S2 E23: Moving on from toxic workplace burnout
with strategic media leader and founder of Trael mobile app Joangel Concepcion
Key Takeways
I barely saw my mom growing up. She was always working till nine o'clock at night. My dad took on a lot of the household responsibilities. It was just like a constant work schedule for both of them. And that's what I saw growing up. So I thought that's just how you live your life. You just work. My parents came from the Dominican Republic back in the seventies and they got a job. So for them, they said, my daughter has job and she has a good job and she has to work hard and good. They didn't understand that my mental health was suffering and I had to stop. Cause they worked through that.
When I say I'm breaking that cultural mandatory work life is because I actually have put myself in a place where I can make a certain amount of money where I am saving money, where if I need to take a break, I will. My parents didn't have that opportunity. It's so hard to explain to your own parents when you are trying to heal and take care of yourself. And that made it really hard for me to acknowledge my burnout experience.
It's more just suck it up and work and shut up. And that's how it was growing up for her, and for me and I don't want that for my daughter. Do I want her to work hard? Absolutely. But I want her to understand that there's balance. Latinas and women of color, we don't have that padding where we do an unpaid intern. We can’t just work for free. How are we supposed to maintain our household? How are we supposed to do everything that life is being thrown at us to survive?
I went to a meditation class back then and they said, go to your happy place. Think about your happy place. And I walked out of the class because I said I don't have a happy place. Oh my gosh. So it's okay to not have a happy place, but you have to find it, eventually. And you will. And that's what I tell people. So it really took a long time. And then you start feeling like a survivor. Once you start feeling like a survivor, you're like, okay, I'm ready to take on the world.
When I started my career on the border, I was covering home invasions. I was covering sexual assaults. I was covering gang warfare, spill over violence from Mexico. I saw dead bodies. I saw bloody murder scenes and it was so fast and there's so much information as a journalist that it's hard for your brain and for your body even to keep up with itself
I did experience a high level of bullying and discrimination and all of these things that I reported on for other people, were really happening to me inside of my own newsroom. So I would go out and report on really heavy stuff. And then I would come back in and deal with this kind of treatment inside it.
And I think the reason why I was so depressed is because I went through so much to get to that point. And then when I got to this fancy job, I looked around and I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe I worked so hard to get to this moment and my hair's falling out and I can't sleep and I have anxiety and I'm being constantly criticized by my bosses. And it was just a really awful experience.
Once I got a taste of sitting by the lake or actually not worrying all the time about what's happening. What's breaking? What stories can I bring to the table that really need light, but that my bosses don't want me to cover? Once I got that taste of just freedom, I understood that it wasn't just the bullying. It wasn't just the harassment. I was completely burned out and I needed a moment to take care of myself because if I didn't, I would continue on a path where it could have led to the worst place.
I think you should ask the companies or the people you're interviewing with, how do you feel about diversity? They may not like that. And you may dodge a bullet by them not hiring you. So I think asking important questions. I was just so excited to land a big job. Don't let that get in the way or blind your vision because a lot of these places might not be a really great place to work for. As a Latina or as somebody who's just a very skilled worker, they might not deserve you. I was so excited to make more money, but I rather have lived on a very little salary, than go through what I went through.
So the Trael mobile app allows you to store everything. You can journal, you can upload any pictures, emails, doctor's notes. You can upload voice memos. You can also just tap a moody emoji for the day. It really paints the picture of what you're going through. And while you're doing that, it also creates a formal document, that's timestamped.
Looking back at a report you can find patterns. I knew that on Thursdays and Fridays, I wasn't upset. When I started looking at my patterns and it's because the main person who was bullying me was off on those days. So you get to look back at things like that and identify exactly why you're feeling so anxious or depressed. I just want to help people and make sure that they feel empowered because I know what it's like to feel not empowered.
So as these companies realize that the Trael mobile app is coming for them, and you have these employees that are logging how horrible you treat people. They're going to be forced to change. And if that's what we have to do, then I'm on board because I don't want what happened to me to happen to anybody. And unfortunately it happens to 76 million people in America.
So to moms, I just say, take a deep breath and don't be ashamed to take a really deep breath and get the help where you can get it. I don't have family around, I don't have friends around, but if my partner or my friend can watch the baby for 20 minutes where I can just have 20 minutes to myself, do it and don't feel bad about it.
When it comes to women in the workforce, I say own what you know, and own what you don't know. So if you are in a position where you are either being harassed or bullied or or that someone's making you feel like you're not good enough, you have to really own what you know because you wouldn't be in that position if you didn't work hard for it. And I think a lot of women need to hear that.
I just I hope and pray for more exposure for women worldwide. I'm a hundred percent dedicated to it and things just have to change and we have to force it. And I think a lot of women aren't going to take it anymore. And I'm just here along for the ride with them. I would love to reach a point where if I become the CEO of a huge fortune 500 company, I would like for that to not make the news, I want it to be where we're just being valued everywhere. We're being recognized. I can fill these shoes, like I should have been in these shoes. Somebody like me should have been in these shoes. That's what I would love. But it's going to take a major mindset change for many companies.
Bio
Joangel Concepcion is the founder of Trael, a brand-new mobile tool that helps keep track of unwelcome behavior, uncomfortable situations & overall wellness in a secure, private place. Trael focuses on empowering people, especially employees, to make positive changes in their lives.
Joangel also has a heavy media background. She has extensive knowledge in creating innovative, engaging content with a heavy understanding of target audiences, trends, and organization. Joangel also spent many years informing millions of people throughout the United States as a top market journalist for NBC and FOX affiliates. During her career, she reported on a range of important, national news- including the arrival of the Ebola virus in the U.S., gun control, the Sandy Hook massacre, immigration, and spillover violence along the U.S. border. She is also a published author.
Her experience, on and off-air, gives Joangel the knowledge and expertise to motivate any individual, organization, or business to make positive changes in the workplace. She is committed to combining her media skills and passion for workplace fairness - to help put an end to bullying, harassment, discrimination, and racism worldwide.
Links to Additional Resources
