Episode 39

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Published on:

7th Sep 2025

When ‘Stable’ Becomes Soul-Sucking

Kelly Watt didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur. She set out to breathe. After 11 years in public service, workplace stress, panic attacks, and soul fatigue pushed her to a breaking point. In this raw, relatable episode, Kelly shares how she left a secure job with no backup plan, survived a pandemic, and found her freedom—not in flashy success, but in peace, purpose, and presence.

Here’s what we cover:

  • 🧠 Why workplace trauma is real—and often ignored
  • 😰 The hidden cost of staying in survival mode “for the paycheck”
  • 📚 Building a business from the school run, one post at a time
  • 💔 Grieving family, navigating change, and still choosing more
  • 🔗 The power of local networking over algorithm chasing
  • 🗣️ Why your voice—not volume—is your marketing superpower
  • 🧭 How market research (done right) changes the game for every business


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • Work-induced panic attacks and the quiet violence of stress
  • Being a single parent while navigating burnout and grief
  • Why quitting isn’t a failure—it’s a decision for your life
  • Redefining success beyond money: freedom, presence, and joy
  • Starting a business with zero clarity and building it anyway
  • Using market research and networking to grow a local client base
  • Letting authenticity—not hustle—drive your marketing


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“It was either my mental health or the job—I chose my life.”
“Freedom isn’t about millions. It’s about watching your kid’s assembly without guilt.”
“Stop trying to scream online when you could just show up and connect.”
“You don’t need more time—you need to use what you’ve got with purpose.”


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

Too many women are suffering in silence, trading their sanity for a paycheck. This episode is a bold reminder that quitting isn’t weakness—it’s a reclamation. Kelly’s story proves you don’t need to be loud to be impactful, and you don’t need it all figured out to begin. You just need to trust yourself enough to choose you.


💬 Connect with Kelly:

  • 🌐 LinkedIn: Kelly Watt
  • 📱 Instagram: @kellywatt_uk
  • 💻 Website: Coming Soon
  • 🌍 South Wales Networking Events (DM for invites)



🔗 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