Episode 9

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Published on:

7th Jul 2025

Surviving COVID Wasn’t the Hardest Part

After surviving a harrowing battle with COVID that nearly took his life, Martin returned to find that the real war was only just beginning. From toxic workplace dynamics to public shaming, this is a raw, unfiltered conversation about what it really means to survive—and be punished for it.

In this episode, we uncover:

  • 💀 Surviving a near-death experience during the height of the pandemic
  • 🧠 The invisible trauma of toxic workplaces and betrayal
  • 📣 The silence and gaslighting survivors often face
  • ✍️ Using journaling as a lifeline for mental health
  • 🧩 Discovering his neurodivergence later in life—and finally feeling seen
  • 🕊️ What healing actually looks like when society wants you to “just move on”
  • 🎤 How podcasting and mindfulness gave him his voice back


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • Life in the COVID ICU and what no one talks about
  • Survivor’s guilt and workplace isolation
  • Being disciplined after nearly dying—yes, really
  • How trauma manifests when ignored
  • Sand tray therapy and visual revelations in healing
  • The power of self-expression through writing and podcasting
  • Why retiring early saved his life


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“I survived the virus, but what nearly broke me was how they treated me after.”
“Sometimes survival mode looks like showing up with no soul behind your smile.”
“You can be punished for telling the truth—do it anyway.”
“Healing didn’t begin until I stopped pretending I was okay.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

This isn’t just a COVID story—it’s a human story. Martin’s raw testimony reveals the emotional whiplash that can come after survival: the gaslighting, the grief, and the quiet wars we fight behind our smiles. For anyone who’s been dismissed, discarded, or disbelieved in the aftermath of trauma—this episode is your mirror, your call to reclaim your truth, and your reminder: you’re not alone.


💬 Connect with Martin:

🎧 [Peace Unplugged Podcast on Spotify / Apple / Podbean]

🧑‍💻 Facebook: Marty BoneIdol


🔗 Resources & Links:



🙌 Connect with Leticia:

Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TikTok | Website


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Show artwork for Survival Mode Disrupted - The Podcast

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