My Truth About a Toxic Workplace

“Culture Isn’t in the Handbook”

“Before we begin, I’d like to respectfully state that:

✨ For my emotional safety, I’d prefer to direct my responses only to you, the hearing officer.

✨ I don’t intend to engage directly with the other party during this call.

✨ I’m here to speak calmly, truthfully, and to answer your questions to the best of my ability.”

That’s how I opened my unemployment hearing.

With calm. With clarity.

With my truth.

Because here’s the thing—this wasn’t just about unemployment benefits.

This was about reclaiming my voice after being silenced by a toxic workplace.

This was about standing up, not in anger, but in strength.

And this is the blog post I never imagined writing.

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The Truth You Don’t See in the Handbook

The company I worked for likes to present itself as a “top workplace.”

They have their values posted proudly on the wall.

Loyalty. Integrity. Fun. Energy.

All the things that look good in a glossy brochure.

But values don’t live in a mission statement.

They live in the moment someone speaks up.

They live in how leadership responds to feedback.

They live in how safe someone feels walking into work every day.

And what I experienced was the opposite.

Let Me Be Clear

✅ I was wrongfully terminated.

✅ I was never given a warning or formal feedback.

✅ I was not told anything I did was out of line.

✅ I was retaliated against for speaking the truth about a toxic culture.

I’m not here to argue.

I’m not here to beg.

I’m here to speak my truth.

Because toxic workplaces don’t just damage morale.

They damage lives.

And I know I’m not alone. For those of you who were terminated wrongfully, especially the mass lay off at the pandemic, fired for not getting the vaccine, and those who were fired in March, 2024 - I spoke up for you to the CEO!!

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My Role Was More Than a Job Description

I wasn’t a desk worker or a numbers person.

I was the company gym manager. That space was my office.

I started as the CEO’s personal trainer. I became a wellness champion.

I led with heart, not just tasks.

But when it came time to scrutinize me?

Suddenly my job was reduced to a printed list from the handbook.

Nothing about the times I stayed late.

Nothing about the team members I coached through stress and burnout.

Nothing about the lives I tried to improve—one heart at a time.

All that disappeared in the HR paperwork.

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Let’s Talk About the Real Culture

The leadership team didn’t just fail to lead—they created fear, especially my manager and HR enabled it because I was calling them out!

❌ HR had no boundaries around confidentiality - fellow co-workers know your salary.

❌ People were promoted into leadership with no experience.

❌ I witnessed violent outbursts in the workplace, I even told security who told me to tell HR, but HR was married to that employee.

❌ I saw unsafe dynamics go unaddressed again and again.

And if you’ve ever worked in a place like this, you know:

You start to doubt your sanity.

You start to shrink.

You begin to wonder if maybe you are the problem.

That’s the cost of a toxic workplace.

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The PTSD No One Sees

I’ve been diagnosed with Complex PTSD.

It’s a condition I manage carefully. It stems from earlier legal trauma in my life- 14 year custody battle.

So when I say this hearing required everything in me to show up calm and steady—I mean it.

I was retraumatized by this experience.

Not just the firing.

Not just the hearing.

But the gaslighting that came before it.

Gaslighting that told me:

“This is just how it is.”

“You’re too sensitive.”

“Maybe you’re reading into it.”

But I wasn’t.

I was reading it exactly right.

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I Want You to Know This

If you’ve ever felt:

• Undermined

• Controlled

• Ignored

• Silenced

• Unappreciated

…you’re not crazy.

And you’re not alone.

Culture isn’t built in a handbook.

It’s built in how people are treated when it matters.

It’s built in the whisper that becomes a complaint, and whether leadership listens.

It’s built in the space between performance reviews and panic attacks.

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My New Chapter

I lost my job.

But I gained something more powerful: my voice.

I’m now helping other companies build healthy cultures that truly care.

I guide leaders who want to create safety, not just slogans.

And I coach teams to find balance, connection, and belonging—one heart at a time.

Funny thing is, those same people clocking in and out back at my old job.

They’re still walking on eggshells.

While I walk in peace. Oh and my value is not placed in a clock!! I’ll say that for those in the back “My value is not placed in a clock!”

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If You’re in a Toxic Workplace

Here’s what I want you to hear:

1. You are not crazy.

2. You are not overreacting.

3. You deserve to feel safe at work.

4. No paycheck is worth your mental health.

5. There is a life after this.

Whether you’re quietly quitting or plotting your escape, know that there are workplaces out there that do walk their talk.

And if you’re a leader reading this?

Ask yourself:

Would your team say they feel safe?

Seen?

Heard?

Because the real culture of your company is happening right now—in the hallways, in the Slack channels, in people’s hearts.

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Final Words from the Hearing

I want to end this post just like I did on the call:

I’m here today to answer your questions — and to let that truth stand.

I gave my heart to that company. I did my job with passion and integrity.

And I was fired without warning for speaking the truth.

Let the record show:

I may have been silenced there.

But I am not silent anymore.

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💬 About Kathie

Kathie Owen is a corporate wellness consultant, mindset coach, and speaker with over 25 years of experience in fitness, leadership, and culture change.

She helps organizations build healthy, high-performing teams—one heart at a time.

After walking through workplace trauma, Kathie now teaches others how to create safe, connected, and soul-aligned workplaces.

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