Twelve years ago, Demetria’s ex-husband brutally beat and stabbed her. Months later, she nearly ended her life — until a small voice and a bigger purpose pulled her back. This conversation is a masterclass in radical responsibility: naming childhood abuse, breaking people-pleasing, apologizing to her kids, and building a nonprofit that turns pain into community power. We map it to the Survival Mode Disrupted framework so you can stop coping cute and start changing your life. Survival as scarcity: living on the least and calling it normal The moment a toddler’s “I love you” interrupted death Accountability vs. revenge: why self-honesty is the turning point People-pleasing, over-giving, and how to reclaim “NO” Apologizing to our children + repairing without shame Building The Goode Fight : healing that feeds the block, not the brand 🎙️ What We Talk About Domestic violence, the stabbing, and the suicide attempt that almost followed Childhood trauma: molestation, bullying, juvenile system (4x) Survival identities: attention-seeking, people-pleasing, overachieving Boundaries as oxygen: saying no, ending blind loyalty, redefining “family” Community over secrecy: why representation in healing matters Leticia’s 3 Phases to Exit Survival Mode applied: Self-Awareness: calling out the behaviors that keep you useful but empty Reprogramming: language, belief, and boundary work that ends self-abandonment Reinvention: living as the healed woman now — systems, circle, standards 🔑 Key Takeaways “If I’d learned to say NO, I’d have never been in half those rooms.” “Untouched issues will touch everybody you love.” “Your trauma explains you. It does not excuse you.” “Apologize to your kids. Repair is part of love.” 🙌 Why This Episode Matters High-achieving women are rewarded for over-functioning — until it steals every boundary we have. Demetria shows how to flip the script: take accountability, stop bleeding for people who won’t clot for you, and build a life that honors your peace. 💬 Connect with Demetria The Good Fight (501c3): thegoodefight.org (with the E in “Goode”) Podcast: Unfiltered, Unspoken 🔗 Resources & Links: 💣 Download the Survival Mode Exit Blueprint 👉🏾 Join the Survival Mode Exodus Membership 🎧 Subscribe to Survival Mode Disrupted: The Podcast on YouTube ✍🏾 Subscribe to Survival Mode Disrupted: The Newsletter on LinkedIn 💬 Book a 1:1 Session with Leticia 📖 Order Survival Mode Exit Plan Book 😉 Join the free FB Group Disrupting Survival Mode Listener Action Write down one...
