They Thought Firing Me Would Silence Me

Sharisse Stephenson
Oct 20
2 min read

It Only Made Me Louder.

🔊 Good Intentions, Bad Faith

I went to Bon Secours with good intentions.

I wanted to serve patients, build a better clinic, and bring consistent neurological care to a community that desperately needed it.

I thought reason would win out — that someone, somewhere in leadership would realize patients deserved access to care and physicians deserved a safe environment to provide it.

But instead of accountability, I met retaliation.

⚠️ Retaliation in Plain Sight

They denied my ADA accommodation request for a safe workplace — after a near-violence event.

Then, while I was still on leave, they fired me for cause.

They expanded a non-compete clause I never agreed to, withheld my earned bonus, and demanded $150,000 within two weeks — all while restricting me from working anywhere in the region.

I had followed their Code of Conduct.

I had stayed quiet, hopeful, professional.

But after that?

Okay, bet.

💥 Speaking Their Name

Now, I say their name — Bon Secours Mercy Health — out loud.

I write about their awards:

“Great Place to Work.”

“Top Place for Women.”

“Leader in Diversity.”

Because I can.

Firing me didn’t silence me.

It freed me.

🕊️ Freedom Over Fear

When you strip away someone’s paycheck but try to keep them bound by your code of conduct, you don’t own them — you’re just delaying the inevitable.

I’m transparent by nature. I’m open.

Some might say I have a big mouth. Maybe so.

But silence was never my calling.

Now I speak, and I write, and I advocate — for myself and for every provider who’s been punished for doing the right thing.