Karen is the author of 'From Bullied to Brilliant' and co-founder of Powerful Positive People. Residing in the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Karen has a deep understanding of bullying and social isolation, both in her capacity as professional coach and her personal experiences of witnessing and experiencing bullying. As the mother of three school-aged children, she also understands the pressures families face when bullying becomes an issue. Karen's book 'From Bullied to Brilliant' helps parents, educators and victims of bullying understand how a change in thinking can end the bully-victim cycle. A Trainer of NLP and Time Line Therapy(R) Karen currently works as a confidence and performance coach helping adults, children, performers and athletes reach their potential. The world is full of questions, but our answers lie within.

Contents INTRODUCTION... 1 SECTION 1 UNDERSTANDING BULLYING... 5 What is a Bully?...9 Bullied is the New Black...13 Out of the Depths - Ed's Story...17 Five Myths of Bullying...21 Facts and Figures...24 Signs and Symptoms of Bullying...27 Am I a Bully?...29 Why Bullies Attack...31 Uncomfortable Beginnings - My Story...35 Why Me?...38 Perception and Projection...40 The Blame Game...45 Critical Acclaim - Michael's Story...48 Prejudice...52 Jealousy: The Lose/Lose Emotion ...54 SECTION 2 THE DIFFERENT FACES OF BULLYING... 57 Frenemies - When Friends or Family Attack...59 Why Can't You See Me?...64 Hidden in the Dark - Amanda's Story ...67 From Bullied to Bully - Ryan's Story...70 When Friends Turn Away...73 The Inevitables of Success ...75 Playing to the Crowd...76 Homophobia...78 Cyber Bullying...80 No Kidding - Yvette Adams...84 SECTION 3 A CHANGE IN THINKING... 89 The Old Cracked Pot...95 Expressive or Impressive - Bullies and victims explained...96 Characteristics of expressive and impressive energy types...101 Boundaries and Positive Self Talk...104 The Power Within - Alison's Story ...107 The Misfits, the Fidgets, the Waywards and the Mischievous...109 How to Artfully Avoid Fitting In...112 The Power of the Victim...113 Creating Confidence...115 Horse Sense - Tanja's Story...120 The X Factor...123 The Biggest Bully...127 Twists and Turns - Matthew's Story...129 The Means To Attain A Happy Life...134 All by Myself...135 Be Present...137 Waiting for Salvation...140 Build Your Inner Muscle - Tracey Carmichael...143 The Two Wolves...148 SECTION 4 RAISING EMPOWERED CHILDREN...149 The Butterfly and the Cocoon...151 Unravelling the Knots...153 Why Yelling Doesn't Work...156 On Children...160 Empowered Education...161 Sam's Story...162 The Benefits of Bullying...165 Finding your gifts...167 SECTION 5 SEVEN STEPS TO PEACEFUL PERSONAL POWER...171 Break the Pattern - Step off the tracks...173 Get Smart - Analyse the situation...177 Associate with Like Minds - Find your place or herd...181 New Systems - Make a plan...185 Discover Your Why - What lights you up?...188 Heart - Take action and be brave...191 Imagine - What next?...193 Abou Ben Adhem...195 SECTION 6 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES...197 What To Say To Your Kids When Things Go Wrong ...201 Bullying Discussion - A simple guide...204 The Conscious Use of Language...208 Thinking Big...212 Metaphors...214 Approaching the School ...217 Conflict Resolution Exercise...222 Perceptual Positions ...224 Forgiveness ...226 Forgiveness Meditation...228 Calming Visualisation...230 Mirror Affirmation...232 Power Meditation...233 Secret Sanctuary...234 Tidy Your Sock Drawer...236 Transforming the Bully Words - Natalie Hennessey...237 Rituals, Rites and Ceremonies for the Family - Natalie Hennessey...238 IN CLOSING...245 From Bullied to Brilliant(R) -The Coaching ...250 Resources...251 References ...253 ABOUT THE AUTHOR...255