Bermuda raised her. Purpose pulled her. In this episode, Desta walks us through leaving a 21-square-mile comfort zone for engineering school in Toronto, pounding on closed doors back home, and finally smashing ceilings as a sustainability leader. But behind the wins was a private war: an abusive partner, post-separation warfare, and the moment her child intervened to stop an attack. That was the line in the sand. Desta shares how she rebuilt, from “functioning on autopilot” to living on purpose with ruthless self-trust, boundaries, and daily practices that keep her anchored.

• Autopilot vs. authority: how “doing it all” hides what’s breaking you
• Career on fire, home in flames: the hidden cost of performed strength
• The choice that changes everything: “I am enough”
• Motherhood, co-parenting, and protecting your peace in public systems
• Reclaiming voice at work and at home—without shrinking to fit
• Be You: relaunching a space for real, grounded transformation

🎙️ What We Talk About:

• Survival mode as autopilot: routines that look productive but keep you numb
• Leaving Bermuda for bigger purpose; being “the only” Black woman in a niche field
• Seven years of closed doors, then a created role → leadership + sustainability impact
• Abuse behind the scenes: the incident that flipped the switch and why leaving is only the first battle
• Post-separation tactics, court, and choosing safety over optics
• Reparenting the inner girl so the grown woman can lead
• The 3 phases to exit survival mode:
• Self-Awareness: name the pattern and the lie (I’m not enough)
• Reprogramming: rewrite worth, safety, power, and standards
• Reinvention: live as the woman who enforces the boundary—daily
• Food, words, and thoughts: “watch your mouth” as a mental health practice
• Community grief (violence, cancer) and staying human in a desensitized world
• Be You: grounding sessions, intimate circles, and the audacity to be authentic

🔑 Key Takeaways:

“Autopilot keeps you productive—and unavailable to yourself.”

“The night I said ‘I am enough,’ survival stopped being my story.”

“Acceptance isn’t approval; it’s the door out.”

“If the door won’t open, create the role—and the life.”

🙌 Why This Episode Matters:

High-achieving women are rewarded for output while their nervous systems are on fire. Desta’s story exposes that lie and hands you a path out. If you’re juggling wins and wounds, this conversation gives you language, leverage, and permission to choose you without apology.

💬 Connect with Desta:

• Be You Consulting — Instagram & Facebook: @beyouconsulting (relaunch target: 15 Oct)

🔗 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