Team Difficult: Can I Get That on a T-Shirt?

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken"...

You know that word you’ve heard muttered under their breath after a meeting, or the one you’ve seen tossed around as an insult every time you dared to challenge a Not-So-Great Idea™ at work? "Difficult."

It’s the golden badge awarded when you stand your ground, ask questions, or refuse to shrink yourself to fit someone else’s comfort zone.

Might as well print it on a shirt and wear it as a uniform. (Actually, that’s exactly what happened—and yes, the US trademark is real. Team Difficult is officially in session.)

In this episode, I'm sharing my thoughts on the culture of workplace competition, the myth of “just be agreeable and you’ll get ahead,” and how the word “difficult” is actually code for “please be smaller so I can feel bigger.”

If you’ve ever felt like you have to play the game—even when being “game” makes you miserable—or you’ve found yourself walking a fine line between champion and challenger, this episode is for you.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much”—too loud, too opinionated, too different—or found yourself shrinking so someone else didn’t feel threatened, “Different, Not Broken” is here to remind you: You are NOT difficult, even when they say you are.

You’re Team Difficult—and that’s something to celebrate.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "Team Difficult Origins Explained"

03:24 Gender Bias in Workplace Communication

08:13 "Collaboration Over Competition"

12:07 "Christmas Trees Have Backs"

15:42 Burnout and Starting Over

19:02 "Self-Blame in Tough Situations"

20:42 Unsustainable Burnout Amid Life Challenges

24:10 "This Might Break Him"

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

Your emotional energy is not in your job description.

There! I said it. Did you feel a little jolt of recognition, a sense of relief—or maybe a stab of rage?

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I'm asking if you’ve ever slogged through unbearable meetings, survived a boss who’d rather watch you squirm than support you, or felt your job siphoning off bits of your sanity day after day… this episode is your permission slip to stop surrendering your mental health on the altar of toxic work culture.

If you’ve ever heard “No job is worth your mental health” and nodded vigorously, only to feel that familiar panic rising when rent is due and quitting might mean eviction, you’re in the right place.

This episode won’t hand you Instagram-worthy mantras divorced from the realities of bills, healthcare, and responsibility.

Instead, I'm calling bullshit on the “just quit” narrative, sharing the reality, along with some actionable insights, and the kinds of boundary-setting wisdom you wish someone told you before your workplace broke you—not because you were broken, but because you were different in a system built for sameness.

You’ll find out:

• Why the burn-it-all-down mentality works for trust-fund babies but not so much for the rest of us.
• How your emotional labor is being quietly exploited—and how to reclaim it without burning bridges (or burning out).
• The single most important thing to do before leaving a toxic workplace (hint: it's not just quitting).
• How to spot the difference between jobs that are simply tough, and jobs that are actively toxic.
• What actually leads to burnout (spoiler: it’s almost never the actual work).

Most importantly, you'll hear a deeply personal story of what happens when you reach your breaking point—and what you wish you knew before walking away.

No job deserves your mental health.

Listen now. Your sanity—and future self—will thank you.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "No Job Over Mental Health"

06:11 "Choosing Your Emotional Boundaries"

08:49 "Leaving to Save My Sanity"

12:49 "Questioning Corporate Processes"

15:11 Corporate Misfit to Happy Entrepreneur

19:46 Weekend Questions I Hate

23:10 "Choosing Between Fun or Rest"

25:27 Navigating Choices and Conversations

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

To be honest, I’ve hit my limit with holiday guilt and the weird pressure to act like everything’s cosy and magical just because the calendar says so. Holidays are made up. They only exist if you get paid time off or you genuinely enjoy them… and most people don’t.

In this episode, I’m pulling the curtains back on the whole thing.

The family expectations.

The traditions no one even likes.

The so-called “peacekeeping” that’s really just self-abandonment.

This one’s a little ranty, a little chaotic, and probably the most comforting thing you’ll hear all season.

Let’s talk about ditching guilt, skipping the bullshit, and building holidays that don’t make you want to scream.

I survived a healthcare conference in Las Vegas… and honestly, I’m still a little surprised.

Hi, I'm Lauren Howard. You can call me L2. Like other people do. And in this episode of "Different, Not Broken" I'm sharing my story of peopling in sin city.

Between the cigarette-tinged air, the giant hotel that somehow has no sunlight, the time-zone confusion, and the very real possibility that I could’ve wandered straight into a meetup hosted by people I’m literally in a legal dispute with, this trip shouldn’t have been fun — but weirdly, it was.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why Vegas feels like a desert with no actual sun

• How I almost RSVP’d myself straight into the lion’s den (yes, that lion)

• My team acting like emotional support humans so I didn’t melt into a puddle in the middle of the crowd

• The bizarre networking moments where founders, lawyers, and random strangers kept appearing out of nowhere

• Why meeting listeners in real life makes me want to slide between the cracks of a sewer grate and disappear forever

• And — shockingly — why I’d actually do this whole thing again

Also, Alison brings us another listener question in Small Talk all about productivity.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "Time, Smoke, and Healthcare Irony"

05:30 "Almost Entering the Lion's Den"

07:12 "Introvert at the Party"

13:12 "Dateline Rule: No Second Location"

13:49 "Conference Reflections: Fun & Validation"

17:11 "Overcoming Exhaustion and Enjoyment"

20:20 Checklist Productivity vs Mental Effort

23:55 Redefining Daily Productivity

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better

I hate meetings. I hate them so much.

Which is very awkward for someone who runs multiple businesses and technically needs them to function as an adult.

In this episode I am unpacking why meetings make me irrationally angry even when they are useful, profitable, and with people I actually like. Why does my brain treat work like an interruption to my other work? Why do I get mad at my calendar for existing? And why do I wake up thinking I can cram 72 hours of tasks into an 8 hour day and then resent anyone who dares to speak to me?

Brains are weird. Bodies are weird. Doors are definitely weird.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "Losing L2: Rediscovering Identity"

05:35 Taking Back Power with elletwo.com

09:16 Reflecting on Productive Conversations

12:36 Doors, Narration, and Love

16:02 "Hyper Awareness of Doors"

16:53 "Awkward Doors and Thresholds"

Buying a car in Florida shouldn’t feel like psychological warfare, but apparently it does. I’m just trying to replace my family car without losing my mind — or my sense of humour — in the process.

Between fake add-ons, hidden dealer fees, and salespeople who can’t stop lying, car shopping in Florida has become a full-time trust exercise.

In this episode, I share what it’s really like for someone who barely leaves the house enough to justify owning shoes, to navigate car buying in Florida while trying to stay honest, barefoot, and only mildly unhinged.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

00:00 "Car Shopping Misery"

05:40 "Frustrations with Car Salesmen"

06:59 Car Dealership Troubles

11:09 "Shoes, Cars, & Parenting"

15:31 "Pinstriping Package Scam"

16:24 Therapy, Cars, and Existential Questions

19:45 "Patient Isn't Always the Sick"

25:25 Evaluating Therapy's Effectiveness

26:11 "Therapy Communication and Trust"

Thanks for listening, guys.

Luvyameanit

Mentioned in this episode:

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It’s one thing to be a degree removed from a celebrity—it’s another to almost, possibly, maybe know how Bruce Lee died (except for the super weird turn of events that resemble a case for Mulder and Scully!)

But that’s exactly where we find ourselves in this episode: one step away from unraveling a mystery that’s tiptoed through dinner parties, rumbled around old Hong Kong restaurants, and left one family with a conversation that’s been categorically “denied” for decades.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Timestamped summary (use the chapters if you're on Apple Podcasts)

00:00 Seattle's Gloom: Love and Misery

03:46 Pathologists, Conferences, and Autopsies

06:21 "Suspicion Surrounding Mysterious Death"

11:24 "Managing Visible Disdain for Stupidity"

13:06 "Bro's Face Speaks Volumes"

Mentioned in this episode:

Wanna learn to write like me?

Here's how you can!

Writing Course

So, picture this: I’m having lunch with my dad, we’re mid-bite, chatting about David Carradine, and out of nowhere he says, “You don’t usually die that way.”

My dad’s a psychiatrist, by the way — which somehow makes that line both better and worse.

That comment sent me down a totally unexpected rabbit hole into his past life as a medical researcher… and, apparently, a minor expert on autoerotic asphyxiation. Yeah. My childhood suddenly made a lot more sense.

Stuff that helps you become awesome even if you're different: https://stan.store/elletwo

My grown up job: https://lbeehealth.com/

Timestamped summary (use the chapters if you're on Apple Podcasts)

00:00 "Different, Not Broken Podcast"

05:00 "70s Study on Fatal Act"

07:34 Psychiatrists and Strange Stories

12:28 Navigating Awkward Social Transitions

13:15 Interjecting in Conversations Respectfully

16:50 "Celebrating Progress and Growth"

Mentioned in this episode:

Build Your Better course

Build your better course - https://stan.store/elletwo/p/build-your-better