Stellar career derailed by a narcissistic boss – and the Fierce comeback that followed. (Kara’s story)
"My eyes have been opened to the toxicity embedded in the senior levels of our organisation. I'm not sure whether I want to stay and fight, accept my fate, or get the heck out of here!"
The rise before the fall
Building an exceptional career was a huge life investment for Kara. One toxic boss tried to derail it.
Kara had spent 23 years building an exceptional career in a science-based organisation investing giant dollops of her intellect, energy and heart. She was respected, sought after for high-impact projects, and had built a strong reputation both within and beyond her organisation.
Then, she was promoted to a prestigious board-level role - the top of the ladder and a career milestone she’d been planning towards for years — a recognition of her expertise and leadership.
It should have been a career high point.
Five months later, she was fired.
The reason? Lies.
A narcissistic boss had undermined her, manipulated the situation, and orchestrated her downfall.
"The justification for firing me was a bunch of lies. But my treatment at the hands of my first ever narcissistic boss has had a real impact on me. I've been demoted one level into a job I would never have chosen. I feel stuck."
Arriving at a crossroads: Stay, fight, or leave?
The fallout was crushing.
Kara faced an impossible set of choices, each carrying emotional and professional risks:
If she stayed –
How could she rebuild credibility when everyone knew she’d been fired?
Did every one know?
Would she ever be considered for board-level roles again?
Or would she be permanently marked by this experience?
If she left –
How could she explain what had happened without sounding bitter or blaming others?
Would this experience cast a shadow over future opportunities forever?
Her confidence wavered. The questions swirled endlessly in her mind. For the first time ever in her career, she was stuck. Really stuck.
Searching for a pit stop on the way forward.
Determined to make sense of the situation, Kara turned to research.
Discovering a fierce pit-stop team.
She read everything she could about narcissistic leadership and realised she wasn’t alone.
But knowing why it happened didn’t answer the pressing question:
What now?
That’s when she discovered Midlife Unstuck.
She fell down a rabbit-hole researching the articles, the methods, the videos and the testimonials.
The concept of deliberately designing the next stage of her career—and the rest of her working life—resonated deeply.
She explored the Fierce Emporium career makeover programme, excited by the idea of working alongside others who were similarly stuck but committed to moving forward.
But she also knew she wanted some more personalised support.
So she joined The Fierce Accelerator programme which has full access to The Fierce Emporium programme PLUS regular one-to-one impact sessions with Lucia.
The Transformation Begins
The programme challenged Kara to think differently—about her career, her identity, and her future.
In the first week, the Career Sculpture exercise revealed patterns from across her entire career that she’d never noticed before.
The extra group training in the Fierce Sprints went deep on some of the major reasons why midlife professionals get stuck.
The monthly group Q&A sessions created a safe space to share confidential challenges and breakthroughs with like-minds from all over the world.
A simple 10-minute private connection segment at the end of the live Q&A with another participant each month provided an unexpected but powerful jolt of perspective and support.
And the one-to-one sessions were the blasts of focus that sped up the aha moments and kept momentum flowing.
Unexpected revelations emerged.
Kara discovered a new way of networking—one that felt natural and enjoyable, rather than transactional.
She learned to silence her inner critic and magnify constructive thinking.
Most importantly, she reclaimed control—not just over her career, but over how she felt about work itself.
"The Fierce methods have changed the way I think about work—and the way I do my work—so that I can make the impact I want in ways that allow me to feel great…or Fierce!"
Kara stepped out of the career race-track she’d spent her life racing on - to reevaluate and redesign her future work.
Kara's next move: A career rebuilt, on her terms
Then, one morning, an email whizzed into Lucia's inbox that changed everything.
"This morning, I got an offer!!! The company fits my goals really well. The people are my kind of people. The offer is surprisingly generous, with an extra sign-on bonus I wasn’t expecting."
Kara negotiated the details. And unlike her previous company, this new employer responded with maturity and professionalism.
They even agreed to a well-earned break before she started! This surprised and delighted her.
She joined refreshed, energised, and ready to write the next chapter of her career.
Almost exactly 12 months after she started working with Lucia.
Kara has moulded her Formula-One-styled career experiences into a personally-designed career that ensures she’s solving problems that she wants to solve, in the right environment alongside her kind of people.
The driveaway takeaway
Kara’s story is proof that even the most devastating career setbacks don’t have to define us.
With the right support, feeling career stuck doesn’t have to become a permanent situation.
She didn’t just survive—Kara designed a deliberate, fulfilling, and future-proofed career.
In Lucia's language, Kara designed "a fierce career".
And now?
She’s back in the driver’s seat.
"I'm not done designing my future yet. This is just the next chapter. But now, I know I’ll never fall back into feeling stuck again. I have the skills, insights, resources, and tools to make sure of that."
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Iona’s story: So many ideas, so little time - when you know you can make an impact but can’t make a decision.
Dana’s story: A failed attempt at early retirement prompts a re-think - and a novel idea for the future.
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