At 18, Le-an survived Category 5 Typhoon Haiyan, when she realized that as she was about to drown in her childhood home, she decided to detach from the expectations of her family which was to become a lawyer and work abroad, to focus on building her remote career.Le-an Lai Lacaba is a serial entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, author, and certified AI consultant. Her entrepreneurial journey began at 15 as a ghostwriter. She chose to pursue a remote career and published her first books. By 20 she became a CEO, and at 23 co-founded 2xYou with a mission to create remote opportunities for 1 million Filipinos and help 10,000 entrepreneurs grow their companies.Named one of the Top 15 Most Influential Filipinos on LinkedIn (2024 & 2025) and a Business Woman of the Year finalist (2023), Le-an is a global speaker on entrepreneurship, AI delegation, and the future of remote work. She also hosts the Scale You podcast and is the author of Scale You.

Max Nijst is a Coach, Motivational Speaker, Published Author, and Podcast Host dedicated to helping individuals overcome life’s greatest challenges and step into what he calls a life of “Fearless Happyness.”As a recovering addict with 20 years of sobriety, Max brings powerful lived experience to his work, demonstrating how trauma, addiction, and adversity can become the very doorway to purpose. Through his coaching, writing, and podcast, he highlights stories of resilience and transformation — amplifying voices of those who have turned pain into power.Today, he joins us to explore addiction recovery, PTSD, mental health, and what it truly means to live fearlessly.

In this episode of Surviving x Zo, Zo sits down with LisaBeth “LB” Thomas, who opens up about losing everything after divorce and financial collapse -and how she rebuilt her life from the ground up.Now a speaker, author, and nonprofit founder, LB empowers women to turn trauma into strength, reclaim their confidence, and take bold action. She also shares her mission to protect children online and uplift women through education and community.A powerful reminder: your lowest moment can become your greatest turning point.

In this episode of Surviving x Zo, Zo sits down with Blanca E. Rodriguez, founder of Wounded Healer, LLC, who shares how she turned her own trauma into a powerful path of healing.With nearly two decades of experience across holistic wellness, coaching, and fitness, Blanca now helps others transform both emotionally and physically. From supporting survivors to mentoring and giving back through rescue work, her mission is rooted in healing from the inside out. A deeply grounding conversation about resilience, purpose, and becoming your own healer.

In this episode of Surviving x Zo, Zo sits down with Phyllis Leavitt, a psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience helping survivors heal from abuse and neglect.Drawing from both her professional work and personal journey, Phyllis shares how early trauma shapes our sense of belonging, relationships, and identity - and how awareness can be the first step toward real healing. We also explore her book America in Therapy and the idea that the same tools used to heal individuals can transform entire communities.A powerful, thought-provoking conversation about healing, growth, and rewriting your story.

In this episode of Surviving x Zo, Sunshine shares her journey from addiction to spiritual empowerment. A psychic medium, Reiki Master, High Priestess & founder of The Sovereign Phoenix, she transformed her sobriety into a path rooted in ritual, magick & radical self-love. We explore recovery as spiritual rebirth, reclaiming identity after shame & building sacred community. This conversation is bold, mystical & grounded in real resilience.

New York creative & Jo Beth shares her journey of growing up in a fundamentalist Christian environment untangling control, trauma & perfectionism. Living with ADHD & a dysregulated nervous system, she speaks openly about rebuilding a life & career while still healing. This episode is about creative reclamation, authenticity & rising while putting the pieces back together.

Certified life coach & mental health advocate Samantha DeMarco opens up about surviving sexual & narcissistic abuse, religious trauma, divorce, losing her mother, & being diagnosed with ADHD later in life. This episode dives into rebuilding identity, soft resilience & learning that strength doesn’t have to be hard. Raw, honest, and deeply empowering- Samantha reminds us that healing can be both powerful & human.