In writing about whistleblowers, John Solas talks about those he categorizes as “bad followers.” When abuse happens, the spotlight is shone on poor leadership, but it’s also important to examine the ways in which others contribute to a culture where abuse flourishes. Solas organizes bad followers into four categories. The first set of followers obey and I devote…
TRIGGER WARNING – we talk about violence and suicide In this episode of the bullied brain we discuss the issue of abuse in relationships, particularly focusing on the abuse experienced by women. We highlight the alarming statistic that 1-in-4 women have been abused by a current or former partner. Dr Jen Fraser talks about…
When we chose the whistleblower path, we had no idea that we were actually going to save our son’s life by unleashing the power of the truth. We thought we were ruining it, but that it was a necessary step in order to halt abuse. You cannot know how the acts you do in the…
On this episode of The Bullied Brain we talk about statistics and studies around bullying in schools and the need for an upstream approach to address the issue. We highlight the impact of bullying on children. We talk about the need for a different approach to tackle bullying, focusing on early intervention. The concept of…
Speaking up is dangerous. Speaking up is dangerous and that is why most people don’t do it. What’s fascinating is that research shows the majority believes that they would be whistleblowers when in fact they wouldn’t. Psychologist Piero Bocchiaro at the University of Palermo did a study in 2012 to explore the act of being a whistleblower.…
When you are abused, you often lose yourself, your authentic self. You become disconnected from your essential self. You are the self lost to abuse. My mission is to recover her and honour her. This is why you see her on my website. That confident, glowing, young, vibrant woman. I am dedicated to returning her…
In this episode of the Bullied Brain we talk about narcissists, psychopaths, and Machiavellians, collectively referred to as the “dark triad.” Jen explains how narcissists have a destructive impact on the lives of those around them. How they are fixated on themselves and constantly seek validation and admiration from others. Jen talks about the harmful…
A culture of cruelty I’ve learned, living in a society that enables rampant child abuse, that I’m definitely comfortable with being an outlier. Other whistleblowers talk about being ousted for speaking up about child abuse. Elizabeth Svoboda interviewed gold-medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu about how top coaches “belittled”, “harangued,” and “encouraged” athletes to “train while injured.” Svoboda was…
Kirsty Ward’s life came to a tragic end when her body was discovered by hotel staff at the Hotel Magnolia in Salou. Local police were alerted to a disturbance, leading to the shocking revelation. The incident occurred earlier this month, causing deep sorrow and distress for Kirsty’s loved ones. Following the discovery, Kirsty’s body…
Our society normalizes abuse When the tragedy of 9 / 11 happened, my brother was living in Brooklyn. Roofers were working on his brownstone so after the first plane hit and the world went into panic, he went up to watch with them what was unfolding on the other side of New York city. When…