Newsletter Archive

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April 2025
May, 2025
September, 2024
October, 2024
November, 2024
December, 2024
January, 2025
February 2025
March, 2025
August, 2024
July, 2024
June, 2024
May, 2024
April, 2024
March, 2024
February, 2024

05/14/2025 – How assumptions can destroy your relationships

In the past few months, I’ve had multiple clients struggle with relationships at work that all come down to one thing. Assumptions. I’ve been coming across this theme more and...

05/07/2025 – Breaking down silos: How one leader got teams in conflict to work together

How do you get 3 teams in conflict to work together better? Last month, one leader I was working with had this exact problem. Dave oversaw 3 people managers who...

04/30/2025 – April Fast Five: Decision Making in Complex Environments

This month’s theme is all about making decisions in chaotic and complex environments! This is especially important as we’ve all been living through some chaotic and unpredictable situations over the...

04/16/2025 – Managing Someone’s Emotions in Difficult Conversations

Recently, I published an article on how to master your emotions in hard conversations. But what about the other person’s emotions? What about when they yell? Or start verbally attacking...

04/02/2025 – 3 Ways to Make Networking Easier

“How do you network?” Especially if you don’t like networking. Especially if you’re shy. Or in my case, I used to hate networking because I thought it was just “being...

03/26/2025 – March Fast Five: Mastering Difficult Conversations

This month’s theme is all about mastering difficult conversations! I know I talk about this all the time already, so I could just give you a bunch of my own...

03/19/2025 – How to Call Someone Out For Not Following Through

Occasionally I speak to college students and the biggest question I get? “How do I deal with someone not doing their part in a group project?” And we all experience...

03/12/2025 – How to tell if someone is lying to you

A few months ago, I wrote a newsletter about how to respond to people who you think/know are lying. (You can read that issue here) Recently, someone asked me how...

03/05/2025 – How to listen for what someone is really saying

You know what’s even harder than keeping your cool? Keeping your cool and listening hard to figure out what’s really underneath the surface. I remember when, during the first family...

February Fast 5 Resources: How to Understand Other People Better

This month’s theme is all about how to better understand other people, one of the foundational elements of having difficult conversations and influencing others. You’ll notice right away this isn’t...

02/19/2025 – How to communicate layoffs ethically and compassionately

Is it possible to conduct layoffs in a way that’s respectful and compassionate? According to Summer, there definitely is. I don’t always share specific podcast episodes, but this week’s episode...

02/12/2025 – Master your Emotions: 7 Tactics for Hard Convos

When I used to do martial arts, there was one skill that was more important than: It’s the ability to control ourselves. And in tough conversations, it often comes down...

02/05/2025 – The First Barrier that Holds us Back in Difficult Conversations

Last week I was talking to a client who shared that he lost his cool in a meeting. He was meeting with a colleague who consistently gave him tasks that...

01/29/2025 – Top 5 January Resources

Surprise! This looks a little different right? One of the things I’m starting in 2025 is to provide a monthly roundup of the top 5 resources others have found helpful. ...

01/15/2025 – 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Your Next Difficult Conversation

Professional athletes don’t just show up to their games without practicing. That would be a recipe for disaster. Similarly, you wouldn’t show up to a test without studying. There’s a...

01/08/2025 – 🔍 5 Core Reasons Why Difficult Conversations are hard

Maybe you’re the kind of person that always wants to know WHY things are happening or WHY they’re going wrong. So of course in hard conversations it’s frustrating when you...

12/18/2024 – Avoid these Common Feedback Mistakes

Feedback has never been easy. Simple to understand yes, but harder to actually do well consistently. This is one of the most common topics I talk about with leaders –...

11/14/2024 – 4 Ways to say “I think you’re lying”

If you’re like me, you really value being honest and transparent. And in hard conversations, when you don’t feel like the other person is being entirely truthful, it can be...

11/06/2024 – How to Support Those in Pain

This was and is a wild week, with lots of emotions for everyone. People are feeling all sorts of ways with the results of the US presidential election. Some are...

10/30/2024 – How to Talk About Politics at Work

It may seem like the election season is getting longer and longer and things are getting more and more angry. You’re not totally wrong. There’s definitely more anger and emotion...

10/23/2024 – How to manage our assumptions about ourselves

Last week, I talked about challenging the assumptions we make about others. But how do you deal with the assumptions that you make about yourself? For instance, my ongoing feeling...

10/16/2024 – How to get rid of your assumptions, part 1

For a lot of people, the time before a hard conversation is the hardest time. You get yourself worked up and really anxious about a lot of things coming up...

10/09/24 – What are your triggers?

It’s so important to keep your cool in difficult conversations. Think of it like walking on a balance beam – you need to stay balanced – as calm, cool, and...

10/3/2024 – How to de-escalate anger

Dealing with an angry person isn’t easy. You’re probably not a huge fan of getting yelled at (who is?). Most people, when someone is yelling at them, respond in the...

09/19/2024 – Setting boundaries in hard conversations

Hard conversations will test you, your patience, and your values. Don’t get the wrong idea – it’s important to get out of your comfort zone in these types of conversations...

09/12/2024 – How to Prepare for Difficult Conversations

Last week, I talked about the anxiety and fear that’s normal when getting ready for a difficult conversation. “What if they start crying?”“What if they get angry at me?”“What if...

09/05/2024 – Dealing with Fear

I used to do martial arts and before every sparring session or fight, I felt like I was having a heart attack. Before that and since then, I’ve never experienced...

08/22/2024 – 5 Lessons from taking over a team in conflict

Have you ever been given a team that was in conflict with each other? One nonprofit I was working for was going through a merger with one major hiccup. The...

08/15/2024 – How to handle difficult group conversations

You led an open roundtable discussion with your team and it didn’t go well. They argued, yelled, vented their frustration – all seemingly towards you. And the worst thing? They...

07/03/2024 – Celebrate July 4th with 7 Freebies

I know, it’s not Thursday. So why is this email coming at you today? Well for those in the US, Thursday this week is a holiday (July 4th) so I...

08/01/2024 – 3 Ways to say no to unwanted meeting requests

The meeting that should have been an email.* Look, this problem haunts everybody, in every industry – so you’re not alone. Truth is, we all have to sit through meetings...

08/08/2024 – Unlock better conversations with ground rules…

Does this sound familiar? You’re stressed about a hard conversation at work – maybe you’re giving difficult feedback to your manager, or you’re giving a warning to your employee for...

07/18/2024 – 8 Hard Conversations and What to Say

You won’t always know when you’ll get into a difficult conversation. Truth is, they can happen any time. But a big mistake I’ve seen others make is “agreeing to disagree”....

07/11/2024 – The Guide to using SCARF to develop your team

Leading and managing people isn’t easy. Even if you’re good with people and you’re great at your job. You’re still finding it hard to get others to do what you...

06/27/2024 – 4 Essential Strategies to Start Hard Conversations Now

I know that starting difficult conversations is never easy. And I get it – it’s not easy to tackle hard topics when you don’t want to offend or hurt the...

06/20/2024 – 3 Ways to promote yourself for career growth

I know it’s not easy to talk about yourself. You’re a hard worker and you’re really good at what you do. You were raised to be thoughtful of others and...

06/13/2024 – 3 Ways to keep difficult conversations from derailing

If you’ve ever been in any hard conversation, this is something you’ve experienced. You’re trying to get your point across. But then, the other person goes off topic, or starts...

06/06/2024 – How to balance Empathy and Accountability

Holding employees accountable with empathy. This is the ultimate struggle Because if you supervise another person, you expect your employees to do their job. But sometimes they don’t Or it’s...

05/30/2024 – Balancing Performance and Behavior: Tips for Tough Employee Reviews

How to address this The policy here is HONESTY. Tell your employee directly that they’re getting a raise because of their performance, not their soft skills. I want to be...

05/23/2024 – The Biggest Root Cause of Conflicts is

I’ve been working with a guy that’s been having lots of stress with his wife. They’ve got two young kids, full time jobs, and a new house. If you have...

05/16/2024 – Master Tough Meetings

will be willing to share. Psychological safety is a trending term these days, but whether you use it or not, the principle remains the same. People who feel safe enough...

05/09/2024 – 3 Questions to Discover Your Purpose

I worked really hard to become a therapist (something I’m still in debt for). And I spent years working in a super rewarding, but equally stressful environment. And like many...

05/02/2024 – 10 Ways to Respond to Someone Rejecting Your Ideas

Imagine this scenario – you’re trying to get another person to buy into your idea. Or you’re a manager trying to get your employee to do their job. Or you...

04/25/2024 – How to Push back Against Your Bosses

It’s no surprise, since I don’t hide this. Early in my career, when I wanted to push back against senior leaders I wasn’t diplomatic. I think it was me trying...

04/18/2024 – 3 Barriers to Successful Nonprofits

This past winter, I was interested in a question: Why are some nonprofits better than others at getting things done? Specifically – how were some nonprofits able to actually execute...

04/11/2024 – 3 Strategies to get Comfortable with Social Media

Lately, I’ve been getting more questions around this idea – “I need to post more on social media, but I don’t know where to start.” Usually, the questions come from...

04/04/2024 – 3 Networking Strategies for People who hate Networking

I recently went to an alumni night for my grad school program. That’s not an error, I just realized that I forgot to take pictures and I’m kicking myself now...

03/28/2024 – How to Handle Lying in hard Conversations

We’ve all been there We’re already stressed because we’re trying to have a difficult conversation But we don’t feel like the other person is being entirely truthful with us. Someone...

03/21/2024 – Supporting Loved Ones through a Lay Off

I got laid off last year from a job that I truly enjoyed and thought I was going to be there for at least a few more years. Around the...

02/22/2024 – How did I hold back my own career and effectiveness

I’m going to be honest, I used to hate the idea of networking and building relationships with senior leaders. I always thought of it as fake and not authentic. In...