Episode 1: Conflict Avoidance, Confrontation, and Myths About Conflict

Welcome to the first episode of the Complex Everyday Conflicts podcast series!

In this episode, I discuss my own ideas about and curiosities related to conflict, and why this series might be something you’ll want to listen to, whether you consider yourself to be conflict avoidant or confrontational or something in between.

I dive deep in this episode and address various myths about conflict, such as:

1. Conflict means violence

2. Conflict always leads to loss

3. Conflict should be avoided

4. Conflict is an external event

5. Conflict is something only some people can handle well

6. Leaning into conflict is a bad/wrong thing to do

Because I cover all of this and more, this episode is a bit long, so feel free to skip over the first ten minutes in which I introduce myself and the series (you can also learn more in my introduction post), or to break your listening up into a few sessions.

I would love this series to be a dialogue with you, so please leave a comment on this post to share your responses.

And if you enjoyed this first episode, I would really appreciate if you would share it with others! You can also leave me a tip if you wish.

As promised in the episode, here are links to some resources I mention and to explore further:

• The ‘polarization’ distraction, from the Othering and Belonging Institute

• Cass Sunstein on how social change happens, from The 80,000 Hours Podcast

• The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves by Shawn A. Ginwright PhD

• Radical Candor from Kim Scott

• Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Cares

• Introduction to the Enneagram, from Caroline Myss and Robert Holden

• Dr. Dan Siegel on reframing threats as challenges