Discover the transformative power of resilience and personal growth in "Challenges That Change Us," a captivating podcast hosted by Ali Flynn. Join Ali as she engages in heartfelt conversations with individuals who have triumphed over adversity or possess invaluable expertise in navigating life's obstacles. Dive into their captivating journeys, delving into both the peaks and valleys of their experiences. Through these gripping narratives, guests impart profound insights and invaluable lessons learned along their transformative paths. Whether seeking motivation or a fresh perspective, "Challenges That Change Us" provides the ultimate source of inspiration for all who tune in.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Publisher
Ali Flynn
Category
health & fitness · religion & spirituality · society & culture
223 {Maggie Walter} Living with multiple personally disorder (D.I.D)
Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of childhood physical and sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, complex trauma, dissociation, self-harm, suicidal ideation, family violence and grief.
What happens when your mind finds a way to protect you from trauma so severe that you can't even remember much of your own childhood?
Maggie Walters is an award-winning author and mental health advocate living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder. After experiencing severe abuse throughout her childhood, Maggie developed a system of around 40 alters who helped her survive experiences she couldn't process herself. Now, through her memoirs Split and Fractured Motherhood, Maggie is challenging the stigma surrounding DID, sharing what life is really like with the condition, and exploring how she has worked to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma while raising her three children.
In this episode she shares:
How her childhood trauma led to her developing Dissociative Identity Disorder
Her experience discovering she had multiple personalities and coming to terms with her diagnosis
How her alters protect her and why she calls her childhood memories "postcard memories"
What everyday life looks like living with around 40 alters
Understanding dissociation, trauma triggers and the shame that can come with them
The importance of therapy, support and learning to accept all parts of herself
Her experience of becoming a mother and breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma
How she navigates forgiveness without excusing the abuse she experienced
Key Quotes
"I don't have a mental disorder. I created an amazingly- creative coping mechanism in order to survive horrific circumstances."
"I'm standing here because of who I am. Not in spite of who I am."
"I just want people to know that when you've had trauma, it's not your fault."
More about Maggie
Follow Maggie via her website (http://www.maggie-walters.com/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/maggiewalters_writer/?hl=en) and LinkedIn (http://linkedin.com/in/maggie-walters-author?originalSubdomain=au).
You can get involved with the podcast online
On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus (https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus)
Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus
If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com (mailto:support@challengesthatchangeus.com)
Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com (http://www.challengesthatchangeus.com/)
If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:
http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au (http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
4 Oct 2026
Flashback {Di Leal} In 40 days my daughter, husband and I got cancer
For the first time in 4 years we are pausing the podcast for a couple of weeks. I love doing it, but sometimes life has other plans. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and while I am ok, I need to free up space for family and medical appointments.
I’m not fully disappearing and will be recording in advance. While I’m away we are releasing some of our most listened to episodes.
For this episode I am so excited to introduce you to a guest who is extremely special to me. I want to introduce you to my beautiful Aunty Di.
This is a story that when you see it on paper you think, there is no way that so much could happen to one family at one time.
In the space of forty days, my Uncle Barry, Aunty Di and cousin Laura were all diagnosed with cancer and this was all during the peak of the covid pandemic in the UK.
Their resilience and zest for life is extraordinary and for anyone going through or is going through the cancer world you know how challenging it can be and I am still blown away by how these guys tackled this head on.
In this episode Di shares:
The journey her family took to relocate to the UK as her sister died from cancer
Living through the covid pandemic with an immune compromised husband
What it felt like to suffer from long covid
Discovering her husband had cancer, then shingles
How she felt discovering she had breast cancer shortly after her husband started cancer treatment
The devastating moment they discovered her daughter also had breast cancer
What happened when her husband did get struck by covid
Key Quotes
“We went 6 weeks from being a perfectly normal family to 3/4 of it having a cancer diagnosis to deal with.”
“We thought cancer was bad, we knew nothing about covid.”
You can get involved with the podcast online
On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus (https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus)
Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus
If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:
http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au (http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au)
For her other business you can find it through the websites:
www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au (http://www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au)
Or you can follow them on Instagram:
@Altitudefitnessarmidale
@trialtitudeperformance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
27 Sept 2026
Flashback {Martin Broad} Losing the ability to move and talk in 48 hours
For the first time in 4 years we are pausing the podcast for a couple of weeks. I love doing it, but sometimes life has other plans. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and while I am ok, I need to free up space for family and medical appointments.
I’m not fully disappearing and will be recording in advance. While I’m away we are releasing some of our most listened to episodes.
This episode’s guest is Martin Broad, an accountant Broad who fell victim to Guillain-Barre
syndrome, a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks your nerves. It can eventually spread, eventually paralysing the whole body, which happened to Martin to the point he could only communicate with his eyes.
In this episode Martin shares:
What the first moments felt like as Guillain-Barre syndrome started to take effect
Just how bad things got for him while in hospital
What it felt like being trapped in his own body
The impact this challenge had on his family and life
His long road to recovery and how he kept the mindset he needed to recover
Key Quotes
“So all I had was the function in my eyes, so the rest of my body completely shut down.”
“You've still got to be entertaining hope of some sort.”
“You’ve got to make those steps knowing full well that you could fall left or right.”
“You’ve gotta know when the good times are on.”
More About Martin Broad
If you need help with accounting you can find Martin’s business here: https://www.broadaccounting.com.au/about-us/ (https://www.broadaccounting.com.au/about-us/)
You can get involved with the podcast online
On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus (https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus)
Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus
If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:
http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au (http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au)
For her other business you can find it through the websites:
www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au (http://www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au)
Or you can follow them on Instagram:
@Altitudefitnessarmidale
@trialtitudeperformance
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
77 ratings
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