Birthday Reflection: Getting out of a Toxic Environment

I turned 33 in March. As I reflect on my journey, I am proud of how far I've come and grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped me into the entrepreneur I am today. In these last three years, I got laid off from a job I worked for almost eight years. I had my second child. We lived through a pandemic. My youngest got hospitalized. I got a fantastic opportunity as a Marketing Assistant at a shopping center, and within a year, I quit corporate life to work full-time on my business. I had some bad moments, but so much good has also happened.

I had a deep yearning to work for my business full-time. I worked as a fashion jewelry designer and merchandiser for almost eight years, during which the last four years were one of the worst of my life. I had a boss that made me feel incompetent. She would laugh in my face when I would show her any of my projects. I would hate driving to DTLA. I would hate leaving my girls behind. I would hate having to drive up to the parking lot. I would stay in my car for a while and feel the air get sucked out of me. I felt a pit in my stomach, and I would cry. This was EVERY. DAY. My spirit was dying, and I wasn't myself anymore.

It took me over 8 years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to finally be able to work for my business full-time. I know firsthand how challenging it can be to work in a toxic work environment and feel like there's no way out. I've experienced firsthand the soul-crushing feeling of working under a terrible boss who made me feel incompetent and undervalued. I felt stuck, trapped, and powerless, and it took a significant toll on my mental and emotional well-being.

Today, I am grateful for the lessons I learned from that experience and the resilience it built in me. It has made me appreciate the value of a healthy work environment and the importance of prioritizing my mental and emotional health in my career. If you're in a similar situation, know that you're not alone, and there is always a way out. Your well-being and happiness should never be compromised by a toxic work environment, and taking steps to prioritize your mental health is vital.

The path you are currently on will take you to the one that God and the universe have already created for you. Nothing good comes easy. Keep pushing forward, keep striving for that dream, and I promise the good will come your way. I now work full-time for my Creative Marketing Studio, specializing in helping small businesses with social media management and product styling.

Thank you for supporting my journey, and a huge shoutout to my Chef Juju for capturing all of these pictures, and Emulsion Bakeshop for my beautiful cake!