Nadine Macaluso (née Caridi; born December 24, 1967), formerly Belfort, is a British-born American

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

, author, internet personality, and former model. She was the second wife of the stockbroker and financial criminal Jordan Belfort, to whom she was married from 1991 to 2005. Throughout her marriage, she was referred to in the press as the "Duchess of Bay Ridge". Macaluso's marriage to Belfort was one of the subjects of Belfort's 2007 memoir, '' The Wolf of Wall Street'', and the basis of Margot Robbie's character Naomi Lapaglia in the 2013 film '' The Wolf of Wall Street''. Macaluso authored the book ''Run Like Hell: A Therapist’s Guide To Recognizing, Escaping, And Healing From Trauma Bonds''.

Biography

Macaluso was born Nadine Caridi in London. She grew up in

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Sunset Park to the north, Dyker Heights to the east, the Narrows and the Belt Parkway to the west, and Fort Hamilton Army Base and ...

and graduated from John Dewey High School. She worked as a model, represented by Elite Petite Management, and appeared in advertisement campaigns for Miller Lite. In 1992, she was featured in an advertisement campaign for Seagram that promoted the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

. Macaluso also modelled for the Wrigley Company. Macaluso met her first husband, stockbroker Jordan Belfort, at a house party in

Westhampton Beach, New York Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,721. History The village of Westhampton ...

. Belfort, who had previously been married to Denise Lombardo, ran the brokerage house

Stratton Oakmont Stratton Oakmont, Inc. was a Long Island, New York, "over-the-counter" brokerage house founded in 1989 by Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush. It defrauded many shareholders, leading to the arrest and incarceration of several executives and the c ...

. They married in 1991. She and Belfort had two children. The couple owned a luxury yacht, originally built in 1961 for Coco Chanel, that Belfort renamed ''Nadine'' after Macaluso. The yacht sank off the east coast of Sardinia in June 1996. Due to their high-profile and extravagant life style, Macaluso was referred to as the "Duchess of Bay Ridge" by the press. Belfort, who was arrested for charges involving white-collar crime, attempted to launder millions of dollars through a Swiss bank account using the name of Macaluso's aunt. While they were married, Macaluso founded a maternity company. The relationship between Macaluso and Belfort was contentious. Belfort reportedly flew 100 staff and 100 sex workers to Las Vegas for a bachelor party before their £600,000 Caribbean wedding. Belfort later bragged about having sex with Macaluso on a $3 million mattress made of $100 bills. Macaluso and Belfort separated after Macaluso made claims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, after he reportedly kicked her down the stairs of their

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

mansion, and accused Belfort of infidelity and suffering from a drug addiction. The couple divorced in 2005. Following the divorce, she moved to California. She remarried to businessman John Macaluso. She earned a master's degree and a doctoral degree in counseling and somatic psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute. She works as a therapist in marriage and

family counseling Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...

. Macaluso began using the social media platform TikTok to share her perspective on the 2013 Martin Scorsese biographical drama film '' The Wolf of Wall Street'', as she was the inspiration for the film's character Naomi Lapaglia, played by Margot Robbie. She met with Robbie and Robbie's speech coach during the making of the film. Macaluso also uses her TikTok platform to educate women on abusive relationships and emotionally manipulative behavior like gaslighting and traumatic bonding. She is the author of the book ''Run Like Hell: A Therapist's Guide To Recognizing, Escaping, And Healing From Trauma Bonds'', which was released in 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macaluso, Nadine Living people 1967 births 21st-century American psychologists American female models American people of Italian descent American psychotherapists American relationships and sexuality writers American self-help writers American socialites American TikTokers American women non-fiction writers American women psychologists Family therapists John Dewey High School alumni Models from London Models from New York City People from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Relationship education Pacifica Graduate Institute alumni