4 Powerful Ways to Make Conflict Less Stressful | Dr. Joel Salinas and Bob Bordone

Conflict is all around us – yet we’re taught to avoid it at all costs. In a world that can sometimes feel like conflict is all-or-nothing, Dr. Joel Salinas and Bob Bordone propose a radically different mindset: one of conflict resilience. This week, we sit down with them to discuss their groundbreaking book – Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In, which blends neuroscience, psychology, and decades of experience into a deeply human approach to handling disagreement.

Joel, a neurologist and brain researcher, explains how our brains are wired to receive conflict as a threat, which then triggers our reflexive reactions like fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or fester. Bob, a seasoned conflict resolution expert, brings real-world examples and frameworks that help us interrupt these patterns and build a healthier, more nuanced approach to disagreement. Their work teaches us that we don’t need to ‘win’ – we must strengthen our relationships through self-awareness, deep listening, and embracing discomfort.

Whether you’re navigating high-stakes conversations at work, tricky family dynamics, or political debates, this episode offers empowering tools to shift your default response to conflict. It’s not about avoiding disagreement—it’s about growing through it.

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