The Last Episode...until 2024!

Stella and Roberta reflect on the past year, from events to guests to general hilarity.

The Toxic Tearoom thanks its listeners for a wonderful first year! From That One Booth Productions, your hosts, our sponsors and the cast that makes this all possible, have a wonderful holiday and a safe and prosperous New Year!

The 70 Best New Years Resolutions for 2024- The Pioneer Woman
The Right Way to Ring In the New Year At the Office
Inspirational Quotes for 2024 (The First One Is Our Fave!)
Resolve to Unleash Uncommon Results in 2024 with Escatena
Start the New Year with the Right Team and the Right Employer- HireMyMom.com
(Use code ToxicTearoom at checkout for 15% off job listings!)
This tea is for sipping- and it is delicious!

Transcript

>> Speaker A: 0:00

You toxict room www. At website our visit throughout Eggs Easter fun with blog hour read to and disclaimer hour on info m more for personnel professional certified with recommendations any vet to encouraged our listeners podcasts this on produced content any of result a as individuals by taking actions any for responsible not RLLC productions booth one that and podcast tea room toxic the individuals or organizations companies specific targeting as interpreted be not should content sources available publicly from derived content or submissions guests it's of opinions or statements the for responsible is LLC productions booth one that parent it's nor tea room toxic the neither only purposes entertainment for is podcast tea room toxic the I'm Stella.

>> Speaker B: 1:21

Uh, I'm Roberta. And we're about to rewind the year.

>> Speaker A: 1:40

It.

>> Speaker B: 1:42

That was fun. That was fun. Um, I take it our disclaimer was in reverse because we're looking back at 2023.

>> Speaker A: 1:52

Rewinding.

>> Speaker B: 1:53

That's awesome. It's almost time for the holidays.

>> Speaker A: 1:57

Do you remember in our generation when there was video, uh, not video cassettes, but cassette tapes, and you would try to rewind.

>> Speaker B: 2:08

Yeah, everyone knows how to do that.

>> Speaker A: 2:11

But there was that one thing where they were saying if you listen to it backwards, it adds message. There was no.

>> Speaker B: 2:20

Yeah, and records too, where I think it was a sergeant Pepper's lonely Hearts club, um, band album, uh, by the Beatles, but I could be mistaken. Someone let us know know Tea bag at toxic tea room, um, where you played the record backwards and it was this whole Paul McCartney is actually dead and has been replaced. And so it'd be like, ah, I buried Paul. Like, it was this weird thing. If you played the record backwards, I always thought to myself, like, as a kid, you're like, that's kind of weird. Like, I wasn't sure about the conspiracy part. As an adult, I'm like, why would someone go to the trouble of admitting a crime in a record pressed by one of the biggest labels for arguably the biggest band of all time? It just doesn't make sense. So again, share all your hate and bitch at me at the teabag at toxict room.com, or go to our blog and complain. That works too. We do have a comment form on the blog, so enjoy yourselves. Um, yeah, I've never understood that, but that was kind of fun. And we are rewinding on 2023. Yes, it's the year we started a lot. We have been through a lot. It has been a lot. You were mentioned generations. How does Gen Z do it? It's been a minute. It's been a hot minute. 2023 has been, um. And now generation Alpha is coming up and Gen Z is like, who are these people? Like, you have the room to talk, but yeah, I don't know what Gen Alpha is going to bring. It's exciting to watch, though. Gen X is still the best. Let's just get past that.

>> Speaker A: 4:08

It is, it's been exciting. But at the same, Roberta, like, I feel in the work culture and workplace, it's been a very, um, if I could say downtrodden, like kind of sad because of a lot of things. Um, while there has been some excitement, because I'm not going to pretend it's all doom and gloom, there's a lot of people venturing out into their own business for the first time. Um, and obviously coming off of previous years of pandemic, more people are exploring different things. But workplaces, that's been interesting. Um, I read a bunch of articles, um, where the expected focus at the beginning of 2023 from, like Forbes and Harvard Business Review were things, uh, related to hybrid schedules and dealing with costs from a down market. The quiet quitting, the quiet hiring, um, those were the topics of concern at the beginning of this year. And I don't know about you, but time seems to go super fast now. I can't believe it's already the end of the year. Um, but it has been so interesting, right, that, um, how this year has played out.

>> Speaker B: 5:42

It's certainly been a blur. I mean, when we think back to even fourth quarter of 22, when in the supply chain industry in particular, things were taking a turn, um, and all of these new entrants, and particularly tech enabled, quote unquote entrants, um, were starting to struggle. And I think when Silicon Valley bank blew up, that was a nail in the coffin for a lot of tech enabled startups. Some of them are still around, some of them are hanging on by the tiniest bit of their fingernails. But, um, the word unicorn was used a lot. And if 2023 taught us anything, um, they call them unicorns because they're not real folks. It's mythical. It's not because it's special, it's because you've never seen a unicorn, right? So it's not like it's rare, it's just that it's mythical. And, um, it has been a whirlwind of a year. There's been almost whiplash in some markets. The interest rate certainly felt like it, um, and I think we've seen not only a lot of people reexamining their life this year, um, in a big way, like the last time I saw it, not to be overly dramatic, on one year, but I remember after 911 happened, a lot of people reexamined their life. They looked at it and said, okay, anything can happen at any time. And am I doing what I want to do? Am I living the life I want to live? And a lot of people made some really dramatic changes. Like, there were people who ended up divorcing because they're like, you know what? I want you to be happy. I'm not happy. And anything could happen. Let's just live our lives while we can. There were people.

>> Speaker A: 7:30

Some people join the military.

>> Speaker B: 7:32

Exactly.

>> Speaker A: 7:33

I've heard of these big, uh, athletes.

>> Speaker B: 7:37

Join the military because an event like that forces you to re examine yourself. Now, current events aside, because there are people going through their own version of that right now in certain parts of the world.

>> Speaker A: 7:52

Yes.

>> Speaker B: 7:53

For Americans, and I'd say for most of Europe, um, in general, it's been more of a year of reflecting upon what it is success means. I think some people have viewed success as less about money and more about, um. Know, Gen Z has been great. Know, you talk about quiet quitting. They're not only quiet quitting, they're outright quitting. If this doesn't serve me, I'm going to go. And when the hiring frenzy slowed down this year, a lot of people felt they had to stay because they didn't know if they were going to get something else easily. Um, and it's been a year for reflection. Um, I think there is a turning against toxic work environments. I mean, it's been a word for a while, but it is gaining some significant momentum. Right. Um, our friend Deb Falzoy and, um, crew, I mean, they are just kicking it with the workplace Psychological Safety act, and we're really excited to see the progression of that bill and look forward to helping that bill go national. We've seen people speaking out. Um, the department of labor guidance on non compete agreements was, you know, um. What is the word I'm looking for? For whatever reason, non solicitation stuck in my head. But it's not that. It's when, um, non disparagement. That's what I'm looking for. The non disparagement clauses, and found those to both be with the issued guidance of. You can't tell people not to talk bad about you. If that's their personal experience. It's not slander, it's their opinion. Um, which is huge. So a lot of the severance agreements which basically kept you trapped. Like, you can't go work for a competitor, and you can't say anything bad about me. Those are not even going out of vogue. They're just becoming downright illegal. And that's, candidly, from my opinion, where they should be. Um, I've noticed also a shift this year, Stella, of employees really starting to stand up for themselves, pushing for things like transparency in compensation, um, transparency in performance appraisals. Um, they're really pushing for less of I'm owned by you for this period of my day or my life, and more of I'm a partner of yours because I provide the skills and the time and the experience to meet an objective of yours. But after that, that's where it ends. Um, it's a business transaction. So it's been really interesting this year as people reevaluate their lives and determine, not only is this where I want to spend the majority of my day, but is this what I even want to do? And you're right, there has been an exodus of people that, especially in our age group, that allegedly is federally protected. But we all know how that goes, where people have been, uh, attributed through these massive layoffs, and they've said, you know what? Screw this. I know what I'm doing. I'm just start my own business, which is fantastic. Which is fantastic. Um, and whether or not everybody succeeds is one thing, but there are big companies right now that are having trouble with success. So I think everybody has the fair shot there. Right? It's been an interesting year.

>> Speaker A: 11:27

Yeah. Agree with the layoffs, especially. But we did, um, a few episodes where we mentioned the hybrid schedules and the remote working. And I think that was part of what opened people's eyes to, hey, life isn't just going into an office now, obviously, in the retail sector, in places where you do have to physically be there. From what I've read, even those places have had a retention issue because people are now more about, I'll, um, make ends meet, but I'm going to do it the way I want to. I'm not going to be loyal to one particular employer, uh, versus diversifying their income through multiple ways. I mean, look at what Amazon did with hiring personal drivers, making it so you could go pick up packages in the middle of the night, m and make yourself some. Um. So I do think, along with what you're saying about the look, some people say we're in a recession. Some people say we're not quite at a recession, but inflation, as you were telling me earlier, Roberta, like, the cost of buying groceries has at least doubled. I mean, there is a significant impact and wages haven't followed suit. So there is this sentiment of, I would say a lot of fear, um, that does perpetuate toxicity, because whenever you're leading by fear or staying by fear, you're not being your true, authentic self. You're doing what it takes to survive 100%. I just think we've kind of reflected on a lot of that, um, throughout the year, and it will be really interesting to see what next year brings, um, if it's a little bit more of the same. Um, you just wonder, coming off a pandemic, what the rebound is, um, and how long that takes. Right? Yeah.

>> Speaker B: 14:13

Because, honestly, unless you were around for the spanish flu pandemic, you have no reference to what it should look like. Right? And you're right. I mean, there's been a lot that changed during the pandemic. And, honestly, some people don't want to give that up, and I don't blame them. Look, remote work is good work. People can get a lot done. And if you are a good manager and you are a good communicator and you're accessible to your teams, your folks will be even more productive working remotely, because they're in a place where they have nothing but comfort. They aren't worried about a toxic interaction in the break room. They aren't worried about a commute that is eating up their time and gas. They get to still be participants in their kids lives, and it's hard to pull someone away from that just for the sake of seeing their face, as if Zoom is not a thing. I go back and forth because I do think there is also a lot of worth in getting together and having idea sharing and team building. But I don't understand hybrid work, because if I'm doing the same job remotely, why do I have to come into the office for it? Like, I can understand coming to the office. We're having a big meeting. We're going to do brainstorming, or we're going to get together and budget plan as a group, or we're doing a team building activity. Then obviously, you got to be there in person for those things. But I don't understand why. Hey, so we'll let you work at home Monday and Friday, but you got to come into the office Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday to do the same job we trust you to do from home Monday and Friday. Doesn't make sense to me. To me, that's more of a, um, frankly, uh, in my opinion. And again, people feel free to debate me on it. Go to our blog or go to the teabag@toxictroom.com. I view it more as a control mechanism. And if you're running an organization that requires that degree of control over your employees, you need to take a step back and understand that that's not going to be tenable. If you are in a business where you start off and saying, hey, you got to come into work, and this is what it is, and someone signs up for that, fair. But if they're already working remotely and doing a very competent job, if not an excellent job for you, rethink it. Because, uh, while we have economic indicators that certainly remind us of recession, such as inflation and food and the slowdown of the job market, we're still at a historically low unemployment rate. And as things change from industry to industry, while some industries have been hit pretty hard, like tech, for example, and supply chain, um, and healthcare has also been hit hard, astonishingly, right, other industries, like renewable energy, have skyrocketed. And so it's not a matter of holistically, everything is down. So you got to look at your employees and say, if I can see them doing those skills for another company, like my competitor, do I want to risk losing this talent to satisfy my own ego, that I can see what they do every day in person versus see what they produce every day as a deliverable? That's a question a lot of employers are going to end up asking themselves, I think, in 2024, because from the employee side of it, you know how this works. Uh, no, we're not fully remote, but we offer a hybrid schedule. And eventually, what's going to happen if you get, um, under a hybrid schedule? Well, we decided that the hybrid schedule is just too confusing. So we're just going to go back to a traditional Monday through Friday, get your ass in the office, and that, I think, is going to. If things go that way, I do believe you're going to see yet another mass exodus, because nobody wants to do that anymore. Um, and not to beat this particular topic to death, but candidly, employers are to blame. When you have toxic work environments that you may not even recognize the toxicity. You may think that this is all just normal. You may think that people might have thin skins. You might think that everything you do is perfectly fine. If you don't get to the bottom of what's causing people to not want to even be in your presence. Let's understand that I don't even want to be in your presence. I'm happy to do the work. I want to see none of you. If you don't recognize what that means and do some reflection and how you can change your work environment to be a place people want to be, to have conversations with each other that are productive for everyone involved. If you don't know how to create that kind of culture, candidly, you're doomed now. 2024 is not going to be a good year for you.

>> Speaker A: 19:05

Um, yeah, I think about ESG and how there has been more coming out around sustainability. And if you think about it, not that, um, I see value, like you said, I see value in going in and being around coworkers. I also, personally work better from home, I think, because I can balance my time. I know what time management looks like, and I know what it takes to have people reporting to me that are fully promote as well. And it does require a lot of touch base and a lot of understanding. Um, but if you think about it with inflation, working from home actually helps because you're not buying fuel for your car, which is a sustainability. You're using things at home, and you're more available for your family. Um, I don't know. I think it's a very interesting direction that, um, employers have to become more flexible.

>> Speaker B: 20:29

Agreed.

>> Speaker A: 20:30

Um, if they want top ten.

>> Speaker B: 20:32

Agreed. And when you are in that kind of balance, as you describe it, Stella, you're a better employee. You work with your customers in a different way, because you're positive, you feel centered, you're balanced. Um, you're not thinking about who's going to pick up my kid from daycare because it's you. It's you. Because you're right here, you don't have that additional stress, which, whether or not employers want to acknowledge it, does impact your performance. It does. Uh, and again, not everyone's great at working from home. I recognize that. But if it was good enough in the pandemic to keep the economy not only rolling, but expanding when everyone was at home, even though some industries were directly impacted by that, because they are people, businesses, and some places close and won't reopen, and that's very sad and tragic. But for a lot of corporate America, everything was still working when everybody was working remote. So you have to examine that and say, so why can't that continue? Why is that a bad thing to continue? Because of an office lease and even.

>> Speaker A: 21:41

For people that have to go in, if we have learned anything, I think it's when, uh, at the height of the pandemic, you talked about, like, healthcare had a mass exodus as well. And that exodus to me comes from toxicity. It comes from not being flexible because if I'm sick or my kids have to stay home because of quarantine or distancing or whatever it is that is stress. And an employer's ability to be flexible or not can cause that type of toxicity. This is very interesting to see how 2023 was, and I kind of wanted to, um, take a walk down memory lane for us. We started with, um, is your boss a psychopath? And we got into mobbing, which we learned was a thing, and it's systemic. And, um, we've done things like leadership 2.0, changing how you lead. Um, and we've also read amazing stories from people of some crazy things that people are exposed to. Um, and hopefully, I'm hoping that for our followers, that you see that the world of work is extremely diverse. Like, you don't know what a person is going through. Like, if I was that person that at that gas station that had to put up a sign because someone defecated.

>> Speaker B: 23:41

It'S almost like you try to bring in a poop story into every episode now it's like you make an effort.

>> Speaker A: 23:49

No, uh, I just think we don't realize what people go through.

>> Speaker B: 23:56

Agreed.

>> Speaker A: 23:57

It's so important to talk about it. It's so important to, um, highlight the complex, sometimes, um, relationships that happen that are sometimes very much like parent child. Right. And sometimes they're like brother sister, where you're fighting or something. So I think it's been cool. Um, what do you think your best episodes have been about?

>> Speaker B: 24:28

So I'll answer that from a couple of viewpoints, if you'll allow me. From a content perspective. The mobbing episode is our most popular. It's received the most downloads, the most listens. That's where we met Deb Falzoy, and she's incredible. Um, and that was very personal to me because that was what I went through. And as you know, Stella, we were researching when we first said, let's think about a podcast along these topics. And we started researching, and I came across an article from a few years ago that talked about this mobbing and all of the symptoms, and I sent it to you. And you remember you calling me saying, that's exactly what happened to you. And I said, I know, but if that's the exact blueprint of what happened to me, then obviously it happened to other people. I think we should do an episode on it. And we did, and it is one of our most popular. So that remains to me one of the most critically important episodes that we've done. I also want to acknowledge some of the wonderful guests we've had. Know, I think the episode mean, again, we've had some humor. Um, I'll never forget Pafu. Pafu was a great episode and a decent read. If you guys haven't gotten, uh, the book, uh, people are fucked up. Pafu, you should. It's on Amazon. Um, we've had. The legal talent we've had has been incredible.

>> Speaker A: 25:56

Yes.

>> Speaker B: 25:57

I mean, good heavens, what an honor to have the folks that we've had on, um, meyer Nisar, Mary Marbach, and, oh, I don't know, there's this little supreme court of the proven know. If you guys haven't heard that episode, you should. But I think the other side of it, outside of the good content that I feel we've delivered on these serious topics, whenever we're creating an episode, we try to do two things. We try to both educate and entertain. And the education part is important. That's why we provide resources and we want to bring in expert guests. Because when you're the person that is struggling in that scenario and you do think it's only about you, because if you look around and nobody else is having that issue, you start to self doubt. You get that impostor syndrome going on, you feel like there's no place for you to turn. And I think it's important that people hear that communion in our stories and in our guests so that they know, no, you're not alone. This is systemic, this is institutional. The reason that you see this is because this has been effective. Uh, the term I used to hear, and it's disgusting even say, is manage people out. What a disgusting thing to say. We're going to manage them out. We're going to be on top of them. We're going to micromanage them. We're going to document every second they're late, we're going to critique everything that they do and we're going to document it. If you put that energy into developing that human being, you wouldn't even be worried about how to get them out of your company. But to think about managing someone out is disgusting. But that was very common. I think it's still common. I think those episodes where we give people hope that they're not alone and resources they can turn to are important. The flip side of that is the entertainment part, because if we all focus on how hard it is in these environments, we will sink into depression. Because when you're in it, it is incredibly hard. It's incredibly difficult. It's hard to wake up on Sunday morning with that stone in your stomach because you know tomorrow you have to go deal with it and you don't have a problem working. You may love your work, you may love your work, but hate who you're working for or with or both. And to go through that psychological torture every single day to earn a living, to support yourself and your family, is not necessary. And if we add to it by being heavy all the time, I, uh, don't think that helps. So even within our episodes, where we're educating, we do try to be humorous, because what do I always say? We take the issue seriously. We don't take ourselves seriously at all. And when we had the opportunity to have some fun by our workplace horror stories in October, we got great feedback from that. Uh, people really, they were laughing. One, um, of our listeners said she was trying hard not to cry, laugh. Cry was the word she used. Laugh, cry at her desk. And I could picture her sitting there, listening to us, headphones on. Nobody has any idea what she's listening to, and she's just trying not to burst into tears from laughing, silently laughing at her desk. I'm like, that's wonderful. I hope that made her day. Um, and some of the fun that we've had and allowed ourselves to have and our listeners have responded to is wonderful. I think some of those episodes are powerful, too, because it shows how absurd things can get. And you can't take any of this too seriously. Um, the truth is, I've said it a lot. Get out. Get out of those. You know, some of the feedback has been, well, it's not always easy, Roberta, and I understand, but you have to make a choice between your well being and maybe you'll have some financial discomfort for a short term. And I'm not suggesting people just leave without a plan, have a plan, but don't feel you have no option. The minute you say you have no option, it's true. It's true.

>> Speaker A: 30:25

Correct.

>> Speaker B: 30:26

You always have options. There's always avenues you can explore, and we're living proof of that. So, to answer your question, I mean, that's kind of where I have been the happiest doing this podcast are, uh, delivering content that I know directly impacts people and where we can make people laugh or at least shake your heads. I know there's a whole lot of head shaking going on when we're talking, so I'll take a headshake.

>> Speaker A: 30:56

Well, speaking of having options, I'd like to talk about, um, uh, to see and to be happy for what this new year will bring. Us, um, we often speak about resolutions, and you should have resolutions to either hire better or get employed better, right?

>> Speaker B: 31:22

Um, yeah.

>> Speaker A: 31:23

That's why we recommend visiting hiremymom.com. Um, the people@hiremymom.com do an amazing job at vetting employers and helping prospect employees find the right fit. So please, if you haven't already, visit hiremymom.com and make sure you reference toxic tea room, um, at checkout, uh, for us and for yourself as well.

>> Speaker B: 31:54

You, um, get a discount.

>> Speaker A: 31:56

Yes, you get a discount. Absolutely. I did want to call something out that amazed me about this year, and that is our listeners being all over the like. To me, that has been fascinating to see, um, people in India, ah, Australia, the United Kingdom. I mean, it's been so incredibly cool, um, me having an international background. I love different cultures, and I love the idea that this isn't just America centric, although our working experience has been in America. But I do know these are human behaviors, so these permeate throughout the world. So if there's any solace. And what makes me proud is that we can reach other, um, cultures. And not to say other cultures don't have it better than us or maybe even a little worse, um, but to bring the human aspect to having a voice, understanding that in some cultures, maybe it is worse, and yet we are reaching across the aisle and saying, defend yourself. Advocate for yourself. Like that self advocacy episode, or empower yourself or become a good leader. Um, because the hope is that wherever you are, you are improving. So self growth is definitely, you know, a passion of mine, along with philosophical.

>> Speaker B: 33:55

Wait, but you like to speak philosophically. How have I never heard this before? I don't know. I'm fascinated by this side of you that I've never seen before.

>> Speaker A: 34:11

Yes.

>> Speaker B: 34:14

Uh.

>> Speaker A: 34:16

But, uh, seriously, it's been such a journey, and I just love seeing people from all over the place listening.

>> Speaker B: 34:27

I do too.

>> Speaker A: 34:28

It's been such a treat for me.

>> Speaker B: 34:30

And, in fact, um, maybe we should share a little bit of that trivia. What do you think? All right, let's see. I'm going to pull up some stats here, and if the listeners are bored, we're really sorry. We just think this stuff's cool. We just do. We think it's cool. Um, I got to find. Okay, so let's see. Obviously, the US is where we get the most listeners. Um, what's our second most? Any guess? The UK is correct, followed by Canada and Australia. So we've got a lock on most of the english speaking countries in the world. But we have listeners as far away as South Africa. We have Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand, Colombia, Peru, Turkey, France, Germany, Australia, and more and more and more. It's so amazing. It's just so humbling for us. What do we think is the number one city? If we were to just narrow this down to a city in America? Doesn't really matter.

>> Speaker A: 35:47

I'd have to say Chicago. Close.

>> Speaker B: 35:50

Chicago is number two. So the hometown of that one, Booth Productions, is number two. To Louisville, Kentucky, is our number one listener hub. You go, Indy.

>> Speaker A: 36:05

Represent Indy. Let's Indiana. Where are you at?

>> Speaker B: 36:09

Where are you at? Indy's way down on the list. Indy's way down. But here's what got me when I looked at the stats. So we've got Louisville, Kentucky, Chicago, Illinois, which, again, that one. Booth Productions HQ Chicago, Illinois. Not a surprise. What's number three?

>> Speaker A: 36:26

Los Angeles.

>> Speaker B: 36:27

You would think, like, another big city. Guess what?

>> Speaker A: 36:30

Another big city.

>> Speaker B: 36:31

It is a big city. It's London, England. Oh. Represent, London.

>> Speaker A: 36:38

Hello.

>> Speaker B: 36:38

Hi, there. Cheerio. Cheerio, old chap.

>> Speaker A: 36:44

Don't make fun of me.

>> Speaker B: 36:45

I'm sure the Londoners are like, could you just not? You're right, I won't. But it has been fascinating to see how far our message has spread. And I don't know if anybody is aware, but we don't have a multimillion dollar marketing budget for this podcast. We support this podcast ourselves out of our own pocket. We do this out of love and wanting to get the message out. We're grateful, um, for our affiliate sponsors, and we're grateful for support from our subscribers. But Stella and I aren't making money on this podcast, and that was never our intent. What we're happy to do is spread the message, and that's the number one thing we wanted to do, was to take what was a very negative experience for us and convert it into something that could be positive for somebody in some way. If it's only to make you laugh, that's a positive. If you listen to see if you can catch on who we're talking about, okay, you're entertained then, right? So that's a positive. Um, if you really find value in the content and it helps you, or it gives you an idea of something to tell someone you love who's going through a hard time, someone you care about in your life, then that's a positive. We don't ever want this podcast to be a, uh, drain on anybody, but we do want it to be something that inspires, entertains, and I think we've accomplished that in our short term, because, as you know, Stella, we started off saying we don't have the first idea of what the hell to do in a podcast. We don't know even the logistics of how to make one. And thankfully, that was figured out rather quickly. We're on our. What will this be, our 26th episode? I think something like that, huh? Which is incredible because our first one was in March of this year. And so we're very blessed and very grateful. And yes, there's been challenges, which if you don't have challenges, you don't appreciate your blessings. So I'll take all of those challenges and more. I'm not afraid of obstacles. I'm not afraid of challenges, because the bigger the challenge, the bigger the blessing. And that's something that I would love our listeners to understand and really take to heart. It's just like nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you don't have challenges, blessings don't come. Blessings don't come. And the reverse of that is true. If all you get are blessings, even if they're not earned, the challenges come because the devil doesn't take long to collect his tab. So you'll see it. You've seen people that appear to just get whatever they want, and then you find out that something really bad happened to them. Maybe it's an illness, maybe it's a really bad divorce. Maybe their spouse left them. I'm not wishing ill on people, but I'm just saying that the balance is always there. So if you feel like you're consistently walking uphill, it's because at the top of the hill, there is a blessing there for you. And if you feel like, hey, this is nothing, I'm just skating through life. You're at the top of the hill right now where all the blessings are. But there's only one way to go from there, and it's down. And I hope you're prepared for whatever at the bottom. But for those of you that are still doing that grind, making that climb, have heart, have faith. It's coming. We've seen that firsthand this year, so.

>> Speaker A: 40:08

We probably have a really exciting year lined up. We definitely want to bring in more guests. We'd love to hear more from our listenership. We'd love to interact more. So we're thinking of several creative things to bring into 2024. And, um, I hope you guys are ready because we'd like to bring more value, bring more entertainment, be our silly selves, and learn in the process.

>> Speaker B: 40:42

Yeah, I mean, we're going to have some incredible guests join us next year. We're going to dig deeper into some topics. Will we ever name names? Maybe. But the thing to think about is why we would name names. Like, we're not looking to name drop and be very specific with some of the things we talk about just to deliver, uh, some shock value to, uh, what is relatively a small group of people. I mean, again, most of the world really doesn't care about who we're talking about specifically more than what it is we're talking about. But the other issue with the dropping names is what can be learned from that? If there's nothing you can learn from it, why bother doing it? If we talk about someone's personality or the horrible actions they did, what difference does it make what their name is? I mean, it's more about who they are as a human being and what can we learn from that and how can we protect ourselves against it? But with all that said, if it's public and it helps people relate to the topic. Like, for example, if we say Enron, everybody knows why Enron is famous. And, uh, Enron no longer exists as a result of why it's famous. But it's those kind of things where if it makes sense in context of the lesson or the story, we'll probably drop names. But it would need to be that for me because this is not a while. We are talking about spilling the tea, and we've spilled plenty. And we're looking to spill gallons and gallons more tea in 2024. That's different than gossip. Like, if I look at spilling the tea, I want to understand what happened. I love the stories. Except the one about the mom and husband in the tub together. Like I could live without ever hearing that.

>> Speaker A: 42:38

You brought that one back.

>> Speaker B: 42:39

You brought back the poop bathroom. I'm bringing back that one. Okay. Game on, lady.

>> Speaker A: 42:44

Yeah. That was awful.

>> Speaker B: 42:46

And to think that was real, though, that was a listener submission. To think you're just going to work, you're just trying to help somebody. And that's the download you get from that person. I wouldn't even know what to say, and I always know what to say, but I think I would just stare at them and go, well, gosh, must have been a shock. I mean, I wouldn't even know what to respond to something like that. But anyway, um, we're not going to have an oedipus moment here. So, um, I'd like to talk about the things that typically happen this time of year quickly, if we could, because we're going to have this to give you guys, a sneak peek of January 1 of our episodes is going to be on probably your most favorite activity at work. What could it possibly be? What event happens on an annual basis that makes you so excited to go into work and have this event?

>> Speaker A: 43:48

Can I answer? Oh, bonus.

>> Speaker B: 43:51

Yay. No, we're not going to do that. Bonuses. No. M maybe it's the performance appraisal. Oh, who doesn't love a good performance.

>> Speaker A: 44:05

Review that is usually tied to a.

>> Speaker B: 44:07

Bonus or a raise or, um, we're not even going to get into that. But the raise, where it's like, okay, so everybody has a pool of 3%. And so in order to give the highest performers more, we have to give some people less. So, unfortunately, you're on the lower end of that. So we could only give you a 1% raise this year. Thank you for all your hard work. We appreciate you like that kind of performance review. Um, but, yeah, I mean, ultimately, that's going to be one of our January episodes that we have for you guys, where we're going to just dig into it. We're going to dig into it. We're going to understand, and as we are both former leaders, I am going to share the dirty laundry of performance reviews and how all that nonsense really works. I'm going to share it. Yes, I am. I'm dirting the dirt. Dirt. I'm pulling it all out. I am. I'm going to share what that's really about and how that all works. Um, and budget season is over with, right? So all the budgets are approved. Um, so if you're struggling with an issue at work, we're going to give you a tip. Here's where you can be a superstar.

>> Speaker A: 45:09

Yes.

>> Speaker B: 45:10

If you say no one gets promoted, give this one a try. You have an issue at work, and it's been an issue, and everyone's trying to figure out the issue, and everyone's banging their head against the wall for the issue. And you hear, issue, issue, issue. Like, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, right? That's what you hear. And you're like, no one's been able to figure this out. Well, um, if you want a cutting edge, maybe a step up in your strategy, you want to fix that damn issue, you need a free consultation from escatena. I can't talk today. They pride themselves. Oh, my gosh. On unleashing. I m can't talk. They pride themselves.

>> Speaker A: 45:50

Themselves.

>> Speaker B: 45:50

Uh, an unleashing, uncommon, uh, result. Uh.

>> Speaker A: 45:57

God, your Italian came.

>> Speaker B: 46:00

I did a little. Should I do that in italian accent? I'll offend myself. Um, because they are action based and efficient, efficient being the key word. If they aren't the right fit, they've been known to walk away from an opportunity. So what's the harm in a conversation that could lead to your best year? And maybe you become that superstar because you brought in the right team to help fix that damn issue and turn that issue. Remember, it's a challenge. Turn that issue into a blessing. Make that problem your strength. Escatena is a group to do it.

>> Speaker A: 46:41

Absolutely, completely agree.

>> Speaker B: 46:43

I love those. I do, too.

>> Speaker A: 46:45

Anyway, they're so cool. So I think, uh, my closing thoughts, and I'd like to hear yours, Roberta, on 2023.

>> Speaker B: 46:56

Um.

>> Speaker A: 46:58

Is, um, in some mystical circles, um, it was said at the beginning of the year, uh, that 2023 would be a year of spirituality. So it'd be an inward focus. Um, and I think it has been. I think a lot of people have been faced with fears, um, whether they know it or not, with the down market, the inflation, the uncertainty, with a war overseas, um, there's an election coming next year. I mean, there's just a lot on the table. Um, so it is so important to have reflected on all the things that have happened, but look forward to improving in 2023. And as we've said before, uh, Roberta, you stated it best when you said, we wish we didn't have to have this podcast. We were rooting for workplace psychological safety. We're rooting for leadership 2.0. We're rooting for leading by listening, as Greg Taylor likes.

>> Speaker B: 48:20

I was going to say, I'm rooting for the bears and I keep rooting for them.

>> Speaker A: 48:24

I'll always root for them. But, um, we're hoping a lot is gained in 2024 and that 2023 has really challenged people in a positive way for growth. Um, so that's my, um, reflection. I'm so proud of what we've accomplished with this podcast. I'm so proud of our reach and all our international followers, along with our us ones. And I look forward to next year. How about you?

>> Speaker B: 49:02

So I look back at 2023 and I think to myself, I am proud of where I ended the year. But most importantly, I'm proud that I didn't have to compromise who I was to be where I am. I did not have to swallow something I didn't want to. I did not have to be a different person than I am to make someone else happy that I fit the mold they want. I didn't have to do anything untoward or skeevy or just ethically ambiguous. I didn't have to worry about any of that. And that day started for me on January 5, when I was free to do what I wanted to do, to be the service provider I wanted to be, to do this podcast. It made me a better friend. It made me a better parent. It made me a better wife. It made me a better person. And I am, um, incredibly thankful that I have a circle of people in my life, you included, my dear, that thank you. Not only support me, but allow me to support them in the same way. And I'm grateful for all of that. I am. I am truly grateful for all of it, because it wasn't an easy year. Um, there were a lot of challenges that we had to face, and the thing is, and we're going to continue to face them, but at the end of the day, what we have now, what we have available to us now is proof that we can withstand those challenges and turn them into great opportunities and into blessings, because we've spent a year doing it. And that is something I take a great deal of pride in. I will tell you the other thing about 2023, um, on a geopolitical perspective, it's been a very difficult year. Look, there are some. And I don't want to get into people's personal politics, because, candidly, folks, all politicians are what they are. Let's just call it a day. Like, I'm sorry, it is what it is. I don't want to talk about personal politics, but if we elevate geopolitical to a different conversation, there are some scary trends going on in the world that cause concern. There have been several fascist election wins in other countries, um, which is terrifying to know. I'm the daughter of someone who was a little boy in World War II in Italy and the granddaughter of someone who actively worked against the Nazis undercover. And when I hear rhetoric that sounds like Nazism to me, it does shake something within my dna that I detest. And some of those things are very concerning. And I would hope that 2024 brings the world to a much more rational place. Um, let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. And I pray for peace in all areas of the world. I pray that everyone looks at another human being not with fear or distrust, but more with. That's an opportunity, if not to befriend, but at least to learn that it's not to attack, it's not to destroy, but it's to appreciate the diversity. Because if we were all created exactly the same, how freaking boring would that be? Oh, my God. Can you imagine? We'd all appear like, what is it, Stepford wives? We'd all be those people. Like, ew. Like, no, thank you. So I do hope for 2024 to provide a much more stable environment, um, around the world, because all of that stuff does trickle into the workplace, you better believe, because it affects the economy, it affects people's moods, it affects your relationships. We covered that on an episode, um, on the second episode with Deb and with. And, you know, the rise of anti semitic comments and the rise of Islamophobia, and those things were already in place in this country and in many countries. But to see them rise after what happened in Israel and what continues to happen in the Gaza Strip is terrifying. We're all human beings, and some of us are really shitty human beings. Let's just call it. There are shitty, self centered, narcissistic bossholes. We know them, we talk about them. There are psychopaths that have no business in the c suite. We know it. We talk about it. There are shitty human beings, but nevertheless, they are still human beings. And when we make a preemptive judgment against a human being simply because of how they were born, as if they had any control over that, or how they're being persecuted, as if they have any control over that, and whether it's in a land far, far away, or if it's right here in America in your own backyard, and you make those judgments. Like you said, stella, uh, you don't know what other people are going through, and you certainly don't know what obstacles are laid in front of them that they have no control of either. And if you say, well, I didn't have those obstacles in my life, well, okay, again, you're at the top of the hill, and there's only one place to go, but everybody gets there. You're either going to be at the bottom, climbing up and appreciate it when you get there, or you've been at the top cannibally because you didn't earn it, and you'll go down. So, knowing that we all have that same journey, it's just a matter of where we are on the hill and where we are in our life. You'd think we'd be a little kinder to each other. You think we could muster that up? So I really hope 2024 turns some of that around. Really do. And that I can actually speak through a mid roll and not stumble on escatena stuff. That would be freaking cool. That would be awesome. That would be delightful. In 2024, every now and then, we're human, we're human. We're human. That'd be something we should say, don't suck in 2024. How about that, everybody? Don't suck. Don't suck as human beings. Don't tolerate suckiness in human beings. And know that we love you no matter how much you suck anyway. But just try not to suck.

>> Speaker A: 55:31

On that note, please subscribe and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok. We are also on all, like, apple, Spotify.

>> Speaker B: 55:42

All of it.

>> Speaker A: 55:42

I heart all of it. All of it. So, um, you can support us by supporting our various affiliates or our Patreon and look for our blog for additional information.

>> Speaker B: 55:54

And we will share this episode and resources. We'll think of some good resources to share with you guys, um, on the show, notes on our blog. And if you don't subscribe to our blog, I'm going to send Robert Bain, the strongest man in logistics, to pay a personal visit. Okay? I'm going to send Robert out there. He can lift you. He can lift all of you. 1063 pounds that guy lifted at the meat. Can we just 1063 pounds from a squatting position? How are you, human bane? How are you a human being? I want tests. I need receipts.

>> Speaker A: 56:41

We do wish you guys very happy holidays. Um, hope you get time with your family. And even if you don't, um, be kind. Be kind to neighbors. Look out for people. Um, we're with you in heart and in spirit. And that's all I got.

>> Speaker B: 57:02

Bye. Well, one last shout out to Santa. When Santa did our disclaimer a couple episodes ago, it was amazing. He's so busy this time of year. Thank you. Don't get on that naughty list, everybody. And if you did find yourself on the naughty list, uh, at least do the human thing and write us about it at the teabag@toxicteeroom.com. And give us all the details, all the dirt. Let's go. Go by mhm. 20, bitch.