Toxic workplaces, the not so silent epidemic that claims lives and leaves countless others shattered. This tragic death was preventable, the loss of Dr Vaish Kumar’s life, and the loss her family and friends will feel is lasting. This headline will move down the website into oblivion, their pain is forever. BBC covered the story…
Sharing your unique experiences of trauma can indeed be a difficult and painful process. When faced with someone who responds dismissively, it’s important to remember that no one else can truly understand the depth of your trauma except for you. People who make statements like, “I wouldn’t have got that from them,” lack the insight…
After I reported teachers’ abuse at one private school, then watched administrators and the board cover up, I resigned in protest. I was hired to work at another private school. In my third year at the new school, a student reported directly to me that she was being “sexually harassed by a teacher.” I didn’t…
In the last blog, I spoke about losing my temper one afternoon with two students. I drew a clear contrast between this awful mistake and the abusive conduct of four teachers that students reported on in 2012. My goal in this blog is to encourage others to be whistleblowers and especially when it’s high-stakes such as…
I am often asked about the difference between demanding and demeaning conduct. The first aims to raise expectations and enhance performance for all. The second is humiliating and degrading. There’s zero comparison between them, but those who demean like to say it’s actually to “motivate.” Don’t fall for that lie. Part of why I am an…
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…
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…
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…
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…