 Many companies claim a culture that encourages employees to show trust and vulnerability. Far fewer actually live these values, like Research Square. When I came to Research Square, I arrived to the challenge of not only adjusting to a new workplace and a new job, but also the challenge of recovering from emergency brain surgery and learning to live with a newly diagnosed neurological condition. Having experienced mistreatment in a previous job for the symptoms that I did not even yet know were from a rapidly increasing intracranial pressure, I was determined to hide my condition. But I did not take into account with the fact that just like previous knee surgeries required a slow and steady return to normal physical function, recovery from brain surgery requires the same slow and steady return to full cognitive function. My initial ramping up in my first role was, as a result, slowed. I was not only working to recover sight, speech, balance, and coordination that I had lost. I was taking the first few shaky steps towards challenging my mind again. It would be nearly a month before I finally decided that I had nothing to lose at that point and decided to exercise trust and vulnerability by sharing my struggle with my team manager. In previous jobs, I might have expected to see my hours and or responsibilities reduced. I might have seen myself phased out of the job just slowly enough as to not arouse suspicion that I was being cut for my neurological condition. In my new role at Research Square, however, I had a team manager willing to step back with me. We reevaluated my training in both schedule and approach and through her patient guidance and understanding, I was not only able to fully regain function from my surgery, but ramp up in my position fully. I now do not notice any work related struggle with my condition and I do believe that is largely due to being able to be so open about it. Being able to show trust and vulnerability is perhaps one of the most important aspects of a workplace where employees cannot just survive but thrive. I will always be grateful to have found such a rare gem of a workplace and co-workers that truly function as a team in more than just name.