Choosing Optimism

Choosing Optimism

Choosing Optimism Choosing optimism helps you navigate conflict. How you view conflict and how skillfully you navigate it is deeply impacted by your attitude. When you are mired in fear or resentment, or telling yourself a negative story of what the future holds, it...
Jane Austen and the Power of a Different Story

Jane Austen and the Power of a Different Story

Jane Austen and the Power of a Different Story Stories have power. Whether it is a story we are telling ourselves, or the story of Pride and Prejudice, stories can educate, entertain, or transform. Story is a key concept in the conflict transformation work I do with...
Carrots and Sincere Apologies

Carrots and Sincere Apologies

Carrots and Sincere Apologies Giving and receiving a sincere apology may feel uncomfortable or unfamiliar, but it can go a long way to transforming a conflict. Recently, I had an unexpected experience in my local grocery store that ended with a good apology. I was in...
Bean Soup and Conflict

Bean Soup and Conflict

Bean Soup and Conflict.  What in the world does bean soup have to do with conflict? A woman posts a recipe for a nutritious iron rich bean soup on TikTok. And in many comments, people complain that (gasp) the soup has beans in it. They ask how to make it without beans...
Fifteen Years of Conflict Remedy

Fifteen Years of Conflict Remedy

Fifteen Years of Conflict Remedy This month, November 2024, I have been writing and publishing my blog for fifteen years. I’m amazed I have kept it up all these years, but time truly does go quickly when you’re having fun! I’ve been reflecting on this achievement, and...
Mobbing and the Tallest Poppy

Mobbing and the Tallest Poppy

Mobbing and the Tallest Poppy: How Women’s Achievements at Work Are Cut Down. One crucial part of transforming conflict to harmony at work is addressing workplace mobbing and bullying. I myself experienced mobbing when I was a tenured faculty member at a community...