A Contagious Smile Podcast · Victora Cuore; A Contagious Smile, Who Kicked First, Domestic Violence Survivor, Advocate, Motivational Coach, Special Needs, Abuse Support, Life Skill Classes, Special Needs Social Groups

Inside Our Fight Against Abuse, Cover-Ups, And Silence

·52 min·3 clips

Lavenna Lynn Johnson’s death is described as a suicide ruling the family did not accept.

1. A Contagious Smile Podcast centers this episode on abuse, cover-ups, family protection, and saying “I love you” before time runs out. 2. The hosts are Michael Curie and Victoria Curie, with Victoria discussing the academy and books while Michael adds military and law-enforcement experience. 3. The episode asks what people owe survivors when institutions, families, and workplaces fail to protect them. 4. Michael says the academy has given out 480 scholarships and that the program is funded “out of our own pocket.” 5. Victoria says she redesigned the Buy Me a Coffee page and posted a description asking for help so the work can continue. 6. She introduces Stucco Squad book three, When Home is Too Loud, and says it is written for children at “their eye level.” 7. The book example includes a child named Tyler hearing yelling between “daddy” and “mommy” and asking, “What can I do?” 8. Victoria says the book gives four options and repeatedly tells children they are not bad and did not cause the fighting. 9. She says the book will be paperback and eBook format, with coloring pages and activity pages included. 10. The discussion then turns to domestic-violence numbers, including the claim that 20 people every minute are abused by an intimate partner in the United States. 11. Victoria names Kentucky at 45.3% and Alaska at 43.3%, then says no state reported below 29.7%. 12. Michael says those numbers are only the reported ones and calls the overall rate “more than one in four.” 13. The episode then turns to Lavenna Lynn Johnson, identified as the daughter of John Johnson and Linda Johnson and a Missouri native. 14. Victoria says Johnson enlisted after high school, was deployed to Iraq, and had been stationed there only eight weeks before her death. 15. They say the Department of Defense ruled the death a suicide, while the father demanded to see her body and opened his own investigation. 16. The transcript describes injuries in the autopsy photos, including a broken nose, a black eye, loose teeth, corrosive burns, and a gunshot wound to the mouth. 17. The speakers also describe alleged DNA destruction after a rape kit and bloody footprints outside her living quarters. 18. Michael says the same kind of cover-up happens in military and law-enforcement settings and ties it to his own experience as an Air Force member and rookie officer. 19. The tone mixes grief, anger, and personal testimony, with long conversational stretches, side comments, and a family-table format. 20. Listeners who want abuse advocacy, military accountability, and family dynamics will likely stay; listeners who want a tightly edited interview may skip.

As heard by us

A candid, loosely shaped conversation about hard-won care, family memory, and what real affection looks like.

The conversation is candid and emotionally heavy, yet it starts in practical ground: books, academy work, and the strain of funding scholarships out of pocket with no sponsors yet.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you want a raw talk about family damage, narcissistic patterns, and what real love looks like.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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