“If you are compelled to say this thing, then you’re probably supposed to say it.[…] When it’s time for us to challenge systems and people, how we say it should not nullify the message. We can still be kind, but we don’t have to be nice. And our needs and wants are valid, even if we don’t express them neatly.”
— Luvie Ajayi Jones in The Fear Fighter Manual
On Unhealthy Work Environments
When I get asked these days at parties or dinners what I do, I laugh nervously and respond that I recently quit my job and am looking for something else. I get nervous because my interlocutor usually continues by asking why I left or what I am looking for in my next job – and there is no easy answer to that. To keep the mood light, I often opt for an overly simplified one that doesn’t paint my past employer or me in a bad light…
On Being a Professional Troublemaker
I have often been told that I am too direct – and how many people have I turned off by that. At work, I didn’t get promoted, at home I was the black sheep creating problems, and boyfriends broke up with me because I challenged them to become better. But I recently realized that what others see as my weakness is actually my strength – and that I am proud for speaking up, while many others don’t dare to do so…
Maria Knodt 