The Art and Science of Difficult Conversations

In this inspiring interview, Tina Pullous Kraus shares her transformative journey from burnout and personal struggles to becoming a transformation trainer. Discover practical insights on emotional intelligence, authentic leadership, and how to create lasting change in your life and relationships.

Chapters

00:00 From Burnout to Bliss: A Personal Journey

04:54 Generational Healing and Transformation

10:18 Awareness and Emotional Intelligence

13:47 Difficult Conversations: Starting with Ourselves

18:18 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Shame

23:11 Redefining Leadership: Collaboration Over Control

25:05 Defining Core Values

Resources & Links

Tina Paulus Krause - Official Website

Your Leadership Legacy Podcast

Connect with Tina:

LinkedIn

Website

Contact us:

Email – [email protected]

Chris – https://www.myleadershippotential.com | www.linkedin.com/in/chriswonglmhc | download the Difficult Conversation Playbook for Leaders

Lucie – www.mindfittery.com | www.linkedin.com/in/lucietesarova and take the Saboteur Assessment

In our follow up to last week’s episode, Ashley and Chris continue talking about navigating difficult conversations, especially when dealing with friends or family in a professional setting. Especially when they start bringing things back up or get more defensive, it can feel like you’re on the edge of losing an employee AND a friend. Hear how Ashley walks us through:

- How to address underperformance in friends or family.

- How to maintain your humanity to be an effective leader.

- How to set clear boundaries and expectations prevent future conflicts.

- How to use empathy and understanding to resolve issues with friends or family.

- How to take ownership to turn problems into opportunities for growth.



About Ashley

Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP is a leadership mentor for ambitious women business owners who have a team but no time. She empowers them to become courageous and confident leaders, and build high-performance teams they can trust and rely on (without constantly chasing them to get things done). Ashley is also a sought-after speaker, author of the book Transform Your Stories, and host of The Impact Ripple Podcast



Connect with Ashley

Website: www.ashleycox.co

Book: www.ashleycox.co/transform

Podcast: www.ashleycox.co/podcast

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyncox

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleycox.co

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleycox.co



Contact us:

Email – [email protected]

Chris – https://www.myleadershippotential.com | www.linkedin.com/in/chriswonglmhc | download the Difficult Conversation Playbook for Leaders

Lucie – www.mindfittery.com | www.linkedin.com/in/lucietesarova and take the Saboteur Assessment

In this week’s interview, Ashley Cox, a leadership mentor and expert in women in business, joins Chris to share her insights on leadership, gender dynamics, and building successful, people-centered businesses. Lucie, unfortunately couldn’t make it, but Ashley and Chris still had a great time talking about the specific barriers that women face. Together, Ashley talks about:

How to balance profitability with compassion

The unique barriers that women face

How to reframe some of the mindsets women are raised with

About Ashley

Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP is a leadership mentor for ambitious women business owners who have a team but no time. She empowers them to become courageous and confident leaders, and build high-performance teams they can trust and rely on (without constantly chasing them to get things done). Ashley is also a sought-after speaker, author of the book Transform Your Stories, and host of The Impact Ripple Podcast

Connect with Ashley

Website: www.ashleycox.co

Book: www.ashleycox.co/transform

Podcast: www.ashleycox.co/podcast

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyncox

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleycox.co

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleycox.co



Contact us:

Email – [email protected]

Chris – https://www.myleadershippotential.com | www.linkedin.com/in/chriswonglmhc | download the Difficult Conversation Playbook for Leaders

Lucie – www.mindfittery.com | www.linkedin.com/in/lucietesarova and take the Saboteur Assessment

If last week was helpful (or if you didn’t watch it, go back now and listen!), this week kicks it up to the next level. In part 2 of their conversation with Laura Morgan, she helps us navigate some tricky situations:

- What if someone is yelling at you?

- What if they start crying?

- What if they’re using crying intentionally to manipulate and get out of consequences?

- What if they keep harping on “how things used to be”?

Laura is the real deal, and she gives us some great strategies to navigate the hardest situations.

About Laura

Laura Morgan began her career as a psychotherapist, where she developed a deep understanding of human behavior, transformation, and the conditions that allow people to grow and thrive. That clinical foundation continues to shape her work today, informing a leadership approach grounded in empathy, insight, and intentional design. Laura is currently the Director of Human Resources at Meketa Investment Group, where she partners with senior leaders to shape talent strategy, compensation philosophy, and organizational culture. She is passionate about building systems and environments where clarity, trust, and purpose enable both people and organizations to reach their full potential.

Contact Laura:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-m-morgan/

Contact us:

Email – [email protected]

Chris – https://www.myleadershippotential.com | www.linkedin.com/in/chriswonglmhc | download the Difficult Conversation Playbook for Leaders

Lucie – www.mindfittery.com | www.linkedin.com/in/lucietesarova and take the Saboteur Assessment

One of the most common questions we get is “how do we manage the emotions that inevitably come up in difficult conversations?” And our guest this week, Laura Morgan, knows exactly how to deal with it. With a background as a mental health therapist and now as an HR Director, she’s no stranger to heavy emotions in difficult situations of all kinds. But, as she describes it – emotions aren’t a bad thing, and we need to learn how to lean into them. Laura walks us through how:

- Emotions are data, not obstacles, in conversations.

- Preparing for the emotional aspects is as just as important as the content.

- Ownership of emotions involves acknowledgment and responsibility.

- Pausing and grounding techniques help regulate emotional responses

- People aren’t robots, and while we don’t have to dig into every aspect of their personal lives, we have to acknowledge what makes them human.

About Laura

Laura is Director of HR at Meketa Investment Group. She’s passionate about reshaping organizational landscapes, bringing a holistic approach to shaping organizational dynamics. Her journey from a psychotherapist to HR leadership has equipped her with a profound understanding of human behavior, resilience, and growth.

Laura holds dual US/UK citizenship, bringing a global perspective to leadership and is dedicated to creating workplaces where every voice is heard and valued.



Contact Laura:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-m-morgan/

Contact us:

Email – [email protected]

Chris – https://www.myleadershippotential.com | www.linkedin.com/in/chriswonglmhc | download the Difficult Conversation Playbook for Leaders

Lucie – www.mindfittery.com | www.linkedin.com/in/lucietesarova and take the Saboteur Assessment