelle Kelly
October 15, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MBIn her early twenties, Michelle got involved with a charming guy who grew progressively controlling, abusive and physically violent. When she finally freed herself eight years later, her ordeal still wasn't over: another abusive relationship, sex trafficking and substance addiction lay ahead. Today Michelle has a loving family and a thriving writing career. In this episode we talk about different types of safety, why leaving an abusive relationship is often a process of trial and erro...
How to Survive and Thrive after detransitioning, with Rachel
October 08, 2020 00:00 - 1 hour - 70.5 MBIn her early twenties, Rachel started hormonal therapy to transition to become a man. Pretty much straightaway she started having misgivings about what she was doing to her body. However, surrendering to the pressure from the transgender community, and the medical professionals who had her in care, she decided to continue the treatment. Five years later, when her organs started shutting down, she finally made the decision to come off the testosterone altogether and detransition. In t...
How to Survive and Thrive with anxiety, with Paul Bulos
October 01, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 74.8 MBPaul Bulos is a publishing professional, an Executive, Leadership & Wellbeing Coach, a husband, and a father of two children. He has lived with anxiety since he was a young man. Following the sudden loss of his father at a time when he'd just become a father himself, he developed a desperate need to keep his family safe that manifested itself through unhelpful behaviours. Today Paul has learned to manage his anxiety but it's very much an ongoing process full of pitfalls. In this episo...
How to Survive and Thrive after being born in the wrong body, with Buck Angel
September 24, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 78.3 MBBuck Angel is a transexual activist, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, YouTuber and many more other things. Born female, Buck was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in his twenties after a tumultuous adolescence. Now in his late fifties, he speaks candidly about his transition to become a man and how that cured his dysphoria. In this episode we talk about being a guinea pig, almost becoming a supermodel and the importance of taking ownership of your own life. Follow Buck on Twitter @...
How to Survive and Thrive regretting your abortion, with Robin
September 17, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBIn her early twenties, homeless and addicted to drugs, Robin sought treatment for an STD. Scared and confused, and completely unaware of being pregnant, what Robin didn't realise was that she'd been given drugs to terminate the pregnancy. After years she's finally made peace with what she's done and what she's lost. In this episode Robin and I talk about the role of faith in her healing, the importance of having a pro-choice/pro-life debate and the reaction to that Tweet. Follow Robi...
How To Survive and Thrive after being trafficked, with Eliza Bleu
September 10, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBAs a teenager, Eliza had big dreams. However, within 48 hours of arriving in LA, the man who had promised to make her a star had sold her to another man in Hollywood for $500. This was only the beginning of an ordeal that was to last for over 15 years. Today Eliza is an advocate for survivors of human trafficking, sex trafficking and child trafficking. In this episode, Eliza and I discuss why she's the queen of bouncebacks, the importance of taking personal responsibility and how being...
How to Survive and Thrive after FGM, with Hoda M Ali
September 03, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 74.1 MBAt the age of seven, Somali-born nurse Hoda Ali was subjected to type 3 female genital mutilation (FGM), alongside her six-years-old sister. At the age of eleven, with Somalia on the bring of civil war, Hoda started experiencing severe medical complications as a consequence of the cutting. She was in and out of hospital for the following six years and eventually ended in the UK as a refugee. The numerous complications still affect her today, over thirty years later. In this episode Hoda ...
BONUS EPISODE: How To Survive and Thrive after the end of Season 1, with your host.
July 30, 2020 00:01 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBThis Bonus Episode is an origin story of sorts. In it I reflect on my personal trauma, why I started the podcast and why it's called Tough Love (Spoiler Alert: it's because of my favourite teacher). Tough Love is taking a short break and will be back on the 3rd September with more inspiring stories. Follow us on Twitter @toughlovepc or on Instagram @missleonardis
How to Survive and Thrive after losing your baby, with Susannah Hamilton
July 23, 2020 00:01 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBAfter a normal pregnancy but a difficult birth, Susannah’s baby, Arthur, passed away just three days after being born. For a pregnant woman, this is the worst case scenario. So, what does it take to move beyond the engulfing grief? Is it even possible to do? In this episode we talk about the importance of having a community, why after something like this happens you’ll never look at statistics quite in the same way, and about the big difference made by telling people exactly what...
How to Survive and Thrive after a stroke, with Emma Gee
July 16, 2020 00:01 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBHow do you recover physically from a stroke that left you unable to blink or swallow, let alone speak or walk? How do you move past the anger, the resentment, and the fear you’ve become a burden to the people you love? At the age of twenty-four, occupational therapist Emma was a keen traveller and an avid runner. When surgery to remove a malformation in her brain went wrong, the subsequent stroke robbed Emma of life as she knew it. Fifteen years later, Emma has come a long way in...
How to Survive and Thrive with addiction, with Lisa Horwell
July 09, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBHow do you begin to recover from an addiction that has plagued you for over twenty years? Lisa started drinking at the age of seven, developed a dependency at eleven and got herself on the way to recovery at thirty-four. Fifteen years later Lisa is now a yoga therapist helping other people in recovery. In this episode, we talk about growing up in East London in the 70s, about arrested development and about how helping others gives her the strength to stay clean and sober. Follow Li...
How to Survive and Thrive after post-partum psychosis, with Catherine Cho
July 02, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBHow do you learn to trust yourself again as a mother after the lines between reality and allucination become blurred? And where does one learn how to be a mother? When her son was three months old, Catherine Cho, author of the memoir 'Inferno', experienced a psychotic episode while travelling to visit family. The journey to recovery meant time in hospital and several months on medication. In this episode we talk about mental health and motherhood, about the mothers that came before u...
How to Survive and Thrive after escaping fundamentalist Islam, with Yasmine Mohammed
June 25, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 76.6 MBHow many times can you pick yourself up after life strikes you down? Where do you find the strength to escape religious fundamentalism? In this episode I talk to Canadian human rights activist Yasmine Mohammed about being married off to a member of Al Qaeda, re-learning to be free and surviving the betrayal of those who are supposed to protect you. Yasmine Mohammed is the author of Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam and founder of Free Hearts Free Minds an organization...
How to Survive and Thrive after leaving Venezuela, with Baldo Verdú
June 18, 2020 19:57 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBHow does it feel to see the country you love devastated by a socialist regime? And what does it take to take the painful decision to leave friends and family behind to make your fortune elsewhere? In this unusual episode, I put the world to rights with Venezuelan musician Baldo Verdú who left Caracas for London in 2013 to escape the violence, the poverty and the criminality fueled by Chavez's and Maduro's government. If you want to find out more about the situation in Venezuela, chec...
How to Survive and Thrive with Anorexia, with Yara Zgheib
June 11, 2020 05:26 - 52 minutes - 42.1 MBThe relationship with our body is a fraught one for men and women the world over. But anorexia goes beyond that. So how do you fight an illness that infiltrates your brain to override your most basic survival instinct? In this episode I talk to Yara Zgheib, author of The Girls at 17 Swann Street and we discuss anorexia, the obsession with perfection and how it was the love she felt for her family that finally pulled her through. Connect with Yara’ on her blog, Aristotle at Afternoon Tea ...
How to Survive and Thrive after losing your spouse, with Zephyr Wildman
June 04, 2020 22:17 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBIn 2013 Zephyr's first husband, a touring musician and relapsed addict, died leaving her with two young daughters. In this episode we talk about illness, addiction, and how she manages her grief and anger without allowing them to overwhelm her and define her. Zephyr is a yoga teacher, a doula, a podcast and she also works with recovering addicts. Find more about Zephyr at zephyryoga.com where you can also find her podcast 'Zephyr Yoga Inspiration', and follow her on Twitter @ze...
How to Survive and Thrive after the breakdown of your marriage, with Jemima Forrester
June 04, 2020 22:17 - 1 hour - 48.2 MBDespite its high incidence, divorce is still considered one of the most stressful experiences the average person can go through. London-based literary agent, Jemima Forrester talks about the breakdown of her marriage and how when the worst happens family and friends are what will pull you through. Follow Jemima on Twitter @JemimaForrester or on Instagram @JemimaForrester The book: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
How to Survive and Thrive with Medical Infertility, with Katy Lindemann.
June 04, 2020 22:16 - 1 hour - 54.7 MBFor a woman or a couple trying to conceive, medical infertility is the worst case scenario. How do you come to terms with the loss of something you never had? In this episode, I'll talk to Katy Lindemann about the tyranny of hope, the healing power of dark humour and why sometimes hell really is other, well-meaning, people. Katy Lindemann is a writer and patient advocate, in addition to her day job as a digital strategist. Following multiple rounds of IVF and two miscarriages, in 20...
Tough Love Podcast - Teaser
May 28, 2020 19:47 - 4 minutes - 5.88 MBWelcome to the Tough Love Podcast. Have you ever wondered how, after tragedy hits, some people are able to move forward and thrive? In each episode of Tough Love, I'll interview a guest who has been through a traumatic experience such as medical infertility, divorce, abuse, the loss of a spouse, addiction, anorexia, a cancer diagnosis, a prison sentence. I will listen to their story and ask questions. I'll concentrate on the strategies and the daily habits they implemented that helped ...