When someone we love is struggling, our instinct is often to fix, reassure, or advise — but resonance almost always has to come first. In this episode, Katherine responds to a client question about how to offer resonance instead of advice, even in our closest relationships, where the stakes (and the temptation to fix) run highest.

She walks through what resonance actually sounds like, how to sit with your own impulse to advise before you can set it aside, and why asking consent before offering resonance matters more than most of us realize. Along the way: a moment with an old friend grappling with grief, two unexpected metaphors (one involving flashlights, one echolocation), and a reminder that resonance doesn't require getting it perfect — just staying curious.

Movement elder Bernice Johnson Reagon wrote: “You don’t go into coalition because you like it. The only reason you would consider trying to team up with somebody who could possibly kill you is because that it is the only way you can figure that you can stay alive.”

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Christine Petit to talk about what it actually takes to build coalitions that work — even through all the frustrating people dynamics.
We talk about honoring the competitive part of ourselves instead of judging it away, why territoriality isn't a character flaw but a survival response, the small glimmers that keep us going when the big wins are slow to come, and why setting precedent is such a crucial lever for lasting change.

If you're grappling with conflict in your coalition work, or want to build the partnerships your movement actually needs to win, this conversation is for you.
Guest: Dr. Christine Petit — organizational consultant, interim executive, and leadership coach with more than two decades of experience building and strengthening mission-driven organizations and coalitions. A sociologist by training, she supports leaders at the intersections of social change, organizational development, and personal growth.

https://www.drchristinepetit.com

What does it actually cost to be honest — and how do you decide if it's worth it?

In this episode of Conflict Decoded, I sit down with Michelle MiJung Kim — award-winning author of The Wake Up, globally recognized speaker, and host of the podcast I Feel That Way Too — for a conversation about courage, honesty, and the distance between our values and our choices.

Michelle shares what happened when she spoke out publicly about the genocide in Gaza and lost almost all of her business. She reflects on the weight of friendships where silence felt like an answer, and what it took to stay true to herself when the stakes were high.

Together we explore how to get honest with yourself about how much risk you can handle, how positionality shapes what courage looks like, and how we might create conditions where more of us can take courageous steps — together.

What do you truly value? And what might you be willing to give up to honor it?