Nanette Cowardin-Lee is a trauma-informed practitioner with expertise in conflict management, communication flow, and group dynamics within the workplace, with a specific focus on abusive conduct and implicit bias. Recognized by Marquis Who’s Who, Cowardin-Lee uses best practices and multicultural and intercultural leadership to foster transformational learning.
Motivated to Take Action
Cowardin-Lee’s professional career began as a legal assistant, where she worked for 18 years and specialized in corporate law, trust and estate planning, and real estate. While working at a prominent law firm in Silicon Valley, she witnessed distressing moments of severe bullying, with one of her fellow supervisors unjustly targeted by staff. After the work environment further spiraled into chaos, with Cowardin-Lee enduring late-night phone calls from distraught individuals, it became clear to her that it was time to make a change.
Having always harbored a deep desire to further her education, Cowardin-Lee attended San Francisco State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in both French and psychology, cum laude, in 2003. After earning her bachelor’s degree, Cowardin-Lee accepted a position at a local university. However, she discovered a deceptive environment that negatively impacted her well-being and that of other co-workers.
While this work experience was challenging for Cowardin-Lee, she continued to move forward. Her resilience paid off when she earned a doctorate in organizational psychology from Alliant International University in 2012.
Beyond her achievements in higher education, Cowardin-Lee has received various certifications, including a certification from the Workplace Bullying Institute in 2021 and certification as an intercultural communication practitioner from Portland State University in 2009.
Journey to SafeHarbor
During her time at Alliant International University, Cowardin-Lee became involved in consulting and coaching, which led to a natural transition into a full-time professional career in advocacy work. Her previous work experience in the field includes serving as the associate program director of organizational behavior and psychology at Alliant International University from 2018 to 2023.
Since 2005, Cowardin-Lee has worked on behalf of clients as a transformational coach through Essential Business Behaviors, under which she has also served as a consultant and opened a publishing company to release her work on Amazon. She is the co-writer of one such work, “The Union Steward’s Guide to Dealing with Workplace Bullying, Featuring the Bad Boss Campaign,” alongside Jeffrey Recht, a former SEIU Local 1000 union steward. The book was written specifically for SEIU Local 1000 government employees in California.
Cowardin-Lee has also been collaborating with Gary Namie, the founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute. Since 2023, she has been a SafeHarbor member moderator with the Workplace Bullying Institute, endeavoring to bring greater awareness to the issue of workplace bullying throughout the United States. Likewise, Cowardin-Lee is a member of the California Healthy Workplace Advocates – presently, the organization is embarking on a new legislative campaign in California to find a sponsor for the Workplace Bullying Accountability Act.
Accomplishments
Cowardin-Lee’s most notable accomplishment throughout her life is overcoming the personal workplace bullying she experienced while serving as a paralegal, which was an experience that shaped her current professional path.
Cowardin-Lee takes great pride in her published works, having authored “10 Steps to Overcome Workplace Bullying: From Recognition to Resilience” in 2022 and co-authored “The Union Steward Guide to Dealing with Workplace Bullying: Featuring the Bad Boss Campaign.” Cowardin-Lee credits her success to her challenging upbringing, which instilled a strong sense of empathy that has aided her professional career.
Cowardin-Lee finds great joy in building connections and is most moved when she sees and experiences kindness. Looking toward the future, she intends to extend her collaboration with the California Healthy Workplace Advocates, engaging in legislative activities with the organization over the next five years.
Cowardin-Lee also looks forward to completing her current book projects, “Building Better Boundaries: A Workbook for Building Empowerment in Your Life” which is set to release during the Spring of 2025, and “Those Closest to Me,” which will be published at the end of 2025. In the latter work, she aims to incorporate the theories she has studied and illustrate how they can be applied in life.
