Episode 15

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Published on:

17th Aug 2025

Survival Mode vs. Midlife Crisis

What if the burnout you’re living through isn’t just a phase—but a physics problem? In this groundbreaking conversation, Peter shares how he went from a high-flying investment banker to a man broken by survival mode—and how he clawed his way back with trauma science, organ energy, and deep self-reflection.

We unpack:

  • 🔥 What burnout really feels like when you’re still achieving
  • ⚔️ The dangerous link between the warrior archetype and survival mode
  • 🧠 Why talk therapy alone won’t heal trauma
  • 🚫 The trap of dopamine-chasing and external validation
  • 📉 Why societal goals are making you sick
  • 💥 How Orgone Accumulators and trauma mapping transform healing
  • 🌱 Inner child healing and the power of reconnection
  • 🧘🏾‍♀️ Grounding, nervous system regulation, and true recovery

🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • Peter’s personal collapse from burnout, lawsuits, and emotional chaos
  • The misalignment between success and soul goals
  • Why many midlife “crises” are undiagnosed trauma responses
  • The connection between unprocessed childhood trauma and adult sabotage
  • How reducing external stimulus (and going offline) boosts healing
  • The missing link in therapy that keeps people stuck
  • Using esoteric healing methods with grounded results


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“If you’re doing everything right but it still feels wrong—you’re following someone else’s blueprint.”
“Survival mode isn’t just stress. It’s an identity you built to outrun your truth.”
“Healing isn’t about reliving the trauma—it’s about grounding the body so it finally feels safe.”
“Your nervous system doesn’t care about your goals—it cares about safety.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

This isn’t just another survival story—it’s the science behind the story. Peter peels back the curtain on how trauma operates in high-functioning adults and how even the most “successful” people can be quietly breaking. If you’ve ever hit the wall and thought, “What now?”—this episode hands you the blueprint.


🔗 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
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