Episode 7

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Published on:

30th Jun 2025

Groomed by God’s Representative

This episode is not a “church hurt” story. It’s a raw, unfiltered revelation of what happens when spiritual leaders groom vulnerable teens under the guise of love and mentorship. Claudie bravely shares how her trust was weaponized, her voice was stolen—and how she fought like hell to get it back.

Highlights:

  • 🧠 How grooming in faith communities starts with validation, not violence
  • 🙅🏽‍♀️ The lie of "consent" when power is imbalanced
  • 📵 The silent consequences: social anxiety, people-pleasing, and trauma responses
  • 💔 The betrayal of being abandoned AND protected by the church
  • ✊ How therapy and radical self-awareness helped Claud find her voice again
  • 🔁 Healing in fragments—and why that’s still healing
  • 🌿 Reinvention beyond the label of “victim”

🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • Her father wound and seeking male validation
  • The slow, manipulative progression of grooming by a church leader
  • The blurred lines of abuse and why recognizing it took years
  • The link between unresolved trauma and severe social anxiety
  • How survival mode made her believe “this is just who I am”
  • Why healing isn’t linear—and why that’s okay
  • Learning to love herself without earning it


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“Abuse doesn’t always look violent—it often looks like ‘love.’”
“You don’t need to earn your healing. You just need to start.”
“I thought I was angry. I was actually grieving.”
“There’s no formula for healing. It happens in fragments—and that’s still valid.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

When spiritual leaders abuse their power, the pain cuts differently. It shatters trust, identity, and even faith. Claud’s story is a masterclass in radical ownership, deep unlearning, and the slow, courageous journey back to self. If you’ve ever doubted your trauma because it didn’t look like abuse, this episode will wake you up—and remind you that your pain is valid, even when the world denies it.


🔗 Resources & Links:



🙌 Connect with Leticia:

Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TikTok | Website

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About the Podcast

Survival Mode Disrupted - The Podcast
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