This email was sent to Meow Wolf HR on Monday 2/3/25, following my layoff in December. The layoffs (the second since I started in May 2024) affected 75 people, including our Chief Inclusion Officer and other people / functions not deemed “essential.”
@Janis and @Regina, I’m sorry that we couldn’t align on a version of a separation agreement or severance terms (attached) that worked for all the parties involved after the Meow Wolf layoffs in December. However, I am very glad not to be bound by the clauses that would have effectively stopped me from cc’ing and bcc’ing other folks on this thread 
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It wasn’t all bad…
It is always worth clarifying that any issues / challenges with Meow Wolf have always been with “INC” and never the individuals.
If anything, my manager Matt Hettich, Gabby / the Foundation, and the individuals I’ve worked with, are consistently the bright spots when I reflect on my short time at Meow Wolf. I worked with talented people who created amazing things and supported each other, even when they didn’t have the resources to do their own jobs properly. And I hope that I’m able to nurture the relationships and connections that I made at Meow Wolf for a long time 
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Meow Ooooof…
But the truth is that I had misgivings about Meow Wolf from the start and pretty low expectations about the culture coming in. I was aware of Meow Wolf’s history of gender-based discrimination lawsuits and settlements, their antagonistic relationship with the Union, and had artist friends in Santa Fe who told warned me about Meow Wolf’s exploitative / extractive relationship with the creative community.
Short answer is that I knew what I was getting into…Janis will recall that I tried to negotiate my severance agreement before signing my employment contract. And then, after I moved to Santa Fe, I rarely told people who I worked for because of everything I mentioned in the previous paragraph.
What’s Next…
I couldn’t really afford to say no to the severance, but I had no choice given the terms of the separation agreement.
I spent money that I didn’t really have on legal consultation to talk about my experience working at Meow Wolf and the culture. I wanted to get a better sense of what it would take to file with the EEOC, and if it was worth getting a lawyer to write a scary demand letter, or escalate our disagreements about compensation, union classification to a formal lawsuit…
Luckily for us all (and especially for Breanna, our poor, overworked and under-paid VP of Legal), I don’t have the energy, privilege, money (or assurance of union representation) to fight Meow Wolf for the next two years, just for “INC” to make minimal concessions / commitments to creating a better workplace.
No Hard Feelings…I really mean it.
Creating an ethical, sustainable, creative business that honors everyone’s contributions is fucking hard. I don’t envy Meow Wolf’s leadership, investors or the decision-makers who have to lead the company through the uncertainty and moral decay of the world that we’re living in.
I appreciate everything each of you has done, small or big, with the resources that you’ve been given. Each time you’ve chosen to value kindness, transparency and compassion, and to move towards decisions/behaviors that make life better for other people at Meow Wolf, is a win worth celebrating.
We do not have to be perfect to make progress, but we do have to make progress.
Final Thought…
I also just want to say that I appreciate the awkward position that Mikayla, Sam, Janis and even Regina are put in because of their HR roles. I’m sorry if I was unprofessional or frustrated in our interactions. My feelings were misguided and unfair – like being mad at a mall cop for arresting the pregnant person shoplifting diapers. The issue was always bigger than you or me 
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If you’re looking for something to do with the energy and money that you’re saving from not engaging in a lengthy lawsuit / paying my severance, you have several options, including:
- Making a tax-deductible donation to my fiscal sponsor, Gray Area c/o AMPL Labs
- Making production managers Union positions (as they rightly should be)
- Taking advantage of NM’s JTIP program to help improve the lives/career options of at least 5 of Meow Wolf’s lowest paid full-time employees (with receipts, please)
- Basically, agreeing to any of the things the Union asked for here
Take care of yourselves .