Logo

    Cafe Grit 044 You Deserve Better

    en-usApril 14, 2023
    What was the main topic of the podcast episode?
    Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?
    Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?
    Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?
    Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?
    Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

    About this Episode

    This episode is dedicated to my former coworkers, who are living the ultimate corporate bullshit scenario. I talk about what they are going through and how once again, horrible leadership is at the heart of their stress and unhappiness. 

    In 2020 I published a book about a really horrible time that I and hundreds of my colleagues endured at a big company (which I no longer work for, thank baby Jesus).

    The book is called "Where The Hell Is My Bacon?" but it should have been called "Where The Hell Is My Good Leadership?" Because that's what it was really about. Shitty leaders.

    Those were the hardest years I have endured in my corporate life and I couldn't imagine anything worse. And I'm sure most of my coworkers felt the same. 

    But things did get worse for them. 

    🤔 Maybe I should write another book. Perhaps it should be called "Where The F#CK is Your Compassion?"

    (Open to other titles, DM me your suggestions.)

    Back in the bacon days, it was only the fear of layoffs. Now people are actually getting fired. For reasons that are frankly embarrassing for a company that has long claimed to put it$ employee$ fir$t. 

    Maybe some deserve it. Most of them do not. And no one deserves to be blindsided or fired for truly ridiculous sh*t. 👎🏽

    Additionally, these folks are also being mandated back to work part-time after the former president told them "Yes! Work from home!" and made a promise (how much do we miss her, eh?).

    Some of them have moved out of state. You know...taking advantage of that "employee engagement" thing that they were told was important. That's a looooong commute. 🚗

    I have had so many people tell me that this bad news is being delivered with seeming callousness. 

    I know that sometimes hard decisions have to be made. I get it. But, as Walter Mitty said, "You don't have to be a dick."

    Recent Episodes from Cafe Grit

    Café Grit 062 Letting Go

    Café Grit 062 Letting Go

    When people bring pain or suffering into your life, sometimes it is hard to let go. 

    We want justice, revenge, retaliation...but we rarely get it. Sometimes that feeling stays with us far too long. 

    In episode 062 of The Cafe Grit podcast, I talk about a time when I needed to let go of some negative energy after I was let go from my job. 

    If you are struggling to release feelings of resentment, maybe this episode will help. 

    ⭐️ Have you ever had trouble letting go of negative feelings toward someone for something they did to you?

    If you need a deeper dive, reach out, and let's set up a time to chat. The first call is always free. 


    🙋🏻‍♀️ Hello, I am Beth Anne Campbell - author of "Where The H*** Is My Bacon?" and "From BLAH to BADA$$" - two books about leadership from a woman who survived corporate madness for 23 years. 

    I also host the Cafe Grit podcast, where I cut through the bs and talk openly and honestly about life and careers. 

    Let's follow or connect if you've got a hankering for purpose, a taste for fulfillment, and you're tired of living the rat race!

    Cafe Grit 061 Early Careers with Mike Goggin

    Cafe Grit 061 Early Careers with Mike Goggin

    I remember a time when I loved my job. It's been a long time.

    In episode 061 of the Cafe Grit Podcast, I sit down with my honorary cohost Mike Goggin to talk about early careers.

    When you were young, what did you wish you could be when you grew up? Are you anywhere close? What is your favorite early job?

    Check out the full Cafe Grit episodes on your favorite streaming platforms, and on the toob of you for the video version!


    🙋🏻‍♀️ Hello, I'm Beth Anne Campbell, author of "Where The H*** Is My Bacon?" and "From BLAH to BADA$$" - two books about leadership from a woman who survived corporate madness for 23 years. 

    I also host the Cafe Grit podcast, where I cut through the bs and talk openly and honestly about life and careers.

    Let's follow or connect if you've got a hankering for purpose, a taste for fulfillment, and you're tired of living the rat race! 

    Cafe Grit 060 Chronic Stress with Mike Goggin

    Cafe Grit 060 Chronic Stress with Mike Goggin

    Have you ever thought about your own chronic stress? I mean REALLY thought about it?

    In episode 060 of the Cafe Grit podcast, I sat down with my good friend Mike Goggin to talk about some of the ways we have experienced chronic stress - particularly work stress - in our lives.

    Since being released from the golden handcuffs of big corporations and consulting, I am just now realizing how bad it was. 

    If anyone out there is experiencing chronic stress and doesn't know how to deal with it, send me a DM and maybe I can help.

    Meanwhile, tell me about chronic stress you have experienced, whether from the workplace or other. How did you deal with it?

    For more corporate BS breakdown, check out my books, available on Amazon now:

    Where The Hell Is My Bacon? (How a corporate department found their mojo through fried pork.)

    From BLAH to BADASS: The No-Bullsh1t Guide to Channeling Your Leadership GRIT!

    Or tune into the other Cafe Grit Podcast episodes...the place to go when you've got a hankering for purpose, a taste for fulfillment, and you're tired of living the rat race.

    Cafe Grit 059 Finding Friends

    Cafe Grit 059 Finding Friends

    How is it that I have lived in my lovely city for three years yet I haven't made any close friends in my local area?

    In episode 059 of The Cafe Grit Podcast, I explore this dilemma of mine and reveal how I am working to overcome it.

    I have lots of friends outside of my current home base. So how did I meet THEM?

    ✅ Work! One advantage of getting back to the office (for those who want to) is meeting a lot of people.

    ✅ School! Friends from college, friends from high school - there are always a few who are your people.

    ✅ Through other friends! I have a few close friends that I met through others.

    ✅ Family! Goes without saying...siblings, cousins, bonus aunts, so many awesome friends.

    But alas, my current situation is not conducive to meeting people under the above circumstances.

    ↳ I have been a remote worker for over 7 years.

    ↳ I am no longer in school.

    ↳ My friends' friends are not local.

    ↳ My family members are spread across the country.

    Never fear! I am learning to think outside of the box on the friend front!

    How did you meet your closest friends? 

    Check out Cafe Grit if you've got the hankering for purpose, a taste for fulfillment, and you're tired of living the rat race.

    Cafe Grit 058 I Love Mondays

    Cafe Grit 058 I Love Mondays

    🤬 MONDAY, UGH! I hate Mondays! Wait...no I don't! I LOVE MONDAYS! 🤗

    In the latest episode of the Cafe Grit podcast, I talk about my Monday blues and how the beginning of the work week has gone from zero to hero.

    Some of you out there are getting sick to your stomach just hearing the "M" word. 🤮

    That was me too, not long ago ago.

     Sunday afternoon was when the physical symptoms of chronic stress would start.

    ↳ The stomach would tighten.

    ↳ I would get nauseated thinking about work.

    ↳ I had difficulty staying asleep throughout the night.

    ↳ I woke up with a sore jaw from clenching my teeth.

    Every night I journaled about the job I wanted and tried to visualize a time when I no longer feared Mondays. What would that even feel like?

    I could barely imagine. I had been fearing Mondays for over a decade of my 23 years working in corporate and consulting. 

    Check out the podcast to hear how I went from Monday Blues to Monday Magic!


    Cafe Grit 057 Talking Creativity with Mike Goggin

    Cafe Grit 057 Talking Creativity with Mike Goggin

    Do you feel a compulsion to have a creative outlet?

    In Episode 057 of the Cafe Grit Podcast, I sat down with my good friend Mike Goggin to talk about creativity.

    Since I was a child I have had a strong drive to create things that are beautiful or funny or have some emotional impact on myself or others.

    I followed that creative urge when I learned to sew on an old-fashioned treadle machine at age 8.

    I started writing poems, essays, and short stories around the same time.

    I macraméd, I crocheted, I painted, I made jewelry out of metal and clay; I scrapbooked and made holiday cards and cross-stitched.

    Now I write, podcast, and create fun things in more advanced apps like Canva.

    Mike has a similar story and he shares much of that in this episode.

    What drives our creativity? Is everyone moved by creative works? What keeps us from moving forward in our endeavors?

    Check out the full episode and let me know what you think! 

    Cafe Grit 056 Literal Grit-ting Of My Teeth

    Cafe Grit 056 Literal Grit-ting Of My Teeth

    Chronic stress is breaking me. 

    Literally...it's breaking my teeth and my bone.

    Just had a long overdue dental consult and wow, what a few years can do to the molars.

    It's been a while since I had the old pearly (off) whites cleaned.

    ↳ Moving.

    ↳ Pandemic.

    ↳ Waitlists.

    So I wasn't anticipating the best of consults.

    I was sure I had at least one cavity and lord knows what else. 

    I brush and floss religiously but I could feel the tartar building up. Grit, and not the good kind.

    But I had no cavities.

    The tartar was actually not that bad.

    The real shocker was the damage being caused by my teeth clenching. Yep, I've worn a night guard since 2007.

    But even with a nighttime guard, I was somehow finding a way for those molars to find each other.

    In Episode 056 of The Cafe Grit Podcast, I talk about my history with chronic stress, how toxic workplaces contributed to that, and the overall impact it has had on my teeth.

    The good news is, my stress levels have plummeted recently and I have a fantastic new dentist. 

    Have you experienced chronic stress? How did it manifest in your body? Any teeth grinders or clenchers out there?

    Cafe Grit 055 Wait...My Mom Was A Badass?

    Cafe Grit 055 Wait...My Mom Was A Badass?

    When I was a child, my mother would NOT do my dirty work for me. 👧🏻

    In episode 055 of the Cafe Grit podcast, I explore my mom's GRIT and how she helped shape who I am today.

    As much as I wanted my mother to step in when I was uncomfortable, she would not. Instead, she supported the decisions I made but insisted that I take responsibility for them.

    Like calling my piano teacher and letting her know I wanted to quit my lessons. 

    Mom was fine with my choice but she wasn't going to quit for me. I was horrified. But I did it.

    Working through that discomfort - over and over - was important.

    I didn't appreciate what my mom was doing until well into adulthood. I even harbored moderate resentment, seeing other parents around me coming to their kids' rescue time and time again.

    As I get older (and ostensibly, wiser), I see how my mom raised me and my siblings in a new light. I can clearly see how those things that irritated the p1ss out of me when I was young make perfect sense.

    And now I am forever grateful for her lessons.

    Have you come to appreciate a parent or loved one in a new light as you get older? What did you resent as a child that you fully understand as an adult (and for some of you, maybe as a parent yourself)?

    Cafe Grit 054 Day-To-Day Grit

    Cafe Grit 054 Day-To-Day Grit

    "Have you LOST your ever-loving MIND?"

    Sometimes having GRIT means having patience, and nowhere is this more true for me than in raising my Labrador retriever Moxie. In Episode 054 of the Cafe Grit Podcast, I talk about some day-to-day grit and how my aptly named pup-dog keeps me on my toes.

    She tests me, oh she does. Like when we are on our daily walk and she puts things in her mouth at warp speed and refuses to let them go.

    Unripe apples. Acorns. Rotten bits. Clumps of...not sure what. 

    When she finds THE PRECIOUS! she will not let go. I have had to literally pry dead things from her little Labrador mouth.

    One time she got a little too protective and growled at me when I tried to get her to "Drop it." What the actual....???

    Oh no you did NOT! You do NOT snarl at Mommy! I nearly lost my shirt right there on Windemere Drive.

    "Have you LOST your ever-loving MIND?" I know she can't understand me. But I asked her anyway.

    I summoned all the grit I had to resist tying her to the signpost and leaving her there while I walked it off. 

    (Of course, I would NEVER do that! She's my baby girl and I LOVE HER SO MUCH!)

    GRIT is patience and I found the patience.

    Check out this episode to hear more and also catch a little tale about motherhood GRIT.

    Who tests your GRIT the most in your life? Let me know in the comments!

    Cafe Grit 053 How Much Paid Time Off Do You Get?

    Cafe Grit 053 How Much Paid Time Off Do You Get?

    Three weeks PTO for a Vice President position? Or, conversely, unlimited PTO for all (does it really work)?

    In Episode 053 of the Cafe Grit podcast, I talk about my experience with vacation time over the years and what I'm seeing in current job postings.

    How much paid time off do you get in your traditional (non-entrepreneurial job)?

    When I started my first professional job in 2000 I got 3 weeks paid time off. Sixteen years later, when I left for another opportunity, I was a couple of years away from having 6 weeks per year.

    Then I took that opportunity and my PTO dropped to 4 weeks per year. Seven years later it was still 4 weeks per year.

    Now, as I look for a new position, I am seeing more and more upper management or even executive positions offering 15 days. 

    While I'm sure in some cases that is negotiable, it's clear at least in the United States that we do not (generally speaking) value personal time off work.

    Some companies (including the one I was recently laid off from) don't have a separate sick time bucket. They make you use your personal time off if you get sick.

    Yikes. 

    Check out the full episode and then let me know your experience with paid/personal time off. Fair or not fair?

    Logo

    © 2024 Podcastworld. All rights reserved

    Stay up to date

    For any inquiries, please email us at hello@podcastworld.io