No Savings. No Job. Just Sovereignty.

Content Warning / Episode Note

This episode includes references to personal trauma, mental health struggles, and the emotional aftermath of workplace harm. Elona shares her story of walking away from a Big 5 firm with no savings, no job lined up, and a body begging for rest. Listener discretion is advised—especially for those navigating burnout or emotional exhaustion. Take what serves. Leave what overwhelms.

What happens when the dream job becomes the final straw?

In this powerful episode, Elona Washington joins Patrice to share her raw and unfiltered story of leaving a Big 5 consulting firm at the height of burnout—with no job lined up, no savings in the bank, and everything on the line. What pushed her to walk away wasn’t just workplace culture—it was compounded trauma, internalized silence, and a body that finally said enough.

Together, they unpack:

• The collision of personal trauma and professional harm
• Why high achievers ignore the warning signs until it’s too late
• The truth about what really happens after you quit without a plan
• What mental health first looks like when you don’t have the luxury to “rest”
• Rebuilding a new life as a writer, publisher, and self-led professional

Elona doesn’t offer easy answers—she offers the kind of lived clarity you can’t get from a webinar or a workbook.

This episode is for every woman sitting at her desk with a broken spirit, whispering to herself, “There has to be more than this.”

Key Quotes:

“I left with no job, no savings—just my sanity, and I had to protect it.”

“You don’t need a company to validate your voice. You just need to stop betraying yourself.”

Takeaways:

• Leaving a toxic job isn’t reckless—it can be the most strategic move you make
• There is no timeline for healing after workplace harm
• Career reinvention is not a luxury—it’s often the cost of survival
• Your story is not something to hide. It’s something to monetize.