Julie Gurner

How great leaders approach hard conversations

Dr. Julie Gurner

Executive performance coach & Founder of leading newsletter "Ultra Successful"

Having hard conversations is essential to building anything great...and avoiding them will make things worse.

Learn when to have hard conversations

Shift from "Me vs. You" to "Us vs. Problem" positioning to move from being adversaries to being collaborators.

How to position your conversation to avoid defensiveness

Allowing things to drag on takes up headspace and has you carrying unresolved problems for far too long.

Mentally overcome hesitations

Build Executive Visibility with self-advocacy, assertiveness, influence, conflict, being strategic & navigating organizational dynamics 

 Global VP(ex-IBM); $2B P&L; 2000+ team

Palantir

Google

Microsoft

Amazon

Monica Aggarwal

Executive Leadership I Global VP (ex-IBM) I Engineering, Product & Partnerships

Cohort 12

Cohort 13

You’re already good at your job. That’s not the problem. The problem is this. AI is reshaping how teams work. Roles are shrinking. Layers are flattening. The bar for leadership is rising. The people who advance aren't just the most competent. They're the ones who act like leaders before they get the title. In high-stakes meetings, under pressure, in front of senior leaders, someone is getting that opportunity — because they know how to frame, influence, and command trust in 30 seconds flat. Those skills aren’t taught anywhere. This cohort changes that.Zero passive videos Zero generic advice 9+ hours of Live Practice Lab Every Session includes:• Live role-play using real scenarios • Direct coaching and reframing on the spot • Immediate feedback on language, structure, and delivery • Bite-sized frameworks you can use rightaway • Peer observation (learn 5x faster watching others get coached) What you’ll walk away able to do✔ Frame updates so execs get your impact in 30 seconds ✔ Answer tough questions without rambling ✔ Influence decisions in cross-functional teams ✔ Handle conflict without losing composure ✔ Navigate org dynamics without playing dirty ✔ Make your work impossible to ignore

Own the room. Move the C-suite. Shape the outcome.

How to Advocate for Yourself - Own your story

How to Be Assertive - Lead with conviction, not compliance

How to Influence Without Authority - Get things done when power is distributed

How to Manage Conflict: Handle heat w/o losing your cool

How to Be a Strategic Leader: For clarity & foresight

Navigate Organizational Dynamics - Understand the game & elevate your impact 

You are a Leader of People - Founder, Entrepreneur, CXO, VP, Senior Director, Director, Senior Manager, etc.

Senior Individual Contributors (ICs) - Product Manager, Engineer, Marketing/ Finance/Technical lead, Program/ Project Manager &amp; UX/CX Lead

New In Your Role and looking to develop Executive Visibility right at the outset (Congrats!)

Avoiding Conflict Is Not Neutral. It Is a Strategy.

Decision Researcher, Speaker, Founder

University of Bath

Dr Shah

Decision Strategist | Speaker | Founder-Educator

Cohort 1

You did not get to where you are by avoiding hard things. You got here by being thoughtful, fair, and willing to do work others would not. So when you find yourself postponing a conversation, softening a difficult message, or working around someone instead of confronting them, it does not feel like avoidance. It feels like patience. Like reading the room. Like being the reasonable one.That is exactly the problem.The co-founder conversation you have deferred for months. The team member whose performance you keep accommodating. The boundary you have not set with your biggest client. The feedback you soften until it carries no weight. Each one looks like wisdom from inside your reasoning. Each one is quietly compounding into a bigger version of the same conflict, with higher stakes and less room to manoeuvre.This workshop is for senior professionals, founders, and leaders who have noticed the pattern in themselves and want to do something about it. You will learn to recognise when fear of conflict has shaped a decision, see the cost the avoidance is producing, and walk away with protocols to intercept the next avoidance before it becomes the next crisis.

Students learn to recognise when fear of conflict is shaping their strategy, intercept the avoidance, and lead the conversations they avoid

You will recognise fear of conflict shaping a decision before you make it

You will map exactly what you are protecting in your current avoidances

The protocols that intercept avoidance before it becomes a decision

You bring one specific conversation, decision, or relationship you have been postponing and are ready to look at honestly

A current avoidance you are willing to examine

You can hold the possibility that what you have been calling patience or strategic timing may also be quiet avoidance

Willingness to see your own pattern

You can engage with a six-stage decision framework and apply it to your own situation rather than asking for prescriptive advice

Comfort with frameworks and structured thinking

The Founder Who Built It With Someone

The Senior Leader Who Inherited the Team

The Senior Professional or Partner Who Does Not Want to Be Difficult

Strengthen inner confidence, inspire others, and sharpen leadership skills through hands-on exercises and real-world tools

Leadership Coach 

Ha Tran

Founder, Ex-Google, Chief of Staff, U.S Department of State Professional fellow

Cohort 3

In high-stakes moments, three things show up at once: 1. what you know is true2. what it might cost3. what you think you should do Most people try to resolve this by thinking harder or speaking better.It does not work. Because the problem is not clarity. The problem is authority. When no one is clearly leading, you: - hesitate even when you know the answer- over-explain to justify your position- say something, then walk it back- leave conversations feeling misaligned This is not a confidence issue. It is a governance issue. What changes after this workshop- You speak without over-explaining or softening your position- You make decisions faster without needing full certainty- You stop negotiating against yourself in real time- You handle pushback without collapsing or escalating- You stay aligned with your decision after the conversation ends This workshop is for you if: - You know what you want to say, but change it in the moment- You make decisions, then second-guess them after- You feel tension between what is true and what is acceptable- You are seen as capable, but do not feel fully in control under pressureMaximum 20 people/workshop to keep it intimate and practical.

You are not confused. You are running multiple leaders.

Make decisions under pressure without internal conflict

Senior leaders and managers looking to lead with conviction and assurance.

High-performing professionals who want to build stronger, more confident leadership skills.

Emerging leaders who seek to develop self-assurance, overcome self-doubt, and project confidence in high-stakes situations.

Great leaders mentor, coach, and inspire. This course teaches you how to lead through trust and bring out the best in your team.

Leadership & Career Coach

Stefano Paolinelli

Certified Life Coach | Management, Notre Dame | Positive Psychology, Oxford

Most managers are trained to direct, control, and evaluate. But the best leaders do something different, they create the conditions for their people to thrive, speak up, and take ownership.This course is for anyone who wants to lead with purpose, build a team that performs at its best, and make a real impact, on their organization and the people in it.You will learn how to build psychological safety so people feel safe to speak up and take risks. You will develop the courage to lead with vulnerability and honesty. And you will discover how to give your team real ownership - not just tasks - so that they are invested in outcomes.

Great leaders mentor, coach, and inspire.

Build psychological safety so your team speaks up and takes risks

Lead with courage, honesty, and vulnerability in every interaction

Develop a coaching mindset that empowers your people to grow

Shift your team from compliance to genuine commitment and ownership

Have difficult conversations that build trust, not damage it

Transform your style from manager to inspiring leader

Managers who feel stuck in command-and-control mode and want to lead differently

Emerging leaders who want to build trust and inspire their team from day one

Senior leaders who want to create a high-performance culture rooted in trust

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Everyone

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Customer Success

Project Managers

HR Professionals

Sales People

Lawyers

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Educators

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Executives and senior leaders who set strategy, lead teams, and drive organizational outcomes.

Developing leadership skills — inspiring teams, building culture, navigating organizational complexity, and driving results through others.

Day-to-day people management — 1:1s, feedback, performance management, hiring, and team operations.

How great leaders approach hard conversations

What you'll learn

Why this topic matters

You'll learn from

Dr. Julie Gurner