Someone finally said the quiet part out loud: burnout can make you do weird things, like faking an emergency on Zoom just to escape a meeting.

This week, we’re joined by La'Tonya ("LT") Rease Miles, author of "Smart Girl," adjunct faculty at Santa Clara University, and co-founder of non-profit My Tribe Media. She brings the kind of honesty we love: funny, sharp, and a little too relatable.

We talk through her nonlinear career journey, from washing dogs in a Virginia pet grooming shop to earning a PhD at UCLA, building programs for first-generation college students, and eventually stepping away from higher ed administration when the “this isn’t sustainable” feeling became impossible to ignore.

We also dig into the real founder experience: uneven income, endless planning, and the myth that success happens overnight, especially for women founders and founders of color.

Subscribe, rate, and share Workplace Confessions: Behind Closed Doors, then tell us what moment hit you hardest and why.

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Workplace investigations are supposed to reveal the truth, but most companies accidentally design a process that breeds silence, fear, and repeat drama. We’re joined by Patti Perez, a former employment lawyer turned HR leader and third-party investigator who has conducted thousands of workplace investigations and now trains the next generation to do the work with rigor and humanity. From quid pro quo harassment to messy breakups that spill into the office, Patti explains what these cases really look like when the door closes and the interviews begin.

Subscribe, share this with a manager or HR friend, and leave a review with your take: what makes you trust a workplace investigation process enough to speak up?

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A bartender gets pneumonia, misses work, and the message lands hard: you can give everything to a job and still be treated as disposable. That turning point sends our guest, Lady Ruby Rebel, in an unexpected direction, toward a second career as a professional dominatrix.

Ruby breaks down what people get wrong about her profession, especially the assumption that domination involves sex. She explains the real job: training, vetting, clear rules, and the constant responsibility of keeping sessions safe.

We talk through how she sets the terms of an engagement, what “total transparency” looks like, and why crossing a boundary ends the session immediately. Her story about a wealthy, famous client trying to change the rules mid-session is a masterclass in enforcing limits when power and entitlement show up in the room.

Subscribe, rate, and share Workplace Confessions Behind Closed Doors, and if Ruby’s story hit home, leave a review and tell us: what’s one boundary you’re setting this week?

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A scud missile flies over your base in broad daylight, the alarm never sounds, and you realize you might not have the extra 30 seconds you trained for. That’s one of the memories our anonymous guest shares, and it’s the kind that doesn’t fade just because you come home and put on a different uniform for work. We trace his path from a childhood job bagging groceries at a Guam commissary to an Air Force career built around service, standards, and the strange mix of boredom and intensity that comes with “hurry up and wait.”

Years later, a single talk triggers the truth: PTSD, anxiety, and anger that spilled into relationships and everyday work. He shares what it was like to finally get help through the VA, and how his post-military career transition became part of healing. Using the GI Bill, he moves into barbering, esthetics, and holistic massage therapy, building a second career around care, calm, and community. If you care about veteran mental health, military transition, leadership under pressure, or workplace culture behind closed doors, you’ll find a lot to sit with here. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the moment that hit you hardest.

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Ever leapt through a gas station window to stop a drive-off? Our anonymous guest did—then broke barriers in the Army and now uncovers truth at work. Hear how ethics, grit, and empathy power real investigations. Listen now and tell us your wildest first job story?

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What happens when a natural hustler swaps a clinical career for a bold gamble on emotional intelligence and wins?

We sat down with bestselling author Travis Bradberry, Ph.D., who went from mowing lawns and running a middle-school gum hustle to building, scaling, and selling a training company rooted in EQ assessments, licensing, and repeatable programs.

He shares the parts we rarely hear: maxed-out credit cards with crushing interest, family loans, living with in-laws, and the unshakable belief that a “hopeless entrepreneur” has no way but forward.

From there, the conversation expands into a practical, story-filled guide to leadership and culture, touching on the most common executive blind spot, social awareness, and how leaders unintentionally set a toxic emotional tone.

He explains why culture never changes by decree, only by design, through thoughtful training, live and AI-supported coaching, and daily habits that rewire behavior. We hear how EQ scores once tanked at the top and why targeted reinforcement is now leveling the curve, plus what real self-awareness demands.

If you’ve ever wondered how “soft skills” become serious business, this is the playbook: build intellectual property, license what scales, keep the method simple yet deep.

We peek behind the scenes at author myths, the grind of marketing without a big-studio push, and the guerrilla tactics that actually work. Along the way are sharp takeaways on authentic communication, focus-boosting self-care, and the bittersweet truth that the biggest breakthroughs often follow the toughest frustrations. Enjoy the stories, borrow the playbook, and if it shifts how you lead or create, pass it on.

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What happens when a scientist-in-training follows a quiet tug into ministry and discovers his real work is showing up where life breaks open?

We sit down with an anonymous pastor who talks candidly about standing at the edges of joy and grief. He rejects the notion that “everything happens for a reason” and reframes comfort as presence, not ease.

The conversation traces a journey from early jobs that exposed small-time power plays to a non-denominational church shaped by formation over spectacle. We explore how diverse perspectives replace ego-driven models.

We widen the lens to science and politics without the usual culture-war shouting. From Stephen Hawking to Francis Collins, he explains why an ordered universe can intensify faith rather than oppose it. On policy, he makes a case for subsidiarity and local action

For anyone eyeing ministry, his advice is blunt and hopeful: only go if the call won’t leave you alone. Presence is the assignment; people are the point.

If this conversation challenged you or gave you language for something you felt but couldn’t name, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review. What does comfort as presence look like in your world?

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In this revealing episode of Workplace Confessions Behind Closed Doors, our guest shares unforgettable stories from her career, including the impact of a toxic boss, the bizarre casino culture, and the emotional toll of waiting for justice in a hostile work environment. Through candid reflections and raw honesty, listeners are invited to explore the complexities of workplace dynamics, resilience, and personal growth. Tune in for laughter, cringe-worthy moments, and heartfelt advice for anyone contemplating a change, as we remind ourselves that every job comes with its own wild stories and lessons.

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