How I Survived

She was told she wouldn’t survive. Years later, she’s a Paralympic gold medallist. This is the extraordinary story of Alexa Leary.
A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners!
We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/youre-gonna-want-to-hear-this/id1849312864
From extraordinary stories of survival and resilience to raw, intimate conversations about style, substance and the moments that change us, these are the stories you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished listening.
If you love How I Survived, you’re gonna to want to hear this.
And if you like what you hear, head over to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, and you’ll get a brand-new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.
Paralympic gold medallist Alexa Leary joins us for one of the most raw and powerful conversations we’ve ever had. At just 19, Alexa was involved in a catastrophic cycling accident that left her with a severe traumatic brain injury. Doctors told her family she wouldn’t survive. She lost her memory, had to relearn how to walk and talk, and now describes herself as living a “second life.”In this episode, Alexa opens up about the reality of brain injury - the emotional highs and lows, the loss of friendships, the struggle to regulate her behaviour, and the daily challenges most people never see.She shares what it felt like to be told she might die, what recovery really looked like behind hospital doors, and how she went from ICU to standing on the Paralympic podium.We also talk about her new book Sink or Swim, why she’s chosen to tell her story so honestly, and the message she wants every woman to hear.This is a story about resilience, identity, and what it truly means to start again.
In this episode, we cover:
The accident Alexa can’t remember - and the moment everything changed
Being told she wouldn’t survive
What it’s really like living with a traumatic brain injury
Losing friendships and rebuilding relationships
Emotional regulation, anger and recovery
From hospital bed to Paralympic gold
Why she says she’s living a “second life”
The truth behind her memoir Sink or Swim
Learning to love and accept herself again
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What if leaving your faith meant losing everyone you'd ever loved?
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains themes of childhood abuse, physical punishment, sexual trauma and coercive control. If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call 000. For confidential 24/7 crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au. Support is also available through Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or at beyondblue.org.au.
A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners!
We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This.
From extraordinary stories of survival and resilience to raw, intimate conversations about style, substance and the moments that change us, these are the stories you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished listening.
If you love How I Survived, you’re gonna to want to hear this.
And if you like what you hear, head over to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, and you’ll get a brand-new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.
What if leaving your faith meant losing everyone you'd ever loved?
This week on You're Gonna Want To Hear This, Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt speaks with author Bek Condello about her extraordinary journey out of one of Australia's most controlling Pentecostal churches.
Raised inside the Geelong Revival Centre, Bek grew up believing the outside world was dangerous. Every aspect of life, from education and friendships to marriage and work was dictated by church leaders. Curiosity was discouraged, obedience was demanded, and fear shaped almost every decision.
In this deeply personal conversation, Bek reflects on the childhood she now recognises as abusive, the lasting impact of religious trauma and the heartbreaking reality that leaving meant losing her family, community and identity.
She also opens up about purity culture, consent, body shame, marrying to escape one form of control only to enter another, and the years it took to trust herself and build a life on her own terms.
Today, Bek has transformed unimaginable loss into purpose. As the state of Victoria investigates high-control religious groups, she explains why sharing her story has become about much more than personal healing... it's about helping others recognise coercion, reclaim their autonomy and know they're not alone.
This episode covers:
Growing up inside the Geelong Revival Centre
How high-control religions shape identity
Religious trauma and childhood abuse
The psychological impact of fear-based faith
Purity culture, consent and bodily autonomy
Escaping a controlling church
Rebuilding life after leaving a cult
Learning to trust yourself again
Why leaving is a process, not a single moment
Bek's advocacy for survivors of coercive religious groups
Can You Handle a Girl Like Me? by Bek Condello is available from mid-July.
Stay up to date with Marie Claire Australia on Instagram
🎧 Listen to You're Gonna Want to Hear This and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
👀 Watch and subscribe to You're Gonna Want to Hear This on YouTube 📺 for full episodes and clips.
Credits:
Host Georgie McCourt
Edited by Leah Porges
Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our amazing team at Marie Claire
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You're Gonna Want to Hear This is a production of Marie Claire and Are Media.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could you survive a volcanic eruption? It's a question Stephanie Browitt never thought she'd have to answer. And yet in 2019, a volcanic eruption on New Zealand’s White Island changed Stephanie's life forever. At just 23, she suffered burns to 70 per cent of her body and lost her younger sister, Krystal, and her father, Paul, in the tragedy. Seven years later, she's written a book about it. Out Of The Ashes has just been published, co-written with her mother Marie.
A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners!
We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This.
From extraordinary stories of survival and resilience to raw, intimate conversations about style, substance and the moments that change us, these are the stories you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished listening.
If you love How I Survived, you’re gonna to want to hear this.
And if you like what you hear, head over to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, and you’ll get a brand-new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.
In this episode of marie claire's podcast You’re Gonna Want To Hear This, Stephanie shares, in extraordinary detail, what it felt like to be caught in the eruption - the moment she heard the bang, the fight to stay conscious, and the thought that kept her alive - getting back to her mum.What you'll hear is a deeply moving conversation about survival, grief, and recovery. Stephanie speaks openly about the physical and emotional toll of her injuries, the long road back, and the moment she had to relearn how to see love again. Today, she is an advocate for body positivity and resilience, using her story to challenge perceptions of beauty, strength, and what it means to rebuild a life after unimaginable loss. This episode is confronting, powerful, and ultimately, a story about love.In this episode, we discuss:
The moment the White Island volcano erupted
The fight to stay conscious and survive
The loss of Stephanie’s father and sister
The role of her mother in her survival and recovery
The realities of burn recovery and rehabilitation
Body image, identity, and learning to live with scars
Grief, resilience, and rebuilding a life
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts
Follow You’re Gonna Want To Hear This for new episodes every week
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to put a name and a story to every woman and child lost to violence? For more than a decade, journalist and activist Sherele Moody has been documenting the lives behind the statistics, creating a record of Australia’s femicides through Australian Femicide Watch and the Red Heart Movement. But this isn’t just advocacy for Sherele, it’s very personal.
A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners!
We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This.
From extraordinary stories of survival and resilience to raw, intimate conversations about style, substance and the moments that change us, these are the stories you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished listening.
If you love How I Survived, you’re gonna to want to hear this.
And if you like what you hear, head over to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, and you’ll get a brand-new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.
This week on You're Gonna Want To Hear This, Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt is joined by Sherele Moody to share the story that changed her life - the moment she discovered her stepfather was responsible for the murder of two young girls. A revelation that would go on to shape her life’s work.
From a childhood marked by abuse and instability, to building one of the most significant databases of violence against women in Australia, Sherele speaks with unflinching honesty about trauma, survival, and the cost of speaking out.
She also unpacks the systemic failures that continue to put women at risk - and why the question isn’t why women stay, but why it remains so difficult to leave.
This episode covers:
The personal story behind Sherele’s activism
The reality of femicide in Australia - and what the numbers miss
Why domestic violence systems are failing women
The emotional toll of documenting over 3,000 deaths
How community, connection and action can drive change
If this conversation raises issues for you, support is available.
In Australia, contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or Lifeline (13 11 14).
To find out more about Sherele's work, go to australianfemicidewatch.org
🎧 Listen now to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This 🎧
👀 Watch You’re Gonna Want to Hear This on YouTube 📺
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the person who was meant to protect you was the one you needed protection from? This is a story of survival, resilience and reclaiming your voice after years of being silenced. Jess also speaks publicly for the first time about living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), sharing what it's really like to live with a condition that is so often misunderstood.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains themes of childhood abuse and coercive control. If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call 000. For confidential 24/7 crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit lifeline.org.au. Support is also available through Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or at beyondblue.org.au.
A special bonus series for How I Survived listeners!
We’re bringing you some of the best stories of survival from Marie Claire's podcast, You’re Gonna Want To Hear This.
From extraordinary stories of survival and resilience to raw, intimate conversations about style, substance and the moments that change us, these are the stories you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished listening.
If you love How I Survived, you’re gonna to want to hear this.
And if you like what you hear, head over to You’re Gonna Want To Hear This wherever you listen to or watch your podcasts. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, and you’ll get a brand-new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.
This week on You're Gonna Want To Hear This, Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt speaks with world champion runner Jess Denham, who is telling her story publicly after years of being unable to do so.
Raised in isolation and controlled by her parents, Jess appeared to be a sporting prodigy. But behind closed doors, she was enduring unimaginable abuse. Today, both of her parents are in prison for those crimes.
In this deeply personal conversation, Jess also shares why she's fighting for stronger protections for survivors and helping change the way Australia responds to sexual violence.
This episode covers:
Growing up as a homeschooled child prodigy under total parental control
Living a hidden double life as a champion runner while surviving abuse
Isolation as a tool of abuse and why escape felt impossible
Finding the courage to report abuse to police
Living with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and dismantling the stigma around it
How trauma shapes the brain and body in survival mode
Rebuilding trust, identity and community after a lifetime of betrayal
Healing through art and creative expression
The fight against victim-blaming and sensationalized media reporting
Advocating for stronger protection of survivors' counseling records
A message of hope for survivors: "you're not your worst chapter"
Stay up to date with Marie Claire Australia on Instagram
🎧 Listen to You're Gonna Want to Hear This and follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
👀 Watch and subscribe to You're Gonna Want to Hear This on YouTube 📺 for full episodes and clips.
Credits:
Host Georgie McCourt
Edited by Helen Smith
Head of Vodcasting Rachel Fountain
With thanks to our amazing team at Marie Claire
You're Gonna Want to Hear This is a production of Marie Claire and Are Media.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.