Episode 38

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Published on:

7th Sep 2025

How ‘Firm Foundations’ Was Built on Brokenness

What happens when fear becomes your comfort zone? For Carolyn J. Murphy, that fear started in early childhood—and ruled her life for decades. In this soul-shaking episode, Carolyn shares her story of surviving molestation, rape, and family loss, while carrying the invisible weight of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and generational pain. But this isn’t a story about what broke her—it’s a story about what rebuilt her.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

  • 🔥 How trauma in childhood becomes identity in adulthood
  • 😔 Wearing the mask of perfection while dying inside
  • 💥 How the “strong Black woman” trope keeps us trapped in survival
  • 🙏 Reconnecting with God and finding purpose through pain
  • 🧠 Unpacking generational trauma with radical self-awareness
  • 🤝 Why community—not isolation—is essential to healing
  • 🧩 How Carolyn’s SCARS framework helps women break free


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • The silent trauma Black girls grow up masking
  • Breaking generational cycles through self-awareness
  • How to grieve a mother who’s still alive (or just passed)
  • Learning to lean into softness after years of hardness
  • The problem with perfectionism and “high-functioning” depression
  • Shifting from independence to divine dependence
  • Why healing is not about being strong—it’s about being whole


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“Fear was my friend. Until I realized it was my prison.”
“Your trauma shapes you, but it doesn’t define you.
“That strong Black woman cape? It’s heavy—and it’s killing us.”
“Your purpose is greater than your pain. But you have to choose it.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

So many Black women are praised for being strong, but no one sees the wounds beneath the strength. This episode is a call to drop the cape, stop hiding behind the mask, and finally give yourself permission to be soft, human, and healing. If you’re ready to break up with fear and start building firm foundations rooted in truth—this conversation will meet you where you are.


💬 Connect with Carolyn:

  • 🌐 Website: www.carolynjmurphy.com
  • 📖 Book: God, Why Did You Save Me?
  • 📱 IG, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn: Carolyn J. Murphy / Firm Foundations CO
  • 🎁 Join a Listening Session or the SCARS community support circle



🔗 Resources & Links:


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About the Podcast

Survival Mode Disrupted with Leticia R Francis
Disrupted Unapologetic Conversations about Survival Mode
Survival Mode Disrupted is not just a podcast. It's a rebellion.

A raw, unfiltered space where we finally stop pretending we're fine and start telling the truth—the truth about the trauma we've carried, the identities they had to wear to survive, and the radical decisions we made to break free.

Because here's the deal: survival mode isn’t just a season. It’s a damn identity. One that so many were forced to adopt just to get through life, to stay safe, to stay needed, to stay sane. But eventually, it starts costing you more than it protects. Your peace. Your purpose. Your power.

This podcast is for the disruptors—the people who were told to stay small, stay silent, stay grateful for crumbs… and said “hell no.”

Hosted by Leticia, The Survival Mode Disruptor herself—a trauma recovery mentor, speaker, and woman who has lived through the fires of abuse, betrayal, and breakdown and still chose to rise—this show dives deep into the unapologetic exits from survival mode that no one talks about.

You’ll hear from women (and a few brave men) who walked away from toxic relationships, soul-sucking careers, generational dysfunction, religious trauma, cultural expectations, and the lies they were taught to believe about themselves. Not because it was easy—but because staying would’ve killed something sacred inside of them.

These are the stories of bold pivots, quiet courage, and messy but miraculous rebirths.

Each episode is a conversation—a disruption—meant to wake something up in you. Whether it’s a guest sharing the moment they chose themselves for the first time, or Leticia dropping a truth bomb that makes you question everything you’ve normalized, this podcast is here to shake the foundation of your survival mode identity and replace it with something truer. Something freer.

We’re not here for surface-level self-care tips or fake empowerment slogans.

We’re here to talk about what it really takes to:

Reclaim your voice after being silenced.

Reinvent yourself after being broken down.

Rewrite your story when everyone else wants you to stay the same.

Release the guilt of choosing YOU.

This is for those who are done performing. Done pleasing. Done pretending.

It’s for the ones ready to exit survival mode—not slowly, not quietly, but disruptively and unapologetically.

You won’t leave this podcast the same.
You’ll cry. You’ll rage. You’ll laugh.
You’ll see yourself in every story.
And more importantly, you’ll remember who the hell you are.

Welcome to Survival Mode Disrupted.
It’s not just a podcast.
It’s a movement.
And your exit begins here.

About your host

Profile picture for Leticia Francis

Leticia Francis

I am not here to inspire you—I am here to activate you.

As a Survivor, Keynote Speaker, and Trauma Recovery Mentor, I know what it’s like to fight battles no one sees. I also know that breaking free is possible. My work is about disrupting survival mode, exposing trauma-driven success cycles, and giving women the blueprint to reclaim their lives.

🔹 200+ podcast features & speaking engagements
🔹 Global Women of Choice Award Winner 2022
🔹 Creator of the Survival Mode Exit Plan
🔹 Host of Survival Mode Disrupted Podcast