“Never, ever, ever, give up!” You may have to adapt your course like I have, but trust me don’t quit! I have persevered through many obstacles in my life; the most recent occurred within the last year. Instead of giving up, I changed my approach.  Doing so has made all the difference to achieving my goals.

Through my research and athletic experience at graduate school, I saw a need to reduce bullying in sport. The research I had conducted focused on creating effective school-based bullying prevention programs.  However, towards the end of my studies, it became very apparent that prevention cannot only occur in formal classroom settings (as these programs were using). I believe this needed to reach beyond the classroom. After I graduated, I wanted to improve the climates of educational and athletic environments by focusing on healthy relationships.

I'm pleased to announce my new series called:November is the time to become your own CHAMPION.  This is a month where you should start to express gratitude towards YOURSELF.  I hope you will join me!  

Paula Davis-Laack, JD, MAPP is a lawyer turned stress and resilience expert who helps high achievers and organizations improve performance, increase well-being, and manage stress by mastering a set of skills proven to enhance resilience, build mental toughness, develop leadership, and promote strong relationships.  She calls her philosophy, “Find Your Strong”ˢͫ.Paula writes extensively about resilience, stress management, and work/life balance for Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pressure-proof), The Huffington Post, Ms. JD and others. Connect with Paula via: her website,  on Facebook, and on Twitter.

I describe myself in the About Me section of my site using many adjectives.  You will notice that “shy” isn’t one of them.  I have a confession to make: I used to be extremely shy and still am sometimes.

I am shy when I am in some social situations, as are the majority of individuals.  More than 90% of the world’s population have been shy during some form of social interaction.  My shyness occurs when I am in unfamiliar groups.  The initial meeting is difficult for me; however, once I start talking to the people in the group, I am no longer shy.  I am very comfortable around people who I know well and most would call me an extrovert.

“Why do you want to study bullying prevention?”

I have been asked this question often, since I began researching this topic a few years ago.

My answer is always the same: I have seen its negative effects and want to stop it from hurting others’ lives.

Until now, I haven’t confessed to many people that: back in middle school, I WAS BULLIED.

Have you ever been told by people that you are too nice? Or why do you put up with this behaviour? I have seen it happen on way too manyoccasions. In a relationship (either romantic or platonic) you don’t want to offend the other person so you give in to what they want. Then at some point you wake up and realize “hey what I need matters just as much” and that you are worth standing up for.