Targets

Re-Claim Your Power After Abuse At Work

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Understand the playbook:
Read stories from targets

The more we hear stories from other targets, the more we can see that the workplace bullying and mobbing phenomenons work like a playbook. And seeing that playbook can help us detach from the toxicity.

Read stories

Take A Bootcamp

Workplace stress is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. (that's right — FIFTH). To help you cope with the stress of abuse at work, I run TWO bootcamps:

  • If you're currently dealing with abuse at work, go from self-blame to no shame in the Re-Claim Your Power After Abuse At Work Bootcamp. Learn more »
  • If you're healing from abuse at work, become the CEO of Your Life in the Re-Define Your Life After Abuse At Work Bootcamp. Learn more »

Live Support

Get help from those who get it.

You're currently in a workplace abuse situation or struggling to move on from it and want help to feel strong again. Currently, the stress is overwhelming. You might keep replaying the situation over and over again in your head or not see a way out. You may suffer from physical symptoms of stress and feel isolated.

As a work healing coach and certified life coach, I will help you explore your emotions, clarify your values, weigh your options, reduce stress, set boundaries, work through fears, determine your next steps, create a plan for re-defining your life, and help you live your best life.

I offer confidential coaching by Zoom or phone. I offer strategy ideas and support for navigating your workplace abuse situation or healing from it based on what's worked and what hasn't worked for hundreds of other targets. (Online coaching should not replace therapy or counseling to understand the issue in greater depth, especially for those in crisis. For options for therapists trained in workplace abuse, see the Workplace Abuse Therapist Directory on this page.)

Cost
Each 60-minute session beyond the initial 30-minute $25 session is currently $50.

Use the Coupon Code COACH for our first 30-minute session only for a $25 session — to be used toward your first full session if you decide to continue.

Payment is required before the call.

Logistics
I will Zoom or call at our scheduled time. At least 24-hours advanced notice are required for appointment changes, and you may be charged for missed sessions that don't include 24-hour notice. 

Monday – Thursday
9am – 9pm ET

Schedule your $25 30-minute first session.

Workplace stress is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. (that's right — FIFTH). To help you cope with the stress of abuse at work, I run TWO bootcamps:

  • If you're currently dealing with abuse at work, go from self-blame to no shame in the Re-Claim Your Power After Abuse At Work Bootcamp. Learn more »
  • If you're healing from abuse at work, become the CEO of Your Life in the Re-Define Your Life After Abuse At Work Bootcamp. Learn more »

Feel validated by those who get it. Know what it's finally like to feel seen and heard. Understand the abuser playbook so you can detach from it.

Every Wednesday night, 7-8pmET on Google Meet

Sign up for the link and weekly reminders.

When we suffer in toxic work environments, we often feel alone and fearful. We may not know who else has experienced abuse at our workplaces. And we may fear retaliation for speaking up (since the outcome is often more abuse).

But speaking up collectively is what has the greatest chance of results. And going through the media (even anonymously) can give you your voice back your abuser took AND provide the accountability our legal system too often doesn't.

I'm tapping into that collective power that has the most likelihood of getting reporters' attention — to get employers to change their ways.

I'll contact reporters and/or hold a strike (based on options in your state) when at least three employees at one company report bullying and are willing to share their experiences, even anonymously.

Fill out the form using the button below, and if at least two others from your company (current or former employees) do the same, I'll setup a Zoom call so we can come up with a game plan to expose the toxic work culture at minimal risk to you.

Report your company.

Workplace abuse therapists/mental health counselors
Not officially endorsed by Dignity Together but recommended by other targets and/or are known therapists for workplace abuse targets

Colorado
Denver
Sarah Lincoln, 303.691.6140

Illinois
Dr. Beth Plachetka

Massachusetts
Northborough
Robbin Miller

Washington
Seattle
Pam Raphael

Wisconsin
Cyrina Talbott

 


Coaches with specialities

Addiction
Shobha Ranganath

Anxiety and Resilience
Kirsti Gwynn, Positive EQ

Assertiveness
Janice Masters

Inner Child/Family Systems
Shobha Ranganath

Self-care
Ellen Rondina

Sexual Assault
HelpingSurvivors.org

Social Anxiety
Shobha Ranganath

Tapping (EFT)
Mirjana Bevanda
Sam Neffendorf

Trauma
Shobha Ranganath

You experienced the painful trauma of workplace abuse and feel stuck.
Find validation and connection in this one-day event so you can heal.
The result: a life of purpose defined by you — and no one else.

http://www.redefineourselves.com

The first retreat of its kind, created specifically to help targets of workplace abuse heal from their experience.

During this all-inclusive, intimate getaway, you'll find validation and connection in our safe haven to move forward.

The result: a life of purpose defined by you — and no one else.

http://www.redefineourselves.com

Take action:
Help pass legislation

Policies will help prevent workplace bullying and mobbing
when enough of us speak up to say we've had enough. 

Fight for change

Find connection in-person
with Re-Define

Re-Define Summits and Retreats take healing to a new level. Feel seen and heard with those who get it in these interactive and educational events that help you intentionally carve out a life you dream of.

Learn more

Online Support

Get help when you need it.

Blog

Learn about the nuances of workplace abuse — what it looks like, including other targets' stories, why it happens, and what you can do about it. It's a go-to place to deepen your understanding.

READ IT

Podcast

It's "Screw The Hierarchy," the podcast about the social hierarchies that keep white men in power positions at work, most of the rest of us out of them, and what we can do about it. On iTunes and Google Play.

LISTEN

Resources

Visit EndWorkplaceAbuse.com, the national movement website to end this epidemic of workplace bullying, to learn about and to take action in your state on 24 workers' rights issues across the nation.

VISIT

Legislation

Learn about how you can introduce the Workplace Psychological Safety Act — the strongest bill out there — in your state to make work safer and to make employees whole after abuse at work.

VISIT

Report your company
for a toxic work culture

When we suffer in toxic work environments, we often feel alone and fearful. We may not know who else has experienced abuse at our workplaces. And we may fear retaliation for speaking up (since the outcome is often more abuse).

But speaking up collectively is what has the greatest chance of results. And going through the media (even anonymously) can give you your voice back your abuser took AND provide the accountability our legal system too often doesn't.

I'm tapping into that collective power that has the most likelihood of getting reporters' attention — to get employers to change their ways.

I'll contact reporters and/or hold a strike (based on options in your state) when at least three employees at one company report bullying and are willing to share their experiences, even anonymously.

Fill out the form using the button below, and if at least two others from your company (current or former employees) do the same, I'll setup a Zoom call so we can come up with a game plan to expose the toxic work culture at minimal risk to you.

 

Bring attention to your toxic workplace

Mini-Courses

Feeling stuck? Learn from experts:

Bullying at Work:
4 Red Flags To Look Out For

When we miss the red flags that a boss or co-worker is high conflict, we may find ourselves in a downward spiral of loss: health, finances, relationships, confidence, self-worth, trust, hope, and more.

But it's never too late to see a toxic work situation with more clarity and take action to change course. Join me with Susan Forster, an expert in leadership and cultural change, as we reveal the four red flags of bullying at work — and tools we can use to address the bullying.

Grab the course

Move On and
Find Work You Love

As you encounter days you want to forget and frustration you’re dying to finally move beyond, your longing for something different is growing, and so is your motivation to change.

This longing and motivation is key to where you're headed in life. Aligning with our true desires gives us courage. It brings us in touch with what feels right for us, making it easier to see opportunities and act on them. Learn to let yourself want more, connect to your vision, get strong, and sustain your power.

Grab the course

3 Practices To Build Emotional Resilience

Learn evidence-based positive psychology strategies for building emotional resilience.

In part one, Positive EQ's Kirsti Gwynn begins with a look at what the research says about what resilience is, why it’s important, and whether it can be developed.
Then in the following three parts, you’ll learn how to think differently about challenging experiences, relieve and process stress, and develop self-trust — what you may have lost while abused at work.

Grab the course

Books I Recommend

Enhance your understanding of
how abuse of power works and how you can take back your power.

Workplace abuse and/or the rigged system:

The Bully's Trap

Dying For A Paycheck

Mobbing

Overcoming Mobbing

Rights on Trial

 

Standing in your power:

Reinvention Roadmap

You Are A Badass

 

Other recommendations:

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life, Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
Eloquent Rage, Brittney Cooper
Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live, Martha Beck
The Gaslighting Recovery Workbook: Healing From Emotional Abuse, Amy Marlow-MaCoy LPC
The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT, Russ Harris and Steven C. Hayes PhD
Learning From the Octopus: How Secrets from Nature Can Help Us Fight Terrorist Attacks, Natural Disasters, and Disease, Rafe Sagarin
The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, Stephen W. Porges
Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection, Deb Dana
Polyvagal Flip Chart, Deb Dana
Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work, Dr. Paul Babiak and Dr. Robert D. Hare
When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection, Gabor Maté M.D.

12 Steps To Healing from Workplace Abuse

Heal one step at a time.
Dr. Karin Huffer says stages of recovery from betrayal are debriefing, grieving, obsession, blaming, deshaming, reframing, empowerment, and recovery.

The first step in healing from your experience is telling your story without fear of judgment.

You ask yourself: What just happened? Why I am feeling so numb? How did I just get abused and lose my job? How could this happen to me? And why? Why I am feeling so depressed and angry at the same time? What will I do now? What did I do to deserve this? Did I do something wrong? Am I a bad person?

Sound familiar? Intuitive Healer Carolyn Myss says losses are sudden changes that we did not want to happen to us. It’s fine if they happen to other people as long as it’s not us. We spend our time trying to figure out why the trauma happened to us and what we did to deserve it. We believe it’s unfair and become angry and stuck in the past. Our intense emotions get in the way of rationally thinking about how to move forward.

Instead, focus on the present. What can we learn from these painful experiences? How do we find hope during these difficult times? Dr. Judith Orloff recommends taking a breath and closing your eyes. Think about removing your sadness and depression and listen for insights, not results. We can find hope and meaning after suffering and inhumane treatment. We make choices on how to respond to suffering. We can learn lessons from our suffering as opportunities to awaken and heal our souls.

In her book The Art of Extreme Self-Care, Cheryl Richardson created the “Extreme Self-Care First Aid Kit” for facing trauma:

  1. Who can I turn to for support when I am feeling afraid, sad, and angry? Who comforts me, makes me feel safe, and allows me to have my feelings?
  2. Who do I need to avoid? Who overwhelms me with questions or has a tough time just listening without interrupting or offering advice?
  3. What does my body need to feel nurtured, strong, and healthy?
  4. What responsibilities or commitments do I need to let go of to clear some space so that I am able to feel my feelings and do what’s necessary to honor and support my needs?
  5. What unhelpful coping strategies or activities should I avoid?
  6. What spiritual/religious practice connects me with the higher power of my understanding?
  7. What do I need to feel comforted at this time?
  8. How will I best express my feelings?
  9. What object can I use as a cue to remind me to breathe and relax my mind and then turn back to my awareness at the present moment?
  10. What can I do when I need to take a break from the emotional stress? What are my top healthy distractions?

 

The rug has been pulled. You feel alone in the arena with your face smacked down in the center of the ring. You don’t know where to turn or what to do. “Like Humpty Dumpty, we have fallen off the wall, broken into a million pieces that cannot be put together again. We can never be resembled in exactly the same way. We are forever changed,” states Dr. Robert Neimeyer.

Survivors adapt after their loss and contribute to developing a new identity that has a sense of meaning to them, according to Susan Berger, author of The Five Ways We Grieve.  

Here’s how we form new identities:

  1. We learn nothing stays permanent in our lives. Only temporary experiences last for set times beyond our control.
  2. Time has new meaning. While we either lived in the past or future, we now realize how precious the present time is.
  3. Our values and drives change. We might make sure workplace abuse does not happen to others by advocating for a law to outlaw workplace abuse.
  4. We learn to focus more on supportive people in our lives. We create new purpose in our lives to make the world a better place.

When we lose a job, we refocus on what really matters in life.

We experience grief through non-sequential stages: shock, denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. We may decide to see a counselor to process the loss.

Scarcity is a combination of shame, comparison, and disengagement.

Shame. In Dare to Lead (2018), Dr. Brene Brown defines shame as “the intensely painful feelings or experience of believing that we are flawed, and therefore, unworthy of love, belonging, and connection.” Do you believe you aren’t good enough due to blaming, finger-pointing, and name-calling? These are shame-based behaviors that make us want to hide.

Shame example: “I am bad.” We internalize it.
Guilt example: “I did something bad.” We feel regretful over the behavior.

Define what shame means to you. Did you feel shame while growing up? Can you name a situation when you felt shame? How did your parents react to you? Did you feel shame while abused at work? Describe the situation on paper or verbally.

Vulnerability. The emotions we experience during times of uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure aren’t about winning or losing but rather the courage to show when you can’t control the outcome of the situation, according to Dr. Brene Brown, author of Daring Brave.

Remember what your family taught you about vulnerability. Was it OK to feel or suppress and ignore? Describe feeling vulnerable at work and in your personal life now. How does it feel? Do you put the armor on as you soon as think about it? Ask yourself:
Is feeling vulnerable easy?
Does vulnerability make you want to self-protect with armor? Does it make you feel anxious?
Is courage required to show up for these experiences with a whole heart?

We can decide not to get sucked into the negative feedback at work by learning from comments but not ruminating about them afterwards. Let the comments drop to the side of you and take deep breaths. Grow from them.

Undo the armor we wear when we feel hurt, angry, and sad. Lean into vulnerability with courage. Feeling vulnerable can lead us become creative and innovative. Vulnerability is the beginning of feeling love, joy, and belonging.

Brene Brown encourages us to:

  1. Recognize shame and understand our triggers. When we feel shame, what happens to us? What shame shields do we put up? Do we move away by withdrawing, hiding, and keeping secrets to ourselves, move toward by pleasing people, or move against by being aggressive back, using shame to fight shame?
  2. Practice critical awareness. Do we feel we’re the only ones in the situation seeing our mistakes? When we realize we’re not the only one feeling shame, we start to reality check our shame triggers and their corresponding expectations that grew the shame.
  3. Reach out and find the courage to share our experiences and/or have the compassion to listen to other’s stories. Sharing removes the sting of the fear, blame, and disconnection.
  4. Name the shame and speak to those we trust who will empathize. Empathy is the antidote to shame. We want someone to reflect back what they heard and tell us we are not alone.

We’ve fallen down and scraped our knees. It’s time to get up again, move on from our mistakes, and face the hurt.

We’re filled with intense emotions from feeling humiliated at work. The feelings of anger, fear, anxiety, and sadness cloud our abilities to make sense of what happened to us at work. We can get curious about our emotions. What do we experience when we get triggered?

I feel______ (fill in the emotion). Examples: My stomach is in knots. I want to kick or punch someone. I feel embarrassed. I feel hurt. I can’t stop playing that scene over and over in my head.

Take deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose for 5, hold for 5, let it out for 5, and hold the exhale for 5.

Walk into your story. Get curious.

The Rumble

You own your story and you can rewrite the

ending. Bird by Bird Author Ann LaMott recommends writing a first draft from the mind of a child. Dump all of the raw emotions out on paper. Make sure no one can see it. Our brains look for patterns and receive dopamine rewards when we see patterns, regardless of whether the story is correct or not. Out of fear, our minds fill in gaps with made-up information to develop conspiracies and/or add false information to complete our stories.

The Recovery
Margaret Atwood says to move from a story of mixed-up pieces to the real story, ask ourselves three questions:

  1. What more do I need to learn and understand about the situation regarding my assumptions? What do I really know about what’s objectively going on?
  2. What more do I need to learn and understand about other people in the story? What questions might help? What additional information do I need?
  3. What more do I need to learn and understand about myself? What part did I play in this, if any? What am I really feeling?

As we rumble through these questions of owning our stories, remember we can rewrite our endings by believing that we’re still loveable.

“Just because someone failed to see the value in what we can create or achieve doesn’t change its worth or ours.” — Dr. Brene Brown

The Revolution
Have the courage to face your vulnerability and transform to live with worthiness, love, and the knowledge you’re an imperfect, authentic being.

You probably feel confused about the values your former company espouses in terms of integrity, hard work, and productivity. The abuser and the organization did not operate from a place of integrity and compassion. The employer failed to live up to their values in promoting a healthy work environment and instead showed their true colors of practicing greed, deceit, and unprofessional behavior toward their employees.

It’s time to redefine and practice your own values moving forward in your journey in life.

We admit we’ve been hurt, betrayed, and traumatized from abuse at work. We ask ourselves “How can I trust myself again? How will it get better? What was I thinking by staying and making believe it was not happening to me?”

It will take small steps to built up trust again in yourself. Learn from your mistakes.

Dr. Brene Brown uses the acronym “BRAVING” for developing trust again in her book Dare To Lead.

B is Boundaries: What are my boundaries? Did I cross a boundary or did I feel my abuser at work crossed my boundary? What is OK and not OK?

R is Reliability: Can I count on myself to protect my boundaries?

A is Accountability: Did I hold my workplace abuser accountable for what was done to me? Did I hold myself accountable for accepting or not knowing was going on at work?

V is Vault: Did I properly share information that was meant to be shared or not?

I is Integrity: Did I choose courage over comfort? Did I operate on my values? Did I do what I thought was right or opt-out instead?

N is Non-Judgment: Did I ask for help when I needed it? Did I practice non-judgment with myself?

G is Generosity: Was I generous with myself? When I made big mistakes, did I say “I gave it my best shot?” Did I say “It’s going to be OK” and stop beating myself up over it?

We experienced trauma and harm from workplace abuse and want to do something about it. As advocates, we can make proactive changes to outlaw workplace abuse in our states. We want our state legislators to hear our stories so they can understand how we suffered from workplace abuse. We don’t want it to happen to anyone else.

We can advocate for change on the systems and/or individual level:

Systems Advocacy: Join statewide grassroots campaigns to outlaw workplace abuse. Research current campaigns in your state on social media. Join the movement at EndWorkplaceAbuse.com, get involved, and connect with fellow survivors who have turned their pain into action. You will learn tips on how to lobby your legislators.

Individual Advocacy: Share your story in the media (blogs, magazines, newspapers, podcasts, books, social media videos, etc.) to help others learn they’re not alone.

Fill out the Seven Dimensions of Wellness Self-Assessment. If you score less than two in any area, write down the following in each category:

  • Steps I need to take to reach my goal
  • Who else might be involved
  • By when I want to accomplish this goal

Engage in other soothing activities such as photography, dance, meditation, and nature walks that make you feel relaxed and provide comfort.

What will you do now as your livelihood has been disrupted? What are your options?

Here are some helpful suggestions:

  1. Explore your life purpose and/or attend a local career center. Work with a career coach or speak with an employment counselor to help you tweak your resume and/or attend classes on going back to work or exploring a new career.

  2. Start your own business. Research resources in starting your own business. Your local community college may offer continuing education classes either online or in person. Your local library may have information about online programs for possible career exploration and/or training.
  3. Attend a support group for people looking for a new job. Your local workforce development office may have information on their website.
  4. Figure out how to answer questions about your last employer. What’s OK and not OK to share?

Self-reflect:

  1. What did you learn about yourself from each step? Did you feel empowered during a specific step? If so, how?
  2. What step would you like to review and/or continue discussing?
  3. What takeaways can you use to make you more self-aware when you feel triggered?
  4. Are you interested in seeing a therapist?

The Art of Extreme Self-Care. (2009). Cheryl Richardson. 

Berger, S. Five Ways We Grieve. (2011). Trumpeter Press.

Dare to Lead: Brene Brown. (2018). UK: Penguin Random House. 

Daring Greatly: Brene Brown. (2012). New York: Penguin Random House.

Emotional Freedom: Judith Orloff. (2019). Harmony Publishers. 

Why People Don't Heal and How They Can. Caroline Myss. (1998). Harmony Press.


Learn more

Better understand the epidemic of workplace bullying and mobbing.

Understand how
workplace abuse works in
Exhaustion, the choose-your-own-adventure game

We can see our stories in others' stories because this phenomenon operates like a playbook. Make virtual decisions in this quick choose-your-own-adventure game with outcomes that follow the abuse-at-work playbook.

Play the game

Read the Workplace Abuse and Mobbing Playbook

The one with a great work ethic and moral compass. The one who feels threatened by that great work ethic and moral compass. The yes-people who benefit from the status quo. The person or people in power who ignore the problem or make it worse to avoid liability. These are the typical characters of workplace bullying and mobbing.

Read the playbook

Listen to Brené Brown's "How toxic work cultures are driving the Great Resignation"

Workplace bullying and mobbing are organizational problems, not individual ones. They're a sign of lack of empathy from those who have the power to change the company culture. Learn how toxic cultures led to the Great Resignation from two MIT professors.

Listen to the podcast
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