Sassy Rebellion Week 7 - Real Conversations Begin
Breaking the Ice: Real Conversations Begin
On the day of the workshop, Nahla was riled up. She was upset that so many people signed up to stir trouble because of the ongoing drama with SWIT’s board members. The harassment, gaslighting, and rumors surrounding her nomination had left her little time to prepare for the workshop as she had intended.
The workshop was held at Chick, BOOM, Pow, Inc., owned by CJ, a member of the Women Igniting Leadership & Diversity (WILD) Council. CJ’s company focuses on developing educational tools for women and girls across various topics related to business, tech, and STEM. More importantly, they had space to accommodate a large group. Nahla arrived an hour early, hoping to set up and catch up with CJ before guests arrived. To her surprise, people were already starting to trickle in, with Naquayla and her crew filling up the first two rows.
Rolling her eyes, Nahla remarked to CJ, “This is going to be interesting.” It was an open secret that Naquayla was a mean girl and that her crew wreaked havoc on women who joined SWIT if they disagreed with them or had issues with their agenda. Even Danica attended the workshop.
As the workshop began, CJ welcomed everyone to Chick, BOOM, Pow, Inc., shared a bit about her company, and then introduced Nahla. Standing before the packed room—far more than 75 attendees—Nahla glanced at the presentation on the screen, then back at the audience. She closed her laptop and turned off the projector.
Confusion rippled through the audience as Nahla began to speak:
“You know, I was going to talk about the pros and cons of AI in our work; how we can do good work and use AI to help us be more productive; and revisit some of the most popular AI tools. But you don’t want to hear that, and I don’t want to talk about it. For the past two weeks, my life has been turned upside down. I was nominated to roles—two roles—that I did not sign up for. Thanks a lot, Danica! And, I have been harassed at work, bullied, and received tons of texts and DMs about rumors and lies being spread about me. And for what? To lead you all into the future? I don’t think so!”
Nahla expressed her frustration at being targeted due to the dysfunction and drama within SWIT. She felt caught in the middle and decided that her Sassy Rebellion would be directed against SWIT and its toxic culture. While she had already assisted the Motley Crew with a mini-rebellion, she hadn’t anticipated having to wage one with SWIT.
Continuing, she said, “At first, I had absolutely no interest in leading SWIT into the future. Naquayla and her mean girl crew would make my life miserable if I won. I definitely don’t think that’s happening now after what I have to say. And you know what, I don’t care. Naquayla, aren’t you and your friends tired of being a stereotype? Aren’t you tired of perpetuating the same disgusting behavior as the tech bros? I thought we were supposed to be a space that lifted each other up. But instead, you want what? Power? You want to be like the tech bros? You want to pit us, as women, against each other? For what?”
“So, we aren’t talking about AI today. We are going to discuss the toxic norms that have been perpetuated within SWIT, and I’m going to leave you all with some homework—self-reflection, if you will.”
Nahla expressed her anger at Naquayla and her crew for treating her this way, which was contrary to why she joined SWIT. Despite Naquayla’s smear campaign, Nahla didn’t care about embarrassing her in front of the group.
She concluded her speech by emphasizing the importance of women supporting each other, highlighting the abundance of opportunities available, and encouraging mutual upliftment instead of tearing each other down. She also provided a series of self-reflection questions for the attendees.
Nahla grabbed her laptop and bag and left. Naquayla smiled coyly to her friends, believing that Nahla had gone crazy and that her meltdown during the workshop proved Claire would definitely be elected as president. Danica smiled as well, but for different reasons—she believed Nahla demonstrated exactly why she was the best person to lead SWIT forward.
Upon returning home, Nahla put on her pajamas, got her favorite ice cream, and sat on the sofa to watch TV as a way to cope with the bad day. However, her respite was short-lived when Flossie sent a text to the Motley Crew group chat containing a video of Nahla ranting at the workshop. Her friends were shocked, thinking she must have launched another Sassy Rebellion before the month ended. Nahla was mortified as the clip went viral.
Do you think the SWIT board will vote to make Nahla president? Stay tuned for the next episode: Rising Above: Embracing the Sassy Rebellion.
Are you ready to join the Sassy Rebellion and take control of your story? If you're interested in learning more about how you can rebel against the things holding you back and embrace your true power, we’d love to connect with you! Contact us at info@sassychicgeek.com, visit our website at www.sassychicgeek.com, or follow us on social media for updates, inspiration, and more. Stay connected with us on Facebook at Sasstopia, Instagram at @sassychicgeek, and YouTube at @SassyChicGeek. The rebellion is just getting started—let’s make some noise together!