Conflict Managed

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Csaba Toth. Together we explore: Choosing to face obstacles Addressing pain Information vs transformation: the gap between what we know and what we do Choosing to respond instead of react “Uncommon” sense The problem of low self-esteem Derailing behaviors Cognitive diversity Finding the blueprint Happy people (and organizational structures) make more money Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @3pconflictrestoration. Csaba Toth’s work began with a failure that changed how he understood leadership. He lost his first business after assuming that speaking the same language, having strong qualifications, good intentions, and what seemed like common sense would be enough to lead people well. It was not. That experience pushed him to examine why intelligent, capable people can still misunderstand one another, why some teams thrive while others quietly unravel, and why so many transformation efforts fail despite significant investment. Having grown up between cultures and worked across very different organizations, Csaba saw how personality, cultural background, bias, motivation, and psychological safety shape the way people make decisions and work together. He founded ICQ Global after noticing a persistent pattern: organizations were investing in training without data, coaching without diagnosis, and culture change without meaningful measurement. The result was often short-term enthusiasm with little lasting change. Csaba went on to create the multi-award-winning, ICF-accredited Global DISC™, Growth Zone™, and GameChangers frameworks. Together, they help organizations measure nine key biomarkers of high-performing teams, including personality, cognitive diversity, psychological safety, motivation, and the behavioral patterns that can quietly derail performance. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown.

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Dr. Robert Carter. Together we explore: The importance of presence, effort, and passion The good of ‘small talk’ The more you know about your teammates reduces conflict The digital divide Creating team environments where you disagree well Holistic solutions for addressing conflict Growth instead of scarcity mindset Investing in and valuing others Rob’s new book, The Convenience Trap: How to Regain Control In a World of Instant Gratification Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @ 3pconflictrestoration. Dr. Robert Carter III is a nationally recognized expert in human performance, integrative physiology, neuroscience, and public health who has dedicated his career to helping individuals and organizations achieve sustainable peak performance. As a U.S. Army veteran, Harvard-trained scientist, author, researcher, and speaker, he brings a unique combination of scientific rigor, leadership experience, and practical application to the fields of brain optimization, resilience, and organizational excellence. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Carter has led and supported multiple U.S. Army medical and surgical research programs, specializing in pre-hospital combat casualty care, stress physiology, human resilience, and battlefield performance. His work has focused on understanding how the brain and body respond to high-pressure environments and translating those insights into actionable strategies that improve performance, decision-making, and overall well-being. Dr. Carter is the co-author of the bestselling book The Morning Mind, where he shares neuroscience-based techniques designed to reduce fear-driven thinking, improve sleep quality, enhance cognitive function, and help people perform at their highest level. His approach integrates cutting-edge research with practical tools that can be applied in everyday life, leadership, healthcare, athletics, and business. A two-time black belt and dedicated Taekwondo practitioner, Dr. Carter embodies the principles of discipline, resilience, and continuous growth. He is passionate about empowering leaders, teams, and organizations to unlock their full potential by applying evidence-based strategies that enhance health, performance, and long-term success. His mission is simple: to help people think better, perform stronger, and lead with greater purpose through the powerful integration of science, resilience, and human potential. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown. #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Podcast #Confllict

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Dr. Robyn Short. Together we explore: What is the goal at work? Building resilience to navigate conflict well Why navigating conflict is hard Intentionally designing workplace systems What do you have authority to change, and what can you advocate for? Understanding the system you work within Patriarchal systems organize around power over and dominance, while matriarchal systems organize around power with and collaboration Robyn’s new book, The Matriarch Effect: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Organizations, and the New Logic of Power Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @ 3pconflictrestoration Dr. Robyn Short is the founder of Workplace Peace Institute, an organizational systems design and research firm on a mission to create highly engaged workplaces where dignity is consistently honored and experienced. A mediator, peacebuilding trainer, and systems design consultant, she helps companies and nonprofits uncover the root causes of their conflicts and build cultures where dignity is embedded in how the work gets done. She is a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and a graduate of Margaret Wheatley's Warriors for the Human Spirit. The author of five books and founder of GoodMedia Press, Dr. Short holds a Doctor of Liberal Studies in peace studies and systems design and has taught in graduate conflict resolution programs at Southern Methodist University, Bay Path University, and Texas A&M University at Commerce.   Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown.   #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Podcast #Confllict

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Bernardo Ruiz. Together we explore: Courage to try something new Moving past the “bootstraps” myth to see and help each other Working to make money The community of work Owning our part in workplace culture Recognizing past harm while moving forward Conflict as a gift Giving people the resources they need to succeed Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @ 3pconflictrestoration. Bernardo Ruiz has spent more than twenty-five years helping organizations change what they believe about themselves. As CEO of Bridging International Consulting Collective, he works with foundations, companies, and governments across fifteen countries on questions of race, culture, and leadership. He is also a Curandero, a Medicine Man in the Mexica tradition, who cares for his community through sacred plant medicine, ancestral recovery ceremonies, and limpias. His work joins two things most institutions keep apart: rigorous organizational science and ancestral wisdom. He is at work on a trilogy that carries the same conviction — that the world heals when these two ways of knowing stop competing and start speaking to each other. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown.   #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Podcast #Confllict

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Kathy Coffey Solberg. Together we explore: Incremental action and rebuilding trust Channeling the energy of leaders who love change Preparing for difficult conversations Why it’s always personal to the person The role of preparation in creating and implementing systems “What do we agree on?” as a path toward fruitful progress Finding neutral ground instead of common ground Keeping conversations going instead of shutting people down The challenges and opportunities of middle management Kathy’s new book, Reweaving What Matters: Practical Tools for Workplace Transformation Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @ 3pconflictrestoration. Kathy Coffey Solberg is an author, community weaver, experienced consultant, executive director, and systems thinker with a demonstrated history of empowering others through professional and personal leadership development, civic engagement, and a deeper understanding of how to navigate communication and workplace systems to create greater efficiency. She is the author of Reweaving What Matters: Practical Tools for Workplace Transformation. Her expertise spans leadership, philanthropy, human systems design, collective governance, and organizational development. Kathy specializes in guiding individuals to harness their strengths and supporting organizations in fostering collaboration, adaptability, and impact. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown.   #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Podcast

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Kristi Ellingsworth. Together we explore: Engaging and empathizing with those who don’t get what they want Creativity and generosity The willingness to be uncomfortable with people in conflict Sharing your calm with others Leadership energy Curious vs judgmental mindset Taking pauses throughout the day to self-regulate Being generous with compliments Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @3pconflictrestoration Kristi Ellingsworth is the Director of Hospitality at Dartcor Enterprises. Her work centers on employee experience, leadership development, emotional intelligence, and creating workplace cultures where people feel genuinely supported and connected. What makes her perspective especially unique is that she didn't come up through traditional HR—she spent more than a decade in fine dining, including nearly seven years as Maitre d' at Nobu Hospitality, where she managed VIP guest relationships, trained front-of-house teams, and navigated the constant demands of high-pressure hospitality environments. Today, she brings those same hospitality principles into the workplace, helping leaders think differently about communication, conflict, trust, and psychological safety. She also previously hosted her own wellness podcast, The Alternative Podcast with Kristi Ellingsworth, where she interviewed experts on mindset, mindfulness, and personal growth. Kristi’s philosophy is simple: the employee experience is the first customer experience. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown. #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Connection #Podcast

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Maria Colacurcio. Together we explore: Empathy for the messenger The power in having a humanities based education The specific results of being curious Clarity in pay transparency and the ability to explain pay decisions Cognitive surrender and AI ‘Running at’ conflict Giving clear feedback What does leadership cost you? Change agility vs change management Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @3pconflictrestoration Maria Colacurcio is reshaping how enterprises govern their largest and most consequential investment: how they pay their people. As CEO of Syndio, she leads the company that defined the market for pay equity software and is now pioneering Decision Intelligence for Pay. Under her leadership, Syndio partners with global brands including Walmart, Microsoft, and Salesforce to make every pay decision compliant, optimized, and aligned with business strategy. Maria previously co-founded Smartsheet, which went public in 2018. She has built her career at the intersection of technology, policy, and purpose-driven leadership, earning recognition as one of the 100 most exceptional entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs Builders + Innovators Summit. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown. #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Connection #Podcast

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Amie Fox. Together we explore: The business case for disability inclusion Work systems: design with human nature and user experience in mind What do I need people to know, feel, and do after this interaction? Moving beyond compliance to see, value & recognize others Progress, not perfection Resistance as fear Feedback culture Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @ 3pconflictrestoration. Amie Fox is a managing director, trainer and keynote speaker who helps founders, HR and operations leaders in growing organizations build practical people systems that improve employee engagement, manager confidence and business performance. She moved into this work after a portfolio career across communications, training, fundraising, corporate responsibility and operations exposed her to how differently people experience workplaces. A key turning point was struggling to find early employment as a visually impaired woman, which shaped her understanding of hidden barriers, workplace design and the importance of systems that help people perform at their best. Her credibility is grounded in recent and current roles: she set up A Fox Consulting, serves as a non-executive director at Vision Ireland, and has held senior CSR and operations roles at organizations including SCOPE Eyecare & Healthcare. Through her consulting, communications, fundraising and inclusion work, she has contributed to projects with organizations such as McDonald’s, Telefonica, Deloitte, Novartis, Abbott, Newstalk and John Sisk & Sons. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown.   #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Podcast

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Lynnae Brown. Together we explore: What kind of work and workplace is right for you? Orienting how to think about work Clear parameters in your work Developing standards that everyone knows What work can and can’t do for you Do you have to change your job to change how you feel at work? Assuming good intentions Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @3pconflictrestoration. Lynnae Brown is a work navigation strategist. She thinks we need another way to approach work. Something stealthier and sturdier - an approach where we navigate the workplace as it actually is, develop our own way of being inside it, and still do the job well. Lynnae has spent more than a decade in workforce development, thinking hard about what people needed in order to take care of themselves while working in a system that wouldn't. Most of that work was with people in mental health recovery - helping them move from service users to service providers, preparing them for workplaces that were often as hard to navigate as the conditions they'd survived. With enough distance, she finally saw the shape of the approach she’d been developing all along and developed three starting points for people who want to begin approaching work differently: 6 Questions offers prompts that help you examine what you actually bring to work, 6 Actions are ideas you can put into action now to create space between you and your job, and BOOT — Brown’s Organizational Orientation Theory approaches workplace disorientation as a structural condition rather than a personal failing. Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown. #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Connection #Podcast

This week on Conflict Managed we welcome Vladimir Baranov. Together we explore: How do you uncover what you want? Gathering context Setting expectations Developing leadership skills Role modeling Annoyance vs. pain at work Exposure to a variety of experiences Conflict Managed is available wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube @ 3pconflictrestoration   Vladimir Baranov is an Executive Coach for Founders and Technical Leaders with a track record of coaching and mentoring at U.S. and U.K. incubators and accelerators, specializing in launching, developing, and sustaining startups through a zero-to-one approach that transforms ideas into tangible businesses — including bridging the frequently misaligned worlds of business and technology. A serial entrepreneur, he founded three companies with successful exits in fintech and spacetech, and his experience across founder, CTO, COO, and CISO roles has given him a comprehensive perspective on scaling businesses through various funding stages and building optimal data and technology services. Vladimir holds MBAs from Columbia and London Business Schools and dual degrees in Computer Science and Computer Engineering from Stony Brook University, where his studies spanned software development and robotics. He remains deeply passionate about communication strategies, organizational and social behavior, and lifelong learning.   Conflict Managed is produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services and hosted by Merry Brown.   #ConflictManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Communication #Podcast #Confllict