How I Survived

Trapped in the desert for THREE NIGHTS

How I Survived

Show Notes

Setting off to hike to the Lost Palms Oasis, hidden deep within the Joshua Tree National Park, 35-year-old Kiwi Claire Nelson couldn't wait to immerse herself in the Californian desert's otherworldly beauty. She had everything she needed for ...

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Oct 22, 2026

Maggie Walters has lived a life most people could barely comprehend. Diagnosed in her twenties with Dissociative Identity Disorder, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, Maggie came to understand that her mind had created different parts, or “alters”, to help her survive severe childhood trauma.

Oct 14, 2026

Tracy Hall thought she had met the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Instead, she discovered that the man she knew as Max Tavita was actually convicted con man Hamish McLaren and that he had stolen $317,000 from her. Tracy joins Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt to reveal how the romance scam unfolded, how she rebuilt her life and learned to trust herself again, and why she is now fighting for safer online dating in an age of increasingly sophisticated scams, AI and deepfakes.

Oct 7, 2026

How do you keep going after losing your child? Dr Lucy Hone lost her twelve-year-old daughter, Abi, in a tragic road accident. What followed was an extraordinary journey through grief, resilience and learning how to live again. 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. Now before 2014, today’s guest, Dr Lucy Hone, was a resilience psychologist studying how people cope with stress, uncertainty and change. She was immersed in the science of flourishing, working with schools, organisations and emergency response teams – and basically, helping others navigate unwanted disruption. And then, on a bright morning in May 2014, her twelve-year-old daughter Abi was killed in a road accident. As a mother of an almost 12 year old daughter (and a 13 year old daughter), this feels excruciatingly heartbreaking to me. How do you actually get over something so unimaginably tragic? I honestly can’t imagine I ever could. In an instant, everything Lucy understood about resilience stopped being theoretical. She needed to find a way to live with what she describes as “the difference between where your life is, and where you thought it would be.” That experience reshaped her life - and her work. Today, Lucy is an internationally recognised resilience expert, bestselling author and the voice behind one of the most watched TED Talks of recent years, Three Secrets of Resilient People. Her new book 'How Will I Ever Get Through This?' has just been published. Lucy's message remains grounded and human: tough times are affected times are part of life - and with the right tools, we can all find our way through. Yes, we really can. In this episode, we talk about the myths of grief - including why the five stages don’t tell the whole story. We unpack why grief can be so physically exhausting. We explore intrusive rumination, post-traumatic growth, and bravery that looks like simply getting up and showing up again the next day. This is a conversation about loss. But it’s also a conversation about love, meaning and choosing life, even when it feels unbearable. We talk about: Why most people are more resilient than they think The concept of oscillation - how you can live and grieve at the same time The difference between toxic positivity and pragmatic hope Post-traumatic growth (and why 60% of people experience it) The quiet bravery of getting up again tomorrow Thank you for listening ❤️ But before you leave... 🗣️ Get in touch What did you think? We are a brand new podcast and would love to hear from you as we build this together. Join our friendly marie claire community and share your thoughts (link DM us on Instagram) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 30, 2026

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 Follow & Listen Don’t forget to follow, rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 23, 2026

At 17, Danielle Bensky was a ballerina in New York with dreams of making it in dance. She thought she had found a way to earn some extra money. Instead, she was drawn into Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network and spent years carrying the silence, trauma and shame that followed. Now, Danielle is telling her story: of grooming, manipulation, survival and what it took to finally reclaim her voice.

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