Episode 47

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Published on:

8th Sep 2025

When Love Is a Lie: Recognizing the Hidden Signs of Abuse

In this soul-shaking conversation, Leticia sits down with Rachel Lemon to expose the insidious nature of psychological and emotional abuse—and what healing actually takes. From red flags disguised as compliments to the slow erosion of self-trust, this episode peels back the layers of survival mode with zero fluff and full truth.

💥 What grooming actually looks like

💥 Subtle red flags most women miss

💥 How abuse impacts your career, confidence & intuition

💥 Why "just leave" is dangerous advice

💥 Rebuilding identity after years of coercive control

💥 The power of community & trauma-informed healing

💥 Why boundaries are revolutionary—especially for women


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • The emotional grooming that gets passed off as "love"
  • Coercive control and the loss of self in long-term abuse
  • Childhood conditioning that shapes who we attach to
  • Learning to trust your gut again post-trauma
  • How survivors carry survival into every area of life
  • Why healing isn't a one-and-done moment
  • The cultural conditioning that keeps women silent

🔑 Key Takeaways:

“If you think something feels off, it probably is. Trust that whisper.”
“Healing isn’t just leaving the abuser—it’s leaving the beliefs that kept you there.”
“We’re not broken. We’re responding to broken systems and broken conditioning.”
“Silence doesn’t protect survivors. It protects abusers.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

Too many women are taught to confuse control with care. In a world where emotional abuse is still dismissed and misunderstood, this conversation rips the shame off survival and dares you to trust yourself again. If you’ve ever felt like something was wrong but couldn’t name it—this episode is for you.


It’s time to disrupt the silence and rewrite the rules of what we accept in the name of love.


💬 Connect with Rachel:




🔗 Resources & Links:


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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