Start Here!
If you’re reading this, something at work isn’t right. Maybe you can name it. Maybe you can’t yet. Either way, you’re in the right place. I’m glad you’re here.
Dare to Succeed is a community for professionals who are navigating toxic workplaces. Not venting about them. Navigating them. That means seeing clearly, making informed decisions, and moving forward on your own timeline.
Everything here is built from research. For nearly two decades, I have surveyed and interviewed hundreds of professionals who experienced toxic leadership. I also spent a decade inside a toxic system myself, carrying $130,000 in student debt, before I found my way through. The stories are real. The patterns are documented. The tools are designed to produce clarity, not drown you in motivational advice.
The Journey
“Dare to Succeed” isn’t a motivational phrase. It’s a description of what it actually takes to find your way through a toxic workplace.
The professionals in my research did exactly that. Their journeys followed the same five stages, and each one required a different kind of courage:
Dare to see it.
Admitting that what you’re experiencing isn’t just “a tough job” is the first step, and for most people, the hardest.
Dare to count the cost.
Looking honestly at what this environment has taken from your confidence, your health, your finances, and your relationships.
Dare to choose.
Deciding whether to stay, transfer, or leave, and trusting your own judgment after years of having it undermined.
Dare to move.
Setting the boundary. Executing the plan. Walking away.
Dare to begin again.
Rebuilding your identity and redefining success on your own terms.
That’s the journey this community is built around. Wherever you are right now, there’s something here for you.
Want to see where you are on the path? Explore the full The RADAR Pathway.
What You’ll Find Here
Every post falls into one of five categories.
Field Notes
Real stories from real professionals: mine and the people I’ve interviewed. They show you what toxic leadership looks like from the inside, so you can recognize it in your own situation.
Angle Checks
These reframe what you’re experiencing. If you’ve been told the problem is your attitude, your communication style, or your inability to “handle pressure,” these posts offer a different lens.
Pattern Signals
These identify the recurring dynamics that show up across industries and demographics. When you see the pattern, you stop blaming yourself for what’s out of your control.
Decision Maps
Practical frameworks: tools to assess where you are, what your options look like, and where your personal breaking point is.
Exit Files
Stories from people who successfully left. How they did it. What they wish they had known. What surprised them on the other side?
Three Free Tools
Here are three free diagnostic tools. Each one takes five minutes or less, and each is designed to help you see your situation more clearly.
Situation Clarity Check
Ten questions across three dimensions: leadership behavior, personal impact, and organizational patterns. It won't tell you what to do, but it will tell you whether what you're experiencing is normal workplace friction or something more.
False Promise Test
A focused assessment for the single most common trap: being promised promotions, raises, or changes that never come. Based on the false promise cycle identified in the research.
The RADAR Pathway: Where to Begin
How to access these tools:
Subscribe to Dare to Succeed (free). When you sign up, you’ll receive a welcome message with a direct link to all three tools. They’re hosted as interactive Google Docs you can use immediately, save a copy, or download. No paywall. No upsell. Just clarity.
My Story
If you want to know who I am before you use the tools, start here. These three posts tell the story behind this publication:
Part I: The Crisis. Did I Get Fired? The Badge.
Part II: The Coping. The Smell of Vulnerability. The Armor.
Part III: The Awakening. Get off the X. The Exit.
You don’t have to read these first. But if you’re wondering whether I actually understand what you’re going through, they’ll answer that.
When You Need More
Some situations require more than recognition. If you reach a point where you need help making a decision, building an exit plan, or working through recovery, deeper support is available.
DIY Tools The complete frameworks—Armor Audit, Financial Freedom Assessment, Decision Matrix, Exit Blueprint, and Recovery Roadmap—are available for individual purchase. Work through them on your own, at your own pace. Available at www.molnarrc.com.
The RADAR Pathway Workbook The full journey from Recognition to Recovery in one guided workbook. Includes all frameworks, reflection questions, and quarterly checkpoints. For people who want the complete system without live support. Available at www.molnarrc.com.
Workshops: Coming soon!
Cohorts: Coming soon!
Coaching sessions are available to guide you through the RADAR Pathway: Recognition to Recovery. www.molnarrc.com
Details and registration at www.molnarrc.com. Subscribers hear about openings first.
One Thing to Know About This Community
This is a community built around clarity, not venting. Stories are welcome as context for decisions, not as destinations. The question we keep coming back to is not “I can’t believe what happened to me” versus “What can I do next?”
Progress looks different for everyone. Some need to leave. Some need to stay and protect themselves while they plan. Some are recovering from something that’s already over. All of that is valid here.
What’s Next
Not sure where to start? Find yourself below.
If you’re unsure whether what you’re experiencing is really that bad: The Situation Clarity Check is your first step.
If you know it’s bad but you don’t know how bad: The Armor Audit breaks it down. Available at www.molnarrc.com.
If you are trying to decide your next move: Explore Pattern Signals and The Decision Matrix. Available at www.molnarrc.com.
If you’re ready to act: Read the Exit Files and consider the Exit Blueprint or a workshop. Available at wwww.molnarrc.com.
If you are already out and rebuilding: Start with the Recovery Roadmap and the Red Flag Checklist. Available at www.molnarrc.com.
Subscribe to Dare to Succeed to get started. The free tools arrive in your inbox, and new posts publish as the series builds.
You’re not alone. You’re not crazy. And you have more options than you think.
I’m glad you’re here and look forward to hearing from you.
With Gratitude,
Rhonda