One of my biggest pet peeves when I worked in Corporate America was without a doubt when some leader or HR person called the workplace a “family.” It was a story designed to keep people compliant—an illusion of belonging that disappeared the moment you stopped performing.
It sounded warm and fuzzy, sure. But as a storyteller, I understood that was exactly what this was: a story.
Families don’t write you up for missing a deadline. They don’t guilt you into working weekends. They definitely don’t lay you off with a smile and a severance packet. What was really underneath those warm and fuzzy words was, We want you to be loyal until we don’t need you anymore. Then, you’re gone and we won’t even blink an eye.
I started questioning how much of corporate culture is built on the stories we tell to keep people in line—stories about loyalty, productivity and worth. And that’s one of the things I went deep on with this week’s guest, Alex Mell-Taylor.
Alex writes about politics, pop culture and futurism—all through the lens of story. We got into how writing can challenge cultural narratives, how corporate America can mirror cult dynamics and how fiction helps us imagine something more authentic.
Alex also shares their journey from creating video content to writing essays about politics and culture, how fiction can tell the truth sideways and why community is essential for creative survival.
In this episode:
- Why “we’re a family” might be the most dangerous workplace myth
The link between advocacy and storytelling - How fiction can become cultural resistance
- The cult logic of corporate America
- Imagining better futures through creative work
- Writing as a way to process fear—and move toward liberation
- Building community as a creative survival skill
If you’ve ever side-eyed a “we’re a family” email or felt the urge to write your way out of someone else’s narrative, this one’s for you.
About Alex Mell-Taylor
Alex Mell-Taylor is a trans, nonbinary writer who reports out from the digital trenches on pop culture and politics, often with an intersectional, queer bent. Their personal blog, Alex Has Opinions, has received hundreds of thousands of views and is growing every day. They are the editor and founder of the futurist magazine After the Storm, which has accepted stories from around the world. The Bubble We’re In is their debut Romance novel.
Connect
You can find Alex’s work on Medium.
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