Episode 13

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Published on:

17th Aug 2025

Three Times Cancer Tried, Three Times She Fought Back

What happens when you survive cancer—but still feel like you’re dying inside? Casey Kang has stared death in the face more times than most, but her real healing didn’t begin until after remission. In this unapologetic conversation, we unpack medical trauma, emotional repression, and what it really takes to rebuild your identity after years of fighting to stay alive.

Highlights from this episode:

  • ⚡ Three-time leukemia diagnosis before age 35
  • 🧠 Stroke from chemo, immunotherapy trauma, and PTSD
  • 😩 The mental crash after remission—and why no one talks about it
  • 🧬 How unprocessed childhood trauma shaped her cancer journey
  • 🥀 Surviving, but not living—and the turning point that changed everything
  • 🔁 The ugly, beautiful process of emotional reinvention
  • 🔥 Why self-sacrifice isn’t strength—it’s slow self-erasure


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • What it feels like when survival mode starts at diagnosis
  • How unaddressed trauma lives in the body—and eventually erupts
  • The truth about life post-remission: it’s not sunshine and rainbows
  • Why awareness must come before healing
  • The pain of reinventing yourself when you’ve only ever known pain
  • The importance of therapy and community in rebuilding trust
  • Turning pain into purpose through trauma-informed coaching


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“I had no control over my body—but I could control my next breath.”
“You can survive cancer and still not feel alive.”
“If you don’t deal with your trauma, your body will find a way to scream it out.”
“You can eat kale and do yoga—but if you don’t heal your heart, you’re still sick.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

So many people think survival is the end goal—but survival is just the starting point. Casey’s story isn’t just about beating cancer. It’s about unlearning the version of herself that was built on trauma, perfectionism, and silence. It’s about choosing to live on her own terms—after years of being dictated by disease. This episode is a wake-up call for every woman who’s been praised for being strong, but never taught how to feel.


💬 Connect with Casey:

📱 Instagram & Facebook: @thehappierhustle


🔗 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