I got terrible customer service from someone in a membership role. Sixty seconds in, it felt personal. I was activated and I walked out the door. No escalation, no manager, no last word. Just flight. In this episode, I unpack what happened, why I'd do it the same way again, and what it taught me about the difference between defaulting and deciding.
Takeaways:
<ul>
 <li>Know your default: Fight, flight, freeze, fawn. We all have one. Most of us have never named it.</li>
 <li>Naming it is the work: You can't make a choice about a pattern you haven't identified.</li>
 <li>Flight isn't weakness: Sometimes protecting your peace is the most strategic move you can make.</li>
 <li>Default vs. decision: There's a meaningful difference between reacting from pattern and choosing deliberately.</li>
</ul>
Connect with Me
The Newsletter: This week in the newsletter, I wrote about knowing your default stress response and why flight over fight might be the most strategic choice you make all week. <a href="http://www.theequalityinstitute.com/5-things" rel="noopener noreferrer">Subscribe to the 5 Things Newsletter here.</a>
Work with Me: <a href="http://www.theequalityinstitute.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Let's talk.</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BernadetteSmithGVL" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch 5 Things on YouTube.</a>
Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. <a href="https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/5-things" target="_blank">https://5thingsdei.com/</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;I got terrible customer service from someone in a membership role. Sixty seconds in, it felt personal. I was activated and I walked out the door. No escalation, no manager, no last word. Just flight. In this episode, I unpack what happened, why I'd do it the same way again, and what it taught me about the difference between defaulting and deciding.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Takeaways:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know your default:&lt;/strong&gt; Fight, flight, freeze, fawn. We all have one. Most of us have never named it.&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Naming it is the work:&lt;/strong&gt; You can't make a choice about a pattern you haven't identified.&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Flight isn't weakness:&lt;/strong&gt; Sometimes protecting your peace is the most strategic move you can make.&lt;/li&gt;
 &lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Default vs. decision:&lt;/strong&gt; There's a meaningful difference between reacting from pattern and choosing deliberately.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connect with Me&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Newsletter: This week in the newsletter, I wrote about knowing your default stress response and why flight over fight might be the most strategic choice you make all week. &lt;a href="http://www.theequalityinstitute.com/5-things" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Subscribe to the 5 Things Newsletter here.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Work with Me: &lt;a href="http://www.theequalityinstitute.com" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Let's talk.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BernadetteSmithGVL" rel="noopener noreferrer"&gt;Watch 5 Things on YouTube.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes every Saturday morning. &lt;a href="https://www.theequalityinstitute.com/5-things" target="_blank"&gt;https://5thingsdei.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

I got terrible customer service from someone in a membership role. Sixty seconds in, it felt personal. I was activated and I walked out the door. No escalation, no manager, no last word. Just flight. In this episode, I unpack what happened, why I'd do it the same way again, and what it taught me about the difference between defaulting and deciding.

Good Vibes Leadership with Bernadette Smith

Flight

Flight

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