Episode 90

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Published on:

7th Dec 2025

How Losing His Mother Sent Him Into Survival Mode

In this deeply human episode of Survival Mode Disrupted, Leticia sits down with Gerald “RunRev” Collins, who takes us inside the darkest season of his life — the unexpected loss of his mother, the collapse into depression, and the spiral into survival mode that almost cost him his marriage, his fatherhood, and himself.

Gerald describes:

  • The shocking 72-hour decline of his mother
  • How grief stripped him of his identity, purpose, and joy
  • The depression he hid for years as a Black man raised to “tough it out”
  • The moment his wife told him she couldn’t stay unless something changed
  • Why survival mode makes you more disconnected, irritable, and numb than you realize
  • How one small choice — running one mile — became the key that rebuilt his life

This episode is a masterclass in honest grief, everyday survival, and the power of micro-habits to rewire your sense of self.

🎙️ What We Talk About

  • How losing a parent can deton­­ate your emotional foundation
  • The silent depression men often hide
  • Why survival mode feels like “existing but not living”
  • Emotional withdrawal, irritability, and the shame spiral
  • The neuroscience of movement + why physical activity helps trauma & depression
  • How community became Gerald’s lifeline
  • The power of micro-commitments: 1 minute → 5 minutes → transformation
  • The difference between motivation and discipline
  • Purpose as medicine for grief


🔑 Key Takeaways

“You don’t need motivation — you need one minute of discipline.”
“Grief doesn’t just break you. It empties you.”
“Small steps count more than perfect plans.”
“You’re not failing. You’re drowning — and no one taught you how to swim.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters

So many high-achieving women — and the men they love — are silently drowning under grief, pressure, and the weight of unprocessed emotion. Gerald’s story is a mirror for the people who seem “functional” but are barely holding on.

This episode teaches listeners:

  • How to recognize survival mode
  • How grief rewires your inner world
  • How to rebuild your identity brick by brick
  • Why tiny commitments can save your life

If you’ve been stuck, numb, or waiting for “motivation”…

This episode is the spark.


💬 Connect with Gerald

Website: runrevcoaching.com

Instagram: @runrev_coachgerald

Facebook: RunRev Coaching

Email: gerald@runrevcoaching.com

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About the Podcast

Survival Mode Disrupted with Leticia R Francis
Disruptive 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.

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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