Episode 12

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Published on:

17th Aug 2025

Scammed Twice, Still Standing

What happens when a scam is so subtle, so sophisticated, that even the most cautious woman falls for it—not once, but twice? In this raw and revealing episode, Zoe Michaels peels back the psychological layers of scam trauma, emotional manipulation, and the shame that follows.

Here’s what you’ll hear in this powerful conversation:

  • 💔 How a “small favor” can spiral into financial ruin
  • 🧠 Why emotional manipulation rewires your self-trust
  • 🐍 The terrifying snake-like grip scammers have on victims
  • 🧩 What friends should say—but usually don’t—when they suspect a scam
  • 🛠 The free tools Zoe created to help others break free
  • 📚 How rock bottom became the foundation for four books
  • 🔊 Why victim-shaming is abuse in disguise

🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • The subtle tactics expert scammers use to gain trust
  • Why survivors often ignore their instincts—even when they're screaming
  • Emotional isolation, depression, and the shame loop after being scammed
  • The distorted messages victims hear when seeking help
  • The emotional toll of regaining trust in others—and in yourself
  • Creating resources to protect others from silent suffering
  • The birth of a movement to de-shame financial manipulation


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“When you’ve hit rock bottom and they’re still asking for more, that’s when you break the chain.”
“Shame silences. But silence is what scammers count on.”
“Even with support, scam survivors feel like they’re drowning in three feet of water.”
“Victim-shaming is abuse too—because it keeps survivors quiet and predators powerful.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

Scam survivors don’t just lose money—they lose trust. In themselves. In others. In their ability to judge reality. This episode is for the women who were targeted because of their kindness, not their weakness. It’s for the ones still sitting in silence, questioning every decision. Zoe’s story breaks that silence and offers hope, tools, and a raw, unfiltered path forward.


💬 Connect with Zoe:

🌐 Website: www.zoemichaels.com

📘 Facebook: Zoe Michaels Author

📚 Breaking Free: How Scammers Manipulate and How to Fight Back available now


🔗 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