Episode 36

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Published on:

7th Sep 2025

When You Can’t Afford to Heal: Survival Mode’s Sneakiest Trap

Michelle Burke gets real about the unspoken survival mode millions of women live in—where the biggest trauma isn’t one moment, but the daily grind of unmet needs, money stress, and shame. In this gut-wrenching episode, Michelle and Leticia tear down the glamorized facade of "resilience" to reveal the raw truth behind barely hanging on.

  • 💸 Why financial stress is one of the most overlooked traumas
  • 💔 The moment Michelle realized she was bruising herself in her sleep
  • 🧠 The generational trauma passed down through our parents' money stories
  • 🗣️ The danger of bypassing survival mode with fake healing
  • 🔥 What true surrender actually looks like (spoiler: it's NOT giving up)
  • 🏡 How unstable environments keep us stuck in survival
  • ✨ The moment Michelle finally chose herself—and what happened next


🎙️ What We Talk About:

  • Financial trauma & survival mode
  • The silent pain of trying to "hold it all together"
  • Living on credit cards, shame, and auto-pilot
  • How we carry our parents’ depression-era fears
  • Body wisdom vs. brain programming
  • What it really takes to heal and disrupt survival
  • Michelle’s journey to reclaiming peace on her own terms


🔑 Key Takeaways:

“I was bruising myself in my sleep—and still didn’t know how deep in survival I was.”
“Your body never lies. Even when your brain tries to keep you safe.”
“You can’t truly heal in the same environment that broke you.”
“Survival mode is comfortable—but healing? That requires surrender.


🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

Too many women are in survival mode and don’t even know it—because they’re not bleeding, screaming, or visibly breaking down. Michelle’s story is a mirror for every listener who’s ever been one late rent payment away from panic. For every woman who said, “I’ll heal when I can afford it,” this is your wake-up call. This isn’t just a story—it’s a survival pattern disruptor.


💬 Connect with Michelle:

Instagram: @MichelleABurke


🔗 Resources & Links:


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Show artwork for Survival Mode Disrupted with Leticia R Francis

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