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The Benefits of Being an Outsider
I’ve seen this time and time again—whether it’s working with librarians, coaching leaders, or even parenting my own daughter: who the...

Ariana Friedlander
Jul 313 min read


4 Ways to Know When a Hard Conversation is Actually Going Well
"I tried being truthful about what was on my mind and it blew up in my face." That's what a client recently said to me as we were...

Ariana Friedlander
Jul 175 min read


Part 3: The New Leadership Challenge - Why Emotional Intelligence Is Imperative
Thriving in a Complex World Requires More Than Smarts—It Requires Humanity Complexity Is the New Constant We are living in one of the...

Ariana Friedlander
Jun 54 min read


Part 2: The New Leadership Challenge - How to Stay Compassionate When You’re the Punching Bag
De-escalation, Boundaries, and Leadership on the Front Lines When the Frustration Isn’t Really About You After weeks of receiving...

Ariana Friedlander
May 293 min read


Part 1: The New Leadership Challenge - When the Wrong Inbox Gets the Right Lesson
What a Case of Mistaken Identity Revealed About Communication in Crisis At the start of this year, I found myself dealing with a very...

Ariana Friedlander
May 222 min read


The Simple Trick to Break Free from Circular Conversations
One of the things I love most (and yes, sometimes groan about) in my work as a leadership coach and facilitator is how quickly the root...

Ariana Friedlander
May 82 min read


When Mediation Feels Like Failure — And Why It’s Actually a Radical Act of Leadership
Let’s face it—conflict at work is uncomfortable. Whether it’s a simmering tension in a team meeting or a full-blown misunderstanding...

Ariana Friedlander
Apr 244 min read


Asserting Boundaries When Tested - Lessons from a 10 year old
My daughter has a friend who consistently illustrates just how hard it can be to hold a boundary. Recently, she told me about a...

Ariana Friedlander
Apr 34 min read


One Reason Why Asserting Effective Boundaries is Hard and What To Do About It
My 8 month old kitten has been significantly bigger than my 5 year old cat for the majority of the time we've had her. Despite that, the...

Ariana Friedlander
Dec 11, 20244 min read


What if he isn't lying?
The other day, I witnessed an unsettling scene - an older child physically assaulted another, while a third stood nearby. Later, when...

Ariana Friedlander
Nov 27, 20243 min read


Here's a simple trick to know it's time to speak up
It was the second night in a row I woke up at 2am unable to fall back asleep. I was ruminating about a situation. Playing a movie in my...

Ariana Friedlander
Nov 20, 20242 min read


Uncomfortable but Safe
Climbing the pole for the high ropes course, my palms were sweaty. I paused a few rungs up, took some deep breaths to steady my nerves...

Ariana Friedlander
Feb 1, 20225 min read
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