Conflict Decoded Podcast

If you ever feel overwhelmed by everything you read online, torn between wanting to keep up with what’s happening and wanting to protect your peace, or struggling in your relationship with online information in another way, my conversation with Danielle Reiff is for you. Danielle and I talk about: How to interact with online information in ways that diffuse rather than inflame conflict. How we can stay informed in these times without draining our time or energy. What to watch out for to not feed into the rumors, lies, and gossip out there. How to engage with social media and online news in ways that make us stronger, not weaker. About Danielle Reiff: Danielle Reiff is a peacebuilder, writer, and editor of Overcoming Information Chaos: A Guide to Building Peaceful Communities in the Digital Age. As a member of the U.S. diplomatic corps for twenty years, Danielle specialized in supporting democratic transitions and peacebuilding around the world. After retiring, she founded the non-partisan Peacebuilders initiative to promote empathy, dialogue, consultation, and other forms of nonviolence for advancing social change and political reform. Danielle has been a Baha’i since 1997. Learn More with Danielle:  www.peacebuildersunite.com Danielle on LinkedIn Danielle on Instagram Danielle on Facebook Additional Resources: Dangerous Speech Podcast Roxy Manning: How to Address Harmful Impact with Nonviolent Communication (Conflict Decoded episode) Learn More with Katherine: Callingsandcourage.com Katherine’s LinkedIn page To receive new episodes along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers

In a thought-provoking discussion, Ted Rau, co-founder of Sociocracy for All and expert in consent-based governance, explores innovative ways to empower organizations. He argues against majority rule, emphasizing the value of consent over consensus for long-term collaboration. Ted shares the four pillars of resilient organizations and how to turn brainstorming into actionable steps while embracing uncertainty. He also highlights the essential role of objections in decision-making as opportunities for growth, inviting listeners to rethink power and responsibility in group dynamics.

In this weeks episode of Conflict Decoded, I share: One reason we often get stuck focusing on what doesn’t work, How focusing on what’s good increases effectiveness, Step-by-step instructions for facilitating Appreciative Interviews, and 2 quick questions to start team meetings with immediate connection. If you long for your team to experience greater cohesion, joy, and resilience in these times, then 'Appreciative Interviews: One Hour to Boost Team Joy & Pride' is for you. Related episodes: Appreciation at Work: How to Grow Strengths, Not Toxic Positivity How to Center Radical Love in Challenging Times with Shiree Teng Why Capitalism Makes Us Tense & What to do About it with Donnie Maclurcan Learn more from Katherine: Team Coaching Katherine’s LinkedIn page To receive new episodes along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers Callingsandcourage.com

Do you have family or friends in the religious right or with vastly different political views than you? Knowing how to disagree with people you love is crucial in these situations. If so, this one is for you. About Sara: For the first four decades of her life, Sara was a devout Mormon. Then, a series of realizations called her to change course. Since then, Sara has helped thousands of high-achieving women as a master certified life coach to turn people-pleasing into personal power—guiding them to stop overextending, find their authentic voices, and lead with clarity and authority. Part of this journey often involves learning how to disagree with people you love. Through her signature Stop People Pleasing group coaching program, Sara has coached women into leadership roles, helped coaches grow thriving businesses, and supported women in building deeper, more vulnerable relationships. Her work weaves together feminist insight, nervous system and somatic tools, and her own lived experience of breaking free from religious “good girl” rules. Embracing how to disagree with people you love is a vital part of her teachings. Learn More from Sara: sarafisk.coach Instagram: @sarafiskcoach Podcast: The Ex-Good Girl Podcast Facebook Page Facebook Group LinkedIn Learn more from Katherine: Center for Callings & Courage Katherine’s LinkedIn page To receive new episodes along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers

Research shows that the highest-performing teams give each other about five positive comments for every one negative comment. And yet, when things are uncertain, the stakes are high, and we feel frustrated by others' actions, it can be challenging to focus on what’s good. This week, Lana Jelenjev and I discuss how to restore this balance. We explore: Why focusing on appreciation is so challenging, How to build a habit of celebrating strengths, The connection between naming strengths and sharing our full essence, How to offer feedback without alienating people, The difference between celebrating what’s good and toxic positivity, A strengths-based approach to meeting check-ins, hiring, and performance reviews, And more. If you want a deeper connection with yourself and your important people, more flow at work, and an all-around greater sense of joy, this one is for you. About Lana: Lana Jelenjev is co-founder of the Neurodiversity Foundation and the Neurodiversity Education Academy. She is the co-author of “What’s Strong With You? and “What’s Alive in You?” toolkits for coaches, teachers, leaders, and facilitators to bridge the gap for all neurotypes to thrive. Rooted in the Filipino values of kapwa (seeing ourselves in our shared humanity) and pakikiramdam (deep, attuned sensing), Lana creates spaces for people to reconnect with themselves, with each other, and to witness and appreciate what has always been sacred. She lives in the Netherlands with her husband and two children. Related Episodes: How to Address Harmful Impact with Nonviolent Communication Why Capitalism Makes Us Tense & What to do About It with Donnie Maclurcan Learn More from Lana: Lana’s Website  Neurodiversity Education Academy Neurodiversity Foundation Lana on LinkedIn Lana’s Substack: Refugia 80 Check-In Prompts for Children Learn more from Katherine: Center for Callings & Courage Katherine’s LinkedIn page To receive new episodes along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers

We often blame ourselves for the tensions of modernity. But we can become much more effective—and feel better—when we focus on the root causes of our problems. In this week’s episode of Conflict Decoded, I talk with @Donnie Maclurcan, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy at the Post-Growth Institute. We explore: The difference between capitalist and post-capitalist economies (which will likely surprise many listeners) How capitalism disconnects us from our bodies How that disconnection makes us susceptible to authoritarianism Governance structures that allow for a real circulation of power Simple steps to redistribute money and power away from the accumulative market And more. If you want to feel less guilty and focus more on the root causes of our collective problems, you’ll enjoy this one. About Donnie: Donnie Maclurcan designs frameworks, methodologies and experiences for creative collaboration and collective liberation. These include the Offers and Needs Market, the Post Growth Fellowship, the Post Growth Alliance, and Free Money Day, and an intuitive model for a post-capitalist market economy that builds on what's already working. Donnie lives on Mapuche lands in Patagonia, with his Argentinian wife and their three cats. Learn more from Donnie: Post Growth Institute Post Growth Alliance email alerts Post Growth Institute newsletter Donnie’s LinkedIn page Learn more from Katherine: Center for Callings & Courage Katherine’s LinkedIn page To receive new episodes along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers.

If we are to reclaim collective power, redistribute it equitably, and cultivate the multiracial multicultural democracies we long for. We must develop the ability to read power in our institutions and our lives. We must become power literate. In this week’s episode of Conflict Decoded, I talk with the brilliant Karla Monterroso about what power actually is. How the internet and demographic shift are changing it, our relationship to it. Methods for distribution of it, and its role in a more just society. About Karla Monterroso: Karla is a strategic power-builder, transformative leader, and coalition architect. She is dedicated to supporting the leadership of multiracial multicultural institutions across sectors. As Founder and Managing Partner of Brava Leaders, she serves as a trusted coach, advisor, and strategist to organizations, social justice leaders, academics, and artists, helping them navigate power dynamics and bridge institutional divides. With over two decades of experience scaling social enterprises, Karla’s work challenges conventional management theories that perpetuate homogeneous power structures, offering frameworks designed for integrated organizations. Hire Karla: Brava Leaders Brava Leaders’ Public Sessions Learn More: Karla on LinkedIn Brava Leaders on LinkedIn The Purpose of Power, by Alicia Garza Receive Love Letters to Changemakers: To receive new episodes to your inbox along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Organizers.

We are currently in a collective battle of the imagination. While the power of the 99% may be limited. We grow our power when we reclaim our ability to imagine from dominant narratives. As Desiree Adaway shares in this episode, imagining the world we long for is one of the most powerful and radical acts there is. Even if we do not live to see the fruits of our imagination, the billionaire class does not get to tell us what is possible. We get to be good ancestors. We get to choose what we long for. If you need inspiration and a soothing balm to help you see beyond the confines of our current realities, this is for you. About Desiree Adaway: Desiree Adaway, CEO of the Adaway Group, is a trainer, speaker, and consultant dedicated to intersectional race equity. And DEI change work. For over 25 years, she has helped build resilient, equitable, and inclusive organizations across all sectors. She has educated over 50,000 people on the most crucial issues of our time. She embraces the difficult conversations required to help organizations reduce harm, center equity, and build meaningful relationships while teaching others how to do the same. Desiree supports leaders and teams in upleveling their analysis and skills around identity, power, and institutional inequities that lead to lasting culture, process, and policy change. Connect with Desiree:  Instagram LinkedIn Blue Sky Resources Desiree Recommends: A Great Starter on Time The Cycle of Liberation, by Bobbie Harro The Cycle of Socialization by Bobbie Harro The Adaway Group Resources from Katherine: Your Core Values Practice: to help you imagine and center what matters most to you To receive new episodes to your inbox along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers.

The daughter of Vanessa Andreotti (author of Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and The Implications for Social Activism). Giovanna de Oliveira Andreotti grew up facing the ongoing predicament of collapse. In this episode, Giovanna shares how facing the reality of collapse no longer destabilizes her. Instead, the wisdom she’s gleaned—and her commitment to inquiry—are helping her to acknowledge reality. Notice the ways it manifests within us, and do the hard work of choosing emotional sobriety, intellectual discernment, relational maturity, and responsibility in these times. By acknowledging the ways modernity manifests in each of us, we can begin to compost the aspects of modernity. We’ve internalized and create space to transform our relationships with one another, ourselves, the land, and our more-than-human kin. About Giovanna de Oliveira Andreotti: Giovanna de Oliveira Andreotti is a dancer/dance teacher, a member of the Gesturing Toward Decolonial Futures, a certified Warm Data Lab host, and an online course facilitator/coordinator. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia and postgraduate certifications in Climate Psychology and Embodied Social Justice. Currently, she coordinates an inquiry that maps pedagogical practices addressing complexity, complicity, collapse, and accountability. Worksheets: Rude Diagnostic Exercise House of Fear - Want - Entitlement SDMR Compass Needs List Vanessa’s Books: Hospicing Modernity Outgrowing Modernity Learn More From Giovanna & Vanessa: Rewiring for Reality Giovanna on LinkedIn Gesturing Toward Decolonial Futures Hospicing Modernity Online Course Love Letters to Changemakers: To receive new episodes to your inbox along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Changemakers.

Heather Plett—facilitator, trainer, and author known globally for her work in holding space—and Katherine explore how activists often get sucked into the victim - rescuer - perpetrator vortex. They also discuss how to break free from it. This model supported Katherine, Heather, and many others to shift from white saviorism to a posture of more true solidarity. Bio: Heather Plett, is the author of the award-winning book The Art of Holding Space: A Practice of Love, Liberation, and Leadership. She also authored the recently released book, Where Tenderness Lives: On Healing, Liberation, and Holding Space for Oneself. She is the co-founder of the Centre for Holding Space, international speaker, and facilitator. Her work has been translated into a dozen languages. It has been referenced in such notable publications as Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today. Moreover, she has trained people from six continents, both in person and online. Before launching her work in holding space, Heather worked in leadership and communications in government and non-profit organizations. Having spent most of her adult life in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, she raised her three daughters there. Heather has recently moved to Vancouver Island. Heather’s Books: Where Tenderness Lives: On healing, liberation and holding space for oneself The Art of Holding Space: A practice of love, liberation, and leadership Heather’s Courses & Offerings: The Centre for Holding Space Love Letters to Organizers: To receive new episodes to your inbox along with other nourishment for the fight ahead, subscribe to Love Letters for Organizers.