You Aren’t Alone

• Have you ever had to work with a manipulative colleague who betrays you?  
• Has working with an emotionally abusive boss, leadership team, or mentor thrown your career (or life) off track?
• Have you had to navigate having to manage manipulative employees?
• Have you had a business hurt or even destroyed by a malignant business partner?  
• How do you (or can you) work with entitled clients, students, patients, or customers without burning out your staff (while having to worry about a damning Yelp review or viral video!)?
• What do you do when the entire institution is triangulated, asymmetric, and unjust, and you still have to work there?  

Above all else, how do you cope when you are in one (or more than one) of these workplace situations?

We do not talk enough about how narcissism, antagonism, entitlement, and manipulation show up in workplace situations. Many of the dynamics are similar to what we would see in an intimate relationship or family situation, but the stakes feel different.

Workplace situations are sometimes even more complex because we cannot leave these situations without financial or professional peril. These situations may even pull us into ethically hazy territory which may not only have real professional implications, but also result in shame. There may be legal issues we have to navigate, and yet the dynamics—trauma bonding, self-blame, confusion, hypervigilance, self-devaluation, isolation—are often quite similar when we are in these situations.    

In this program, we will be focusing on what narcissism and antagonism are, how they show up at all levels of the workplace, how it affects us, and what we can do. In most cases, HR departments aren’t in a position to intervene, and preventative strategies can be tricky to implement. If you have had your career, professional development, or working life upended by a toxic relationship, this is a rare opportunity to spend a weekend learning you aren’t alone, tips and techniques to explore, and to learn from each other. Sadly, many folks who navigate toxic workplaces may also simultaneously be juggling other narcissistic relationships (intimate relationships, parents, siblings, friends), and this can make all of this feel even more fraught.

This isn’t about just enduring the “hazing” of a tough boss; these are harmful relationships that can have long-term negative impacts on your health, your financial future, and the health of other people impacted by these circumstances. Please join us for this important retreat and learn tools to cope.