In this episode of Survival Mode Disrupted, Leticia sits down with LaCole Smith, a woman who has literally survived what most of us only fear in our nightmares: being sandwiched between two 18-wheelers and told she might never walk again. LaCole shares how one ordinary day turned into a life-altering collision – the motor thrown out of the car, water splashed across her face making her believe she was covered in blood, and doctors warning that a sneeze, a wrong turn, or a fall could leave her permanently paralyzed. But her story doesn’t stop at the crash. We go deep into what it means to be a bedridden mother of four, stuck in a back brace, drowning in pain, injections, isolation, and fear – and still deciding, “Failure is not an option. My children need me. I’m getting up.” Today, LaCole is the CEO of AAL Publishing & Consulting, a one-stop shop for authors where she mentors, publishes, and even prints books in-house, helping others find and protect their voices the way she fought to protect her own.

🎙️ What We Talk About

• The day everything changed: being hit by two 18-wheelers and realizing she survived what should’ve killed her
• Confusion, panic, and thinking she was covered in blood when water splashed her face
• The brutal medical reality: fractured back, damaged hip, back brace, injections, and the constant threat of paralysis
• The mental & spiritual crash: depression, grief, feeling forgotten, and still praying anyway
• The moment her mindset shifted from “why me?” to “this will NOT be my life”
• How her father’s faith and words grounded her when her own strength was shaky
• Sneaking out of bed to shuffle through the house because she refused to let the prognosis define her
• Why she believes mindset + words + faith = an unstoppable force
• The danger of letting other people’s fear and failure write your future
• How she went from flat on her back to publishing and printing the stories of others through AAL Publishing & Consulting

🔑 Key Takeaways

“Anything we do NOT push through becomes a hindrance to our end goal.”

“If I had stayed in that bed and accepted what they said, I would not be who I am today.”

“Most people fail before they start because they let other people’s fear become their facts.”

“Sometimes there’s blessing in the fall – because getting up again is where you find your strength.”

💬 Connect with LaCole

• Facebook (Personal): LaCole Smith
• Facebook (Business): AAL Publishing and Consulting, LLC
• Groups:
• Motivational Talk Dialogues
• Storytelling Unleashed (writing community)
• Instagram: @author_lacolesmith
• YouTube: AAL Publishing and Consulting