What If the Fight You’re In Isn’t in the Ring?

Lessons on Bullying, Courage, and Finding Your Voice

What Do You Do When the Fight Isn’t Physical?

You don’t have to be an athlete to know the feeling of being overlooked, dismissed, or made to feel small.

It can happen in a team meeting where your ideas are ignored.

In a workplace where subtle put-downs pass as banter.

In a locker room where silence replaces support.

Bullying doesn’t always wear a visible face. And for many of us, especially athletes, it can be hard to admit it’s happening. We’re taught to “toughen up,” to “push through,” to let actions do the talking. But what happens when the fight you’re facing isn’t one you chose and it’s not one you can win on your own?

What Does It Take to Stand Up? Lessons from the Ring and Beyond

When I sat down with Jeff “The Hornet” Horn on the Career Clarity podcast, I expected stories about resilience and grit. What I didn’t expect was the raw honesty about his early years—being bullied at school, feeling isolated, even hopeless.

“I had those dark days where I felt kind of suicidal when I was younger… I just felt like something needed to happen.”

Boxing, for Jeff, wasn’t about glory. It started as a way to protect himself. Over time, it became a discipline, then a passion, and eventually, a platform to help others. He faced 18 losses as an amateur before making the Olympics. Each setback sharpened his sense of purpose.

And when the spotlight faded and his gloves were hung up, he didn’t stop fighting. He simply shifted his focus, from world titles to schoolyards, from winning matches to saving lives.

What Does Bullying Look Like And What Can We Do About It?

Jeff’s no longer trading punches in the ring, but he’s still in the fight.

Through Bullyproof Australia, he’s created a program built around four values: Respect, Courage, Integrity, Resilience. These aren’t buzzwords. They’re not just words for a locker room wall.

They’re daily decisions.

They show up in how we treat our teammates, how we show up for colleagues, and how we speak out—especially when it would be easier to stay quiet.

Jeff put it plainly:

“We want upstanders. People who actually do something when they see something wrong happening.”

That stuck with me. Because real leadership isn’t about waiting for someone else to fix the problem. It’s about choosing to act, even when it’s hard.

How Do You Become an Upstander? Three Steps You Can Take Right Now

If you’ve seen bullying, whether in sport, work, or even in your own thoughts, here’s how you can start changing the story:

1. Call It What It Is

Bullying wears many faces. It might look like exclusion, disrespect, or constant undermining. If you see it, name it. Silence is what gives it power.

2. Back Someone Up

You don’t need to be the loudest in the room. Just be present. Stand next to the person who feels alone. That kind of support can shift everything—for them and for you.

3. Share Your Story

Every athlete, every person, has scars. And when you share your story, you give someone else permission to own theirs. You never know who might need to hear that they’re not alone.

Who Do You Want to Be Remembered As?

The teammate who looked the other way? Or the one who stood up when it mattered?

Jeff’s journey reminded me that the hardest fights aren’t always in the ring. They happen in school corridors, in meeting rooms, in moments of silence. And they leave marks that last far beyond the applause or the final whistle.

But there’s hope in this, too. Because the same mindset we build in sport the resilience, the courage, the discipline can help us fight for something bigger than ourselves.

If we choose to be upstanders, not bystanders, we won’t just win the next round. We’ll change the culture for everyone who comes after us.

Looking for more stories like Jeff’s?

🎧 Tune in to the full episode here: 2ndwind.io/podcast

📺 Or watch it here: YouTube: 2ndwind Academy

#CareerClarity #2ndwindAcademy