In this episode of The Brave Rebellion, Tammy Dunnett, leadership and communication coach, introduces the BRAVE Model for difficult conversations. Instead of obsessing over “the right words,” Tammy shows why what truly matters is the intention driving your words.

Drawing from her early experience confronting a verbally abusive physician, she breaks down how BRAVE helps you pause, ground in your values, and step into hard conversations in ways that protect relationships and honor your integrity.

You’ll learn why stats claiming that “70–75% of leaders are bullies” are misleading, how one well-held conversation can resolve most conflicts, and how to tell the difference between a bully and bully‑like behavior—then respond from courage instead of reactivity.

• Why difficult conversations are not about perfect wording
• How intention, not scripts, predicts success or failure
• Tammy’s story of confronting a verbally abusive physician and what it taught her
• Why leadership “bully” statistics are often inflated and misleading
• The difference between a true bully and someone acting in a bully-like way
• Why one brave conversation often resolves conflict (Tammy’s 90% experience stat)
• How to stop waiting for others to change and step into your own power

B – Breathe & Be Intentional

• Pause and regulate your nervous system so you’re not in fight/flight.
• Go seven layers deep on your intention: keep asking, “What’s important about that?” until you hit the real value (e.g., trust, collaboration, respect).

R – Root Your Path

• Plan your approach from your true intention, not from reactivity.
• Decide: Do I need a conversation, or can I truly “pause and release”?

A – Advance (and Arena)

• Take action instead of staying stuck in planning.
• Invite the other person to a conversation and name the arena:

  “We had that experience in our staff meeting, and I’d like to talk with you about it. Do you have time at 3?”

V – Voice It With Courage

• Step into the conversation and speak your intention, experience, and impact.
• Use scripts as scaffolding, but stay aligned with your values, not perfection.

E – Evaluate

• Afterward, ask: What worked? What didn’t? What would I do differently next time?
• Use each conversation as data to refine your courage and skill.

• Bully-like behavior:
  • Someone is stressed, reactive, or unaware of their impact.
  • Harmful, but often unintentional and highly changeable with one clear conversation.
• True bully:
  • Intends to harm, isolate, or degrade.
  • Less likely to change through conversation alone—but you only find out by trying.

Tammy explains why she trusts her experiential data: in her work, when people stay in the arena and use BRAVE, conflicts are resolved in one conversation roughly 85–90% of the time—especially with bully-like behavior.

The Good Doctor? How I Confronted My Boss and Ended Workplace Bullying: The Brave Rebellion Story

What if the conversation you’re avoiding is the key to changing your life at work?

In this episode of The Brave Rebellion, Tammy Dunnett leadership coach, communication skills trainer, and host shares a raw, behind‑the‑scenes story from her early career as a medical transcriptionist. After being publicly berated by her boss, Tammy had a choice: stay silent, walk away, or step into a brave conversation that could cost her job… or transform her future.

You’ll hear how:

• Childhood experiences with conflict, alcohol misuse, and verbal abuse shaped Tammy’s early responses to confrontation
• She initially froze and fled after being humiliated at work
• A night of reflection led her to a third option: returning to work and clearly setting a boundary
• She planned the conversation in detail—what to say, where to stand, when to speak, and how to manage her nerves
• Speaking up firmly and clearly earned her boss’s respect, ended the bullying, and changed how she saw herself as a leader
• This moment became the foundation for the BRAVE model she now teaches to help others face hard workplace conversations

This episode is for you if you’ve ever:

• Felt intimidated by a manager or leader
• Watched colleagues be mistreated and stayed silent
• Worried that speaking up would mean losing your job
• Wanted to protect your values, integrity, and self‑respect at work

Stay tuned for the next episode, where Tammy breaks down the step‑by‑step BRAVE framework so you can plan your own difficult conversation with more clarity and courage.

This episode is brought to you by The Talk Shop, where we help individuals and organizations:

• Resolve conflict and navigate hard conversations
• Address and end workplace bullying
• Build cultures where people feel safe, seen, and supported at work

👉 Learn more: https://thetalkshop.ca

The Brave Rebellion Podcast: Where Courage Becomes Culture

What if the conversations you’ve been avoiding could actually change your life?

The Brave Rebellion Podcast is your guide to stepping into those high-stakes moments with courage, clarity, and confidence without waiting for fear to disappear.

Hosted by leadership coach and communication expert Tammy Dunnett, this show is all about conversational courage. Every episode explores the brave moments when you decide to stand in your truth, speak up, and navigate relationships that matter, even when fear, expectations, or hierarchies try to hold you back.

Here’s what you’ll get when you tune in:

In this first episode, host Tammy Dunnett introduces The Brave Rebellion Podcast and what it’s all about: brave conversations that transform relationships and build courage. Hear how stepping into fear, whether in work or personal life, can create powerful change, and discover what you can expect from future episodes filled with stories, lessons, and real-life experiences.