The Corporate Crash Out: #2

Hey Besties, What are we crashing out about today?

Don't worry I came with a list:

The world is exhausting. gestures vaguely around. Everything is exhausting. The weather is trash. The days are short. The sun clocks out long before I do. Everything feels heavier, slower, harder, and I promise it's not just you.

Seasonal affective disorder isn’t just sadness, and it's got me in a chokehold. It’s fog. It’s inertia. It’s waking up already tired. It’s wanting to care, about work, about politics, about literally anything, and feeling like your nervous system has hit its limit.

I want to be motivated to create, to build, to stand in community but often times it feels like my feet are full of cement. I work from bed. I live in sweats. I manage to drag myself to the gym but I spend way too much time critiquing my own body and getting in my own head.

Add in the constant state of collapse we’re living through and sometimes even crashing out feels like too much effort. You don’t have the energy to be loud. You don’t have the capacity to fight back, because you feel depleted. At least that's where I am.

And that doesn’t mean I stopped caring, it means my body needs more from me and right now I have to listen to it.

We’re not meant to metabolize this much harm, this little daylight, and this many "unprecedented events" at the same time. Exhaustion isn’t a personal failure, it's a completely normal response to all of the BS going on in the world around us.

So if your crashout right now looks more like a netflix binge or a blanket fort or choosing that still counts. Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is let your body catch up before you decide what you’re willing to fight next.

How I'm Dealing with Life Exhaustion:

Bestie, you are the glass ball. You cannot afford to break.

Work will take everything you have and look surprised when you have nothing left to give. Capitalism tells us that is what ambition looks like. Burnout will call it a warning, a loud blaring warning. A five alarm fire going on in your nervous system.

Ask yourself, can your biggest opp really be your path to wellness?

This system is built on your burnout. It wasn't built for you to win. It was built for your to collapse while building it from within. Your exhaustion is not a glitch, it is quite literally the design. If we are required to produce at any cost, that cost will require someone to absorb the damage. It will never be the company. It will always be you. Rest anyway. Crash out strategically. Catalogue your exits as needed. Protect yourself because the world will not.

There are a lot of recruiter takes on this website, and so many of them are not only bad, they're rooted in bias. In 2017, I had a hiring manager tell me he would only hire people he "would want to sit on a couch next to"

He called it the couch test.

Fun fact, you don't need to want to be friends with all of your hires bestie. You should intentionally want to hire people who challenge you.

And that's why he hated me, because I challenged him. I refused to model the couch test. I refused. to acknowledge it as a practice.

In the year of 2026, I need you to recognize the privilege you have sitting on the other end of the application. Yes, i get it, sorting through 1000 applications isn't the bees knees, but hey, you're getting paid for it right?

There are applicants who have been applying for over a year, to over 1000 roles. New resume. New cover letter. No paycheck.

For those of you who don't remember, I cut my teeth in the head hunting world. I am no stranger to the bizarre asks of hiring managers.

However we all have choices.

Do we get online and make their biases common place or do we recognize where and why the system is broken? Our job in TA aren't about coddling hiring managers biases and discomfort, but to interrupt harm before it becomes common place.

If bias is coded into your interview process, what do you think is going on within your organization?

When we choose to regurgitate hiring manager biases for the sake of a hire we quietly decide who has access to roles without actually hiring for the best candidate. Recruiting is not a neutral role, it never has been.

If you are unwilling to push back on antiquated norms or harmful personas, i do not want to hear about how much your org cares about equity, safety, or belonging. As long as we choose to prioritize comfort over the existence of others, we can never truly be "people first".

I hate to be the one to tell you this but:

Your requirements should be quantitative, not based on "vibes" or if you want to attend a saturday night party with them.

If your process only works for people who exist like you or your hiring manager, congrats bestie, you did exactly what the system wanted you to do.

And before you come on here and say "its what you have to do". A simple reminder, neutrality is simply cowardice with better PR legs.

Want to do better? Here are some tips:

Want to know why I'm really crashing out? it's over the 400,000+ Black women who are being forced to mourn their careers.

Want to celebrate Black History Month?

Hire Black women, and pay them their worth, not their proximity to desperation.

Hire Black women, and create environments where they’re considered, not just accommodated after harm happens.

Hire Black women, and keep them safe, not just employed. Safety is not a perk.

Hire Black women, and listen to their lived experiences without defensiveness, dismissal, or “devil’s advocate” energy.

Hire Black women, and believe them the first time. Not after documentation, witnesses, or breakdowns.

Hire Black women, and show them that work doesn’t have to be traumatic to be meaningful or high-performing.

Hire Black women , and stop expecting resilience as a job requirement, we deserve softness.

Hire Black women, and show up for them the way they show up for everyone else — consistently, publicly, and without conditions.

Let me introduce you to Kiara Bennett, Kiara is the founder of The Anxiety Journal Co. Kiara is building with intention, honesty, and care. We asked her a few questions about what a good season feels like, what persistence has taught her, and what she wants other Black women to remember on heavy days

What does a good season in your business feel like — in your body? Calm. Light. No bracing. Real rest. Like dropping your shoulders and realizing you don’t have to hold it all together.

What has building this business taught you about yourself? That I’m persistent. Not just resilient. Resilience gets you through. Persistence keeps you going — even when conditions aren’t ideal.

What do you want other Black women building something of their own to know on heavy days? Every yes I’ve ever said to myself unlocked a yes for someone else.

The Pink Anxiety Journal was created as a soft place to land when anxiety feels loud and overwhelming. Through guided prompts, it helps women slow their thoughts, process emotions, and reconnect with themselves without rushing or fixing. If you’re looking for a gentle, intentional way to support your healing and inner clarity, this journal is for you.

I just grabbed mine and SO excited to dive into it.

👉 Keep up with Kiara here, buy the pink anxiety journal and buy from a Black baddie.

Speaking of Black baddies...Hi, I'm Madi (the baddie.)

If this newsletter feels like it’s reading your mind, hi, that’s not an accident, I'm glad you're here.

I’m a career + authenticity coach, fractional people leader, and an ISSA certified personal trainer. I help people stop abandoning themselves for work, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Either your company works with me so they can learn how to protect and care for you. Or you work with me so I can teach you how to do it yourself.

I support burned-out humans and rebuilding seasons through coaching, consulting, and strength training — because burnout lives in the body, not just the inbox.

If this feels personal, it is. And you don’t have to do it alone.

I am opening up 4 spots in my coaching practice, and 1 corporate client spot. My DMs are open.

If my work resonates and you want to support it:

Being here counts. Thank you for supporting work that tells the truth. 🖤