It was recess and I wanted to find people to play with.

And so I would go to one group of kids and I asked them if I could play with them and they said no.

And I went to another group and they said no.

And time was running out.

I was getting desperate.

I'd go to another group. They said no too. And then the bell rings. And time was running out. I was getting desperate. I go to another group. They said no,

too. And then the bell rings. And I was just devastated. And I go in. I'm six years old,

and I remember like was yesterday. All of us struggle to some degree with conflict. Either we

run in with guns blazing and can damage relationships, or we can take the other path,

avoiding, right, which avoids conflict, doesn't hurt people's feelings, but also can lead to a

different kind of damage, are feeling more resentful, pulling away, and worse, relationships

that you care about, not having the opportunity to heal, grow, and develop into the fullness

of our potential, because we're not addressing things directly.

So do you get inspired. because we're not addressing things directly.

Every time I stood up for myself, it was a vote of confidence for the man I ultimately want to become.

But then I realized that if I was experiencing this, other people were too.

So today's episode is all about building confidence with conflict and increasing your ability to have courageous conversations about important things with clarity, intention, kindness.

And by the end of today's episode, you will feel so much more prepared to have hard

conversations without freezing, without spiraling, lowering defensiveness, and best yet, finding win-win outcomes for everyone involved.

It wasn't until I got to law school that I took a negotiation class and I discovered that this was a skill, not a talent.

You could actually get better at it.

Setting the mood for us today is the artist Genesis Ousu.

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