In her new book, WALK AWAY TO WIN: A Playbook to Combat Workplace Bullying, author Megan Carle pulls back the curtain to offer a clear description of what workplace bullying is, what it might look like, what targets can and should do to try to combat their bullies, and how colleagues and mentors can help when they see someone at work being treated in this terrible fashion. 

In Walk Away to Win, Ms. Carle shares her personal story about workplace bullying at Nike where she worked for over 30 years, rising up through the ranks to eventually become Vice President/General Manager of Basketball for North America.  In this position, she drove businesses that featured superstars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. She was elevated multiple times to roles no woman had ever held, including stints leading international teams in London and Amsterdam. But she left shortly after attaining her dream job due to a toxic workplace culture that allowed and left unpunished workplace bullying. 

Ms. Carle isn’t alone, and Nike isn’t an outlier among employers. Workplace bullying is called “the undiscussable” business topic, despite affecting 80 million Americans a year—that’s 1/2 of the U.S. workforce. This behavior costs employers in terms of lost productivity and lost talent, but many companies don’t recognize the markers that indicate this unhealthy workplace culture exists. In our era of “quiet quitting” and the “great resignation,” it’s clearly critical for employees and businesses to shine a light on workplace bullying.


Throughout the book, that also includes interviews with other men and women who experienced workplace bullying, Ms. Carle offers validation and comfort to those who have been bullied, who often feel they are the ones at fault, or have somehow brought this behavior upon themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth, she writes—and walking away may be the best route to re-writing the narrative, and reclaiming your physical and mental health. 

Megan Carle founded Carle Consulting LLC, where she gives workshops on handling workplace bullying and creating an inclusive culture of connection and trust.