Grit to Grace and the Courage to Lead Yourself Through Toxic Workplaces

About this episode

The episode discusses the emotional realities of leadership in toxic workplaces with Dr Kaitlyn Rios, focusing on self-advocacy and healthy leadership.

This conversation leaned into the emotional reality of leadership when it stops being theoretical and starts living in the body. We spoke with Dr Kaitlyn Rios about toxic workplace dynamics, confidence erosion, and the quiet moments where people realize something is no longer sustainable. We explored what healthy leadership actually feels like, how self advocacy gets rebuilt after being worn down, and how grace and grit can coexist when you are choosing yourself without burning everything down. • The origin story behind Faced with Grace and why it exists (02:36) • When an unhealthy workplace crosses into dangerous territory (05:46) • What toxicity actually looks like, microaggressions, unclear expectations, and leadership silence (13:18) • What to do when you cannot leave, including allyship, boundaries, and leading from within (17:43) • How culture really shifts through small human moments, emotional intelligence, and patience (21:15) • What great leadership feels like in practice, presence, time, and being heard (25:39) • Rebuilding confidence and self advocacy through reflection, reframing, and rebuilding (31:39) • Separating facts from feelings, intuition, and the open eyes…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr Kaitlyn Rios

Topics covered

• toxic workplace dynamics
• healthy leadership
• self advocacy
• emotional intelligence
• women empowerment

Keywords

• grit
• grace
• leadership
• confidence erosion
• microaggressions
• allyship
• emotional intelligence
• mentorship

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