Conflict Chat: From Coconut to Closet Fights

Got Conflict? If you have a conflict with someone, and are not sure how to handle it, then let us know. Here is your opportunity to ask your question with Conflict Management experts who are mediators, conflict coaches and facilitators on how to think about, analyze or resolve your situation.

Think about it. Are you currently engaged in an active conflict with your co-workers or boss? Ignoring your neighbor because of a conversation you don’t want to have? In a disagreement with your spouse? Or simply afraid to bring up a concern with a friend in fear of stirring up problems.

Discussion Topics:

1.  The Massive Mango

2.  Chris Christie Offers a Key to Marital Success: Fight in a Walk-In Closet

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Managing Conflict in Your Blended Family

Raising children in a blended family can be challenging, frustrating, and overwhelming at times.  It can be a real test of endurance to manage to stay together through some of the tough times that can erupt with your stepchildren.  It can also be a time of growth and lasting relationships. Join Kim Abraham, Marney Studaker-Cordner and Zena Zumeta to hear how conflict is actually an opportunity to teach your children – step and biological – values and skills to last a lifetime.

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Restorative Justice is Good Medicine for Youth Violence

Join Rose Gordon and Zena Zumeta as they talk about what Restorative Justice and other Restorative processes are, how they work, why Restorative Justice is an effective intervention with youth who have engaged in violence and its impact on youth recidivism.

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Community Mediation: Empowerment and Dialogue

In many communities around the country there are community mediation centers supported by volunteer mediators.  Community Boards of San Francisco is the oldest community mediation center in the country, started in 1976.  The philosophy of community mediation centers is to empower community members to resolve their own disputes rather than resorting to courts or other outsiders to do it for them. Participants in mediation have found that the process helps them feel heard, and increases their understanding of themselves and the other person as well.  Community Boards has handled thousands of cases in its 36 year history, and has helped 85% of those who use their mediation services reach a successful agreement.

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Separating Families: How to Use Online Technology to Mediate Your Situation

This program is part of Cyberweek 2015

Family Resolve connects parents and partners with mediators using webcam-enabled online dispute resolution to bring mediation processes to separating families. Participants will learn how to use the internet with mediators to resolve family issues when there are distances between the parties, domestic violence issues involved or cost factors become a concern.

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Toxic Behaviors in the Workplace: Why? How? What?

Control freaks, narcissists, manipulators, and bullies. It takes all kinds, they say, but can your organization afford to employ such toxic personalities? Often clever chameleons, who “kiss up” and “kick down,” they know how and when to disguise their infectiously bad natures. Like a disease, these employees spread negativity throughout the workplace, decreasing productivity and increasing turnover. In this program, Drs. Holloway and Kusy will share their national research study of toxic behaviors with over 400 participants. Learn why these individuals get away with bad behavior, how this occurs in organizations, and what to do about it to impact individual and team performance—and the bottom line.

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Courageous Conversations Between Parents and Their LGBTQ Children

Courageous Conversations between parents and their LGBTQ children regardless of age. The coming out conversation can be extremely difficult on both sides. This program will look at some of the repercussions the LGBTQ person faces from the conversation, as well as the gains that are made. We will also look at resources available to LGBTQ people and their friends and families.

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Our Radio Program Family Grows

Our global online radio program, The Texas Conflict Coach®, has grown to over 250,000 listens with over 250 podcasts on a myriad of conflict management topics. The podcast library is searchable and ready to listen, download and share.

We could not make this community outreach program available without our growing family. Today, we have three guest hosts: Zena Zumeta, Stephen Kotev, and our newest addition, Tracy Culbreath. We have our Executive Assistant, Shawn Tebbetts who is extraordinarily resourceful in making every guest a special part of our family. And finally, we have come to rely on our student interns who are responsible for research, blog posts, social media networks, community outreach, and special projects. Abigail Clark, who graduated with her Master’s in Negotiation and Conflict Management, decided to stay on as an Apprentice. We are excited she will continue to be part of our family.

And now, let me introduce to you our newest graduate student intern, Lauren Thompson Andrews. Lauren is currently enrolled in the Conflict Negotiation/Conflict Management Master’s Program at the University of Baltimore in Maryland. She’s a mother of two amazing children, a savvy entrepreneur and a long time student of the healing arts, Reiki II. With herbal and natural healing remedies passed down from her grandmothers, she’s used these ancient teachings and gifts to put her family on a path of wellness. She even started a consulting business with coaching people in wellness by sharing her healing wisdom and nature remedies. Speaking of gifts, Lauren has a natural gift for gab and has worked as a long time radio broadcaster for 15+ years. Now, Lauren is reintroducing herself to the world as a Conflict Coach by helping people get up when life knocks them down. She will help them keep going toward their goals and persevering against all odds. Lauren persevered and her message is, “You can too”!

Pattie Porter, Founder and Host

The User-Friendly Divorce: Using Online Tools To Resolve Your Disputes

All over the world, people think about divorce and do not know what to expect from the process, what they will have to arrange and how long it will take. This anxiety comes on top of the stress of the divorce itself, worries about the costs or accessibility. And the possible contentious relationship. Today, the rapid changes in technology makes accessing the justice system amenable to all regardless of where you live in the world. Our guest, Jin Ho Verdonschot from the Netherlands will discuss how one can get their reasonable and fair divorce using online technology throughout the entire dispute resolution process. He will discuss the pros and cons of a virtual mediation experience based on an online divorce project developed in the Netherlands. Dr. Verdonschot will also share how this technology can be used for other types of disputes involving your neighbor, landlord-tenant and employer-employee disputes.

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Theatre of Witness – Finding the Medicine in Stories of Suffering, Transformation and Peace

Theater of Witness is a form of performance in which the true life stories of people whose voices haven’t been heard in society are performed by the storytellers themselves as a way for audiences to bear witness to significant social issues. The theater productions are scripted from individual and group interviews as well as a variety of creative process techniques and consist of scripted text, music, movement, imagery and film projection. The productions are created with the performers who themselves have directly experienced the issues being explored. Theater of Witness invites audiences to put a face and heart to societal issues of suffering and to celebrate the power of the human spirit to grow and transform. Theater of Witness is a form of peace building and inspiration.

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