Empowered Communication

How to Win a Fight

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:11 +0000

In Episode 40, Meredith talks about how to win a fight. For some people, transforming conflict into creative solutions, safety, and support for our work is important. Other people like to fight for fighting’s sake (Eris Conflict Resolution is named after the goddess of discord, after all!). For other people, winning matters. This becomes a problem though, when we believe we need to persuade biased, unreliable, and dangerous people to change their minds in order to win. Meredith talks about the three steps to making a win inevitable in any situation and practical examples of how to do exactly that.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

When is Violence Necessary

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:30:44 +0000

In Episode 39, Meredith talks about physical and verbal violence. What does it mean to be violent? Is there ever a space for violence? Some people say violence is never necessary, and that is a good general rule, but often that blanket statement is weaponized to say that people in power may use violence, but people who the system exploits may not be physical in service of creating safety. This episode explores why engaging with violence participates in cycles of violence, but that there are nuances beyond that blanket statement.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

Sister Helen Prejean

Taboo Topics at Work: Sex, Politics, and Religion with Sex Coach Sarai Johnson

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 07:30:12 +0000

In Episode 38, Meredith talks with sex coach Sarai Johnson about taboo topics at work. Why do we call it “unprofessional” to talk about sex, religion, politics, and even money? What are the benefits or risks of having rigid definitions of professionalism? Often in workplaces, blanket prohibitions on talking about certain topics can create the dangerous and unsustainable situations that they are trying to prevent. Meredith and Sarai talk about practical strategies for what workplaces and individuals can do instead to create safe, healthy, and effective environments.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

Work with Sarai.

Does Personality Cause Conflict at Work?

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 07:30:24 +0000

In Episode 37, Meredith dives into a topic that is close to her heart: Personality! This episode gives an overview of the personality assessments and frameworks we have seen work (or not work) in workplace settings. This episode also covers the number one, most simple indicator of conflict in workplaces and the simplest way to resolve it through assessment and understanding of instincts.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

Kolbe Assessment.

Human Design Natal Chart

Astrology Natal Chart

Labor, Wages, and Slavery

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:30:13 +0000

In Episode 36, Meredith talks about labor, wages, and slavery. This week it was Labor Day in the U.S., and this episode celebrates the important contributions workers and labor unions have made in the country. The topic of slavery has also come up a lot in the news, and so this episode does an overview of paid and unpaid, forced labor in the U.S. and the importance of fair exchange for work. If you are someone who is uncomfortable with money but thinks you should be paid more, this is for you. Paid labor is important for balance, and balance creates thriving systems and institutions. When we coerce or even persuade people into unpaid labor, it creates imbalance that leads to bankrupt organizations and institutions.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

1619 Podcast.

What is Harassment?

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 07:30:23 +0000

In Episode 35, Meredith talks about harassment. What is it? When is it illegal and when is it something we need to work on privately? Meredith again relies on her knowledge and experience as a civil rights litigator, and someone who has helped hundreds of employees related to toxic work environments, to deep dive into the topic of harassment. Harassment can be illegal in criminal and civil contexts, but once it has gotten to the point of a lawsuit or a criminal charge, the harm has already gone very far. Many forms of harassment steal from our organizations and our personal experiences of life before the law intervenes. This episode provides practical perspective and general structures for evaluating whether harassment is stealing from your work experience.

As always, this episode is not intended as legal advice and if you want to know how the law might apply in your situation, we encourage you to talk with an attorney in your area.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Course

“How Rude” episode of the Hidden Brain Podcast.

What is Discrimination?

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 07:30:34 +0000

In Episode 34, Meredith does a deep dive into what discrimination really is and why we have made some forms of discrimination illegal in the United States. Meredith uses her background as a civil rights lawyer and also general principles of discrimination to explain why most discrimination is not illegal, but sometimes the law does provide a remedy for harmful discrimination. You might be surprised to hear it, but every human discriminates, and the majority of the time that is not bad, but discrimination errors can cause very serious harm. Have you ever wondered if you’ve experienced discrimination? Has someone ever told you that you’re discriminating against them? Are you worried that your workplace could be harmed by discrimination or false allegations? This one is for you.

As always, this episode is not intended as legal advice and if you want to know how the law might apply in your situation, we encourage you to talk with an attorney in your area.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Check out the app here to track your progress creating a better work environment.

Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Course

Me and White Supremacy, by Layla Saad

What About False Allegations?

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 07:30:28 +0000

In Episode 33, Meredith addresses false allegations of harassment, discrimination, and other wrongdoing. She discusses the statistics around unreported wrongdoing in workplaces and the statistics around false allegations, what causes them, and strategies anyone can use to handle allegations, even false allegations. She also talks about how to have more effective conversations whether you are reporting harm or someone is telling you that something you did was harmful.

Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Course

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here

Nonviolent Communication

Difficult Conversations

The Grief of Leaving a Job or Career

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 07:30:36 +0000

In Episode 32, Meredith looks at the impacts of losing a job or career, whether it is a loss created by a major national event like economic downturn, or a very personal event like misunderstandings, harassment, discrimination, or even false allegations. While many of us may just want to get into a new job, pick ourselves up by the bootstraps, move on, and prove our abilities, there is one thing that we see get in the way in almost every situation: Grief. It is very difficult to move on, even with a rebound job, before grief has processed, and people are often surprised at how much grief can interfere with the process of moving on. This episode contains some practical tips for processing grief to move on intentionally (and even more quickly).

“They never listen!” Communicating and Enforcing Boundaries at Work

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 07:00:12 +0000

In Episode 31, Meredith shares some of the most common reasons that we may want to stop communicating our boundaries in the workplace. If you’ve ever thought you were good at understanding your boundaries and enforcing them but still have people walk all over you, this episode should help you understand why and what you can do instead of continuing to explain why you deserve better treatment. Even if someone else is unable or unwilling to respect our boundaries, we still deserve to be in the environments we want, and this episode focuses on exactly how to do that.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Influencing People in Difficult Work Situations

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:30:11 +0000

In Episode 30, Meredith goes into simple strategies for influencing other people in toxic workplace situations, conflict, and pressure. Often we think that if we share our perspective or our expertise, other people will listen and learn from that, but the realities of having true impact or influence are often much different. In this episode, Meredith talks about the three strategies we can all implement that make a difference to de-escalate and engage people in ways that lead to true influence. If you’ve ever felt like you were being completely reasonable in clarifying your experience and seen it lead to a conversation you had no idea was coming, this one is for you.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here

Toxic Workplace Conflict and Confidence

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 07:30:33 +0000

In Episode 29, Meredith talks about common workplace situations that undermine confidence and what we can do about them. Externally, no-win situations that are repeated and chronic can undermine our confidence at work, and there is also an internal factor of the thinking that we absorb that can erode confidence. While most of us think of confidence as being available once we’ve built so many skills and so much experience that we are certain about what the outcome of our actions will be, this episode questions that definition and provides and alternative definition that we’ve seen help build unconditional confidence.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

Toxic Conflict, Building Allies, and Finding Support

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 07:30:29 +0000

In Episode 29, Meredith talks about how to build allies in a conflict situation and find supports. We often believe that conflict is resolved through convincing other people to change their minds, but this episode goes through a few reasons that does not work. After we create safety in a conflict situation, understanding the resources, leverage, and supports we already have can help us identify the gaps that could ultimately transform the conflict into something safe and healthy.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

Toxic Conflict and Safety

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:30:29 +0000

In Episode 28, Meredith talks about the common narrative that people need to “toughen up” at work and stop being so sensitive. What is the balance between toughening up and creating more safety in a workplace? In order for us to fully show up and even access all of our brains to find creative solutions to conflict, we need to be able to establish some safety. On the other hand, sometimes we do make intentional choices to compromise our boundaries because it’s worth it. This episode dives into those situations and how they commonly play out in workplaces.

For more information on the rudeness study, visit the NIH page here.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

Toxic Workplaces and the Dark Triad

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In Episode 27, Meredith talks about the Dark Triad and how dealing with Dark Triad dynamics can impact toxic workplace conflict. The Dark Triad is a psychological theory of personality, first named by Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002. It describes narcissism, sociopathy, and Machiavellian behavior. When Dark Triad dynamics are involved, simple conflict alchemy process does not work, and so we have to engage the pillars of Empowered Communication to transform toxic conflict dynamics into safety and support for our careers.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

Toxic Workplaces and Conflict Alchemy

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In Episode 26, Meredith describes the concept of Conflict Alchemy. Most people are raised to believe that our options in a conflict situation are to prove that we are right, avoid conflict, defend ourselves, explain our intentions, or bully people into siding with us. While explaining ourselves and clarifying can work in misunderstandings, when there is true conflict based on different perspectives, it can often lead to cycles of argument or even abuse. Conflict Alchemy is the process of transforming toxic conflict into something supportive and safe for our lives and careers.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

Is Coaching Toxic or Healthy? With Coach Amy Latta

Thu, 22 May 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 25, Meredith talks with leadership coach Amy Latta about the principles of coaching. Both Amy and Meredith have had experiences of coaching being incredibly powerful and even life-saving, but also seen coaching weaponized. Is coaching toxic or healthy?

Anti-Racism resources mentioned:

Caste, by Isabella Wilkerson

White Feminism, by Koa Beck

So you want to talk about race, by Ijeoma Oluo

Get involved with the NAACP here.

Anti-racism educators:

Follow Amy Latta:

Amy’s Website: https://www.amylatta.com/

Instagram: @iamamylatta

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amythameslatta

Expert Episode: Toxic Masculinity with Luke Adler

Thu, 15 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In Episode 24, Meredith talks with acupuncturist and healing expert, Luke Adler, about toxic masculinity and male loneliness. When issues of gender discrimination in the workplace come up, “toxic masculinity” can be a buzzword, but what does it mean? In this episode Meredith and Luke explore what causes toxic masculinity and toxic femininity and how we can encounter gender in a healthier way.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

Check out the Luke Adler Healing Podcast

Expert Episode: Toxic Work Environments and Investigation with Andrea Bibee

Thu, 08 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In Episode 23, Meredith interviews equity investigation expert, Andrea Bibee, about workplace investigations, alternatives to investigation, and what to expect if you are thinking about engaging in a workplace investigation.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.com/healthquiz

To learn more about whether investigation is right for your situation, download a copy of Meredith's book, The Inclusive Leader's Guide to Healthy Workplace Culture.

Experience Episode: Violence at Work

Thu, 01 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000

TW: extreme racial violence

In Episode 22, Meredith interviews a past client, Hogon Mulgrave, who experienced extreme racial violence at work and has gone on to run a successful generator company. They reflect on what it takes to engage in recovery related to workplace trauma and the barriers to engaging in healing.

Learn more about Wrico Generators here https://wricogenerators.com/

Expert Episode: Applied Behavior Analysis with Dr. Sarah Hansen

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In Episode 21, Meredith interviews a behavioral expert, Dr. Sarah Hansen, and they discuss the strategies that have been proven to work to change behavior. They talk about how these strategies can be used in the workplace to reduce the cost and waste of harassment and bullying.

Learn more about Dr. Hansen's work here

Experience Episode: Toxic Conflict with Neighbors with Liana West

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

TW: religious/spiritual abuse, domestic violence

In Episode 20, Meredith interviews a past client, Liana West, who overcame a threatening neighbor dispute, challenged and recovered from a harassing and fraudulent construction contractor, and went on to develop her own system of enforcing accountability in the construction industry. Meredith and Liana talk about boundaries and how to build inner strength after demoralizing and dehumanizing trauma.

Learn more about Liana's work with accountability in construction contracting: https://moneypitmanor.com/

Expert Episode: Belonging at Work with Faith Clarke

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

In Episode 19, Meredith interviews workplace-belonging expert, Faith Clarke. They discuss the fundamentals of how to create belonging at work and their own experiences creating internal and external belonging.

Learn more about Faith Clarke's work at https://www.faithclarke.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithaclarke/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamworkWithFaith/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-clarke-550328a/

Experience Episode: Whistleblowing in Big Institutions

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 07:30:00 +0000

TW: race-race based discrimination, whistler retaliation

In Episode 18, Meredith interviews a past client who experienced race-based discrimination and whistleblower retaliation at a public employer. They talk about the impacts of being ostracized at work, and the challenges of going through investigation.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here.

Expert Episode: Wrongful Termination Lawsuits with Nicole Gainey

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 07:30:00 +0000

TW: sexual assault, sexual harassment, legal process

In Episode 17, Meredith talks with Nicole Gainey, an employment attorney in Washington who helps employees with wrongful termination lawsuits. Nicole recounts one of her most memorable sexual harassment cases. They discuss the difference between going through the legal process and navigating workplace discrimination while working in order to try to preserve a career.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.as.me/healthquiz

Experience Episode: Harassment in Male-Dominated Work

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:25:00 +0000

TW: sexual harassment, gender discrimination.

In Episode 16, Meredith interviews a past client who works in marine research and shipping. They discuss what transformations have helped make a difference in navigating sexual harassment and other gender-discrimination at work and how to maintain integrity and self-respect in the midst of unfair treatment.

How Toxic Is Your Work Environment? Take the quiz here: https://erisresolution.as.me/healthquiz

Episode Transcript https://otter.ai/u/ANGbKDLnD3Ue38o06beW8B5HvpE?utm_source=copy_url

Empowered Communication and Holidays

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 08:00:00 +0000

In Episode 15, Meredith drops a few thoughts about the holidays and one factor in communicating from an empowered place when we are triggered. Most of us have been taught that ego is arrogance, and we should avoid it. But, really ego is what defines our preferences and who we are. Holidays can be very triggering and bring out our sensitive points, but when we can manage and care for our egos (our preferences), we can interact better with people who are different from us. When we don't care for our egos, we can become arrogant and mean as an unconscious response to protect ourselves. The message here is take care of yourself! Eat that cookie! Binge that show! Even if you are busy or stressed, lonely or triggered, do something to calm your ego and care for yourself this holiday season.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Gaslighting and Brainwashing: Are You Making This Up?

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 17:00:00 +0000

In Episode 14, Meredith and Megan talk about how gaslighting and brainwashing show up in the workplace, and how they can impact a work environment. Gaslighting happens when we fail to acknowledge someone else's reality, and instead reassert our version of reality or what we want reality to be. Brainwashing happens when we use coercive strategies to pressure people to share a certain reality. Both dynamics can create a toxic work environment, even when we are not intending to create that. Meredith and Megan talk about their personal experiences with gaslighting and brainwashing at work.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Defensiveness at Work: When You Feel Attacked and the Emotional Cage Error

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 08:00:00 +0000

In Episode 13, Meredith and Megan feel attacked. Or at least they talk about the experience of feeling attacked at work. Meredith shares the concept of the emotional cage error, a thinking error that leads us to believe that if someone else acts abusively, it limits how we are allowed to feel or respond. When we feel defensive or attacked, and we act from that space, it can limit our responses and work against the outcomes we want. When we can enforce our boundaries and identify our emotional cage errors, we can refocus on creating the environment we want to experience at work.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

What Should We Expect From a Work Environment?

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 +0000

In Episode 12, Meredith and Megan explore expectations at work. We often come from family systems and educational systems that teach us to expect one thing from our lives, but then we enter a workplace that is very different than we expected. Sometimes, workplaces even advertise themselves as "happy families," and after we start working, we learn they are anything but happy. When we learn that our expectations are not in line with the reality of the workplace, how should we handle that? In some ways, the answer is that we decide whether we want the work, as it is, and whether we are willing to put on the emotional or physical protections that will keep us safe.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Who Is Responsible for Creating Healthy Workplace Culture?

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000

In Episode 11, Meredith and Megan discuss workplace hierarchies and who, ultimately, is responsible for the workplace culture, whether it is toxic or healthy. In many workplaces, there is a clear hierarchy, with chief officers over managers, over frontline workers. The expectation is that the person at the top of the hierarchy has more responsibility than the person who is paid the least. But, what happens when that responsibility breaks down? Often, in toxic work environments, the person at the top is not emotionally or intellectually capable of creating a healthy work environment. In that case, even though it is unfair, the person who is paid less, may want to take more responsibility rather than leave or allow a workplace culture to deteriorate. This episode includes some tools to reclaim power where the person expected to be responsible has not followed through.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

When Past Work Experiences Feel Unresolved

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 20:00:00 +0000

In Episode 10, Meredith and Megan go into their experiences of resolution and non-resolution related to past work experiences. Meredith breaks down the steps she has taken to make resolve past work experiences and the typical steps she sees related to reporting harassment and discrimination and how we have been taught to respond to those issues. Sometimes, employees seek closure and justice through the legal system, and other times they walk away feeling no closure. Ultimately, it is possible to create closure and justice even when the system fails. This episode touches on how that can happen.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Toxic Work Environments and Taking Work Home

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 08:00:00 +0000

In Episode 9, Meredith and Megan talk about boundaries at work and navigating the experience of taking work home, not just physically but mentally. Have you ever had the experience of burning dinner or forgetting to eat because your brain is so distracted by something that happened at work? Just us? In this episode, we focus on the first pillar of Empowered Communication: Boundaries. But, not just physical boundaries. We talk about our inner boundaries with our own self-talk. If you want to leave work at work, these are some tips and tricks to try.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Holding Abusers Accountable

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 8, Meredith and Megan explore how we can hold abusers accountable at work. Often, when we talk about holding people accountable, it means that we want the other person or a group of people around us to agree with us about something that happened. Other times, people use the word accountability to mean punishment to the abuser or even creating safety for ourselves. In Empowered Communication, we talk about accountability as math. It is possible to know an abuser caused harm without the abuser agreeing with us (or really without anyone else agreeing with us). Before we do the emotional, physical, and time-intensive labor of holding someone else accountable, we want to make sure it is the best choice for us and that we are caring for ourselves.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Imposter Syndrome: Is it real or is it hegemony?

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 7, Meredith and Megan explore imposter syndrome at work. We typically label an experience as imposter syndrome when we are in a new situation, unsure of ourselves, and wondering if everyone is going to find out we don't belong. It is a feeling that we "sneaked in" to a position that is above our abilities. But, we typically don't use "imposter syndrome" with people who have privilege. When someone has primarily dominant characteristics, we just say they're having normal jitters or they're learning, but we assume they belong. While the phrase "imposter syndrome" might feel comforting, it is also possible that it marginalizes people around us (or us!). It is normal in any new experience to feel nervous or unsettled. We're not imposters for having that experience.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Reshma Saujani on Imposter Syndrome.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Are You a Highly Sensitive Person or is Your Work Environment Toxic?

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 6, Meredith and Megan talk about the experience of being a highly sensitive person and how valuable that can be, even if it is a toxic work environment. A toxic work environment is one where we are tolerating experiences we do not want to tolerate. Highly sensitive people have heightened perceptive abilities and have more pronounced experiences than others. This is only a problem when we try to shut down our perceptive or when we are unwilling to experience other people's discomfort. When we can see our body's signals and sensitivity as a power, we can respond to experiences we want to shift in a more empowered way.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Bullying at Work

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 5, Meredith and Megan talk about holding bullies and abusers accountable at work and how we can respond if someone else has called us abusive or a bully. This episode dives into the third pillar of Empowered Communication: Accountability. Accountability is essentially the math, or the “accounting,” of the actions we’ve taken and the results they’ve gotten. The math is always neutral. When we are afraid we might be bad people, we often get defensive and afraid of owning the actions we’ve taken and the results they’ve gotten. Similarly, when we struggle with getting someone else to acknowledge their actions and results (aka take accountability) we can give ourselves permission to know our perception is right, even if someone else disagrees with us. Then we take the next step to care for ourselves and create safety in our environment.

Click here to access the AI generated Transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

The Power of Negative Feelings

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 4, Meredith and Megan talk about the power of negative feelings. You may have heard about the power of "positive" feelings, but "negative" or painful feelings are equally powerful and important. In this episode, we talk about the second pillar of Empowered Communication™, reprogramming hegemony, and Meredith shares the structure of her IMPACT Model™, a tool to help look at the root cause of uncomfortable feelings so that we can decide whether the pre-programmed thinking behind that feeling serves us or harms us. As humans we experience a range of feelings, and both comfortable and uncomfortable feelings can be important to our safety and wellbeing. Often uncomfortable feelings are important alerts about our safety or integrity.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

“Just Say No,” “Toughen Up,” “Call Us Back When You Get Fired,” And Other Advice That Doesn’t Work in a Toxic Work Environment

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 3, Meredith and Megan talk about the first pillar of Empowered Communication: Enforcing Boundaries. Personal boundaries, like property boundaries, are the line where I end and someone else begins. Boundary violations happen when someone's actions come into our space. When we enforce our boundaries, it is about taking action that makes us safe and rewards us, even while another person may behave in abusive ways. We can try to stop the other person's behavior and be successful at that, but our safety and success has to come first. Learn more about what works and what doesn't work when we encounter abuse in the workplace in this episode.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Basic Breathwork Exercise.

Waking the Tiger, by Peter Levine.

Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, by Pete Walker.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.

Why Do People Stay In Toxic Work Environments?

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

In Episode 2, Meredith and Megan give an overview of the 4 most common types of toxic work environments and the 2 most common types of toxic workplace experiences. Each of those situations can create different pressures to tolerate experiences we do not want to tolerate or confusion about when it is okay to leave. We call the 4 most common types of toxic work environments the "big happy family," "gaslighting passion project," "brainwash factory," and the "9-5." Learn more about each of those and the 2 most common experiences people have in them in this episode.

Click here to access the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear about it! Share Your Story

Toxic Workplaces: Should we leave or stay?

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 22:00:00 +0000

In Episode 1, Meredith and Megan provide an introduction to the three pillars of Empowered Communication™: Enforcing Boundaries, Reprogramming Hegemony, and Accountability. This is a new, integrity-based model for handling power dynamics in the workplace.

Meredith and Megan share their stories about why they care about this work. Early in Meredith's legal career, she got her dream job as a civil rights lawyer. The problem was that she was representing women in sexual harassment lawsuits while she was experiencing sexual harassment herself. Megan found herself leaving a big tech position and inadvertently triggering a major investigation because she answered an exit survey, saying that the workplace was not appropriate for women.

But, both Meredith and Megan have learned and explored tools that work, that turned those experiences around and helped them recover. This episode explores what we can do to encounter toxic workplace conflicts like sexual harassment from an empowered place and create healthy work environments.

Click here for the AI generated transcript of this episode.

Do you have a story about a toxic work environment? We would love to hear it! Share your story here.