I am thrilled to introduce my Substack newsletter, Breaking the Silence. I will report on the latest changes to laws related to employers silencing their workers.
Read More
Sometimes I get called names simply for having unpopular views. Instead of arguing on the merits of the issue, I am called “angry, “bitter”, “negative and even accused of having some “personal agenda” for simply calling out what I consider to be BS.
Read More
Last week, tech giant Salesforce announced it would no longer enforce non-disclosure clauses and similar silencing mechanisms in employment agreements. The move is the latest in a growing list of corporate policies that are shifting in response to an impressive state-by-state advocacy campaign to change the law.
Read More
One of the most painful consequences of being targeted by a covert narcissist’s smear campaign is that the narcissist recruits “flying monkeys” to his web of lies, leaving you feeling confused, misunderstood, and completely isolated. What I did not realize until much later however, is how large a factor sexism played in my situation.
Read More
I was involved in a highly traumatizing workplace dispute. While it was legally resolved, I can’t reveal anything about what happened to me or any details of the dispute’s resolution.
Read More
A series of interactions with other women recently have me thinking about how women bear some responsibility for speaking out about these challenges. Too many women are not speaking out about how natural foods industry and vegan movement are harmful to all women.
Read More
What was once a hippie industry based on meaningful values has evolved to one that places profits over people and is largely driven by white men with money and power.
Read More
Over the past year, I have found myself having so many conversations with women who have been hurt by either the natural foods or the non-profit advocacy sector. These conversations paint a stark contrast for me against the happy celebrations of “women founders” and similar memes on social media.
Read More
It’s well known in the field that a small band of white men control almost all of the funding and take up most of the oxygen in the room. This new report attempts to get underneath some of the consequences of this reality while making recommendations for how to ensure more voices are brought into the movement.
Read More
Bullies can show up in different ways, but narcissist behaviors are very common. To understand how, I read the book, “Narcissism at Work: Personality Disorders of Corporate Leaders”, by Marie-Line Germain, an academic who specializes in human resources and leadership.
Read More
In my experience people tend to give two reasons for not speaking out. One if self-preservation. If you are still inside the organization, you may fear for your own job.
Read More
That may seem like a harsh question to ask, but we now have publicly available reasons to believe so.
Read More
The main agenda of the vegan mafia is to create as much hype as possible to drive investments and media coverage of their favorite start-ups.
Read More
In 2021, I had the opportunity to step back from paid work. It gave me the time I needed to reflect on many aspects of working and life in general that I want to share.
Read More
Over the past decade, the plant-based foods industry has largely taken over for the movement, in news headlines and even in advocacy organizations.
Read More
Meaningful victories against the powerful meat and dairy lobbies are rare, so when they happen we should stop and celebrate them, and give credit to those who got us there.
Read More
Turning the calendar to a new year represents an important sign of change. For me, it also signals a major milestone in my career. I am no longer with the Plant Based Foods Association, the organization that I founded in 2015.
Read More
Michele Simon is a public health attorney, food policy expert, author, and thought leader in the plant-based foods industry.
Read More