Toxic Workplaces, Bad Bosses & Difficult People Episodes

You want to support your team—but could you be micromanaging without realizing it? Being in every meeting and making every decision might be keeping your people—and you—from growing. In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares practical takeaways from her conversation with Lia Garvin, author of The New Manager Playbook, about becoming a better manager, communicating clearly, and giving your team room to succeed. You’ll learn How to recognize micromanaging habits you might be overlooking. How to give your team more ownership without losing accountability. Why unclear expectations can look like a lack of urgency. How to lead consistently when you’re under pressure. How to make one-on-ones more useful for your team’s growth.

You don’t want to be a micromanager. But if every meeting, decision and deadline needs you, could you be getting in your team’s way? We’ve talked a lot on Loud & Lifted about dealing with bad bosses. This time, we’re flipping the conversation: how do you make sure you aren’t becoming one? Betsy sits down with team management expert and author of The New Manager Playbook, Lia Garvin, to unpack the habits that can quietly undermine your team—even when you’re trying to be helpful. From sitting in every meeting to holding onto work your best people are ready to take on, Lia shares three signs of micromanaging and what to do instead. Whether you’re managing people for the first time or have been leading for years, this conversation offers practical ways to delegate, set clear expectations and build trust without being involved in everything. Because being great at your job and helping other people succeed are two different skills. You’ll learn: How to recognize three signs y…

You got the promotion. You earned your seat. So why do you still feel like you have to prove you belong? In this Quick Lift, I’m sharing key takeaways from my conversation with Shannon Nutter, author of Walking on Broken Glass. We’ll unpack why success doesn’t erase the double standards women face—and what you can do when hard work alone isn’t moving you forward. From asking better questions about vague feedback to understanding the politics of advancement and backing other women up, this episode turns a frustrating reality into practical steps you can use this week. Listen to the full conversation with Shannon Nutter on Loud & Lifted.

What happens after a woman breaks through the glass ceiling—and finds herself walking on broken glass? Shannon Nutter is a longtime financial services executive, board member and co-author of Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling. After decades of working in male-dominated industries and holding senior leadership roles, Shannon knows firsthand how quickly a successful woman can go from being valued to being viewed as a threat. In this conversation, we unpack what workplace bias actually looks like, why accomplished women often question their own experiences and how the story around a woman’s leadership can suddenly begin to change. This isn’t a conversation about blaming, complaining or telling women to fix themselves. It’s about recognizing the warning signs, understanding the dynamics happening around us and being better prepared to respond. We talk about: What happens after women break through the glass ceiling How workplace bias and…

What should you do when another woman is excluding, undermining, or damaging your confidence at work? In this Quick Lift, Betsy shares the key takeaways and action steps from her conversation with Vanessa Vershaw, author of The Sisterhood Paradox. She explores how to tell the difference between workplace conflict and a repeated pattern of bullying, why women often minimize harmful behavior, and how to get clarity before the situation begins affecting the way you see yourself. Betsy also shares practical ways to document what is happening, seek an objective perspective, evaluate whether the workplace is likely to change, and begin building an exit strategy when necessary. And because this conversation cannot only be about the women who have hurt us, she challenges all of us to look more honestly at how we support, include, compete with, and speak about other women. Real support is not avoiding conflict. It is choosing to handle it differently.

We talk a lot about the boys’ club. But what happens when the person making work harder for a woman is another woman? In this honest and thought-provoking conversation, Betsy sits down with organizational psychologist, leadership expert, and author Vanessa Vershaw to explore The Sisterhood Paradox—the complicated reality of women undermining, excluding, and sometimes bullying other women at work. Vanessa explains why these experiences are often difficult to recognize and even harder to talk about. She shares the difference between a difficult colleague and a true workplace bully, why exclusion can be one of the most damaging forms of aggression, and what women can do when the person targeting them holds more power. They also discuss why “women supporting women” cannot simply be a slogan, the importance of accountability, and what it will take to build stronger and more honest support systems for women. Because the boys’ club may be real. But women still have work to do to …

We know we should set boundaries at work. So why do so many of us keep saying yes when every part of us wants to say no? In this Loud & Lifted Quick Lift, Betsy breaks down four powerful truths from her conversation with Carrie, founder of Hey Work Friend and a former corporate HR leader. You’ll learn why your nervous system may be working against you when you try to push back, the three-step script that makes workplace boundaries easier to communicate, and how to approach HR strategically when you’re dealing with a toxic manager or unhealthy workplace dynamic. In this Quick Lift: ▪ Why people-pleasing at work may actually be a nervous-system response ▪ The three-step formula for setting a clear, professional boundary ▪ How to reset a boundary when you didn’t handle it well the first time ▪ What to document before going to HR ▪ Why toxic managers often don’t change ▪ The real health cost of chronic workplace overload ▪ How to stop confusing constant availab…

Women in leadership are often praised for being helpful, dependable, and willing to take on more. Until “more” turns into burnout. In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Betsy sits down with Carrie of Hey Work Friend, an HR professional turned workplace truth-teller who helps employees navigate boundaries, toxic bosses, burnout, and the conversations we all wish came with a script. Carrie brings the inside scoop from years in corporate HR, and she does not sugarcoat it: HR is not your friend, toxic bosses often do not change, and working yourself into the ground will not protect you from layoffs, bad leadership, or burnout. And this conversation gets real. Carrie shares how she worked seven days a week out of fear, pushed through pain, ignored her own health, and eventually developed an autoimmune disorder — only to be laid off while on medical leave. It is the kind of story too many high-achieving women know in some version: giving everything to a job that was never going t…

You were sold a plan: do great work, stay dependable, don't make noise, and someone will notice. It doesn't work that way — and the conversation with Roxy Couse named exactly why. In this Quick Lift, Betsy pulls the four sharpest truths from that episode and gets honest about what each one looks like from inside the rooms where promotion decisions actually get made: why hard work is the price of admission and not the strategy, why being invisible keeps you out of the conversation no matter how good you are, why your manager can't be your whole career, and why you genuinely cannot outwork a bad boss. Each truth comes with one move you can make this week — not a worksheet, not ten habits, just one. Because awareness doesn't change anything. The first move does. For the woman who's done everything right and is still wondering why she feels stuck.

Roxy Couse has built a platform by saying the quiet parts of corporate life out loud. The career lies. The unspoken rules. The bad bosses. The pressure to be "authentic" at work while still somehow being polished, agreeable, visible, strategic, collaborative, ambitious, and not "too much." Cute little list, right? In this episode of Loud & Lifted, Roxy brings her signature mix of corporate hard truths, workplace humor, and practical career strategy to a conversation about what it really takes to get ahead — without losing yourself in the process. Her message is clear: hard work alone will not save your career. We talk about why performance doesn't automatically lead to promotion, why visibility matters more than most women want to admit, and why personal branding isn't just an online thing — it's how people understand your value before you're even in the room. Roxy gets into the hard truth about bad bosses, why you can't outwork one, workplace mean girls, career ownership,…

Have you ever worked for someone who monitors you like a toddler near an open staircase? You don’t get bonus points for suffering quietly. In this Loud & Lifted: Quick Lift, Betsy recaps insights from "The Management Guru" Lynda Harvey to give you a playbook for the three most draining leadership personalities. We break down exactly how to spot them and the specific, repeatable moves you can use this week to protect your confidence.

Bad bosses don’t just ruin your day—they can destroy your confidence and make you question your sanity. If you’re dealing with a toxic work environment, a micromanaging boss, or constant gaslighting, this episode is your survival guide. We are joined by Lynda Harvey (aka the Management Guru) to break down the three most common toxic manager types: the Micromanager, the Narcissist, and the Bully. We share the exact scripts and strategies you need to "train your boss," protect your peace with the Gray Rock method, and know exactly when it’s time to exit. In this episode, you’ll learn: The 3 Toxic Archetypes: How to spot toxic boss behavior before it breaks you. The "Train Your Boss" Technique: Proactive steps to stop a micromanaging boss in their tracks (like calling them before they call you). Narcissist Neutralization: Using the "Gray Rock" theory to handle gaslighting, lack of accountability, and credit-stealing Document or Depart: The "detective" method for handling w…

In under 10 minutes, we pull the most actionable moves from Mita Mallick’s The Devil Emails at Midnight—so you can navigate bad-boss dynamics and sharpen your own leadership in the process. We cover the core lever of self-awareness (and one habit to fix now), how to shut down disrespect in real time, why you can’t outwork a bully (but you can out-plan one), and the exact re-engagement script for a checked-out teammate. You’ll leave with a simple framework: document and get allies, decide your path (escalate, transfer, or exit), set an expiration date if you’re stuck, and rebuild confidence outside of work. No drama—just scripts, choices, and leadership that protects your peace while raising the bar.

On this female leadership podcast episode of Loud & Lifted, Betsy sits down with author and marketing exec Mita Mallick to unpack her book The Devil Emails at Midnight—a candid look at 13 bad-boss archetypes and the moment she realized she’d been one, too. Mita challenges every current and aspiring leader to avoid these pitfalls and rewrite their leadership playbook. We’ll explore why setting communication boundaries matters, how to spot “bad boss” tendencies in ourselves, and how good leadership can literally change lives. This conversation is equal parts eye-opening and action-oriented—perfect for anyone determined to lead with purpose and keep the “devil” from showing up in their own inbox. Listeners will learn: How to identify common “bad boss” patterns—and quick resets to course-correct. A simple self-audit to build self-awareness and prevent toxic habits. Scripts for tough conversations (managing up, coaching peers, and setting boundaries).. Practical ways to create …

In this episode of Loud & Lifted, host Betsy Hamm sits down with Kristen Rae Pucci, entrepreneur and founder of KRAE, to unpack a topic that’s rarely talked about, but deeply felt: betrayal. Whether it’s a colleague who undercuts you, a friend who disappears when things get tough, or a woman who promised to support you but chose silence instead—betrayal can shake your confidence and your sense of belonging. Together, Betsy and Kristen explore: Why betrayal happens—especially among wome...