We glorify survival mode. We wear it like a badge of honor. But what if that badge is actually a chain keeping you stuck?

Robyn Tanner has lived through what most only whisper about hiding homelessness with her kids while secretly sleeping in her own gym, surviving 13 surgeries, and watching a marriage collapse under betrayal. She calls her philosophy The Machete Mentality: when there’s no path forward, you cut one. But here’s the exposed truth—reinvention isn’t glamorous. It’s brutal wreckage before it’s revival.

This episode strips away the polished stories of “strength” and exposes the real cost of resilience. Robyn, a Gen X woman who refused to settle, shares the raw resilience it took to rebuild when everything was gone.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why survival mode should never become your identity.
• How self-betrayal creeps in even when you think you’re “winning.”
• The toxic hustle of “drug dealing yourself” in business—and why lowering your worth destroys you.
• The ruthless truth about reinvention: why it starts with destruction, not freedom.
• How exposing your ugliest truths is the only way forward.

This isn’t resilience porn. This is a machete to the lies about survival, reinvention, and the messy middle we all want to skip.

🎙️ Press play if you’re ready to stop wearing survival as a badge and start telling the ruthless truth.

Connect with Us

Michelle - @michelleaburke

Hot Mess Magic - @hotmessmagicmedia

Robyn - @writer_robynlynn

Resources

The Machete Mentality - Robyn's Book

Riverside – the platform I used to record this episode.

Gloci – the drink that fueled this conversation.