Welcome to the first-ever episode of Culture Fit Podcast, where we ask the important questions, like: * Why does this workplace need my whole personality? * Why is “we’re a family” always followed by unpaid emotional labor? * And why does this company retreat feel like summer camp with performance reviews? Our opening episode is called, “Is This A Job… Or A Cult?” because honestly, like so many people, we’re all processing how we’ve navigated our careers and our need for belonging at work . For this conversation, we’re joined by Kayla Burney, writer, researcher, and digital media specialist, to talk about the blurry line between strong workplace culture and cult-like control. You can follow her work on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn and via her website. Kayla shared her the knowledge she’s accumulated around cults to help us process our own experiences with “strong company culture” that leans a little too far into ownership rather than belonging. Let’s be honest. We’ve all heard of or seen this our selves: Some workplaces do not just want your labor, they want your devotion! They want your weekends, your compliance, your smiling face on Zoom, your “quick thoughts” after hours, your undying devotion to the mission, and your ability to rename your burnout as growth. And in return? You get to participate in the vague promise that “we’re building something special.” Cute. Suspicious. Deeply unwell. So... How Do Cults Show Up at Work? When people hear the word “cult,” they often think of something extreme or dramatic. But in this episode, we talk about cult behavior beyond the stereotype. We want you to leave this conversation understanding that cult-like dynamics can show up anywhere people are pressured to ignore their instincts in exchange for belonging, identity, purpose, approval, or survival. Psst… Do you have any homies that are trapped in a workplace that feels more like a cult? Share this episode to start the conversation! The Belonging Trap One of the biggest themes in this episode is the difference between real belonging and emotional recruitment. Real belonging gives you room to be human, but emotional recruitment makes you feel chosen, useful, needed, special, and responsible for keeping the whole thing alive. That distinction matters, especially for high-achieving, idealistic, purpose-driven people. The people who care deeply and want their work to matter. These are the people who are used to pushing through, over-functioning, saving the day, and turning stress into productivity. Because if you can convince someone that exhaustion is devotion, they may not notice they are being exploited until their nervous system files a formal complaint. And they just might not even file that complaint because they’re either too traumatized, too afraid, or too over it to take action. Coming Back to Yourself… Our Biggest Hope for You So what does recovery feel like? Recovery can from leaving a workplace that felt cult-like can take time because leaving is not always the end of it. Coming back to yourself may require a real detox. It may require a mindset shift where you learn that you don’t need to earn rest, urgency is not the same thing as importance, and your worth is not tied to how useful you are in a collapsing system. Healing from a toxic workplace can mean rebuilding trust with your own instincts. We believe it can mean laughing with friends who get it, going to therapy, journaling, long walks, silence, rage, naps, prayer, playlists, crying in a random parking lot, or simply realizing that you do not have to make chaos feel meaningful anymore. And it also means forgiveness. You’re going to feel guilty for resting. And you will miss people who were also part of the harm. You might even wonder if it was really that bad. This is all a normal part of your healing and grieving process. A Gentle Word of Advice If your workplace makes you feel like you are always failing, always proving, always apologizing, always bracing for backlash and mass firings out of nowhere, or always trying to decode the real rules beneath the stated values… pay attention. Your body may understand the culture before your brain has language for it. A healthy workplace does not need to consume your entire identity to make you feel like you belong. A good leader does not require devotion to earn respect. A real community does not punish you for having limits. And no job should make leaving feel like spiritual warfare. Our Words of Encouragement You are allowed to care about your work without letting it consume you. You are allowed to want purpose without surrendering your boundaries. You are allowed to leave the group chat, mute the Slack channel, close the laptop, and remember that you are a whole person outside of what you produce. And if the company needs your soul to function, that is not culture. That is a red flag with a benefits portal. Discussion Questions * Have you ever worked somewhere that used “family,” “mission,” or “culture” language to blur boundaries? * What is the difference between feeling supported at work and feeling emotionally responsible for the workplace? * What are some red flags that a workplace is asking for devotion instead of professionalism? * Why do you think high-achieving or purpose-driven people can be especially vulnerable to toxic workplace cultures? * Have you ever confused chaos with closeness or urgency with importance at work? * What helped you come back to yourself after leaving a toxic job, boss, team, or organization? * What would a workplace have to do to prove it is actually “safe to be human here”? Credits Show Hosts: Remington Bennett (on TikTok and Instagram) Amber Coleman-Mortley I Love You, Bitxx (on TikTok and Instagram) Ellyse O’Halloran I Love You, Bitxx (on TikTok and Instagram) Special Guest: Kayla Burney (on TikTok and Instagram) Show Editor: Nicole Ro *Real humans wrote this... so there will be some typos. We use grammar checkers but sometimes things get through. If you hate typos we are sorry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit culturefitpodcast.substack.com
