Speaker Library

Our monthly speaker series is designed to help you:

Feel validated by others who experience it.

Understand the nuances of workplace bullying and mobbing.

Get help with navigating workplace abuse.

Heal from workplace abuse.

When something goes wrong at work, most employees are told to document it, report it, and hope the system works.

But hope is not leverage.

The Fair Path Project helps workers understand the real options available to them when a job becomes harmful, unstable, or unsafe.

Founded by Kim Williams, a former diplomat and VP-level HR executive, Fair Path is focused on giving workers something they rarely have in these situations: information, strategy, and bargaining power.

That means helping people understand questions like:
What laws may actually apply to my situation?
What kinds of claims have succeeded before?
What have similar cases cost employers?
How much risk does the company face?
What should I say — and what should I avoid saying?
When is it time to bring in an attorney?

Fair Path is developing practical tools to answer those questions, including an interactive employment-law map, a database of workplace lawsuits and settlements, liability calculators, coaching through the FEAR NOT Framework, an interactive bully-boss avatar for practicing difficult conversations, and a multi-state attorney referral network.

Because when workers understand the system, they can make better decisions inside it.

Workplace abuse does not affect everyone equally. Race, disability, gender, age, and other aspects of identity shape not only how discrimination is experienced but also how individuals are believed, protected, or silenced.

In this thought-provoking fireside chat, Dr. Akilah Cadet and Danielle King explore the intersection of workplace abuse, discrimination, and systemic inequity through both personal stories and broader societal trends. Together, they examine how oppressive workplace systems reinforce exclusion, how current cultural and policy shifts disproportionately impact marginalized communities, and why psychological safety is essential for equity at work.

Through an engaging conversation, they’ll unpack what intersectionality looks like in real workplace settings, discuss emerging patterns affecting disabled and other historically marginalized employees, and share practical strategies for self-advocacy, resilience, and preserving one’s well-being while navigating harmful environments.

Speaking up in the workplace is often framed as courage — but rarely do we talk about the cost. In environments where truth-telling is punished, retaliation can strip away not just roles and opportunities, but identity, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

In this powerful and restorative session, participants will explore what it means to reclaim themselves after workplace harm. Moving beyond survival, this talk centers the process of rebuilding — separating identity from job titles, holding onto credibility and dignity in the face of retaliation, and understanding how tactics like gaslighting and isolation are used to maintain control.

Through reflection, shared insight, and practical strategies, attendees will learn how to rebuild professional confidence, reclaim their narrative, and resist internalizing the harm done to them. This session also highlights the role of community, storytelling, and advocacy as essential tools for healing and transformation.

Grounded in the belief that you are not what you lost, this conversation invites participants to reconnect with their expertise, integrity, and voice — and to move forward rooted in self-trust, not institutional validation.

Most people enter a toxic workplace believing they can fix it — that if they work hard enough, speak up clearly enough, or endure long enough, things will improve. While change is possible, it is rare. Recognizing that reality is often the first and most important step in protecting yourself.

In this grounded and deeply practical session, participants will explore what it truly means to “exit well” from an abusive workplace — not as a failure, but as a strategic, self-protective decision.

Drawing from lived experience inside a high-level institutional environment, this talk unpacks the early signs of “soft targeting,” how retaliation escalates when accountability is introduced and why abuse often intensifies when external scrutiny begins. Attendees will gain clear, actionable strategies for documenting events, communicating effectively, and preserving both legal options and personal integrity throughout the process.

This session moves beyond theory into real-world application — equipping participants with the tools to mitigate professional risk, reduce emotional harm, and make informed decisions in high-stakes environments.

Grounded in the truth that workplace abuse is never the target’s fault, this talk offers something equally critical: a pathway to reclaiming agency, protecting your future, and leaving with your values intact.

Workplace abuse doesn’t end when you leave a toxic job — it often follows you into your next opportunity, shaping how you search, what you tolerate, and what you believe you deserve.

In this powerful and practical session, Mercedes Swan, Career Love Coach, introduces the Toxic Job Cycle — a repeatable pattern many high-performing professionals unknowingly fall into after experiencing harmful work environments. She breaks down why this cycle occurs, how workplace trauma influences decision-making, and what it takes to interrupt it.

Through a blend of strategy and facilitated conversation, participants will learn how to identify red flags early, vet employers with confidence, and challenge the limiting beliefs that toxic workplaces often leave behind. This session also explores advanced job search strategies that prioritize alignment, safety, and long-term career fulfillment — not just landing the next role.

Grounded in the truth that workplace abuse is never the employee’s fault, this talk offers both validation and agency: while we are not responsible for the harm, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves moving forward.

Designed especially for high-performing, purpose-driven professionals — and centered on creating empowering, safe spaces for Black women — this session supports attendees in rebuilding self-trust, cultivating a resilient and abundant mindset, and pursuing careers that reflect their worth.

Workplace abuse is not simply a professional challenge. It is a disruption of identity, psychological safety, and self-trust. In this powerful and clarifying session, Jeffrey Jacobs shares his experience navigating institutional harm and exposes patterns such as retaliation, gaslighting, isolation, and narrative control that often go unrecognized in professional environments.

Rather than remaining in survival mode, he translates his experience into a structured pathway for recovery and reclamation. He introduces the TRUTH Framework™, which stands for Tell the Truth, Reflect on the Root, Unlearn the Lie, Transform the Wound, and Heal Aloud. This framework is designed to help individuals rebuild identity, restore confidence, and reclaim their voice with intention.

By learning to tell the truth about their experiences, participants begin to separate who they are from what they endured. In doing so, they create the conditions to inspire meaningful change in their lives and step into a more expansive and self-defined sense of identity.

Blending personal narrative with strategic insight, this session equips participants with the language and awareness needed to identify harmful dynamics, move forward with clarity and agency, and reclaim authorship over their story.

This session is not only about surviving workplace abuse. It is about speaking truth, inspiring change, and becoming unlimited in how one chooses to move forward.

What actually fuels toxic culture — and why does it spread so predictably?

In this powerful and unfiltered talk, Kelly Cooper moves beyond surface-level conversations about “difficult leaders” to expose the systemic dynamics that allow toxic leadership to thrive. Drawing from her lived experience of workplace mobbing, she reveals the repeatable patterns used to consolidate power, suppress dissent, and normalize harmful behavior — patterns that quietly replicate across industries and sectors.

But this isn’t a story about victimhood. It’s a wake-up call for leaders.

Kelly reframes toxic culture not as a personality problem but as a failure of social intelligence at scale. She introduces social intelligence as a measurable, trainable leadership competency — one that can and must become a new standard of executive performance. Through systems-level solutions such as Social Certification, she outlines how organizations can proactively identify harmful leadership dynamics, raise conduct expectations, and redesign culture before damage becomes normalized.

Audiences leave with three things: language to name what’s happening, clarity about why it persists, and a strategic path forward.

If you’ve ever been told to “handle it better,” “be more professional,” or “trust the process,” this session is for you. Workplace abuse usually doesn’t persist because of one bad boss — it persists because systems are built to protect power, not people.

In this hour, Deb Falzoi breaks down how ordinary workplace processes (HR, investigations, performance reviews, “professionalism”) can quietly gaslight, isolate, and retaliate against targets of abuse — and why so many survivors feel like they’re the problem.

More importantly, you’ll learn what actually helps: how to spot systemic red flags, protect yourself, document strategically, find allies, and turn individual harm into collective power. You’ll leave with clarity, validation, and a stronger sense of how we move from surviving toxic workplaces to changing the rules that make them possible.

End Workplace Abuse’s The Truth About Work Series is a four-part, survivor-centered journey that:

Exposes the hidden dynamics of workplace abuse
Explores the emotional and psychological toll on targets
Provides practical strategies for protection
Connects individual experiences to the urgent need for systemic and legislative change.

Through powerful storytelling, trauma-informed insights, and actionable guidance, this series equips participants to recognize abusive patterns, rebuild after harm, and join a growing movement committed to creating workplaces grounded in dignity, accountability, and true psychological safety.

Session 4: The Bigger Picture – Systems, Culture & Change
How We Fix Work: Accountability, Culture, and the Workplace Psychological Safety Act

Workplace abuse isn’t caused by a few “bad bosses.” It’s enabled by systems that reward silence, tolerate misconduct, and protect abusers at every level.

This session connects personal experiences to structural change, showing how power, culture, and weak policies allow abuse to flourish — and how legislation like the Workplace Psychological Safety Act can transform the landscape.

Speakers share how their stories reflect larger patterns: discrimination, retaliation, mobbing, HR failures, and toxic work cultures designed to shield those in power.

This session highlights:
Why organizations normalize or minimize abuse
How accountability measures can prevent harm
What systemic reform should look like
How the Workplace Psychological Safety Act fills the legal gap
How to shift the narrative from “bad apple” to “broken system”
What true psychological safety actually requires

This is the forward-looking session — focused on reform, rights, and the collective change needed to end workplace abuse once and for all.

End Workplace Abuse’s The Truth About Work Series is a four-part, survivor-centered journey that:

Exposes the hidden dynamics of workplace abuse
Explores the emotional and psychological toll on targets
Provides practical strategies for protection
Connects individual experiences to the urgent need for systemic and legislative change.

Through powerful storytelling, trauma-informed insights, and actionable guidance, this series equips participants to recognize abusive patterns, rebuild after harm, and join a growing movement committed to creating workplaces grounded in dignity, accountability, and true psychological safety.

Session 3: Prevention & Protection – Lessons from the Front Lines
Recognizing Red Flags, Defending Yourself, and Staying Grounded

If targets knew the signs earlier, many could protect themselves sooner — or avoid deeper harm. This session takes lived experience and turns it into practical, actionable strategies for staying safe professionally, emotionally, and legally.

Speakers share what they wish they had known: how to spot early red flags, what to document, how to communicate with HR without being misinterpreted, and how to protect your reputation when someone is actively undermining you.

This session teaches:
Early red flags of abuse (and why people miss them)
How to distinguish normal conflict from psychological abuse
Documentation strategies that hold up — and ones that don’t
What HR investigations really look like
How to stay centered when you’re being targeted
Your first step the moment you suspect something is wrong

This session is ideal for current targets, allies, and anyone who wants to be better prepared before harm escalates.

End Workplace Abuse’s The Truth About Work Series is a four-part, survivor-centered journey that:

Exposes the hidden dynamics of workplace abuse
Explores the emotional and psychological toll on targets
Provides practical strategies for protection
Connects individual experiences to the urgent need for systemic and legislative change.

Through powerful storytelling, trauma-informed insights, and actionable guidance, this series equips participants to recognize abusive patterns, rebuild after harm, and join a growing movement committed to creating workplaces grounded in dignity, accountability, and true psychological safety.

Session 2: Healing & Recovery – From Trauma to Transformation
Rebuilding Identity, Confidence & Mental Health After Workplace Harm

The emotional toll of workplace abuse can be devastating — depression, anxiety, burnout, physical health issues, and a profound loss of self-worth. But healing is possible, and it often begins long before justice or closure ever arrives.

In this session, survivors share the hardest parts of recovery, the tools and practices that helped them find their footing again, and the unexpected ways purpose and strength emerged from the pain.

We focus on what healing really looks like — messy, nonlinear, courageous, and deeply human.

This session explores:
How trauma from the workplace impacts the mind and body
First steps that begin the healing journey
Therapy, community, advocacy, and spiritual or grounding practices
Untangling identity from what was done to you
How survivors rebuild trust in themselves — and in work

This is a compassionate, validating space designed to show survivors they are not alone — and that transformation is possible.

End Workplace Abuse’s The Truth About Work Series is a four-part, survivor-centered journey that:

Exposes the hidden dynamics of workplace abuse
Explores the emotional and psychological toll on targets
Provides practical strategies for protection
Connects individual experiences to the urgent need for systemic and legislative change.

Through powerful storytelling, trauma-informed insights, and actionable guidance, this series equips participants to recognize abusive patterns, rebuild after harm, and join a growing movement committed to creating workplaces grounded in dignity, accountability, and true psychological safety.

Session 1: Target Stories – Inside the Experience
How Power, Personality, and Manipulation Create Workplace Abuse

Workplace abuse rarely starts loudly — it begins in the shadows. Subtle shifts in tone, changed expectations, strained dynamics, and confusing interactions slowly intensify until the target is isolated, destabilized, or blamed.

In this session, survivors share what these early moments looked like, how abusers weaponized personality, hierarchy, and “professionalism,” and how tactics like gaslighting, DARVO, mobbing, and reputation sabotage quietly unfold over time.

Together, we’ll explore how power dynamics and culture make abuse possible and why it often goes unseen by everyone except the target.

This session exposes:
The earliest signs something is “off”
How abusers hide behind charm, authority, or manufactured narratives
Why targets don’t speak up sooner — and why it’s not their fault
How silence, complicity, and culture allow abuse to spread

This is the foundational session of the series — naming the patterns so others can finally recognize what’s happening to them.

In the aftermath of chronic workplace abuse, many targets experience a deep emotional numbness—often labeled as apathy. But apathy isn’t the absence of care; it’s a protective mechanism, the body’s intelligent response to sustained harm. In this talk, Lindsay Raé Perry explores apathy as a survival strategy born from betrayal, burnout, and systemic silencing, particularly within marginalized communities. Through personal narrative and somatic insight, she offers a pathway to healing that begins not with pushing through but with listening to what our numbness is trying to protect.

Brain science can help us understand that those at work who abuse may well be in the Dark Triad. If they are abusive, not the kind of bully who loses their cool when under pressure and lashes out, but abusive in the conniving, lying, manipulating way, then you are likely to be dealing with the Dark Triad. It’s critically important to understand that their brains can do “evil” because they have “empathy erosion.” Learn why our brains are easily manipulated by these people at work who rise up through the ranks and can unleash serious harm.

In her new book The Gaslit Brain, Dr. Jennifer Fraser explores how gaslighting manipulates the brain—both in how it’s used and how it harms. Through neuroscience and psychology, she reveals how manipulators exploit trust, status, and credibility to distort reality, erode mental clarity, and even cause physical brain damage. As gaslighting infiltrates both personal and public life, understanding its effects has become essential for psychological safety. Her book:

• Examines the neurological impact on targets, showing how deception and betrayal disrupt brain function. Using brain imaging, scientists now reveal just how visibly damaging gaslighting can be.
• Highlights five individuals who resist gaslighting and transform their trauma into advocacy. These stories prove that it’s possible to identify manipulation early and break free from its grip.
• Turns cutting-edge research into actionable strategies. With exercises and tools rooted in neuroscience, readers learn how to stay clear-minded and resilient in the face of gaslighters—from the personal to the political.

Many people who experience unfairness and injustice at work hold onto resentments without realizing the resentment holds them back from fully recovering their confidence, trust, and positivity. In this session, you’ll learn how letting go of resentment can help you fully recover your strength, bring you hope and peace, and return you to building a brighter future.

Laughter might not fix toxic workplaces—but it can help us survive them, outwit them, and occasionally throw some seriously elegant shade. In this interactive session, we’ll explore how humor builds resilience, restores composure, and helps us walk back into the boardroom (or HR meeting) with our heads high and our wit sharp. From mental health boosts to shared inside jokes about the absurdity of workplace drama, this is your invitation to heal, laugh, and reclaim your spark.

We are experiencing a burnout crisis from harmful work practices that are harming American families. Burned-out parents are more likely to abuse and neglect their children creating more adversity in childhood. At a time when 50% of managers and 44% of employees are burned out, we need to find solutions that solve workplace dysfunction, overwork, and harm. Adverse childhood experiences are the largest unaddressed national health crisis facing our nation. Workplaces contribute to them and must be part of the solution to address this crisis.

Employers sidestep accountability for creating safe and respectful workplaces. From systemic flaws to behind-the-scenes maneuvers, this session will provide invaluable insights into the challenges workers face in holding organizations accountable.

Kimberly Williams, a seasoned advocate and expert in workplace justice, will explore the hidden dynamics that shape workplace safety — or the lack thereof. She will discuss:

• How laws governing workplace safety are created, implemented, and enforced
• The backdoor conversations and strategies that occur at the highest levels of organizations to deflect responsibility
• Practical advice for navigating and protecting yourself within a system that often prioritizes profit over people

This webinar is a must-attend for employees, HR professionals, and advocates who want to:

• Understand the mechanisms of organizational deflection and legal loopholes
• Learn strategies to safeguard themselves and others in toxic work environments
• Take actionable steps to advocate for workplace psychological safety

What you’ll gain:

• Awareness of how systemic flaws perpetuate unsafe workplaces
• Tools to recognize and counteract employer tactics that deflect accountability
• Confidence to stand up for your rights and advocate for meaningful change.

Ever wonder why some workplace conflicts feel more calculated than random? Welcome to Bully Intelligence — your guide to decoding the tactics that workplace bullies use to undermine their targets. Like a chess player who can anticipate their opponent’s moves, understanding these patterns gives you the power to protect yourself and others. This eye-opening presentation pulls back the curtain on workplace bullying.

You’ll discover:

• The four distinct faces of bullying behavior — from subtle manipulation to overt aggression — and how to spot them before they escalate
• Why certain high-performers become prime targets, and the surprising psychology behind target selection
• How seemingly healthy workplaces can unknowingly create the perfect environment for bullies to thrive
• Strategic techniques to shield your career and well-being, turning knowledge into action

Leave this session equipped with the knowledge and tools to protect yourself in the face of workplace abuse.

Targets of workplace abuse from 26 states plus Washington, DC, have stepped up as Workplace Psychological Safety Act bill directors to take on holding employers accountable for ensuring psychologically safe workplaces. To prevent others from suffering from betrayal from their employers as they did, bill directors use their personal pain for political action. In this talk, hear from some of our bill directors, who will reveal what it’s like for them to use their voices to both build collective power and take back their personal power to continue to heal.

Leaving a toxic work environment is rarely the end of the story. In fact, sometimes it feels like the beginning of another nightmare. We are often not aware of the full extent of the physical, mental, and emotional health harm that has occurred until after we leave. Feeling like our old self seems like an insurmountable task. We want to get our lives back on track and feel better but don’t know where to begin. Workplace abuse involves deep betrayal. We don’t feel safe. Our trust has been violated. Sometimes we don’t even trust ourselves. Our belief in a just world has been completely shattered. We find ourselves sick and unemployed. It does take time, but we CAN feel better. Recovery is possible for those who suffer from institutional betrayal. Knowing a roadmap for recovery can help.

Every year, millions of U.S. workers experience life-threatening, traumatic workplace abuse. The phenomenon has been dubbed a silent epidemic and is the largest employee exploitation to occur in the U. S. since the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was enacted. End Workplace Abuse has brought thousands of formerly and presently targeted employees together to speak out against these cruel and inhumane workplace practices. The more of us come forward and speak out publicly, the safer we all are. Telling your story can help with the healing process and also serve as a powerful advocacy tool for yourself and others. Ready to go public with your story and/or get out the word about workplace abuse? Kim will give you a step-by-step guide on framing your personal story of workplace abuse and cover actionable advice for those looking to publish in the press and/or be a podcast guest.

Kim’s resources from her presentation:
https://podcastguests.com/?mc_cid=b9fcf4f0ca&mc_eid=4032eea1a2
https://podmatch.com/
https://patch.com/
https://www.dailykos.com/
https://featured.com/
https://www.qwoted.com/
https://www.connectively.us/
https://www.fiverr.com/hudsoncoldblue/publish-news-on-the-ritz-herald
https://www.lioness.co/about
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluehairedunicorn/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/conroydenise/
https://www.theopedproject.org/submissions
https://www.workplacefairness.org/

Often times when we experience workplace abuse, we lose focus on who we are as people — in and out of the workplace.

Employers do not have the power to rob us of our dignity unless we give them that power. Learn how to navigate back to joy and all the vibrant ways we can dance with dignity. You’ve worked hard at work. Now it’s time to work hard at joy. Joy can come in many forms. Don’t lose hope. Bet on yourself.

Those are words of wisdom from Dr. Kim McLear. She knows. She’s one of us.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is highly affiliated with workplace abuse yet sadly, PTSD is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by medical and mental health professionals not familiar with the dynamics of workplace abuse. Left untreated, trauma can have a lifelong impact. Please join trauma focused LCSW Amy Ebbeson and learn how to: 1) identify the symptoms of PTSD, 2) detach from the pain, and 3) learn ways to cope in the aftermath of workplace abuse. The good news: there is life beyond abuse.

There’s a big difference between what employers say their rules are and what actually happens inside organizations. Whether you are in a toxic work environment or in between jobs preparing to re-enter the workplace, don’t miss this opportunity to fill your employee toolbox.

Dan Goodman is a fierce employee advocate who focuses on employment agreements, restrictive clauses, severance, performance improvement plans (PIPs), and more. He’ll answer your questions about the unwritten corporate rules so you know what’s really going on with your employer.

He combines a unique approach of business acumen, negotiating, and strategic coaching to help employees navigate the landmines of the corporate landscape to support and empower them to stand up for themselves.