From Bullied to Brilliant

With special guest:

• Karen Clarke

Have you been bullied? Has anyone in your family been bullied?

In her book From Bullied to Brilliant: How to artfully avoid fitting in, our guest sets out how to understand and deal with bullies. In the program today we get to hear directly from Karen Clarke how to bounce back and turn pain into gain when confronted by bullies.

We learn that bullying can be experienced by anyone at any stage in life and it is nothing to be ashamed of if you are the victim. It is one of the myths of bullying that the victim has shown some weakness that the bully seizes on but in fact bullies are often attracted to people who possess the very qualities they secretly or unknowingly admire.

A topical issue that we discuss is the prevalence of cyber bullying, a new phenomenon in the history of bullying that has sometimes led to tragic consequences.

Karen Clarke tells us that no parent can ignore the risk of bullying because everyone is exposed to it at some time and there is no way of insulating your child against it. According to the Australian covert bullying prevalence study conducted by Edith Cowan University in 2009 approximately one in four year 4 to year 9 students report being bullied every few weeks. So what to do?

Karen’s approach is based on twenty years of personal experience in places as different as the north of England and Cote d’Ivoire in Africa and her work as a life coach. It is practical and positive. Karen Clarke provides a new way to rapidly end the cycle of dominance and intimidation where those who have been bullied will learn how to rediscover their strength and purpose, and find hope and self-acceptance.

With what we are seeing in the playground and at the highest levels of government this book has never been more timely. If we are not prepared to accept violence in our lives then it is time to listen to an expert who has the professional and personal experience to deal with the issues that can be the most important of our lives.

Everyone will enjoy the insights we receive from Karen Clarke and will be better for the experience.

Karen Clarke

Karen Clarke is the co-founder of “Powerful Positive People” and is a confidence and performance coach. Karen has a deep understanding of bullying and social isolation through her insight as a coach and her own life-changing personal experiences of bullying and social isolation from her life in West Africa. As a mother of three school-age children and one of seven children herself she also understands the pressures families face when bullying becomes an issue. Karen helps parents, educators and victims of bullying understand how a change in thinking can end the bully-victim cycle.

Song selection by our guest: Why by Annie Lennox

Listen Now (mp3)