Today, as leader of the Talent Strategies program at the Berkeley lab, Dr. Rebecca Andersen has a thriving career in professional development. But back when she was in the middle stages of her career, a toxic work environment, and its effects on her, nearly derailed it all.

On the one hand, from a job performance standpoint, she was killing it. She was at the top of her game, giving talks, winning awards, and leading her team to success. On the other hand, that same success seemed to paint a target on her back. She was constantly being criticised for seemingly contradictory reasons. No matter what she did she felt like she couldn’t win, and she found herself questioning her every move.  It was full on fight or flight mode… All. The. Time.

And it was only a matter of time before she reached her breaking point - alone in her office, crying under her desk, desperately wishing she could escape her situation somehow.

Rebecca’s story could have ended there - with her leaving her job, and maybe her field, and never returning.  Instead, she did something brave - she openly took a mental health break, creating the space for healing that would eventually help her understand what had happened, and how she could make sure it never happened again.

In this episode, Rebecca tells Brenda about what she learned from that lowest of low experiences, how she came to realize that not everyone deserves a seat at your validation table, and why it’s so important to realize failing at something does not make you a failure.

For more, check out Dr. Rebecca Andersen...

On LinkedIn - /rebeccakandersen

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Our guests contribute to this podcast in their personal capacity. The views expressed in this interview are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology or its employees (“AnitaB.org”). AnitaB.org is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of the information provided in the podcast series. The primary purpose of this podcast is to educate and inform. This podcast series does not constitute legal or other professional advice or services.

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B The Way Forward Is…

Hosted and Executive Produced by Brenda Darden Wilkerson.

Produced by Avi Glijansky

Associate Produced by Kelli Kyle

Sound design and editing by Ryan Hammond 

Mixing and mastering by Julian Kwasneski 

Additional Producing help from Faith Krogulecki

Operations Coordination for AnitaB.org by Quinton Sprull.

Creative Director for AnitaB.org is Deandra Coleman

Executive Produced by Dominique Ferrari, Stacey Book, and Avi Glijansky for Frequency Machine 

Photo of Brenda Darden Wilkerson by Mandisa Media Productions

For more ways to be the way forward, visit AnitaB.org