What to Say When Things Get Tough

Welcome to our 10th episode! This week, Dr. Alan Snyder, a physical therapist in New York City, talks about how he handles difficult communication challenges with his patients. I even manage to solicit a little free medical advice from Dr. Snyder that I think will be helpful to anyone who needs a doctor. If you need a physical therapist and you live in the NYC area, you can find Dr. Snyder on his...

Some of the most difficult conversations take place between medical professionals and their patients. In this first part of a two-part episode, patient advocate and long-time surgical nurse Antra Kathleen Boyd talks about how we can better manage those conversations and achieve the best possible outcome for everyone involved. And next week, physician Alan Snyder will join us to give us a health ca...

If you’re like me, doctor appointments may fill you with dread – especially if you’re experiencing a serious medical condition. Those conversation are among the most difficult many of us will experience, for both patients and doctors. But fear not! Our guest today is Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene, a hematologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University. Toyosi explains how doctors approach th...

Our guest today is Izolda Trakhtenberg, and expert in communicating in difficult situations and a sought-after speaker, educator, and coach for businesses and organizations looking to thrive. And as you'll learn, while we just met last week, we've run in the same circles for many years. You can learn more about Izolda on her website at www.izoldaspeaks.com . There you can read her blog, access her...

Today we wrap up my conversation with Deborah Driggs, insurance agent, mother, former model and actress, and Playboy’s centerfold in March 1990. We discuss the role that fear plays when communicating in difficult situations. Deborah also shares how she learned not to take no for an answer as a senior in high school when she convinced her high school government teacher to let her pass a class she h...

Our guest today is Victoria Broehm, senior director of communications at the American Feed Industry Association . AFIA is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to representing the U.S. animal food industry and its suppliers. That puts AFIA and Victoria right in the middle of a diverse array of ongoing issues and sudden crises. Victoria shares a ton of practical advice on managing is...

I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I would bring you an encore presentation of my most popular episode to date. The guest is Jeffrey Dean, actor, speaker and transformational life coach. We'll be back in two weeks with an all-new episode. Enjoy!! Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art. As always, send questio...

You're in for a real treat today because our guest is Tom Logue, my colleague at AKCG - Public Relations Counselors and the firm's director of crisis communications. Tom spends his days - and sometimes his nights - helping our clients navigate crises of every imaginable flavor. In just 30 minutes, he shares a lot about how organizations can navigate crises successfully with careful planning, prepa...

Welcome to the 60th original episode of What to Say When Things Get Tough! We're joined today by Simon Rinne, an Australian therapist who specializes in helping men work through mental health challenges like burnout, depression and substance abuse. We talk about how Simon decided to help others after struggling with his own mental health issues, and he walks us through the best way to approach som...

Our guest today is Lorraine Segal, a communication and conflict teacher, coach and consultant. Lorraine works with non-profits and corporations to help them resolve workplace conflicts. She shares some of the best practices that sh's picked up along the way, including how she has learned to forgive herself and others -- and how that has helped to minimize the conflict she experiences in her own li...

Alyssa Sullinger joins us today to talk about her work as a licensed therapist who specializes in helping high-achieving individuals remove toxic relationships, exhaustion and burnout from their lives so they can become more empowered, decisive and in control. You can learn more about Alyssa and the services she provides at www.alyssasullinger.com . Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at www.jimium...

We wrap up our encore in-depth look at the CODE for trust and credibility by exploring the role the dedication and expertise play in helping people determine whether you're a trustworthy and credible source of information. And please look for a Best Of replay of the episode entitled The Credibility Gender Gap, which I think will be even more interesting now that we've completed our journey through...

As promised, here is the encore episode where we discuss the "O" in the CODE for credibility. The need to be open and honest may be obvious, but it can still trip you up in a difficult situation. In this episode, we discuss how to bolster this portion of your overall CODE score. Plus, I answer a question from a listener that I get all the time from family and friends: Is President Trump a trustwor...

My apologies for not getting a new episode up last week. To make it up to you, I'm going to re- publish four episodes from way back at the beginning of What to Say When Things Get Tough on the four elements of the CODE for Credibility, beginning today with C Is for Caring. I'll re-publish the other three this week and next, leading up to an all-new episode on Thursday, October 27. Enjoy! All the u...

I’m very excited about this first original episode of our third season because our guest is my good friend and long-time colleague, Howard Menaker. Howard spent 18 years as a public relations and public affairs manager for Bechtel Corporation, the global engineering and construction giant. While we start off talking about lessons that Howard learned over the course of his career about the most eff...

Welcome to Season 3 of What to Say When Things Get Tough! We kick off this season with a re-broadcast of a podcast I joined as a guest over the summer. Amy Stone, an expert in successfully navigating the often turbulent waters associated with blended families, held a back-to-school summit and, because I’m a member of a very large blended family, she invited me to discuss how my fiancé and I handle...

Our guest today is Jeffery Davis, actor, speaker and transformational life coach. Before I could even hit “record,” Jeffery got right to the heart of the matter when it comes to breaking through and connecting with people who may be angry, worried and suspicious of what you have to say. So, we jump right into our conversation without the usual pleasantries. During the interview Jeffery mentions th...

Our guest today is Jeffery Davis, actor, speaker and transformational life coach. Before I could even hit “record,” Jeffery got right to the heart of the matter when it comes to breaking through and connecting with people who may be angry, worried and suspicious of what you have to say. So, we jump right into our conversation without the usual pleasantries. During the interview Jeffery mentions th...

As a bonus for my listeners, I'm re-sharing my episode of Your Ultimate Life with Kellan Fluckiger. I published my recording of the episode back on May 5, but this version features all of Kellan's bells and whistles. Enjoy!

As a bonus for my listeners, I'm re-sharing my episode of Your Ultimate Life with Kellan Fluckiger. I published my recording of the episode back on May 5, but this version features all of Kellan's bells and whistles. Enjoy!

Covid caught up with me last week, and while it was a very mild case and I'm fully recovered, I didn't have a chance to record and edit a new episode. Instead, I'm bringing back the most popular episode of the past year. The guest is Matt Stait, a Welsh national and martial arts expert who used his skills to overcome a difficult childhood and become a successful competitor, bodyguard, teacher and...

Covid caught up with me last week, and while it was a very mild case and I'm fully recovered, I didn't have a chance to record and edit a new episode. Instead, I'm bringing back the most popular episode of the past year. The guest is Matt Stait, a Welsh national and martial arts expert who used his skills to overcome a difficult childhood and become a successful competitor, bodyguard, teacher and...

Our guest today is Geoff Seow, founder of MindAxis Life Coaching . Geoff joins us from Down Under to talk about how he found meaning in life from working with his fellow millennials -- to help them, as he describes it, bridge the present day to their dream reality. Along the way we talk about Geoff’s twist on the golden rule: rather than treat people as you would want to be treated, treat them as...

Our guest today is Geoff Seow, founder of MindAxis Life Coaching . Geoff joins us from Down Under to talk about how he found meaning in life from working with his fellow millennials -- to help them, as he describes it, bridge the present day to their dream reality. Along the way we talk about Geoff’s twist on the golden rule: rather than treat people as you would want to be treated, treat them as...

A quick show note: The episode today is coming to you a capella as I have not figured out how to transfer our original music over from my old laptop to my new one. Our guest today is Monique Russell, an executive coach, leadership guru, communication expert, and the founder of Clear Communication Solutions. We cover a wide range of issues, including overcoming adversity, presenting to people who y...