Our early communication style can be heavily influenced by parents, teachers and coaches but when we transition to different stages of life and form new relationships, sometimes those initial behaviors no longer serve us.   As humans, shedding those previous practices and forming new ones (albeit necessary) can feel completely foreign- as if we’ve forgotten who we are and where we came from.  But when we examine how our past has influenced our present, we can use it to inform and improve our future.    In today’s episode Shaylah Simpson teaches us how to identify weaknesses in our current communication style and shares her tips for having more productive conversations.    Shaylah is a former semi-professional track and field athlete. She competed in the pole vault for Arizona State University and continued her post-collegiate career with Altis and Arizona Pole Vault Academy until she hung up the spikes in 2018. Shaylah currently works in Client Services for Conscious Family Law & Mediation in Boulder, Colorado while finishing up credits to get her certificate in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. In the future, she plans to get her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and work to help diverse groups of people cultivate stronger relationships with themselves and others.   We discuss:   Navigating (multiple) identity crises  Authoritative vs. authoritarian leadership Balancing resilience and vulnerability in relationships Checking assumptions and labeling emotions in conversation   Connect with Shaylah:   Via Instagram: @shay_simps    If you’re dealing with any of these issues-  identity crisis, starting a new job, working on a relationship or going through a transition of any kind, we’d love to help. We’re currently accepting applications for our flagship mentorship group, The Coalition. If you’re interested in working through your challenges with a group that will have no problem holding your feet to the fire or walking you through the next step, check out artofcoaching.com/coalition! Also, be sure to give some love to our new sponsor, SAGA fitness! They offer affordable and state of the art BFR (blood flow restriction) cuffs to keep you healthy and strong no matter your lifestyle. Brett20 gets you 20% off your order!