Bodily Reviews

Unfortunately, the internal environment at Bodily is completely misaligned with the strength of its external brand. Fear-based micromanagement, emotional manipulation, and a lack of trust in the team runs rampant. Strategic direction is virtually nonexistent. Instead, the company operates in a constant state of reactive fire drills, with decisions often made on a whim, driven by anxiety rather than long-term thinking. Leadership turnover is alarmingly high — I had three managers during my time there. It’s not uncommon for someone to be quietly pushed out, usually with minimal explanation and new hires introduced the same week as our coworker "left." There's no space for grief, transition, or processing — just a continued march forward under the weight of unresolved dysfunction. Team morale suffers deeply. Despite the team's truly best efforts to foster a positive culture and deliver good work, the environment is marked by distrust, intimidation, and exclusion. The CEO frequently inserts herself into tiny operational details while avoiding accountability at the strategic level. There is no true HR, the CEO claiming that responsibility herself, and basic tools or equipment are often not provided — a surprising oversight for a company of this size and ambition (I was not given a new laptop). Benefits are poorly documented, inconsistently communicated, and often not what was promised during hiring. The worst part? Many people want to be here. The team cares about the mission, they care about the community, and they believe in the importance of the work, but most weeks it's not enough and we ultimately felt defeated. There is also little to no diversity in the team.

Unfortunately, Bodily's internal work environment stands in stark contrast to the strength of its external brand. The root cause is poor leadership at the executive level, particularly by the CEO, whose management style has created a deeply toxic and unsustainable workplace culture. Leadership & Culture As the saying goes, “People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.” At Bodily, this is especially true. The CEO exhibits extreme micromanagement tendencies, coupled with emotionally abusive and coercive behaviors. Strategic planning is virtually nonexistent, and cross-functional collaboration is discouraged. Decision-making is reactionary, and often happens during marathon department or company wide meetings where the entire team watches the CEO crunch numbers in a spreadsheet looking for answers for why the business is flailing. Unfortunately, the answer cannot be found in a spreadsheet. The answer lies in the CEO's lack of strategic acumen & leadership. There is a well-documented pattern in how the CEO treats new employees: initial praise and elevation, followed within months by public criticism, belittlement, and ultimately being ignored & intentionally excluded. Rather than providing support or coaching, the CEO appears to follow a consistent playbook designed to push employees to resign voluntarily. These tactics include: 1. Unrealistic and shifting expectations that set individuals up for failure. 2. Chronic negative feedback delivered without context, support, or opportunity for improvement. 3. Intentional marginalization or exclusion from meetings and decisions. 4. Verbal intimidation and passive-aggressive communication, contributing to a culture of fear. 5. Deliberate deterioration of working conditions, making the environment intolerable. Turnover & Morale Unsurprisingly, employee turnover at Bodily is alarmingly high. The average tenure is short, and internal knowledge and continuity suffer as a result. This creates a cycle of re-hiring, re-training, and re-learning that prevents the business from making long-term progress. While the CEO often cites performance issues as the cause of turnover, in reality, it is the company's leadership that drives talented people out the door. Final Thoughts Bodily’s mission is important and necessary, but the leadership culture is deeply misaligned with the values the brand purports to uphold. Until the company addresses the systemic issues at the top, it will continue to struggle with employee retention, morale, and growth.