Dismissed but not Disposable: Healing Workplace Trauma and Preparing for What’s Next
- Chinyere Oparah
- Sep 29, 2025
- 6 min read
Chinyere Oparah explores how leaders can recover from abrupt transitions, heal workplace trauma, and chart a new path forward.
“I’m sorry, but Michelle doesn’t work here anymore, do you have her personal email address?”
In the last few months, this message has become tragically commonplace, as senior leaders–disproportionately but not only Black women–have been abruptly ousted from their roles. These leaders are part of what Britney Porter in Forbes has called a “$37 billion mistake”–the mass removal of 350,000 Black women from the workforce in the past few months. Pushed out as a result of federal layoffs and targeted for their work as DEI professionals, Black women and other leaders of color are victims of a systemic purge. Still more transformational leaders have come to the painful conclusion that the political constraints, scrutiny and policing of their work are simply untenable and that a job that once held purpose and meaning is no longer viable for them. This is the brutal remaking of American institutions–of higher ed, government and beyond–into places of fear, stifled grief and absence.
Surviving Workplace Trauma
These disruptions happen with little or no notice. Projects left up in the air, email access cut off, no time for handing over tasks and institutional knowledge, and often no one left to hand them over to. No farewell party or gratitude for years of service. Leaders who gave deeply of themselves, who sacrificed evenings, weekends, family time, and personal well-being in order to hold together institutions that were often fraying or economically fragile, dismissed and removed in ways that are too often dehumanizing. As one of my coaching clients told me: “It’s like I was disposable all along, and didn’t realize it”.
This is what psychologists call institutional betrayal — when the very organizations we have served with passion, self-sacrifice and excellence turn against us. The toll is not only professional but personal: grief, anger, shame, and often a profound sense of dislocation.
If this is your reality, know this: you are not alone, and your worth is not defined by the way an institution chooses to treat you.
Resist the Gaslighting
Too often, organizations create a negative narrative to justify their actions. Your most important task is to stay grounded in your truth. Inevitably, you may find yourself second-guessing your career, your leadership, or your impact. When this happens, pause and treat the arising thoughts and feelings with compassion. It is a natural reaction in the face of harm to try to find the reason for the mistreatment within ourselves, in an attempt to find meaning and agency in the midst of confusion and disempowerment. This is a good moment to turn to those who know your brilliance and impact well and can reflect it back to you. Remember: the problem is the system and those who were not courageous enough to honor your humanity and your contributions. This betrayal is a sign of their weakness, not yours.
And when it arrives, give yourself permission to feel your rage. Anger is natural — even necessary — but don’t let it calcify into bitterness and constant mental reruns.
Reconnect Where It Matters
Many of us in leadership have over-invested in work at the expense of family and joy. This is the time to reclaim those relationships and rhythms: show up for your children’s extracurriculars, plan special time with your partner, or simply linger at the dinner table instead of rushing to the next commitment. Reach out to and visit old friends. Laugh about old memories. Visit places that hold meaning for you. These ordinary acts of reconnection can be profoundly restorative.
Reconnect where it is nurturing, but be sure to disconnect intentionally too: Step back from institutional updates and resist the pull to keep supporting colleagues who remain. That energy belongs to your own healing and next chapter.
Care for Your Body and Spirit
Workplace trauma is not just emotional; it takes a physical toll. Sleep disruption, anxiety, weight gain or loss, hypertension, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes and chronic pain are common among my clients navigating these transitions. Remember, your body is most likely depleted or stressed from the grueling hours you have put into the job for years, and the anxiety associated with the past nine months. You may have postponed a much needed medical appointment because of workload pressure or ignored symptoms like headaches, insomnia or physical pain.
Use this time to establish wellness practices that support healing — from movement and meditation to nutrition and therapy. Schedule a comprehensive physical. Consider working with a health coach on goals such as lowering blood pressure, getting better sleep or regulating blood sugar. Think of this as both recovery and preparation for your next chapter of leadership.
Rethink Your Priorities
As Dorothy Mosby shared in her brave and vulnerable blog about leaving the role of VPAA, this is also a chance to rethink what matters most. This will most likely mean that you will need to redefine how you want to lead going forward, to be more in alignment with your priorities. What boundaries will you put in place? What are your non-negotiables around workload, values alignment, or workplace culture? Disruption, though painful, offers clarity: you have the opportunity to step into your next role with a stronger sense of not just what work you want to do, but how you want to do it. Your next assignment is to be human–not superhuman–in whatever you choose to do.
Practical Next Steps
Alongside the inner work, here are some concrete steps to consider as you move through transition:
Engage an employment lawyer — have someone you trust review your contract, severance package, and rights. Your lawyer can also review the contract when you negotiate a new position to ensure that you enter the role with as many protections as possible. See my blog for specific suggestions for anticipating the end of the honeymoon.
Protect your financial foundation — establish a short-term lean household budget, negotiate a pause with your mortgage company and consider doing the same for any loans. Meet a financial advisor to explore your best options for accessing cash should you need it, including borrowing against equity or your retirement.
Connect with a search firm in your field — build relationships with trusted consultants who know your leadership strengths and the job market, and can advise and advocate for you.
Maintain professional visibility — strengthen your presence on LinkedIn, participate in thought leadership spaces, and stay active in national associations so your expertise remains visible beyond your institution.
Work with a trauma-informed coach who specializes in transitions — having a confidential, skilled thought partner can help you process the experience, restore confidence, clarify what’s next and take steps toward your next position or self-employment.
Shape your own narrative — focus on your vision for the future rather than how this chapter ended. Share the story of what you are building toward, not what you left behind or how it ended. Avoid “trauma-bonding” with your last institution by making a commitment not to give your energy to talking negatively about your former employer.
Prioritize wellness — body, mind, spirit. This time away from work is not a punishment. It is recovery, and it is vital. Make a mind-body-spirit recovery plan and take small steady steps toward wellness. Join a gym or yoga studio. Nourish your spirit with beauty, art, and time in nature. Put on music and dance while doing the laundry. Don’t treat your work pivot like another unforgiving job. Give yourself moments of joy, silliness and rest.
Finding the Opportunity in the Fire
Finally, remember that even this unwanted ending can open new possibilities. As I wrote in Controlled Burn, sometimes what burns away is exactly what is needed in order for us to step fully into our next calling. If you are in the fire right now, call on Oya, stormy goddess of rebirth, and envision her slashing away what no longer serves you with her great machete.
You are not alone. You stand on the shoulders of ancestors who have also walked through fire. And you stand shoulder to shoulder with all of us who are in this with you. Lean on us. Reach out for support as you heal, recover, and reimagine what leadership looks like for you.
You are not breaking down. You are breaking through.
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Chinyere Oparah is an executive coach, strategist and educator. She has served in senior leadership roles in the nonprofit and higher education sectors, including dean, provost and vice president for academic affairs for over three decades and is the founder and CEO of the Center for Liberated Leadership. Sign up for a free leadership consultation with her here.
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About the Leadership Transitions Series
This article is published by the Free2Lead Blog, hosted by the Center for Liberated Leadership and curated by Founder & CEO, Chinyere Oparah, PhD. Free2Lead amplifies voices of transformational leaders navigating the challenges and possibilities of liberated leadership.
This post is part two
of a 3-part series on leadership transitions. Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed a growing wave of leadership transitions in higher education–some chosen, many not. Too often, these shifts carry the weight of workplace trauma, institutional betrayal, and personal sacrifice. In this 3-part series, Free2Lead shares stories, strategies, and practical tools for navigating endings–both abrupt and intentional, healing workplace trauma, and preparing for what’s next.
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About the Center for Liberated Leadership
The Center for Liberated Leadership connects and supports BIPOC, women, LGBTQ and transformational leaders so that they can lead with authenticity, purpose and joy. The Center's executive coaches help leaders navigate uncertain contexts and relentless workloads, beat burnout and maintain sustainable work practices.