Different, not broken

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.

Useful stuff

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.

Useful stuff

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.

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.