Why I Received My First Cease & Desist...And Why It Didn't Work

Welcome to the premiere of Trust Issues: Life After Betrayal, a reality-style podcast and video journal of healing and growth.

Come on in! 

Trust Issues, and the community we build, is a space for candid conversations about betrayal—by employers, systems, relationships, even ourselves—and what it takes to rebuild. With storytelling through confessionals, vulnerable interviews, therapy clips, video diaries and guest voices who’ve walked through their own fires, we’re unpacking the cracks that form when trust breaks…and the strength that grows in the rebuilding.

In this first episode, I take you inside the moment everything changed for me: a medical emergency, a not-so-legal termination, and a cease and desist letter that arrived before anyone from Sprezzatura even asked how I was feeling or sent any well wishes. It’s not just about what happened, it’s about how it felt, how it broke me open, and how I’m slowly, messily putting things back together—with therapy clips, voice notes, some much-needed sarcasm, and a little help from friends.

Episode TL;DR:

-The final straw moment that cracked the corporate illusion

-What it's like to have a seizure and then get ghosted by your own employer

-My first therapy session post-termination (spoiler: I cried and also made a spreadsheet

-How Trust Issues came to be, and what I hope it does for others who feel like they’re the only one

-The actual text of the cease and desist… redacted, but still spicy

You’ll also hear a bit of my recovery journey and why learning to trust again—my body, the universe, other people—is the hardest and most important part of this healing process.

Know Your Rights

-You are protected under the ADA if you experience medical discrimination.

-Retaliation for reporting concerns? Also not legal. A good employment attorney can help you sort through what is.

More from Me

Check out my other show, The Sobriety Diaries, where I host real conversations with real people in recovery. If Trust Issues is the chaos, The Sobriety Diaries is the calm. Sometimes.

Follow + Subscribe

Instagram @podcastnate | TikTok @podcastnate | YouTube @natekelly

Contact: [e-mail]

Rate + Review + Share if:

-You’ve ever been betrayed by a boss, a system, or your own body

-You think cease and desists are a love language

-You’re here for the healing and the drama

Trust is earned, not inherited. Thanks for trusting me with your time.

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Nate Kelly - Creator & Host, Trust Issues

Top 3% Global Podcaster | Advocate | Recovering Corporate Employee