Jennifer Brick

Is it just me, or is work becoming more toxic?




Ten years ago, no one had ever heard of the term "toxic workplace".

Five years ago, I was one of the first people online dissecting culture and power dynamics at work.

Now... I get more Google News notifications about a toxic workplace a day than I could count.

Awareness is great, and it generally increases the number of people who identify with it...

But over the last few years, as I've worked with thousands of people, I've noticed:
· Subtle toxicity is becoming more prevalent.
· Overt toxicity is being normalized.
· The power gaps are widening at an exponential rate.

The backlash to the Great Resignation has been mass layoffs and billionaires plotting to replace humans with the agentic workforce.

And on a more macro level, the lived reality is sharply different.

High earners are printing money. The stock market is booming. Record profits also mean big bonuses.

While most Americans are one paycheck away from a financial crisis.

Obviously, I have a lot of thoughts on this... but I want to hear your perspective.

Is work becoming more toxic?

Sound off in the comments why you agree or disagree...

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 32

Jennifer Brick

Stop making toxic people comfortable.



This is one of the things that comes up for almost all of my clients, and I hear it from so many of you too.

So I thought I would share something that has come up for me personally recently.

Because of circumstances, there is someone I have to deal with who I'll describe as at least mildly toxic.

They play the victim, blame shift, and gossip maliciously.

Like many of you, I've been frustrated and even tempted to just give up and walk away.

But then I was like, you're Jennifer Brick. An expert dealing with toxic people.

So here is what I did inseat:

1. Evaluate the situation and stakes

This is the most important step, yet it's one that many people overlook.

If you don't have a clear understanding of the situation, know the stakes, and comprehend alliances and risks, you're setting yourself up to fail.

In this case, I assessed the risk as low, gained power by being clear on the stakes (theirs and mine), and chose the right approach.

You *must* do this math, calculate risks and costs, and navigate your unique situation.

2. Be prepared to be disliked.

Honestly, I was feeling vibed out of so many situations.

And while I'm salty and certainly not conflict-avoidant, I don't like to make a scene.

The thing is: letting the toxic person get away with it didn't stop the scene.

The only difference was in one scenario, their comfort was the priority, and in the other, mine was.

I started choosing mine.

Before this shift, the toxic person probably didn't mind me.

But now? It's no secret they detest me.

3. Don't underestimate others

As I mentioned, the toxic person loves to gossip.

I knew as soon as I made this shift, they would be running their mouth to anyone who would listen.

Who knows, perhaps they're on Reddit talking about me right now.

But whether people like me or not... is none of my business.

Regardless of what you do, some people will like you, while others won't.

So I took the risk.

This was also a great reminder to me (and hopefully now to you) of one simple fact:

You're not the only one who is bothered by the toxic person.

When you disrupt their pattern, whether it's by changing topics, walking away, or calling them out, others will notice and be grateful to see the toxic person being held accountable.

So many top-liked comments on my videos are about toxic people being held accountable for this very reason.


Now, it's easy for me to share this and use my expertise personally.

It's a whole other to figure it out.

If you want to dive into how to work with toxic people I get into the weeds in this video https://youtu.be/HfI96thg1yk

2 months ago | [YT] | 108

Jennifer Brick

Has this ever happened to you?

I stuck it out way longer than I should have in my toxic job.

At the point I was hospitalized because the stress of the toxic work environment was impacting my physical health, I knew I needed out.

But they beat me to the punch line.

I was called into a meeting with my toxic AF boss and was let go.

Not only did he make my life miserable for months.

Not only was I drowned by the demands at everyone at the company who came to me to manage him.

Not only had I been gaslit and psychologically abused by him...

He had stolen from me the satisfaction of telling him "I quit."

This is something so many of my clients have experienced too.

And it's baggage that needs to be unpacked so it doesn't haunt you forever and sabotage your life and your career.

If you need something to help you start processing wtf happened, follow the link in my bio.

#Career #ToxicWorkplace #ToxicJob

8 months ago | [YT] | 115

Jennifer Brick

Last weekend I did something I wasn't sure I would do again: I completed the NY Half Marathon.


If you've been here for a while you might remember I had a big fall when I was training for the marathon in 2022.

With a head laceration that required stitches and glue, a fractured elbow, and a busted knee I had to drop out of the race.

And when I got the clear to run after healing... I just couldn't do it.

What if I fell again?

Thing was, I missed running... and I missed being a runner.

I started running in my mid-30s to disprove a lifelong story of "I am not a runner."

I debunked the belief and found something I really enjoyed - giving me long lulls of solitude to think, listen to books, and explore different areas of the city.

Most of all it gave me a way to manage my energy.

I had been feeling the pull back to it for months when I got an email from NYRR about the NY Half lottery entries.

I decided to put in, knowing there was almost no chance.

"If I get in, the universe wants me to run."

A few days later I got an email that I was in. It was time to lace up my runners again.

Training was surprisingly easy, even though I'm slow AF now (not that I was ever fast).

And I was really excited to run this race again.

So Sunday morning, I got out there with 28,500 others and ran 13.1 miles.

I did it despite the fact I had a cold that kept me up most of the night and a bad shoulder flared up which put me out of alignment. I kept going when thought I injured my knee at mile 10 because at that point i was going to get over the finish line one way or another (and from the point of injury I walked about half).

And when I crossed the finish line, I did something I hadn't done since my first half marathon back in 2019.

I cried.

What was holding me back from running wasn't a fear of falling. It was a lack of trust in myself.

Each stride (and stumble I saved myself from) helped me rebuild that trust.

I can protect myself. I can keep myself safe. I can tell when to run and when to stop (the injury definitely reminded me of that).

I can honor myself.

I can even surprise myself; If my cold meds had held up and I hadn't had the injury I would have beaten the time I expected.

Crossing the finish line was a massive win, and I'm unapologetically proud of myself for it.

What are you doing to push yourself this year?

9 months ago | [YT] | 119

Jennifer Brick

I've helped thousands of people get out and over their toxic jobs, and almost every one of them has a Prove Myself era that kept them trapped in the toxicity.

You know your skills.

You know your abilities.

You know your potential.

If you're like most of the people I help, you have a long history of high performance.

You never got negative feedback, let alone a bad (or even iffy) performance review until your toxic job.

So when your toxic boss criticized you and told you that you weren't good enough and triangulated you against your coworkers... something happened.

Your track record and belief system no longer matched your reality.

Your identity, worth, and abilities were questioned.

So you worked your ass off to prove yourself. To prove your toxic boss wrong.

In a typical work environment, you would have. But it wasn't a typical work environment, it was a toxic AF one.

And the thing is, you cared way more about your potential, professional reputation, and job than they did.

Even when you leave it's a bittersweet thing - you're happy to leave the job but you mourn the potential that was there... that they promised.

Even when you leave it's a bittersweet thing - you're happy to leave the job but you mourn the potential that was there... than they promised.

You cared more, and that hurts.

You deserve to be somewhere that is as invested in you as you are them.

If you're struggling to get over a toxic job, make sure you're following me for daily strategies and reminders that you are not alone.

9 months ago | [YT] | 126

Jennifer Brick

Yesterday I spent the day celebrating Women's Day in the best possible way: surrounded by powerful women.
​‪@YouTube‬ invited me to the In Charge event they hosted with ‪@dvf‬ and JP Morgan Chase.

The lineup was filled with barrier breakers and world changers.

I particularly enjoyed hearing from Ms Tina Knowles, Leymah Gwobee, and Diane Von Furstenberg herself.

But the highlight was getting to meet and connect with the other women at the event.

There were so many people in the room, and everyone I spoke to was so inspired to make a difference in her lane knowing others would take care of theirs.

Thanks to the YouTube team for including me in this special event.

I'll share more of my takeaways and highlights in the coming days.

9 months ago | [YT] | 37

Jennifer Brick

This weekend, millions of federal employees were threatened with arbitrary termination.
What is happening is the gross normalization of toxic culture and toxic workplace culture.
Ofc I need to talk about it...


ICYMI: This weekend, 2,000,000 federal employees received an email demanding details of their impact in the past week. A follow up tweet by an unelected special government employee advised they had to reply or they will be fired.

When I saw the email and tweet, the first thing that sprung to mind was: he's asking for snippets.

This is super common in the tech industry, and it can be an incredibly effective way of keeping communication channels open and increasing the visibility of your work.

So I'm not inherently opposed - but here's where it goes wrong.

Context.

For starters, reply or get fired if an effed-up position to take.
(Though not surprising as a directive of someone with poor leadership and social skills)

Reply or get fired, with this note being communicated on Twitter, is inherently toxic.

Next, this went to *all* 2,000,000 federal employees.

There is a barrier to replying when you can't share classified information when your work is classified to protect national security.

And to the same team that leaked classified info like a week ago on a website they threw together.

Transparency is one of my core values, so if that's the goal, I'm here for it, but 'reply or get fired' isn't it.

Finally, I want you to zoom out and think about how you would feel opening that email (then reading that tweet).

I've gotten so many messages from followers and clients who have federal government roles, and they are distressed and demoralized by what is happening.

While I don't know each of their roles, I do know they have built careers to make the country better and more secure.

They've sacrificed significantly better compensation packages in the private sector to support the mission (and many stay for the pension, which is now at risk).

They have taken the Oath of Office, and they take it seriously.

Can the unelected person who is making these decisions say the same thing?

No one supports tax dollars going to waste - but I've got to know...

Are you cheering for large-scale and arbitrary layoffs?

9 months ago | [YT] | 59

Jennifer Brick

When you leave a toxic job, you expect to feel relief.
You don't expect grief... and no one talks about it.

This is something I experienced personally when I left my toxic job - and it was confusing AF.

I was relieved to never have to deal with my toxic boss again, and to not wake up with the impending sense of doom that griped me.

But there were things I grieved:
👉 I missed my work bestie, who kept me sane with coffee/rants breaks when we needed them.
👉 I grieved the opportunity that was sold, the one that should have existed, versus the reality that was.
👉 Mostly... I was grieving the version of myself who loved her career and was passionate about her work.

I was shell shocked and didn't even have words to describe what I had been through (workplace toxicity and workplace trauma were definitely not in the vernacular then).

I wish back then I knew what to expect when I left, including the grief that arose.

That's why I am so passionate about creating awareness now for toxic job survivors.

This week's Career Bestie Insider is going to dive deep into the 5 shocking things that happen when you leave a toxic workplace.

If you're in a toxic job, or have left one, you need to read this.

You can sign up for free to get it straight to your inbox at careerbestieinsider.com/

It'll be in your inbox Sunday Feb 16th at 3pm ET!

10 months ago | [YT] | 169

Jennifer Brick

How much is your toxic job costing you?
One of my clients lost $500,000 😬


We need to talk about Lost Earning Potential (LEP) and toxic workplaces.

Your toxic job is costing you more than your sanity in the toxic AF work environment.

It is costing you
💸 Pay increases
💸 Promotions
💸 Better job opportunities

Your talent and potential are NOT recognized in a toxic job.

Your confident at work is destroyed (because if you knew how good you are, you wouldn't stay).

And your career trajectory grinds to a halt.

So does your income potential.

The longer you stay, the more it hurts.

But you can change this.

This exercise has helped so many of my clients realize that they could not afford to stay - emotionally or financially.

Swipe through to find out how to calculate your LEP.

PS: This post cut off. The full swipe file is on my Instagram! www.instagram.com/ccjenniferbrick/

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10 months ago | [YT] | 51