Welcome

to my blog about what I call the phenomenon of Upward Bullying. Perhaps you already know what Upward Bullying is. Or perhaps - like me - you'd never heard of it before, but now you know because you've experienced it. It might be something you experience in the future though I hope not!

I describe Upward Bullying as a form of bullying created by those weaponising the system that was put in place to prevent bullying in the first place. It's a workplace phenomenon where subordinates attack and sabotage their leader through bullying tactics.

It is packaged under various guises which are often hard to recognise. I was ill-prepared for its onslaught. At the heart of the behaviour is cruelty. My mission is to shine a light on this topic and to support other leaders to 'be real, be you'.

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February 2, 2026

I’m looking back today on the past three years of the convergence of upward and downward bullying in my workplace. It’s hard to know where to begin. I know I’m healing. But I also know I’m on a journey of healing and to heal holistically I need to do a few things.

The first thing I need to do is evaluate my experience and apply it to my life. Which I’m busy with. Part of this evaluation has been achieved through writing about what happened. Writing has helped me identify what went wrong and experience the full depth of my feelings about it, much of which I kept bottled up as I tried to cope on the surface. Experiencing these feelings completely has been painful but necessary as part of the healing process.

The second thing I need to do is learn, grow – in resilience, strength, character, wisdom – share and connect with others to help and support them along their journey.

Stay with me as I unpack my experience which is about being real and being me! What experiences have you had with toxic workplaces and challenges to your mental health?

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