Victoria Cuore Founder & CEO of A Contagious Smile, LLC and A Contagious Smile Academy and this week’s featured Woman of Wisdom.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do professionally.
I am a wife, a mother to an extraordinary daughter with special needs, a survivor of extreme domestic violence, a special needs individual myself, and the proud Founder and CEO of A Contagious Smile.
I first created A Contagious Smile as a safe, judgment-free community for survivors of abuse and special needs families, because I know firsthand what it’s like to fight your way out alone. I’ve survived over 100 surgeries, permanent implanted devices, and a system that failed me repeatedly. I had no support. So I built it.
From that foundation, I launched our globally ranked podcast, where survivors, parents, veterans, individuals in recovery, special needs kids, and advocates come together to share their truth. And from there, I created A Contagious Smile Academy alongside my husband, Michael, and our daughter, Faith. A full-scale, trauma-informed education platform offering free and low-cost courses for families like mine.
Professionally, everything I do revolves around this simple belief: No one should ever have to heal alone.
What do you enjoy most about your profession, and why did you choose it in the first place? What was the inspiration for your company/project?
I love watching people rise. I love it when someone who once felt broken suddenly realizes they’re not just whole, they’re unstoppable.
I didn’t choose this profession. I created it.
After escaping an abusive marriage that left me permanently disabled, I had to fight every day just to be heard, to care for my child, to survive emotionally and physically. I was silenced, dismissed, and abandoned, so I decided to be the voice for others who felt voiceless.
A Contagious Smile wasn’t built as a business. It was built as a lifeline. I became what I needed when I had no one, and now I get to be that lifeline for others.
Tell us about any new projects you have coming up (or recently completed).
We just launched one of my favorite projects ever, The Stucco Squad Olympics, a free, laughter-filled course created just for neurodiverse and exceptional children. It builds confidence, celebrates individuality, and gives kids a chance to feel proud of who they are, not in spite of their differences, but because of them.
We also recently received the 2025 Best of Transformative Trauma Advocacy Award from INSIDER Weekly. That kind of recognition tells me we’re making the impact I dreamed of.
What is a typical day like for you?
My days are anything but ordinary; they are full, fierce, and fueled by love.
I’m a homeschooling mom to a brilliant, medically complex daughter who’s had more surgeries than birthdays. I’m also a left-arm amputee living with chronic pain, running a trauma-informed company and academy, advocating for families in crisis, and producing a globally ranked podcast… all while doing dishes, juggling doctor appointments, and making sure there’s dinner on the table.
And somehow, in the middle of the mess and the mission, I still find time to laugh with my daughter, snuggle with my husband, hold space for a survivor in tears, and build resources for people I may never meet, but will never stop fighting for.
My life is a beautiful collision of chaos and purpose. It’s not polished. But it’s real. And every day, I choose to live it with grace, grit, and a contagious smile.
Tell us about your community involvement — what are you passionate about outside of work and home and why?
Everything I do revolves around service. Outside of the academy, I provide court-admissible parenting plans and formal advocacy for survivors, many of whom are up against abusers who manipulate courts and professionals. I also offer public speaking, special needs support groups, and pro bono consulting for those who can not afford help.
Because I was that woman, with no help, no voice, no support. So now I am the woman with the voice.
What is the biggest risk you ever took professionally and/or the biggest obstacle you have overcome?
The biggest risk was sharing my story with the world. I knew I would be judged. I knew there would be backlash. But I also knew others were waiting in the dark, wondering if anyone would ever speak their truth, too.
The biggest obstacle? Surviving and surviving the abuse. Surviving the surgeries. Surviving while raising my daughter alone. But the most challenging part wasn’t the pain. It was rebuilding everything from scratch, with one arm and a promise.
From where do you draw inspiration? Who have been your role models, mentors, etc?
My daughter is my greatest inspiration. She has faced more medical battles in her young life than most adults ever will, and through it all, she still radiates joy. She is the very definition of courage wrapped in grace. Every time I feel like giving up, I look at her, and I remember exactly why I can’t.
My husband is also one of my strongest sources of inspiration. He is my partner in every sense of the word, a veteran, a protector, and a man who saw my scars and loved me not in spite of them, but because of the strength they represent. His unwavering support helps hold me up so I can hold others.
I draw deep inspiration from the survivors I get to help every day, especially the ones who never had the chance to speak their truth, who are still trapped in silence or shame. I speak for them every time I tell my story.
And the special needs children I work with? They’re warriors in little bodies. The way they adapt, love fiercely, and push forward despite endless challenges… They remind me that resilience isn’t just learned, it’s lived.
I may be the founder, but they are the fuel behind everything I create.
What’s the most important thing people should know about you?
That A Contagious Smile isn’t a brand; It’s my heartbeat.
This isn’t a business I started. It’s a life I rebuilt, and then offered to others like a lifeline. I don’t clock out. I don’t shut it off. I live this, breathe this, am this, because I’ve walked through the kind of fire most people don’t survive.
Every course I design, every podcast I record, every survivor I help is rooted in the truth that I once had no one. And now I am someone, for everyone who still feels unseen, unheard, and unworthy.
I’m not just an advocate. I’m living proof that broken bones, broken trust, and broken hearts don’t mean a broken future.
And I’m here to show the world that healing doesn’t wait for permission; it just needs someone to believe it’s possible.
What do you do to keep yourself sharp?
I stay sharp by staying soft, by listening with my heart wide open.
I listen to survivors who are speaking their truth for the very first time. I listen to parents who are barely holding it together. I listen to children whose silence says more than words ever could. I listen to those who don’t feel heard anywhere else, because I remember exactly what that felt like.
That’s where my strength comes from. Not from textbooks or titles, but from the sacred trust of people letting me into their pain.
It humbles me. It fuels me. And it reminds me every day why I will never stop showing up.
What one thing have you done in the past year that has made a significant difference in your life or business?
This past year, I leaned all the way in. I stopped playing small, stopped waiting for permission, and launched programs that were sitting in my heart for too long. I stopped apologizing for being bold, and I started expanding in ways that are changing lives.
What one thing would you like to learn this year?
I want to learn how to secure more funding and grants so I can continue offering scholarships and free services to those who need them most, especially those falling through the cracks.
How would you describe yourself in a single sentence?
A battle-scarred phoenix who uses every flame to light the way for someone else.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In five years, I see A Contagious Smile operating on a global scale, with physical retreat centers, multilingual advocacy teams, and a catalog of life-changing programs available to families, survivors, and veterans around the world.
I want to change systems, change hearts, and make healing accessible for everyone.
What do you do for fun/relaxation/entertainment?
We are big believers in laughter therapy in our home! I love spending time with my husband, daughter, and our golden retrievers, Stucco and Rusty.
Designing fun, silly courses for kids, especially those with special needs, has become a creative outlet that’s both healing and deeply fulfilling. There’s something magical about helping a child feel proud of who they are while laughing through a lesson designed just for them.
When I need to process more deeply, I write. I’ve authored dozens of books and journals, including my memoir Who Kicked First, and its raw, unflinching prequel Narc Narc Who’s There. Writing has given me space to turn pain into power, and now that power gives others permission to do the same.
Even in relaxation, my heart never stops reaching. Through our academy, I offer scholarships and sliding-scale access because I refuse to turn anyone away. If someone wants to heal, grow, or laugh again, I’ll find a way to make sure they can. That’s not a policy. That’s a promise.
What’s the best way for readers to connect with you?
Website: www.AContagiousSmile.com
Podcast: A Contagious Smile (Available everywhere)
Facebook: @AContagiousSmile
Instagram: @a_contagious_smile1
YouTube: AContagiousSmile100
Academy: acontagioussmile.
