Getting Fired From My Dream Job

A little over a year ago, I got fired from what I thought was my dream job. It was everything I had worked for—an opportunity to collaborate on a dream client, contribute to a high-profile project, and be part of a team at an agency I admired. I came in hopeful, ready to give my all, determined to succeed after bouncing back from a chain of rough work patches. I truly believed this was the pay off for pushing through all the other obstacles that almost made me give up. But instead of reward, it became one of the most challenging and heartbreaking experiences of my career.

From day one, the signs were there. I was working late nights and weekends, pouring everything I had into the project while dealing with a creative director who clearly saw me as competition. Rather than collaborating, he made it his mission to undermine me—belittling my ideas, spreading lies about my abilities, and taking credit for my work. My contributions were quietly erased, and my skills were openly questioned. All of this unfolded alongside passive-aggressive remarks and a growing narrative that I wasn’t enough. By the time he was done, he’d made it so uncomfortable it left no room for me play my part, making it that much easier for everyone to believe his story.

Then one day, after weeks of hard work and borderline harassment, I was cut - just like that.

By the time I got the call I had already been bracing myself for the worst. As someone with extreme anxiety and PTSD, it was almost impossible not his trail the signs in the energy as it shifted. So when it finally happened, it wasn’t just the act of being let go that hurt—it was the gaslighting. The idea that condescending critiques in meetings, the isolation, the way my work was stolen and rewritten to fit someone else’s agenda, were all just conspiracies conjured by my imagination.

Worst of all, this all happened at a Black-owned agency. This was somewhere I expected to be a safe space, a refuge from the toxic dynamics I’d survived elsewhere in the industry. Instead, I came face-to-face with the reality that even in spaces created by us/for us, those same codes of misconduct shape the culture, the systems, and the harm that follows.

The heartbreak of this experience wasn’t just about the job. It was about the realization that as a Black woman in the creative industry, I’m held to impossible standards—not just by others but even by myself. I was doing everything I could, often while running on empty, and still, it wasn’t enough. The grace I desperately needed wasn’t extended, leaving me to navigate a space where my personality and professionalism were weaponized against me.

Looking back now, I see that chapter of my life for what it was: a turning point. When I look back at my exit, my only regret is waiting too long to speak up for myself. I stayed quiet, hoping the quality of my work would speak louder than the lies being told about me. It didn’t.

Writing this is partly an outlet to release the pain and shame I felt at the time, but more importantly— it’s a push to reject silence when it comes to the mistreatment of women like me in these spaces.

Black women, especially those who are talented, accomplished, and unapologetically confident, are too often targeted just for being in the room. We carry the weight of others’ insecurities and abuse, and when things go wrong, the blame always seems to fall squarely on our shoulders. I’ve spent years trying to keep the peace, apologizing for how others perceive me or shrinking myself to fit into their comfort zones. But honestly? Either way they’re gonna get on “their f*cking ⌨️ and make me the bad guy.” 🤷🏾‍♀️

Personally, I’m tired of being the bigger person or rising above in situations where I should have raised hell. These industries benefit from Black women while breaking our spirits bit by bit. And the way it gets overlooked feels like the making of another “Quiet on the Set” style expose.

Let’s talk about it. ✨

#letschat #Lemon8Diary #embracevulnerability #letstalklemon8

#unfiltered

P.S. Karma moved quickly and the project fell apart after they did me dirty 💅🏾