Ajahn Brahm talks about how to be assertive, hissing but not biting, as in the classic story of the bad snake. Ajahn Brahm speaks about about how we need to be passive when meditating, but there are times when we need to be active, looking after ourselves and others and standing up for ourselves in a harmless manner.
Teachings are available for downloading from the BSWA Youtube Channel, the BSWA Podcast, and Deeper Dhamma Podcast.