How I Survived

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.

When everyone else swam for shore, Charlie Verco paddled the other way: straight towards a great white shark. On a clear, busy Saturday morning at Coogee Beach in June 2026, the 25-year-old surf lifesaver and elite board paddler was training when a woman, Leah Stewart, was attacked just ahead of him. What he did next made headlines around the world.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains detailed descriptions of a shark attack and serious injury that some listeners may find distressing.
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.
More on Charlie Verco's incredible story of courage:
Charlie grew up a North Bondi nipper and is now one of the country’s best ocean paddlers, the youngest ever winner of the Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard World Championships. In this conversation he walks Marie Claire Editor Georgie McCourt through the rescue minute by minute: reading the shark’s behaviour, the moment Leah was dragged under, towing her to shore one-armed when she lost consciousness, and the lifeguards and paramedics whose training saved her life on the sand.
It is a story about courage, but Charlie is uneasy with the word hero. He talks honestly about fear, adrenaline and imposter syndrome, how surf lifesaving and sport trained him to think under extreme stress, what a shark expert later told him, and why he is now urging two things: better shark safety on Australian beaches, and for people to donate blood.
In this conversation, Charlie Verco joins Marie Claire Editor Georgie McCourt to talk about the Coogee Beach shark attack, what it takes to act in a crisis, fear of the ocean, surf life saving, and why blood donation saves lives.
This episode covers:
The Coogee Beach great white shark attack: what Charlie Verco saw on Saturday 13 June 2026
Why he paddled towards the shark instead of swimming to safety
What it is like to come face to face with a great white shark
How surf lifesaving training and Ironman racing prepared him to act under extreme stress
Towing an unconscious woman to shore one-armed on a paddleboard
What a shark expert later told him about great white behaviour
The beach response: tourniquets, lifeguards and the teamwork that saved a life
Managing fear, adrenaline and the shakes after a traumatic rescue
Going back into the ocean: how Charlie feels about the water now
Shark safety in Australia: drones, detection and what he thinks needs to change
On being called a hero, and the imposter syndrome that comes with it
Why he is urging Australians to donate blood, especially O negative

If this conversation raises issues for you, support is available.
In Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support. To support the cause Charlie raises in this episode, you can donate blood through Australian Red Cross Lifeblood (O negative is especially needed in emergencies).

Donate blood (Australian Red Cross Lifeblood): https://www.lifeblood.com.au
Support Leah Stewart (family GoFundMe): https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-leah-stewart-victim-of-shark-attack-in-coogee

Follow Charlie Verco on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/char1ieverco/
🎧 Listen to You’re Gonna Want to Hear This and follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/youre-gonna-want-to-hear-this/id1849312864
Listen and follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Vsxq2nZIMJLnywOXfuxqZ
👀 Watch and subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@marieclaireau

Credits:
Host: Marie Claire Editor Georgie McCourt
Supervising Producer: Leah Porges
Head of Vodcasting: Rachel Fountain
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.

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.

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

You've been patiently waiting on new episodes of How I Survived, so please accept this little treat from us! On Marie Claire Australia's podcast, You're Gonna Want to Hear This, you'll hear extraordinary stories of style, substance and survival. If you like this incredible episode, just pop on over to wherever you like to listen to or watch your podcasts to binge the Marie Claire's incredible back catalogue. Find, follow, subscribe or hit the + on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube and you'll get a new episode in your feed every Thursday morning.
And now to Chloe & Christine's incredible story:
On an ordinary morning in a Sydney apartment building, Chloe and Christine - two neighbours who barely knew each other - were violently attacked by a stranger inside their own homes.Christine, a wellness therapist and yoga teacher, had just stepped into the shared laundry. Chloe, a photographer and mother of three, was working at her desk with her front door slightly open. Within minutes, both women were assaulted in separate random encounters by the same man - a dentist called Steven Lin from the Central Coast who has later shot dead by police. In this deeply confronting conversation, they share what happened, how they survived, and what recovery looks like just two weeks later. Their stories are raw, powerful, and ultimately grounded in resilience, instinct, and the unexpected strength that emerges in moments of crisis.
In this episode
Two parallel attacks unfold inside the same apartment building
The moment instinct takes over: fight, survival, and split-second decisions
What trauma feels like in the immediate aftermath
The emotional and physical road to recovery
Community support, kindness, and unexpected connection
The reality of women’s safety - even inside the home
Where the system is falling short, and what needs to change
Support and resources If this episode raises anything for you, support is available:
1800RESPECT (Australia)
Lifeline – 13 11 14
In an emergency, call 000
Support Chloe and Christine Links to support Chloe and Christine during their recovery are below:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/violence-survivor-support-chloes-recovery
https://www.gofundme.com/f/surviving-violence-please-support-christines-recovery
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 the four-hour hike, including plenty of water. She'd even left an extra bottle in the car for when she got back. But, in the blazing hot desert, she'd need every single drop... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.