Forty-three one-star Google reviews before you’ve even gotten out of bed is the kind of moment that can make a business owner spiral. We’ve all seen it happen: a short clip goes viral on TikTok or Facebook, strangers swarm your profile, your rating drops overnight, and suddenly you’re fighting for your reputation against people who were never customers. I’m Dr. Brooks Deming, and I’m kicking off a four-part “One-Star Comeback” series with the part that decides everything, what you do in the first 48 hours.

We follow three different (fictional but realistic) business owners to show how the same crisis hits differently depending on your model: Marcus with a family restaurant, Tasha as a mobile hairstylist built on local trust, and Danielle running an online shop with shipping delays. From there, I walk you through a clear timeline for crisis management and online reputation management: the first two hours where you do not respond, the next window where you document everything, and the critical step of sorting reviews into three piles so you know what to report to Google and what to own.

Then we craft the simplest tool most owners skip: one calm holding statement posted where the conversation is happening, with a real update date you must keep. We close with an “off-balance check” that changes how you lead under pressure: are you reacting to protect your ego or to protect your customers? If you want a steady plan for review bombs, viral backlash, and protecting your small business brand without making it worse, hit play, subscribe, and leave a review, then share this with an owner who might need it today.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Disclaimer:
The Off-Balance podcast, including all audio, video, and written content, is produced and hosted by Dr. Brooks Demming. The views, opinions, and statements expressed by podcast guests are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, or official positions of Dr. Brooks Demming, the Off-Balance brand, its affiliates, or partners.

All content provided on this podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to seek appropriate professional guidance or spiritual counsel before making decisions based on the information presented.

By accessing or listening to this podcast, you agree that Dr. Brooks Demming and the Off-Balance brand are not liable for any loss, harm, or damages resulting from the use of or reliance on information shared by guests or third parties.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not a bully, I’m just direct,” this conversation might stop you in your tracks. We’ve spent weeks talking about bullying managers, bullying coworkers, and the people who witness it and stay silent. Now we turn the question inward: what if the patterns you call leadership are landing as intimidation, humiliation, or fear?

I’m Brooks Deming, Doctor of Business Administration, business coach, and resilience expert, and I break down 10 practical signs you may be engaging in workplace bullying without recognizing it. We talk about the room that goes quiet when you walk in, public “accountability” that embarrasses people, sarcasm that cuts, withholding information, punishing disagreement, gossip, and the classic shutdown line: “You’re too sensitive.” We also look at favoritism, inconsistent standards, and the temptation to justify harm with “that’s just who I am.”

Then we get specific about how bullying gets disguised as leadership. We translate familiar phrases like “I have high standards,” “I was only joking,” and “that’s how I was trained” into the self-check questions that actually build psychological safety and respectful communication. Finally, you’ll get a clear path forward: stop defending long enough to examine, name the exact behavior, take responsibility without excuses, seek appropriate feedback, change consistently over time, and accept that accountability may still be necessary.

Take the closing reflection with you: if everyone in your workplace treated people the way you do, what kind of workplace would you have? Subscribe, share this with a leader who needs it, and leave a review if it helps you lead with more courage and care.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Disclaimer:
The Off-Balance podcast, including all audio, video, and written content, is produced and hosted by Dr. Brooks Demming. The views, opinions, and statements expressed by podcast guests are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, or official positions of Dr. Brooks Demming, the Off-Balance brand, its affiliates, or partners.

All content provided on this podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to seek appropriate professional guidance or spiritual counsel before making decisions based on the information presented.

By accessing or listening to this podcast, you agree that Dr. Brooks Demming and the Off-Balance brand are not liable for any loss, harm, or damages resulting from the use of or reliance on information shared by guests or third parties.

The moment someone gets humiliated in a meeting, hit with an inappropriate joke, or turned into office gossip, most of us feel the same jolt: this is wrong. Then the next feeling shows up just as fast: if I speak up, will I be the next target? We dig into that split-second decision and why “staying out of it” can quietly become a habit that protects workplace bullying and damages organizational culture.

We walk through four bystander roles you have probably seen in real life: passive bystanders who do nothing, reinforcing bystanders who laugh or spread gossip, supportive bystanders who check on the targeted employee afterward, and active bystanders who intervene safely. From an HR and leadership lens, we unpack the real reasons people freeze, including fear of retaliation, uncertainty about outcomes, lack of confidence in management, and power dynamics that make speaking up feel risky.

You also get five practical, specific responses you can use right away: interrupting respectfully when it is safe, checking in privately, refusing to participate in gossip, documenting only what you directly saw and heard, and supporting the targeted person without taking control. We spend time on the hardest twist too: what happens when the bully is your friend, mentor, or the manager who helped your career. Accountability is not betrayal, and sometimes the most ethical move is the conversation nobody else is willing to have.

If you care about psychological safety, resilience at work, and real-world bystander intervention strategies, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend or coworker, and leave a review, then tell us: when you witness mistreatment, do you interrupt it, reinforce it, or stay silent?

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Disclaimer:
The Off-Balance podcast, including all audio, video, and written content, is produced and hosted by Dr. Brooks Demming. The views, opinions, and statements expressed by podcast guests are solely those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, or official positions of Dr. Brooks Demming, the Off-Balance brand, its affiliates, or partners.

All content provided on this podcast is for informational and inspirational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. Listeners are encouraged to seek appropriate professional guidance or spiritual counsel before making decisions based on the information presented.

By accessing or listening to this podcast, you agree that Dr. Brooks Demming and the Off-Balance brand are not liable for any loss, harm, or damages resulting from the use of or reliance on information shared by guests or third parties.