Why I Was Let Go for Speaking Truth—and Why I’d Do It Again

Was I Fired?

Was I Fired or Just Awake?

How Ted Lasso Helped Me Heal from a Toxic Work Culture

Hi friend! Welcome back to the blog. Today, I want to take you on a personal journey—a story about courage, clarity, and a fictional soccer coach who showed me I wasn’t crazy... I was conscious.

Let’s rewind to a moment that seemed small at first but turned out to be a game changer.

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A Toastmasters Talk and a Nudge from the Universe

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After delivering a speech at Toastmasters about motivation, sports psychology, and one of my favorite books, Inner Excellence, a fellow member (a Distinguished Toastmaster—basically the gold medal of Toastmasters) came up to me and said, “Kathie, you have to watch Ted Lasso.”

At the time, I’d heard of the show, but didn’t think much of it. Little did I know, this show would become a bridge of incidence, as Neville Goddard would say. You know, one of those seemingly random moments that actually leads you straight into the breakthrough your soul’s been waiting for.

And wow—did it deliver.

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Ted Lasso is Really About….

What Ted Lasso is Really About

On the surface, Ted Lasso is a feel-good show about an American football coach hired to manage a British soccer team. But here’s the twist—he knows nothing about soccer. Zero. Nada. And yet, he wins hearts, changes lives, and transforms a toxic locker room not with playbooks, but with kindness, emotional intelligence, and unwavering belief in people.

Sound cheesy? It’s not. It’s medicine for anyone who's ever felt dismissed, overlooked, or out of place in a professional setting.

For me, it hit hard.

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Rupert Made My Skin Crawl

The Character That Made My Skin Crawl

One of the characters, Rupert, instantly made me uncomfortable. Not because he’s shouting or throwing chairs like your typical on-screen villain. No—he's worse.

He’s calculated. Controlling. Charming in all the wrong ways.

And if you’ve ever worked under someone like that, you know exactly what I mean.

Unfortunately, I didn’t just watch Rupert—I’d worked for Rupert. And not just one. A whole boardroom of them.

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The Real-Life “Rupert”

The Real-Life "Rupert" I Knew

Years ago, I held a leadership position I adored. I ran wellness programs that transformed lives. I was all in. Heart and soul.

But the culture was changing. People were being fired without warning. Communication from HR was… well, let’s just say absent at best, harmful at worst. Recognition programs became random raffles. Nepotism ran wild. And the higher-ups paraded as “visionaries” while operating from ego, fear, and control.

Sound familiar?

When I started speaking up—not with complaints, but with content—everything shifted. I talked online about disengaged workplace cultures, about the silent epidemic of quiet quitting, and about the difference between real leadership and performance leadership. And then…

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Twisting the Truth

The Real Problem

HR took my content, twisted it, and labeled me the issue. They painted my intention—to help, to heal, to improve—as rebellion.

And what happened next? Still blows my mind.

They asked my coworkers—people I considered friends—to turn over private text messages I sent after being let go. All I said was that I was heartbroken, that I’d been let go, and that I thought they were watching my online content. That’s it.

One person complied. She still follows me on Instagram. And that’s okay. I’ve let it go.

But what I haven’t let go of is this:

Sometimes, you're not fired because you did something wrong.

You're fired because you disrupted a system that profits off silence.

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Pandemic Red Flags

The Pandemic Red Flags

Let’s take it back to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This same company mandated vaccinations—with a termination threat if you declined. (Yes, people were fired.)

Now listen, I believe in health. I live wellness. But I also believe in freedom of choice. I’ve never gotten a flu shot. My immune system and spiritual practices are strong. But I got the shot anyway—not for the company, but for my team. For the people I loved working with.

And if that wasn’t enough, we were forced to wear protective goggles—yes, goggles—because someone decided the virus could be transmitted through eye tissue. I said, “What’s next? We’ll catch it just by looking at it?”

It was absurd. But more than that, it was a crystal-clear picture of fear-based leadership.

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Speaking Up, Silenced Again!

Speaking Up, Silenced Again

I had a private conversation with a senior leader—one I’d never really interacted with before—about a manager’s toxic behavior. I wanted to handle it professionally. Respectfully. Thoughtfully.

But somehow, that too was used against me.

Eventually, the inevitable happened. I was let go. And then, insult to injury, my unemployment claim was denied. It’s still in litigation. And it could take years.

But I’ve let that go, too.

Because now, I see it clearly.

I wasn’t let go for being difficult.

I was let go for being different.

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Ted Lasso Helped Me Remember

Ted Lasso Helped Me Remember

One of the most powerful arcs in Ted Lasso is that of Nate—the assistant coach who leaves to work under Rupert. Nate eventually realizes the cost of aligning with control and ego. And he walks away.

I did, too.

Watching that storyline felt like watching my own soul on screen. It reminded me of something vital:

“You’re not crazy. You’re conscious.”

And consciousness? It’s always inconvenient to those clinging to power.

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Have you been “punished” for telling the truth!

For Anyone Who’s Been Punished for Telling the Truth

If you’ve ever been in a situation where your heart was in the right place but your leadership punished you for speaking up—you are not alone.

In fact, you are exactly what the world needs.

You’re the voice that disrupts dysfunction.

You’re the spark that challenges stale systems.

You’re the upgrade that outdated leadership is too afraid to install.

And while it may feel lonely sometimes, you are not wrong.

You are awake.

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Need a little inspiration? Watch Ted Lasso

Final Thoughts

So, my friend, if this story hit home, let it remind you that your voice matters. That standing up for truth—even when it costs you—is not a weakness. It’s your power.

And if you need a little inspiration? Watch Ted Lasso.

Seriously. Grab some tissues. Prepare to laugh, cry, and remember what real leadership feels like.

Then ask yourself: Am I being quiet to stay safe, or am I ready to lead with love and truth—even when it’s hard?

Because I promise you this—

The world doesn’t need more silence. It needs more you.

Until next time,

Keep leading.

Keep loving.

And keep listening to that intuitive voice inside of you—because it’s never wrong.

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Kathie Owen, Coach and Consultant

About Kathie

Kathie Owen is a corporate wellness consultant, speaker, and mindset coach who helps organizations and individuals beat burnout and thrive—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With over 20 years of experience in fitness and wellness, Kathie brings a compassionate yet courageous voice to the conversation around workplace culture, leadership, and personal empowerment. Learn more about Kathie’s Story Here!

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Transcript

Hi friends and welcome back to the show. My name is Kathie Owen, and this is Kathie's Coaching podcast. And today we're diving into a story that's personal, powerful, and honestly long overdue. So let me start here. You know it's funny how the right things find you at the right time. After I gave my speech at Toastmasters on motivation, sports psychology, and the powerful book called Inner Excellence, one of my fellow members who is a distinguished Toastmaster, which is the highest award you can receive in Toastmasters. He came up to me afterward and said, you have to watch the show, Ted Lasso. You know, I kind of heard of the show, but I had no idea how deeply it would speak to me. The timing was perfect, so perfect. In fact, that I now see it as what Neville Goddard calls a bridge of incidence. One of those seemingly ordinary moments that guide you straight toward the clarity or breakthrough you didn't even know you needed. So if you've never seen it, here is a quick version about it. It's. Called Ted Lasso, and it's about American football coach who gets hired to manage a British soccer team, even though he knows nothing about the sport. But the show isn't really about soccer, it's about leadership. It's about kindness, it's about personal growth, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and the power of even believing in people. So Ted's optimism and his emotional intelligence shake up a cynical team and transform a toxic culture one conversation at a time. And I can't tell you how many times I identify with each of the characters or their storyline that they're going through. It's just mind blowing. But there's this character on the show, his name is Rupert. He walks into a room with this energy that instantly makes my skin crawl. And it's not because he's loud or cruel in the typical TV villain kind of way, but because he's smooth, he's calculated and he's controlling. And every time he appears on screen, I feel this visceral reaction because I've met Ruperts in real life. You know, I worked for a company where the people in power had that same energy. So years ago I was in a leadership role where I truly love what I did. I created wellness programs that changed lives. I poured my heart into my work. But as time went on, I started noticing things that didn't sit right. Employees were being fired without warning. It was just like, okay, just fire them. Fire them. It was horrible. Some of my closest friends. Got fired and I didn't even get to tell them goodbye, which kind of broke my heart. But there was poor communication also from human resources, and there were these reward systems that felt random and uninspiring, like, just get a ticket. You win the big award and the people that won were not even around very long. It was just mind blowing. But there was also a lot of nepotism inside this company. There was a lot of favoritism inside this company and leadership that paraded as visionary, but was actually disconnected and really and truly ego-driven. so I spoke up to the CEO of the company. I didn't name names, but I did share content about quiet, quitting disengaged cultures, the importance of real leadership, not performative leadership. I talked about what happens when communication breaks down, and wellness is just a buzzword instead of a lived value. And somewhere along the way, human resources decided I had crossed the line. They took my content to the top and they twisted my intentions and they used it to paint me as the problem, but here's what stings the most. Not because it still hurts emotionally because honestly I've let that go, but because it showed me exactly what kind of culture I was dealing with. They asked my coworkers, my friends, to show them text messages I sent after I was let go. Private messages, an invasion of privacy that still shocks me to this day and. Not that I said anything that was wrong or anything, I actually just said, I'm so sorry. They let me go and they were looking at my content online, like I was just talking about. That's all I said. But one woman inside the company complied and told them what the messages were and she still follows me on Instagram and that's fine, but I'm not bitter. I'm actually awake and my story is something that needs to be shared. But I also wanna share something that still blows my mind. At the height of the Covid Pandemic, this same leadership inside this company forced us to get vaccinated. And if we didn't, we would be terminated. And yes, some were actually fired. This was a huge red flag for me because honestly, I was very hesitant. I don't even get the flu shot because I trust my higher power and my immune system Always but. I did it anyways because I cared about my team. I cared about my work and the greater good of my team, not actually the company in retrospect. But during the pandemic, this is really funny. We were required to wear protective goggles because at some point in time they believed the virus could be transmitted through our eye tissue. Yes. The entire company was forced to wear goggles. I would say, I guess they think we're gonna catch it just by looking at it. You know? That's just me. But. If that doesn't speak to the climate of fear and control, I don't know what does. I even had a conversation with one of the top leaders, someone I rarely spoke to, and I told her about the bad behavior I was witnessing inside the company. It was specifically a manager who was creating serious tension and serious dysfunction. I tried to address it. Privately and respectfully, and yet somehow human resources turned that too against me. When it all came to a head and I was let go, they actually denied my unemployment and it's still in litigation and it could take years. But here's the truth. I've let that go because here's what I now know. And this is what Ted Lasso reminded me of. Sometimes you're not fired because you did something wrong. Sometimes you're fired because you disrupted a system that profits off silence. I was never the problem. I was the voice they didn't wanna hear. I was the reminder that leadership should be about people, not so-called power. And now like Nate in Ted Lasso, who is one of the coaches that left Ted Lasso and went to work for Rupert on an opposing team, he walked away from that and I've walked away from the wrong team. Nate walked away from the head coach of the team that Rupert owned because he saw how Rupert was conniving and using people to gain his so-called status and so-called control. And it sounds so much like my old job, and that's what I mean about Rupert. I'm picking up that vibe intuitively from watching this show. So I don't share this to relive the past. I share it for anyone listening who has ever felt like they were punished for telling the truth, for doing what's right, for caring too much, and you are not alone. And more importantly, you are not wrong. You are the upgrade, the leader, the one that sees what others are afraid to see. And I'm here to tell you, you're not crazy. You're actually awake or conscious is what we could call it. And you are needed now more than ever. All right. Thanks for listening. I trust that you found today's episode helpful, and if this episode spoke to you, I'd love it if you would share it with a friend or a coworker who might need the reminder that they're not alone in this either. And until next time, keep leading. Keep loving and keep listening to that intuitive voice inside of you, because that voice, it's never wrong. And. Go check out the show, Ted Lasso. It is really good, really entertaining and very explaining of life in general and just cultures and what they can do and what kind of havoc they can cause, and also what kind of happens when you actually believe in your power. All right, that's my episode for today and until next time, I will see you next time. Peace out and namaste.