*October is National Bullying Prevention Month and October 18-24, 2020 is Freedom From Workplace Bullies week in the US. Please help us get the word out by sharing this episode with your network.* I introduce this episode by telling my experience of how I “met” Janice (so far we’ve only met virtually, but I can’t wait to actually be in her presence in real time!) and how her beautiful writing on her blog touched my heart and helped me on my way to healing from my workplace trauma. Janice shares how she lost her 16-year career in the aviation industry to workplace abuse and the toll it took on both her physical and mental health which led her to, wisely, seek help. Throughout the process, she began to feel a sense of social responsibility to help and educate others on workplace bullying. She began blogging as part of her treatment and therapy and named her blog “The Empowered Employee.” Janice talks about how, deep down, she has the heart of an employee – she loved working for an organization that had good values and the sense of family she felt. But after her workplace abuse experience, she realized that, as that loyal employee, she was at a great disadvantage and found herself very disempowered to handle the situation she encountered. By giving back, she experiences a three-fold reward: helping others, self-empowerment and healing. Janice shares the most recent statistics on workplace bullying and the toll it takes on target’s health on every level. 80% of workplace bullying is not illegal in the U.S. and even targets who fall under a so-called “protected class” can have a difficult time proving workplace discrimination. We talk about the toll workplace abuse takes on the families of the targets and how even well-meaning friends and family do not understand the difficult journey we are on. How losing your job or career because of workplace abuse is like multiple deaths happening all at once, as well as the crushing hit to our belief systems, our belief in ourselves, the way we saw the world, our sense of safety, our sense of trust, the way we once operated in the world vs. how to navigate it going forward. Just as with a literal death and grieving, everyone’s process is different, and we don’t want to compare ourselves to others who seem further along on their journey to recovery. We talk about the incredible resources that are out there to help you on your road to recovery: Connecting with other targets who are brave survivors and become our tribe – through LinkedIn networking, websites, webinars, support groups and so much more! Janice talks about her work with The Workplace Bullying Institute, Dignity Together, Re-Define, The National Workplace Bullying Coalition and her new YouTube Talk Show with co-host Robin Barnette called “Two Targets Talk”. We talk about the importance of sharing our stories and being advocates, not just for ourselves to heal, but for our children to have safer workplaces and laws that protect them from the painful abuse we have been through. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed! Janice also makes the very valid point that it’s more of a liability for organizations to NOT address culture than it is for them to be proactive and set systems, processes and training in place to protect their employees and reputation. We wrap up the episode with Janice sharing what she feels is the most important quality of a gentlewoman to emulate today – you are going to love the one she chose! (Hint: It’s the only one you can’t fake or train for!) *ABOUT MY GUEST Janice Gilligan White* Janice is the founder of the Empowered Employee, a blog site for targets of workplace abuse that aims to spread awareness, supply the resources available to stay healthy and safe in the workplace, and also to give hope to those suffering from this abuse. Janice is affiliated wit