07-23-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

Bullying, Belittling, and Berating Are Over

A public company board director discusses toxic bullying and emotional aggression between senior-level executives in today’s corporate culture.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

Toxic bullying in the workplace is usually discussed as an HR issue. But what happens when the bullying is happening inside executive ranks, boardrooms, and positions of power?

I am the Founder, Chair and CEO of the Exceptional Women Alliance Foundation and Dr. Joanna Dodd Massey is one of our awardees. She has spent more than 30 years inside corporate power structures. Joanna is a psychologist, public company board director, and former Fortune 500 executive, who has advised CEOs and board chairmen during crises, governance disputes, and some of the most high-pressure moments in corporate leadership.

In this conversation, we discuss why toxic bullying still exists in today’s business culture.

Larraine Segil: You’ve written extensively about hate speech, online hostility, and modern conflict. What are you seeing happen inside corporate culture right now?

Dr. Joanna Dodd Massey: I spent decades in Hollywood managing high-profile personalities and crises, and something changed culturally when social media arrived.

Public humiliation became entertainment.

Emotional aggression became branding.

And now,........

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