Earlier this year, I signed up for an online presentation about ‘Energy Management.’ I thought now that sounds interesting … I need a lot of energy to get everything done – maybe I could be doing things better.

It turns out that the program was about the kind of energy you bring to a conflict (into a room, as I call it), not the kind that keeps you…

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My supervisor and I were chatting the other day, and I was lamenting about clients who always seem to bring someone into session. She nodded and said, “yep, they need a wingman.”I hadn’t really thought about it in the broader perspective (I was just getting annoyed), but she was right. Some people in conflict need a wingman. And, it got me thinking about whether this is a good–or bad–thing.…

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It’s been another exhausting week of tantrums and crying spells before school, courtesy of my five year-old son. But, I think I’ve finally figured out the problem: Change.Turns out, he’s plagued by the same thing so many grown-ups struggle with: The idea that change is scary.

So, we’ve modified our narrative a bit–in addition to acknowledging that change can be scary, we’re talking a lot about how change can be exciting, too!…

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I bet when you’re in conflict, your first reaction is to think – “If only he/she would stop doing that (whatever it is) … things would be better.” I know I do that. It’s amazing how much that empowers the other person and takes all of the power away from you to change the situation.

In her book, The Conflict Pivot, author Tammy Lenski makes the case that conflict…

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So, it’s been quite a “trying” time in our house over the past week. School has started and, with it, the start of tantrums, courtesy of my (newly) 5 year old son.



Every year, it’s the same story–the first day of school goes well. Then, for the next week, he puts on a show of crying spells, tantrums, refusal to leave…etc. All I can do is weather the storm and know that it will eventually get better.images



This year seemed particularly tough–it’s the first time he’ll stay… Continue

First, please let me confess that the title of this post was not my creative idea.  I read it in a book called The Conflict Pivot – Turning Conflict into Peace of Mind by Tammy Lenski.

The book really made sense to…

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I love my job for a myriad of reasons, but one reason is that it always gives me inspiration for this blog!

Sure enough, this morning, it happened again.

I had a client come in who is young, ambitious, and passionate about his future career in education. Problem is, he’s gotten the run-around from his University regarding which classes to take and which he can skip. To boot, he has “philosophical” differences with many of the teaching methods he’s…

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The first time I heard this story, I hadn’t taken mediation training yet. Now I can appreciate it sooo much more. Please hang in there with me … it’s worth it.It’s September 1978 and President Jimmy Carter is working hard at Camp David to keep all of the parties at the table for the Middle East Peace Talks. You can imagine how tricky that was … with more stumbling blocks than…

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