Voices from Around the World
Welcome to Voices from Around the World — a soulful space where stories breathe, borders blur, and humanity speaks.
This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a gathering.
A circle of voices—intimate, courageous, and deeply personal—echoing from every corner of the globe.
Through heartfelt interviews and reflective solo episodes, we explore the lived experiences that shape our shared world:
The struggles that stretch us.
The triumphs that lift us.
The quiet moments that remind us we belong.
Each episode invites you into conversation with artists, healers, activists, educators, and everyday visionaries—people whose perspectives are rooted in culture, resilience, and truth.
And sometimes, your host steps into the silence alone, offering gentle reflections on global issues through the lens of compassion, curiosity, and care.
This is a space for listening deeply.
For honoring difference.
For finding connection in complexity.
Because in a world that often divides, Voices from Around the World dares to weave us together—one story at a time.
Voices from Around the World
You're Not Imagining It: Adult Bullying Is Real
Adult bullying manifests in subtle ways—interruptions, exclusion, sarcasm disguised as humor, and passive-aggressive behavior that leaves lasting emotional damage while allowing perpetrators to maintain plausible deniability.
• Bullying evolves as we age, becoming quieter and more strategic while leaving deeper psychological wounds
• Personal stories reveal common patterns: workplace exclusion, family "teasing" that crosses boundaries, and systemic marginalization
• Cultural differences shape how bullying manifests across countries, from intellectual elitism to hierarchy enforcement
• Setting boundaries is an act of self-preservation, not defiance or weakness
• Healing begins by acknowledging your experience, reclaiming your voice, and choosing yourself
• Guided meditation helps reconnect with your inherent worth and strength
If this episode touched something tender in you, pass it to someone who may be carrying the weight of silence. Adult bullying often hides in plain sight, and sometimes all it takes is one story to remind us we're not alone and we're allowed to reclaim our voice.
Welcome back my lovely and dedicated listeners to another episode of Voices from Around the World, a podcast that brings together diverse voices and perspectives from different corners of the globe. Each episode features interviews with individuals from various cultures, backgrounds and professions, allowing listeners to gain insights into different worldviews, experiences and ideas, from personal stories to discussions on global issues. This podcast aims to foster understanding, empathy and connection among people from all walks of life. Join us as we explore the rich tapestry of human voices and celebrate the diversities that makes our world so vibrant. I'm your host, obadiah, and today we're stepping into the shadows, into the quiet corners where harm hides behind politeness, where resilience is forged in silence and where healing begins with naming what's been ignored.
Speaker 1:This episode is not about playground taunts or loud confrontations. It's about adult bullying, the kind that slips through conversations masked as humor and leaves lasting bruises on the spirit. It shows up in boardrooms and family dinners and group chats, as well as secret spaces. It's subtle, strategic and it's real and is real. So if you've ever felt belittled, excluded or quietly erased and found yourself questioning whether it was all in your head, this episode is for you. You're not imagining it and you're not alone. When we hear the word bullying, we often picture children in school hallways with raised voices and shoving matches. But bullying doesn't end when childhood does. It evolves. It gets quieter, sharper and more strategic. It slips into adulthood wearing a different mask. It looks like being interrupted mid-thought again, it sounds like sarcasm dressed up as humor. It hides in passive-aggressive emails and in texts that sting without saying much. It shows up in group settings where one person is always left out. It clocks itself in concern, manipulation disguised as care. And because we're adults, we're told to rise above, to not make a scene and to be professional. But what happens when rising above becomes shrinking yourself, when silence becomes survival, when a cost of staying polite is losing your voice? This episode is for anyone who's ever felt erased in plain sight, for anyone who's ever questioned their worth in rooms that claim to welcome them. I want you to know you're not imagining it and you're not alone.
Speaker 1:I've spoken with many people across continents. Voices, trembling stories held close for years. They didn't carry bruises, but they carried anxiety. They didn't wear scars, but self-doubt lived in their bodies. One woman told me that she dreaded going to work, not because of the job, but because of the way how her colleague made her feel invisible. Another shared how her friend's constant teasing wasn't playful. It was erosion, a slow, steady chipping away at her confidence. These stories aren't loud, but they echo. They're real and they matter, because emotional harm doesn't need to shout to leave a mark. It whispers, it lingers, it rewrites how we see ourselves. So if you've ever questioned your worth because of how someone treated you, this is a reminder. Their behavior is not a reflection of your value. Your voice still matter and you're not alone. Together, let's step into the lived experiences of individuals who felt the sting of adult bullying. These stories are not just accounts. They're invitations to understand, to feel and to honor resilience.
Speaker 1:A woman I spoke to in her early 30s, bright, empathetic and deeply committed to mental health advocacy, shared that when she joined a non-profit team she believed she had found a place where her voice would matter. But slowly the atmosphere shifted. Her supervisor began to interrupt her mid-sentence, suddenly rephrasing her ideas and presenting them as his own. Decisions was made behind closed doors and invitations stopped coming. Her presence was quietly erased. When she finally spoke up, hoping for clarity or repair, she was met not with understanding but with dismissal. You're too sensitive, they said. You need to toughen up, and so she did, but not in the way they meant. She withdrew from team discussions, stopped sharing her insights and eventually left the organization. What she carried with her wasn't just a resignation. It was a quiet grief, a lingering self-doubt and the ache of having once believed she belonged.
Speaker 1:A gentleman I spoke to, steady, thoughtful and devoted to his family, shared with me that every holiday dinner became a stage for his humiliation. His siblings, with practice eased, turned him into the evening's punchline. They mocked his career, his gentle nature and his parenting choices, all under the guise of we're just teasing. The laughter was loud, of course, but his discomfort was louder Each time. They saw the shift in his posture, the silence in his eyes, and still they continued. And still they continued. When he finally tried to draw a line to ask for respect, he was met with scoffs and accusations Don't be so dramatic, you're ruining the mood. So he stopped showing up, not out of anger but out of quiet self-perservation. He withdrew from the gatherings, carrying with him a growing sense of shame and isolation. In a silence that followed, he began to question himself Was I overreacting? Was I too fragile? But the truth was simpler and heavier. He had been bullied, and it cost him not just his seat at the table but his sense of belonging.
Speaker 1:A trans activist I had the privilege of speaking with shared with me her journey into a faith-based community, drawn by the promise of healing and belonging. Initially she was welcomed with kindness and scripture, but gradually the warmth gave way to distance and a space that once felt safe began to shift. She found her questions being met with polite dismissal, her insights brushed aside, and when she inquired about leadership roles, she was always told it's just not the right time and that she was too emotional and not ready and still growing. But what she heard beneath those words was louder you don't belong here, not fully. The hierarchy was never questioned. The silence around her exclusion became its own kind of sermon, and so she began to question herself, her gender, her voice, her worth. She found that the sacred parts of her, once vibrant, once rooted, began to dim. She stopped speaking, stopped asking, stopped believing that her presence could be holy. What she carried wasn't just rejection. It was the quiet unraveling of spiritual confidence, a grief that echoed in spaces meant for healing.
Speaker 1:Now let's widen the lens Across continents and cultures. Adult bullying wears many faces. Cultures. Adult bullying wears many faces, some bold, some silent, all deeply felt. In this next segment, we'll explore how these patterns manifest globally, shaped by tradition, power and the quiet rules of belonging In the United States, adult bullying doesn't always look like violence.
Speaker 1:It's more insidious than that. It hides in it every day A promotion withheld, a voice ignored, a joke that cuts too close. It's the slow erosion of dignity, delivered with a smile, often dismissed, as this is just how things are, is a cultural undercurrent that silences, isolates and scars without ever raising his voice. In France, adult bullying often hides behind intellectual critique and social sophistication. It may not be overtly aggressive, but it can be sharp, delivered through sarcasm, exclusion or public correction. In professional, academic spaces, bullying may take the form of elitism, where credentials and cultural capital become tools of dismissal. The pressure to conform to unspoken norms of behavior, dress or speech can isolate those who differ. Often masked as wit or tradition, this form of bullying quietly reinforces power structures while discouraging vulnerability. In Nigeria, adult bullying can be deeply tied to respect for hierarchy and age. Elders or superiors may use public shaming, verbal intimidation or emotional manipulation to assert control. Because cultural norms discourage challenging authority, victims often endure in silence, especially within family or religious structures In Turkey.
Speaker 1:Adult bullying may manifest through social silencing being deliberately excluded from conversations, decisions or gatherings. This form of altruism is often used in workplace or tight-knit communities to isolate individuals who challenge norms or speak out. The pain lies not in confrontation but in being quietly erased. These patterns may shift across cultures, professions. Patterns may shift across cultures, professions and relationships, but their impact echo globally.
Speaker 1:Adult bullying breeds anxiety, isolation and self-doubt. It erodes trust, stifles creativity and reshapes how people navigate connection. Victims explain how they withdraw over, perform or internalize blame, and often silence is followed, Not because the pain is small, but because the cost of naming it just feels too great. So what happens when bullying is embedded in tradition, when silence is seen as strength? For many adults raised in close-knit communities, speaking up can feel like betrayal. Loyalty is often seen as sacred and respect is inherited, and silence is often mistaken for strength. But silence can also be a slow disappearance. As we know, not all wounds bleed. Some erase, piece by piece. The self is dismantled Quietly, methodically, until what remains is only performance. There's a line, been but vital, between honoring tradition and tolerating harm, and sometimes the most radical act of courage is this redefining what respect looks like for us, not as disobedience but as truth-telling, not as endurance but as self-preservation.
Speaker 1:So now let's look at how we can set boundaries as part of our healing process. So a question I invite you to ask yourself how do you respond? How do we protect our peace without losing our softness? We begin by setting boundaries. Not with barricades, not with silence, but with boundaries. When we set boundaries, it says I'm not available for disrespect. I need space to feel safe. I won't stay in conversations that shrink me. They're not acts of defiance, they're acts of devotion to your own well-being. And yes, as we know, setting boundaries can be uncomfortable, especially at first. But discomfort isn't dangerous.
Speaker 1:It's the sound of you growing, of you choosing yourself first and of you remembering that your voice is always worth protecting. If you've ever felt the sting of an adult bullying, if you've been silenced, sidelined or made to question your worth, I want you to hear this you are not alone. Your voice matters. Your dignity is intact, even if someone tried to strip it away. Healing doesn't wait for an apology. It begins the moment we choose to stop shrinking ourselves, to start taking up space, as well as to reclaim our softness, not as weakness but as strength. It's important to remember that you can always say no, you can walk away. You can protect your peace without losing your compassion. And if your voice feels distant right now, start where it's safe for you. Write it down, whisper it to yourself, allow it to echo in spaces that honor you, because your truth deserves to be heard and you deserve to be whole Amen.
Speaker 1:I now want to take a moment to invite you into a reflective meditation. Begin by taking a slow, intentional breath. If you're listening to this, you've likely carried something heavy. Maybe it was in a moment, maybe it was in a pattern, maybe it was someone else's voice echoing too loudly in your own mind. Let's take a moment to return to ourselves, to the quiet place inside you that knows your worth, even when others forget to honor it, and I'll invite you to close your eyes if you feel safe to do so. Inhale slowly through your nose, Hold for a moment, exhale gently through your mouth. Let your shoulders soften, let your jaw unclench, let your breath remind you that you are here and you are whole.
Speaker 1:Now bring to mind a moment when someone made you feel small. Not to relive it, but to reclaim it. Imagine yourself in that moment, but this time you are surrounded by light off in that moment, but this time you are surrounded by light, by strength, by the quiet courage that lives in your bones. Say to yourself I am allowed to take up space, I am allowed to set boundaries, I am allowed to be treated with respect. Let those words settle into your body, let them become part of your breath. Now picture yourself walking away from that moment, not with bitterness, but with clarity. You are not defined by how others treat you. You are defined by how you choose to rise. Imagine planting a seed of trust, of healing, of quiet power, and know, every time you speak your truth, every time you choose kindness, without losing your inner voice, that seed grows, your inner voice. That seed grows. As we close out this meditation, take one more deep breath, inhale strength, exhale what no longer serves you. I now invite you to open your eyes and return to the present moment.
Speaker 1:Adult bullies wear many faces, but your truth is not too complicated to name. Your boundaries are not too much to ask. Your voice is not too loud to be heard. You are allowed to name harm. You are allowed to choose peace over performance and you are allowed to walk away from what wounds you. Peace over performance and you are allowed to walk away from what wounds you.
Speaker 1:As we come to the end of this episode, I want to thank you for sharing this moment in space with me today. If this episode touched something tender in you an old wound, a quiet truth or a flickering of strength, I invite you to pass it to someone who may be carrying the weight of silence. Adult bullying often hides in plain sight and sometimes all it takes is one story to remind us that we're not alone and we're allowed to reclaim our voice. Again, I thank you for sharing this space with me today. I'm your host, obadiah, and this is Voices Around the World. May you walk slowly, breathe deeply and bloom gently wherever you are. Until next time, stay rooted, stay brave and keep listening to the truth inside of you. Hmm, hmm.