Episode 6

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Published on:

30th Jun 2025

This Is What I’ve Been Preparing You For

In this raw and soul-shaking episode of Survival Mode Disrupted, Cristina shares the kind of story that makes you stop, breathe, and believe again. From an abusive childhood to the unimaginable grief of losing three children, facing her husband’s infidelity, and surviving a rare form of bone cancer—Cristina takes us through every dark corner and shows us what it means to fight for light.

Highlights:

  • 💔 The silent impact of verbal abuse growing up
  • 🕊️ Grieving three children and the power of unprocessed pain
  • 🧠 Living 20 years in survival mode—and finally waking up
  • 🦴 Her bone cancer journey and facing possible amputation
  • 🔥 The trauma personas we don’t realize we wear (fixer, pleaser, perfectionist)
  • 🙌 Rebuilding her marriage and learning radical self-love
  • 💬 Letting go of relationships that trigger your trauma

🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • The trauma of living in fight or flight from childhood
  • How unresolved grief shows up in the body
  • The gut-punch moment of being diagnosed with cancer after a string of tragedies
  • Survival mode coping vs. healing-centered action
  • The painful process of releasing friendships that no longer align
  • How trauma impacts your identity and relationships
  • Finding purpose in pain and reclaiming your voice


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“You can make tragedy beautiful—and help someone else with what you’ve been through.”
“Healing began when I realized I couldn’t fix everyone else until I fixed me.”
“We repeat what we don’t repair. Survival mode becomes a lifestyle if you let it.”
“It took nearly losing my leg to realize I get to live. I get to try again.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

This episode isn’t about surviving. It’s about choosing yourself—even when life throws you its worst. Cristina’s story will break you open in the best way. She reminds us that healing doesn’t happen by accident—it’s a radical, daily decision. If you’ve ever doubted your ability to reclaim your life, this is your wake-up call.


💬 Connect with Christina:


🔗 Resources & Links:



🙌 Connect with Leticia:

Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | TikTok | Website


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