Join Bob Bordone, a Harvard Law School Senior Fellow specializing in conflict resolution, and Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist and Chief Medical Officer at Isaac Health, as they explore the transformative power of conflict resilience. They delve into how navigating disagreements can strengthen relationships instead of tearing them apart. Learn about the critical role of deep listening and empathy, and how confronting discomfort can enhance cognitive resilience. Discover why embracing conflict may just be the key to sparking real connection and change.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Authors' Conflict Experience
Bob Bordone and Joel Salinas had different conflict tolerance levels, causing tension during their collaboration.
Their interactions during writing exemplified the struggle and necessity of conflict resilience in relationships.
insights INSIGHT
Different Conflict Experiences
People perceive the same conflict differently due to individual brain wiring and past experiences.
Conflict recognition and holding define how much conflict someone perceives and how much discomfort they can tolerate.
insights INSIGHT
What is Conflict Resilience?
Conflict itself is not worse today, but our capacity to handle it has declined.
Conflict resilience is the ability to sit with disagreement discomfort, listen openly, and share your story assertively.
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What if your next disagreement could actually bring you closer to someone instead of driving you apart?
Together with Yael, they have a down-to-earth conversation about what it really takes to stay present in conflict and why that matters for your relationships and your brain.
You’ll hear personal stories, surprising research, and powerful insights on why it’s so important to get comfortable with discomfort, listen with an open heart, and know when (and how) to engage in tough conversations.
Listen and Learn:
What happens when a conflict avoider and a conflict expert team up to explore how tension builds connection?
Why do two people experience the same conflict so differently, and how does your brain shape that story?
Is conflict really worse today, or have we just lost the resilience to stay in the heat and handle it?
Why avoiding conflict rewires your brain to fear it and building resilience means facing the heat, slowly.
How sharing real stories across deep divides can reshape how we see “the other” and actually spark true change.
Can deeper listening to those we disagree with reshape our brains, our beliefs, and maybe even our world?
Why listening grows from curiosity to open space for real connection
Knowing when to engage or exit conflict starts with curiosity and protects both peace and power
Yael’s newsletter interview with the authors of You’re Not as Crazy as I Thought (But You’re Still Wrong)—on the topic of moving from “me versus you” to “us versus the problem”
Robert C. Bordone is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, founder and former director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, former Thaddeus R. Beal Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and founder of The Cambridge Negotiation Institute. He is co-author of Designing Systems and Processes for Managing Disputes, and co-editor of The Handbook of Dispute Resolution. Bordone was ranked among 2025’s World’s Top 30 Negotiation Professionals by Global Gurus.
About Joel Salinas:
Joel Salinas, M.D. is a behavioral neurologist, scientist, and Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, founder and Chief Medical Officer at Isaac Health, and former Harvard Medical School faculty. He is the author of Mirror Touch: A Memoir of Synesthesia and the Secret Life of the Brain.
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