How I Survived

What happens when the person you loved, the person you trusted with your future, wasn’t who they said they were? And ends up stealing your life savings.  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. Marie Claire Australia Editor Georgie McCourt sits down with author, advocate and marketing executive Tracy Hall, whose extraordinary story became known through the hit investigative podcast Who the Hell Is Hamish? Tracy was Hamish McLaren’s final known victim, after an 18-month relationship, she discovered that the man she knew as Max Tavita was in fact one of Australia’s most notorious con men. He had stolen $317,000 of her life savings.  Now, years after her story first captivated listeners, Tracy joins Georgie to tell the story in her own words. From falling in love with a man who appeared to share her values and ambitions, to discovering that almost everything she knew about him was a lie.  Tracy takes us inside the sophisticated manipulation that kept her from seeing what was happening, including the slow-building relationship, the carefully manufactured similarities, future promises and conversations about money that ultimately led to her investing her savings. She explains why romance scams aren’t about intelligence or naivety, why anyone can be vulnerable to manipulation, and why the shame should belong with the perpetrator, not the victim.  She also talks about The Last Victim, her memoir about the experience, and the work she is now doing to advocate for safer online dating, financial empowerment and a different way of talking about victims of scams. She explains why she believes dating apps need stronger identity verification, what happened when she discovered Hamish had appeared on a dating app again, and why she wants better safeguards in place before her own daughter enters the world of online dating.  And in one of the most timely parts of the conversation, Tracy explores the next generation of deception, AI scams, deepfakes and voice cloning and why “trust literacy” may become as important as financial and digital literacy.  This episode covers:  Tracy Hall’s role as Hamish McLaren’s last known victim  Her story as featured in Who the Hell Is Hamish?  Meeting Hamish, who she knew as Max Tavita, on a dating app  How an 18-month relationship was carefully constructed  The manipulation tactics and warning signs she missed  How $317,000 of her savings was stolen  Why intelligent, successful people can become victims of romance scams  The psychological impact of intimate fraud and betrayal  Rebuilding her confidence, identity and ability to trust  Becoming financially empowered after the scam  Writing The Last Victim  Victim blaming and the language we use around scams  Why dating apps need stronger safety measures  Hamish McLaren appearing on a dating app after his release  Dating again and learning to trust herself  “Trust literacy” and navigating deception in the digital age. AI scams, deepfakes and voice cloning  Why shame belongs with the perpetrator, not the victim  Stay up to date with Marie Claire Australia on Instagram @marieclaireau 🎧 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. https://www.youtube.com/marieclaire 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.

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.

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.

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.CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains themes of abuse, 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. 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. The episode: In this powerful and deeply personal episode of You’re Gonna Want To Hear This, marieclaire editor Georgie McCourt speaks with Danielle Bensky - a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’strafficking network - about grooming, silence, survival and the long road to reclaiming yourvoice. Before the headlines and court cases, Bensky was a 17-year-old ballerina in New York withdreams of a career in dance. In this conversation, she reflects on how the intense culture ofballet - with its pressure for perfection, body scrutiny and constant need for approval - createdvulnerabilities that Epstein later exploited. Bensky shares how she was first introduced to Epstein while searching for ways to earnmoney as a teenager, and how what began with conversation and flattery slowly becamemanipulation, coercion and abuse. She also speaks candidly about the moment her mother’sbrain tumour diagnosis deepened Epstein’s control over her life. But this episode is not only about what happened inside Epstein’s world. It’s also about whatcame after: the years of silence, the trauma and dissociation that followed, and the healingpower of creativity, community and finally speaking the truth. Today, Bensky is an advocate for survivors and accountability. In this moving conversation,she explains why telling the story matters - not only for justice, but for the countlesssurvivors who still feel too ashamed or frightened to speak. Her message is simple but powerful: you are not alone. In this episode we discuss: Danielle Bensky’s life as a teenage ballerina in New York How grooming and manipulation often begin with trust and promises The culture of vulnerability within the dance world The moment Epstein used her mother’s illness as leverage Why so many people around Epstein remained silent Trauma, dissociation and the long path to healing How art and movement helped Bensky reconnect with her body The power of survivor communities Why speaking out can help break cycles of shame and silence A note to listeners:This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse, trafficking and trauma. Listener discretionis advised. Resources:If this conversation raises difficult feelings for you, support is available. 1800RESPECT - 1800 737 732 Lifeline - 13 11 14 Follow Danielle Bensky on Instagram here @dbinthesky See more:  Jeffrey Epstein Survivors Margot Robbie Things Changing In Hollywood  👀Watch and listen to the full episode of You’re Gonna Want To Hear This  here and wherever you get your podcasts.  Visit Marie Claire for style and substance See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  Learn More:  You're Gonna Want to Hear This is a production of Marie Claire and Are Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.