In this episode, I am joined by Sumi Mukherjee to discuss childhood bullying, and how those experiences can have longstanding effects into adulthood. Sumi was a victim of intense bullying as a child which triggered severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. To regain control, Sumi embarked on a transformative healing journey which he details in our conversation. Today, Sumi is an author, anti-bullying advocate and public speaker, who uses his own experience to help others. In doing this, Sumi found his calling – standing up for those who cannot. His story is an inspiration to those on their own healing journey after a traumatic childhood.

As a victim of prolonged bullying myself, this is a conversation I was looking forward to recording, so I hope you find the episode as cathartic as I did.

Episode Notes

Highlights

“You can always look for a specific cause of why a certain person is bullied or singled out but really the core reason is people bully, and people like to bully.” [4:37-4:49]

“Being different, you know as adults we tell kids its okay to be different because truly it should be okay, but in certain phases of your life it’s really not okay – that’s the reality. That’s the reality we aspire to that it’s okay to be different, but it’s not.” [8:38- 8:57]

“It’s like the bullying and the OCD joined forces, very strongly in my life and really tore my life completely apart.” [16:53-16:55]

“You can get through it, and the other side, when you get out, is a wonderful, wonderful life” [24:25-24:29]

“We cannot and should not compare trauma from one person to another; everyone’s trauma is their own.” [31:40-31:45]