Author: Mara Ellison
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How Constant Messaging About Belonging Made Me Feel Alone
I once thought belonging would feel like ease. Instead, constant messages about it made me more aware of its absence within myself. It began with words — emails, posts, reminders about inclusion, announcements about…
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How Social Movements Became Part of My Job Description
At some point, doing my work stopped being enough—I was expected to stand for things, too. I don’t remember a meeting where it was officially decided that social movements would become part of the…
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Why I’m Burned Out on Team Spirit
Team spirit was once a quiet layer of togetherness beneath the work. Now it often feels like an expectation of enthusiasm I didn’t sign up for and can’t quite sustain. I used to think…
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What It’s Like When Work Culture Prioritizes Image Over Honesty
There was a time when honesty in the workplace meant saying what needed to be said. Now it often feels like a backdrop to maintaining image — and that tension changes everything. I used…
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Why I Keep My Real Personality Out of Zoom Meetings
Somewhere between the mute button and the camera, I learned how to flatten myself. In the beginning, Zoom felt temporary. A workaround. An awkward substitute for rooms with whiteboards and side conversations. We laughed…
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Why Work Friendships Feel More Fragile Than Ever
Work friendships used to be a quiet layer of meaning beneath the daily tasks. Now they often feel like fragile bridges, always at risk of misinterpretation or imbalance. There was a time when work…
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How Corporate Allyship Made Me Feel Like a Checkbox
I believed allyship would feel like solidarity. What I experienced was closer to a form I couldn’t quite step into — one where sincerity sometimes felt optional and optics felt heavy. When I first…
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Why I Avoid Talking About My Beliefs at Work
Talking about beliefs once felt like connection. Now it feels like walking into a room where everyone already has an opinion about the way you might speak. I used to assume that beliefs —…
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How Being “Professional” Keeps Changing and I Can’t Keep Up
The definition of professionalism keeps shifting, and I’ve found myself constantly recalibrating what I think it means — only to discover that the rules have moved again. I never thought I would look at…
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How Wellness Programs Made Me Feel Worse, Not Better
They were framed as care, but I felt myself bracing every time wellness came up. I remember the first time a wellness program was rolled out at work. It was introduced gently, almost tenderly,…