Episode 31

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Published on:

7th Sep 2025

Survival Isn’t Success: The Cost of Ignoring Your Intuition

This episode is a masterclass in self-trust, intuitive discernment, and the hidden survival patterns even the “successful” women are stuck in. Anik Malfa went from thriving in the finance world to emotionally bankrupt—until she cracked open her life with one powerful question.

🚨 This one’s for the woman who’s done everything right and still feels like something’s missing.

Inside this episode:

  • ✨ Why success ≠ thriving
  • 🧠 The real difference between instinct and intuition
  • 💥 How to practice intuitive discernment (even if you’ve never trusted yourself)
  • 🔄 Survival mode as a subconscious safety mechanism
  • 🧩 What surrendering to joy actually looks like
  • 🛑 And why you don’t have to wait for rock bottom to break free


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • The survival mode most high-achievers don’t recognize
  • The “I'll be happy when…” lie that keeps us stuck
  • What it feels like to follow instinct vs. intuition
  • Rebuilding trust with yourself after trauma
  • Why leaning into joy is a radical act of self-liberation
  • How to develop your inner compass using muscle testing
  • Letting go of control and embracing feminine energy


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“You’re not thriving just because you’re succeeding.”
“Instinct keeps you safe. Intuition leads you to freedom.”
“You can’t be in joy while operating from fear.”
“Stop waiting for rock bottom. The invitation to heal is now.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

Too many women are stuck on the survival treadmill, confusing productivity for peace and burnout for bravery. This conversation with Anik is a wake-up call—because survival mode isn’t just about trauma, it’s about trusting fear more than yourself. If you’ve been waiting for a sign that it’s time to disrupt the cycle… this is it.


💬 Connect with Anik:

  • Instagram | YouTube | Facebook: @MasteringAscension
  • Download her free tool The Inner Compass (muscle testing + worksheet)

🔗 Resources & Links:



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Show artwork for Survival Mode Disrupted with Leticia R Francis

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