Karen Tay built a peer-support program for women navigating workplace bullying and burnout, ran it through Princeton research, and found something a lot of managers don’t expect: the problem usually isn’t a lack of effort. It’s a lack of support.
In this Leading Through Change encore, Karen and Lori unpack what Karen’s Princeton-backed research found about workplace adversity, why women in the senior-manager to senior-director range are most likely to drop out of the workforce, and what actually helps.
Why “lean on” (a support system) matters more than “lean in” (individual effort) — a framing Karen developed with her Princeton research partner
How workplace bullying shows up differently across the US and Asia, and why hierarchy — not just gender — shapes who’s vulnerable
The three long-term impacts of workplace bullying: practical, relational, and identity/dignity
The “burnout trap”: why working harder often backfires, and what to do instead
What “workplace first aid” looks like, and how organizations can build peer support networks
Karen Tay spent the first six years of her career serving the Singapore government before moving into tech, startups, and consulting in Silicon Valley. She is now CEO of Threshold Allies and founder of Inherent, helping women navigate critical moments in their careers.
00:00 — Cold open: why this encore episode matters now
00:54 — Karen’s path from Singapore government to founding Threshold Allies and Inherent
02:25 — Key findings from the Princeton white paper on workplace bullying
07:02 — Why “lean on” beats “lean in”: building a real support system
09:22 — How workplace bullying differs for women vs. men, across the US and Asia
12:21 — The most surprising data insights from the research
14:20 — Long-term impacts: practical, relational, and identity/dignity
26:15 — The burnout trap, and why “try harder” backfires
28:19 — Policies and strategies that actually prevent workplace bullying
31:12 — What “workplace first aid” is and how to build it
32:44 — Where to find Karen Tay
33:49 — Closing message: you are not alone
Website: inherentjourney.org | Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @ktay.Coaching | LinkedIn: Karen TayÂ
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