In this episode Gary Friedman traces the evolution of mediation from a people-centered alternative to a lawyer-dominated process, explaining how courts and legal culture turned voluntary mediation into mandatory settlement practices. He describes the understanding-based model that returns decision-making to the parties, while showing how lawyers and the law can support - rather than control - constructive, creative agreements.

Friedman offers practical takeaways for mediators and attorneys: how to keep clients at the center, use legal input as a helpful reference, expand what’s negotiable so the “pie” grows, and find professional and personal satisfaction in fostering durable, human-centered resolutions.

Welcome to The Other Chair. Today, we’re exploring a familiar challenge in professional life - workplace conflict. Whether it’s friction between coworkers, breakdowns in communication, or tension between managers and team members, conflict at work can take a toll on trust, collaboration, and productivity.

Our guest is Pat Lau, a longtime workplace mediator, conflict resolution trainer, and co-founder of Intel’s Collaborative Mediation Program. From 2010 to 2024, Pat helped develop and lead one of the few in-house workplace mediation programs inside a major global corporation. His work with Intel's teams, peer managers, and leaders helped address difficult conflicts in a way that encouraged understanding instead of blame.

On this episode of The Other Chair, we are diving into the intersection of emotional intelligence, mediation, and joy, and how empathy can transform even the most challenging conversations into opportunities for connection.

Our guest is Misha Safran, trilingual mediator, keynote speaker, educator, and founder of the Center for Empathy and Emotional Intelligence. In this episode, Misha shares how empathy and emotional intelligence can help us build cultures in workplaces, classrooms, and communities where conflict is not feared but embraced as a path to deeper understanding and connection.

Explore the transformative potential of understanding and navigating conflict in a healthier way. In this episode, Amanda Ripley, a New York Times bestselling author and co-founder of Good Conflict, shares her insights on how conflict can be not just managed but truly transformed.

Join us in examining how personal insights can lead to broader systemic change, especially in educational and journalistic contexts, making strides towards a society less manipulated by 'conflict entrepreneurs'. Learn how to shift from polarized conflict to 'the right fights' that matter for personal, familial, and societal growth.

In this episode of the Other Chair, guest Eva Kaul explores the fascinating connection between personal and professional conflict dynamics, how unresolved family conflicts can manifest in workplace relationships, and the transformative role of mediation in fostering healthier, more collaborative teams.

Eva is a mediator and trainer specializing in family conflict and workplace mediation with years of experience working with companies in Germany—from small businesses to corporate settings she brings a unique perspective to integrating the structure of mediation into professional environments.

In this episode of The Other Chair, guest Ian Warburg shares two vastly different mediation experiences—each offering a window into what conflict resolution can be, for better or worse.

The first mediation, guided by a CUC-trained mediator, was a journey of healing and mutual recognition. The second, a divorce process managed by a legal-financial team using separate sessions, left wounds and widened divides. Ian’s story is both intimate and instructive—an invitation to reimagine how we navigate conflict when the stakes are high and the relationships are real.

In this episode of The Other Chair, we explore how legal professionals in New York can integrate mediation into their practice, the path to becoming a mediator in New York, including the required training and next steps for joining court rosters, and how mediation techniques—like looping and understanding the dynamic—can enhance client relationships, improve litigation strategies, and support negotiations with opposing counsel.

Our guests, Antoinette Delruelle and Joy S. Rosenthal, Esq., bring years of experience as mediators and attorneys in New York. They’ll also share details about an upcoming opportunity to receive Part 146-approved mediation training through the Center for Understanding in Conflict’s 40-Hour Conflict Resolution and Matrimonial Mediation Training in June 2025, designed specifically for practitioners looking to deepen their skills and qualify for court rosters.

In this episode of The Other Chair we welcome guests Cassie Lively, Executive Director of the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) in Chicago, and D.G. Mawn, President of the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM).

Cassie leads one of the country’s most impactful community mediation organizations, working to provide free and accessible mediation services throughout Cook County, Illinois, while D.G. brings a national perspective on mediation, advocating for community-based conflict resolution programs and ensuring that local peacemakers have the resources, training, and support they need to thrive.

In this episode, we’ll explore the history of their organizations and the role of community mediation with practical steps for those looking to get involved in this essential work.