Episode 71

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Published on:

16th Nov 2025

Learning Disabilities, Advocacy & Life Beyond Survival

Michelle was diagnosed with a learning disability in kindergarten, bullied in a small school where she couldn’t “hide,” and told college wasn’t for her. In this raw conversation, she unpacks how masking kept her in survival mode—and how self-advocacy, accommodations, and alignment flipped the switch. We talk about redefining success when the system isn’t built for you, the power of presence, and why acceptance isn’t defeat—it’s the beginning of design. Expect practical truth, zero fluff, and a map from autopilot to intentional living.

Highlights:

  • Survival mode as “the light is on…but not really.”
  • School systems, sameness, and the cost of masking.
  • Using accommodations without shame—because thriving is the goal.
  • Choosing majors, careers, and environments that fit your wiring.
  • Presence over performing: walking, noticing, and photographing life.
  • Self-advocacy for students—and the adults they become.

🎙️ What We Talk About

  • Self-Awareness: spotting the mask, naming survival patterns
  • Reprogramming: redefining success, values-aligned choices, resource-seeking
  • Reinvention: designing work and life around strengths (not shame)
  • The myth of “just try harder” vs. the reality of disability
  • Acceptance as a power move (not resignation)
  • How educators and parents can support without shaming
  • Becoming the adult advocate you needed as a kid


🔑 Key Takeaways

“Acceptance isn’t giving up—it’s picking up your power.”
“Accommodations aren’t crutches; they’re bridges.”
“Masking keeps you safe; authenticity sets you free.”
“You’re not broken. You’re protecting yourself. Now let’s rewire for better.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters

Too many high-achieving women are still performing strength while running on empty. Michelle’s story shows how survival patterns begin early—and how they end with self-advocacy, aligned choices, and ruthless acceptance. If you’ve been told you’re “too much” or “not enough,” this will feel like oxygen. The light isn’t out—you just haven’t flipped your own switch yet.


💬 Connect with Michelle

Blog: Michelle’s Mission (nature-inspired reflections on disability)

Instagram & Facebook: @MichellesMission


🔗 Resources & Links:


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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