Conversations with Dr. Vassilia

In this episode of The Hidden Story, Dr. Vassilia sits down with Anicka Newell — a 3-time Olympian and elite pole vaulter — for a conversation about fear, pressure, resilience, and what it really takes to perform at the highest level without abandoning yourself in the process. Together, they explore: What fear actually feels like at the Olympic level Why resisting fear often makes it stronger Lear...

What happens when life strips everything away, but you still choose to rise? In this powerful episode of The Hidden Story, Jonathan Music opens up about an extraordinary journey through grief, transformation, and resilience. After losing his father and mother to health issues and losing his brother to overdose, Jonathan found himself the last remaining member of his immediate family. He shares how...

What happens when the fight isn’t just in the octagon, but in your personal life, your past, and your identity as a father? In this episode of The Hidden Story, UFC fighter Andre Ewell opens up about one of the most painful chapters of his life: losing his rights to his first son and the emotional toll that reshaped how he shows up today. Andre shares how that loss continues to impact the way he p...

In this episode of The Hidden Story , I sit down with Larry Moreno - former Division I basketball player turned viral trick shot creator - to explore the story beneath the highlights. Larry opens up about growing up in an environment filled with distractions and negative influences, where it would have been easy to take a very different path. Instead, he made a conscious decision early on: to stay...

Before the NFL, before Oklahoma, before the draft—there was a 15-year-old fighting to survive a childhood marked by dysfunction. In this episode of The Hidden Story , Nic Harris shares the parts of his story most people never see: being emancipated, finding stability through an unexpected adoption, and building a future through football. When injuries took his career, Nic was forced to confront a...

In the ring, influencer and rising boxer Daryn Harris makes it look effortless. But the path that led her there was anything but easy. In this episode of The Hidden Story, Daryn opens up about the struggles behind her strength. She shares how a complicated relationship with her mother, the sudden loss of her best friend in a tragic accident, and years of anxiety shaped her early life. For a time,...

In this episode of The Hidden Story, Dr. Vassilia sits down with William Freeman, founder and CEO of People of Purpose, a Palm Beach County nonprofit dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated individuals rebuild their lives and reduce recidivism. William shares his deeply personal journey through decades of addiction, 84 arrests, and repeated prison sentences—and the turning point that led him to...

In this powerful episode, Dr. Vassilia sits down with India and her husband, known from Instagram’s 11:11 Wolves, to talk about survival, transformation, and the cost, and freedom, of living authentically. India shares her journey through incarceration, navigating life as a trans woman, the dangers many trans women face in relationships, and how faith helped her rebuild her life. Together, they di...