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

Luke Colson and Kyle Wise

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.

Subscribe Listen in podnodRSS feed Show website

21 episodes
Updated Yesterday
Explicit

Support the show

Support this Podcast

Goes straight to the publisher. podnod takes nothing.

Episodes21

Newest first

Yesterday · 36 min
S6 EP26: Leslie's Story - My Journey Through Infertility and Surrogacy
Send us Fan Mail This week we welcome Leslie Lopez, host of Mothers in Arms and an advocate for accessible third-party reproduction. She speaks openly about stillbirth, infertility, and the mental health journey of building a family through surrogacy, as a single mother. Leslie spent six years working with California Fertility Partners before having her biological daughter as an independent parent via egg donation and gestational surrogacy. Her story isn't just about the medical process — it's about the unexpected grief, the tools she built to survive the emotional weight of six years of treatment, and how she found hope and community on the other side. Leslie discusses the mental health side of infertility, and navigating trauma while pursuing parenthood, and building resilience through non-traditional family structures. Thanks Leslie! YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mothersinarmspod?si=LMqJcusLbvOEXXhw Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mothers-in-arms/id1768849257 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zXe2X5Y7SVarKhRzJFbpP?si=Rp6M1syiQjOPb4bql5ppEQ&utm_source=copy-link TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mothersinarms.pod?_r=1&_t=ZP-98dvfDMKDKp Support the show
July 31 · 38 min
S6 EP25 - Freya's Story - Finding The White Room!
Send us Fan Mail Freya Maberley's family are all neurodivergent. Her siblings/parents and grand parents were all undiagnosed. She was diagnosed ADHD at 53, and she is Autistic too, and proud! Her brother is undiagnosed AuDHD and her home growing up was dictated by anger and violence. She was always considered the 'normal" child in the family, but her high sensitivity meant that she became the responsible one, taking on the people pleaser role of the family dynamic. Freya's son is diagnosed AuDHD, dyslexic, dysgraphic. Her daughter undiagnosed AuDHD. Raising them was a constant battle of advocacy, being gaslit by the system, her own struggle to accept the diagnosis. Freya has created a technique called The White Room. A visualization that helps a person reclaim what was lost in interactions with others. It's a kind of soul retrieval, without needing to be spiritual. It's a very grounded exercise, that once a person knows how to do it, they can do the visualization by themselves. Freya is working as a Therapist (Psychology, Social Work, Counseling and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy) in Victoria, Australia. Insta: @freyas_farm_ballarat Facebook: Freya's Farm: Animal Assisted Therapy Tiktok: @freyas_farm Support the show
July 24 · 45 min
S6 EP24: Simon's Story - From Bullied To Black Belt!
Send us Fan Mail Those who first meet Simon Morrell are often very surprised at his history and background. You see, today, Simon, as one of Wales’ singularly most qualified martial artists and fight coaches with a library of books to his name, comes across as a confident person, but his childhood and early adult years were an experience far from anything that may have provided this. Simon was badly bullied, violently assaulted (at one time, an attempt on his life was made by a knife wielding thug) and eventually succumbed to terrifying panic attacks that threatened to ruin his life. He fell to agoraphobia, and for a long time was unable to leave his house. However, he was quite remarkably able to turn his life around when he found his path in writing and Martial Arts. He is the author of the award-winning books and true stories, From Bullied to Black Belt and the sequel An Everyday Warrior, as well as three other books of his own and five books his has Ghostwritten. This episode it raw, emotive and brutal at times. But Simon is a kind hearted and extremely likable guy who has been to hell and come back fighting! https://www.simonmorrell.com/ Support the show
July 17 · 30 min
S6 EP23: Hannia's Story - Living With Epilepsy And Leading With Courage!
Send us Fan Mail Hannia Zanana, founded her coaching practice out of Cairo that has grown entirely through word-of-mouth across several countries. She was diagnosed with epilepsy at 18, later with Hashimoto’s, and had a 5kg fibroid surgically removed. What she’s most fired up about is the thing her own body taught her over a decade: the life you are living has a direct relationship to the health of the body you are living it in. As she left the family business, stepped into her calling, and made the deeper changes, her symptoms started to ease. Her body, she says, had been keeping a precise account the whole time. She works as an Intuitive Guide, holding coaching, inner child work, astrology, and numerology. Her clients describe her as someone who sees your best self even when you cannot. This is an amazing story of self discovery! Thank you Hannia! https://www.instagram.com/be.hlth/ www.behlth.com Support the show
July 3 · 35 min
S6 EP22: Jane's Story - I Thought I Had It All, So Why Was I So Miserable?
Send us Fan Mail This week we have a great chat with Jane Garnett, who thought she was living her ‘perfect life’ unhappy and unfulfilled! Jane’s memoir is the realization that she'd spent years pursuing a false version of happiness and success. She didn't have any healthy role models growing up, so she based her idea of fulfillment on what she saw in movies and popular culture. She became a Hollywood producer who worked for Leonardo DiCaprio, had a powerful Hollywood husband, social status, and all the external markers of success she thought would finally make her happy— but instead, she was miserable and lonely. The major turning point comes when Jane is unexpectedly called to the hospice bedside of her beloved mentor, Dr. Marie, the therapist who helped inspire Jane’s own career change. Jane was already in a period of deep personal reckoning: her marriage was unraveling, she was estranged from her closest friend, and she was questioning nearly every major decision she’d made. And then she sees this woman she loved and admired, who had already lost her longtime partner and become estranged from her son, facing the end of her life alone. It forced Jane to confront something she’d spent most of her life trying to outrun: that no amount of achievement, status, or external success can protect us from loneliness, grief, or pain. That experience ultimately shaped the philosophy she practices today: helping people reconnect with themselves instead of living by inherited definitions of success or happiness. Thanks Jane!! Links: @thebananajane Jane Garnett Bio Jane Garnett Website ••This Time with Feeling (Book Website) Support the show
June 20 · 35 min
S6 EP21: Zoe's Story - Bullied and Scared To Be Alive!
Send us Fan Mail This week we are lucky to have Zoe Rose on the show, who talks openly about her early life, when she was constantly bullied at school for her weight. To make matters worse, her home was not a safe space, with her parents unhappy and rowing, even throwing things, Zoe was unable to find safety in any situation. This of course, all feeds in to later life, where she picked a man who was not good to her, and even hid their pregnancy from his family, for the first 8 months! Zoe has taken her life back, she is changing the way she feels about herself, and shifting her perspective, to live life for herself and not for others. Its a come back story that should be heard. Thanks Zoe! Site: https://www.iamzoerose.com/ Support the show
June 6 · 35 min
S6 EP20: Melissa's Story - Electrocuted At Home! The Day My Life Changed In An Instant!
Send us Fan Mail Melissa Strong, was electrocuted at home, while working on a design project related to opening her now-acclaimed restaurant (Bird & Jim) in Estes Park, CO. She died briefly and came back, experiencing a forest and tunnel! When she came back, the damage was so severe that charred bones in her hands were visible, jutting out where fingers once were. Doctors initially told her she would likely only have four fingers left — her pinkies and index fingers. A passionate, elite climber, this was difficult news for Melissa to swallow. The recovery was long and brutal, both mentally and physically. At one point in the hospital, her arms were surgically sewn together, and she was riding a stationary bike in that condition just trying to keep her body moving and her mind sane. Six months later, she managed to open her first restaurant, and eventually found her way back to rock climbing. She wrote a memoir about the experience, published by Falcon, called Climbing Through: A Courageous Story of Grit, Healing, and Second Chances (March 3, 2026, paperback). Returning to climbing became a huge part of rebuilding both physically and mentally. This is a story of immense strength and inspiration! Thank you Melissa! Site: http://www.melissastrong.com/ Book:Climbing Through: A Courageous Story of Grit, Healing, and Second Chances Support the show
May 29 · 44 min
S6 EP19: Machan's Story - From Yokohama To New Jersey, Finding My Identity!
Send us Fan Mail In this wonderful episode, Machan Taylor traces her journey from postwar Japan to the world stage with Pink Floyd and Sting. Uprooted from an idyllic childhood in Yokohama, Taylor was thrust into a New Jersey suburb where she didn’t speak the language and felt utterly alone. And yet she learned to turn devastation into song. And wrote her book, 'Naked Out Loud' is a meditation on identity, perseverance, and the courage it takes to come to terms with, and reveal one’s true self. Machan speaks from the heart, talking openly about her feeling of 'not being enough' and discussing the benefits she gained from her discoveries with psychedelics. She bravely invites us to ride along with her through her life story! Site: www.machantaylor.com Book: https://a.co/d/0fLrLInd Support the show
May 22 · 30 min
S6 EP18: Ron's Story - Breaking Free from My Own Ego!
Send us Fan Mail Ron Camacho is a veteran law enforcement executive who currently serves as the Chief of Police for the North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) Ron was an angry, egotistical supervisor. He was running over people, “collecting men’s tears” in disciplinary meetings, and strutting through the halls like he'd won something. His ego was out of control and he had no idea. Then his wife (now ex) gave him an ultimatum: marriage counseling or out of the house. He didn’t know it then, but therapy was going to save his life. Six months of intensive therapy ripped open wounds Ron stuffed down for years. And in the process, something unexpected happened: the anger started to leave. The ego started to deflate. He started to see himself, and everyone around him differently. Dr. Ron Camacho brings a deeply personal story centered on overcoming significant life adversity and rebuilding through discipline, mindset, and personal responsibility. His journey reflects a clear “before and after” transformation, with a strong emphasis on resilience, recovery, and the long-term process of regaining control after life-altering challenges. What an amazing episode! Book: Bringing Ego to the Forefront: The First Step Toward Ego-Free Leadership – Books – Manuscripts Site: Camacho Consulting Support the show
May 15 · 37 min
S6 EP17: Zulma's Story - The Swearing Survivor!
Send us Fan Mail WARNING: VERY EXPLICIT LANGUAGE!! (Which we thoroughly enjoyed!) This week, The Swearing Therapist, Zulma Williams, joins us for a brilliant episode! Founder of Dragonfly Therapy Services, Psychotherapist, and Inspirational Public Speaker, A leading expert in trauma, anxiety, and depression, her work helps clients overcome life challenges to reach their full potential. Zulma was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated to the United States at age 31. At age 42, she started her Bachelor of Social Work program. A few weeks after graduating at 46, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy, moved back to Argentina for three years, and in 2015 moved back to the United States. She started her Master of Social Work program at age 50 and became fully licensed in 2018. In 2025, she celebrated her 60th birthday in Hawaii. She has always loved the ocean, and those four days truly inspired her to find a way to live on the beach. Since she could not afford to live in Hawaii or California, she moved to Panama in December of 2025. Now, she can hear the waves and see the ocean from her bedroom window. She is witty, passionate, likes to keep it real, and swears a lot. She survived cancer, abusive relationships, depression, and suicidal ideation, but never considered herself a victim. Her mission is to inspire people to discover and honor the warrior inside themselves. Enjoy, and you have been warned... :) Socials https://www.dragonflytherapyservices.net https://www.instagram.com/theswearingtherapist/ https://feed.pod.co/get-real-with-zulma https://www.facebook.com/DragonflyTSLV/ https://www.youtube.com/@theswearingtherapist https://www.linkedin.com/in/zulma-williams-ab7609214/ Support the show
May 8 · 38 min
S6 EP16: Lisa's Story - Childhood Trauma, Addiction And Recovery!
Send us Fan Mail What a wonderful episode with Lisa Arrigo. Lisa talks candidly about her childhood, finding her sexuality as she grew up, and falling into her cocaine addiction. Hold on for the most shocking part of all, using with her Dad who was a Cocaine dealer! Lisa's works as a psychotherapist, helping people with anxiety, depression, addiction and PTSD among other areas! Site: Http://lisaarrigo.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/lisa.arrigo.therapy Support the show
May 1 · 29 min
S6 EP15: Catherine's Story - A Fathers Rejection At Age 5
Send us Fan Mail Catherine Hickem’s story is grounded in lived experience navigating trauma and its long-term emotional impact. Catherine's father was her everything as a child, a loving, doting, wonderful Dad. One day, when she was just 5, it all changed , out of nowhere, and her life would never be the same again. Her journey reflects how early life challenges can shape patterns, relationships, and identity—and more importantly, how those patterns can be recognized and worked through over time. Catherine talks openly about her journey back to a meaningful relationship with her father. From heartbreak to redemption. https://www.parentingadultchildrentoday.com/ Support the show
April 24 · 29 min
S6 EP14: Athena's Story - Battling Lyme Disease For Over A Decade!
Send us Fan Mail Athena Brownson was at the peak of physical fitness as a teen and into her twenties, but things began to change out of nowhere. Soon after, she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, but the diagnosis was just the beginning. Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) carrying the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, joint and muscle aches, rash, arthritis, and varying degrees of all types of auto-immune disease. It can result in death and in Athena's case, has taken her to the brink of hell and back. This episode shows how strength, resilience, and mind over matter, can triumph!! Thank you Athena! IG: https://www.instagram.com/athenabrownsonrealtor_ Support the show
April 17 · 30 min
S6 EP13: Sabine's Story - How To Change Course!
Send us Fan Mail Join me this week for a super fun and insightful conversation with Sabine Kvenberg, who embarked on the wild rollercoaster of becoming and actor at the age of 19! Her memoir, 'Gumption' takes us along for the ride! According to Sabine, you don’t need to be wealthy, gifted, or well-connected to live an extraordinary life. You just need Gumption. Sabine believes that we can all recover from the feeling of “not special enough.” This episode is raw, authentic, heartbreaking, and triumphant! Sabine shares how the power of faith, intuition, and courageous action can help anyone overcome fear, self-doubt, and limitation. Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/become-empowered/id1565571415 Website: www.SabineKvenberg.com Resources: www.sabinekvenberg.com/resources Book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gumption-sabine-kvenberg/1148750776?ean=9781636989150 Support the show
April 3 · 33 min
S6 EP12: Dale's Story - 12 Months To Live, And I'm Still Here!
Send us Fan Mail Dale Atkinson was Diagnosed with stage IV cancer, and given 11-12 months to live, this date has long since expired! HIs diagnosis was just weeks after finding out his wife had Lung Cancer. Both are very much still here, and Dale comes on the show to tell us how it all transpired, and the measures he is talking to stay alive. Dale has built his own path with evidence, food, and resilience, and he shares that journey, and how nutrition, health hacks, and the science keeps me alive! We love this episode so much! Thank you Dale, here is to you and your family! LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalejatkinson www.thelifeorganic.com www.peakhealthandfitness.co.uk Support the show
March 27 · 29 min
S6 EP11: Ev's Story - Change Is Hard, But Worth It!
Send us Fan Mail Ev Foster joins us this week for a wonderful and raw conversation about the power of change! Many of us think we have to settle for what we have in our relationships, our jobs, but most of us have a choice. Ev went through a tough divorce with 4 x children and soon after started a business, that she eventually walked away from, again, because she made a choice! It didn't feel right and was causing stress, anxiety, and debt! Below is Ev's website and details about her book too! https://changestartswithchoice.co.uk/ Support the show
March 20 · 36 min
S6 EP10 Michael's Story - Stress Nearly Killed Me!
Send us Fan Mail After 30 years in accounting, Michael Hirshorne hit a period of burnout, financial strain, and personal loss that forced a deep identity reckoning. His story centers on hitting rock bottom, to the point he was hospitalized with stress. And so began the reconstruction of his life purpose from scratch. it’s a strong personal transformation and a story of hope for all of us! Site: www.heaveniswithin.com Support the show
March 12 · 28 min
S6 EP9: Dr Qureshi's Story - COVID Frontline Trauma & Identity Reckoning
Send us Fan Mail As a Doctor, working in multiple hospitals on the front lines during COVID, Dr Furhan Qureshi witnessed prolonged exposure to death, distrust in medicine, and moral injury inside overwhelmed systems. His story shows what repeated crisis does to a physician’s identity, faith in systems, and personal resilience. To add, Dr Q was going through a tough divorce art the exact time Covid hit. He was traumatized. Dr Q also shares some expose of what really happened behind the scenes during the hardest ties of the Covid Pandemic. Buckle up! Links: Business IG : @nooresthetiquewc Personal IG: @furhanqureshiMD www.glowwithnoor.com Support the show
February 20 · 26 min
S6 EP8: Miles' Story - An Unquenchable Thirst For Adventure!
Send us Fan Mail This week we have a great conversation with Miles Spencer, and discuss his restless desire to experience as much of the world as possible, to learn from other cultures and to really test his boundaries for adventure! Over his winding path, he has found himself tested by both boardroom chaos and adventures that had no margin for error. He helped co-create MoneyHunt, which aired on PBS as a predecessor to Shark Tank, and while those studio lights were bright, they were nothing compared to leading more than 1,500 people in kayaks over 14 miles of open sea or walking 1,100 miles across desert in Saudi, Jordan and Syria. Each time, he was forced to confront what failure meant, and figure out how to rebuild after. Miles has founded (and exited) three media companies, with a fourth underway, but it’s the recovery from missed shots that taught him the most about grit and moving forward. Miles comes on the show, to help us continue to build community, around vulnerability and hope. Thank you Miles! https://milesspencer.com/ Support the show
February 13 · 37 min
S6 EP7: James' Story - Nearly Killed By Bee Pollen At A Restaurant!
Send us Fan Mail James Verschoyle was about to head to Thailand on a fasting retreat, and had just been to the gym when he sat down to have a healthy breakfast as suggested by the trip organizers. James didn't usually order 'plant based' options from the menu, so opted for something simple, yoghurt, fruit, and a smoothie.. but little did James know that this was very close to being his last meal, ever! Join us for this amazing, nail biter of an episode, as we hear how one meal nearly ended James' life. Find out what happened, and listen as James discusses the lasting trauma, the panic attacks, and how this event has unlocked childhood traumas and mental health conversations he didn't even know he needed to address! Fascinating and honest, thank you Jimmy! Helpline: https://mentalhealthhotline.org/california/ UK Helpline: https://www.mind.org.uk/ BEE POLLEN WARNING: individuals with allergies to bee stings or severe allergies to pollen and pregnant or nursing individuals and young children under the age of two should avoid consuming bee pollen or consult with a state-licensed medical professional before using it!!! Support the show