In this humble finale to the Office Detox podcast, I talk about the 12th part of the Dirty Dozen. In a nutshell, no one can save you, you have to save yourself! But you don't have to do it alone. Thank you, lovely listeners, for being with me on this journey. Support the show

The thing about inequity in the workplace is that it is (I believe) that minority of people who put you in the situation like I was in, but it affects you strongly. In this episode, we explore the marriage and divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, Microsoft and the Gates Foundation. We also look at inclusive leadership, and how it means to lead inside and lead outside. Sources https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/bill-and-melinda-gates-divorce-saga-next-phase https://www.newsweek....

What do you do when a work relationship has been working well for over a decade... suddenly doesn't? Sometimes a colleague has an addiction to drugs or alcohol that can throw off a whole project, team or even a state's judicial system. In this episode, we discuss Sonja Farak's addiction and how it crippled a state's judicial system. If you are interested in this topic, you may want to check out "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" on Netflix. Research: https://www.netflix.com...

The topic of today’s podcast, “War Against Talent”. This is somewhat a play on words, if you are a corporate insider. You see, people in the recruiting industry talk about the “War On Talent” that we are all fighting to get the best people on the team. But, in reality, there is a “War Against Talent” with people hurting the talented people on the team. Today’s story that we are going to focus on the botched hunt for Canada’s worst serial killer, Robert Pickton, and Geographic Profiler for th...

The topic of today’s podcast, “Nowhere to Turn” as in… today, when someone is experiencing a toxic work environment, there really is nowhere to turn to help – HR, management, Unions, Courts, changing jobs – it is all hard and there is no easy road. We discuss Lois Jenson and the first Class-Action sexual harassment case. In exploring the case, we chat about how this is still relevant for today's workforce. Research: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/feb/03/gender.world https://www.vir...

Have you ever been a part of an organization that seemed more like a cult than a regular workplace? In this episode, I discuss the famed sex cult NXIVM and its leader, Keith Raniere. I also look into one of his followers, Sarah Edmondston. Bringing it to an everyday situation, when an organization turns into a cult, it begins to be more about serving the leader, than serving the purpose for which it was started. Resources https://www.cbc.ca/radio/uncover/uncover-season-1-escaping-nxivm-1...

According to Security Magazine, employee thefts cost US businesses 50 Billion per year. One of the most egregious thefts ever investigated by the FBI was Rita Crundwell, City Comptroller of Dixon, IL, who embezzled over 53 Million dollars over the course of 22 years. By the time of her arrest, she had over 300 horses across 22 farms in 13 states. She had a motorcoach which seems similar to a very fancy looking tour bus, that she upgraded 5 times, worth 2.1 million dollars. My pr...

You can't have a leader without a follower. Music Entrepreneur Derek Sivers introduced first follower theory at the 2010 TED (technology, entertainment, design) conference. According to Sivers, the first follower is what transforms an individual with a unique idea into a leader. Here is a shortened version of his talk. I will put a link to it in the show notes. First Followers are a part of the toxic work environment today, as they give the leader that "follower glow". In this episode,...

Have you ever dealt with paranoia in the workplace? Or the "blame game" on overdrive? All of us have an inner warning system that alerts us to danger. But with the paranoid personality, it’s as if this system is stuck in overdrive, sounding alarms about you, me, neighbors, co-workers, ethnic groups, foreigners, the government and on and on. Their skewed perspective dominates their life, and the lives of the people that work with or for them. Key traits include: being easily insulted, holdin...

Have you ever walked into a place, and it is a pressure cooker? Like the pressure is so high you can hardly breathe? Like the pressure is so high, that it will blow at any minute? You may be working in an emotionally unstable workplace. In episode 3 of Season 1 of Office Detox, we explore the unstable workplace, through the lens of the suicides of Gaetan Mootoo and Roz McGregor of Amnesty International. On the night of the 25th of May, Gaetan Mootoo killed himself, aged 65, in the Paris o...

According to the book “Dangerous Personalities” by former FBI profiler Joe Navarro, Narcissistic personalities only care for themselves, their needs, and their priorities. While you and I appreciate attention, the narcissist craves it and manipulates people and situations to get it. While you and I work hard to be successful, the narcissistic personality connives to succeed and may cheat, lie, embellish the truth, or scheme to get ahead, uncaring of how others are affected. In this episode,...

Have you ever encountered a corporate predator? One thing is that predators can be very charming at first. They draw you in. If you are someone who relies on “vibes” when it comes to people and a predator can overcome that. They have learned a way to appear like a nice person who helps out. Brain scans of sociopaths, with emotional stimuli, says it goes to the analytical side of their brain, rather than just reacting like the rest of us. In this episode, we look at how Carrie Toldstedt went...