My guest for Episode #331 of My Favorite Mistake is Andy Regal, a longtime media executive whose career has included leadership roles at The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, Consumer Reports, Court TV, and CBS College Sports. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, “Surviving Bully Culture: A Career Spent Navigating Workplace Bullying and a Guide for Healing.”

Episode page with transcript, video, and more

Andy shares a remarkable early-career mistake from his time producing NBC News war coverage with Lester Holt. A young staffer accidentally loaded last week’s script into the teleprompter, and Holt began reading it live on air. Andy, brand new to this type of broadcast, immediately assumed he’d face humiliation or even get fired. Instead, Holt responded with total calm, poise, and kindness—transforming what could have been a career-ending disaster into a lasting lesson on leadership.

That moment stands in sharp contrast to the bully bosses Andy encountered throughout his media career. We talk about how bullying shows up in subtle and overt ways, why high performers are often targeted, and how toxic leadership harms morale, performance, and even physical and mental health. Andy explains what recovery looks like and why his book is dedicated to helping people cope with, heal from, and navigate workplaces where bullying is tolerated or ignored.

• The wrong-script live TV moment with Lester Holt • Why calm leadership builds psychological safety • The emotional impact of bully bosses • Why bullying thrives in high-pressure environments • How bullying follows people home and affects well-being • What recovery looks like for targets of workplace bullying • Why Andy wrote Surviving Bully Culture

Andy Regal’s website & book pre-order: https://www.andyregal.com