Claire Laughlin, MA
I am excited to share with you highlights from Leadership Trainer Claire Laughlin’s warm-hearted and insightful new podcast interview about The Five Keys to Conflict Resolution with expert trainer Maryse Postlewaite. Mastering these keys will help us to have better relationships and less stress throughout our lives.
Here’s what Claire has to say…
Think about the last time a conversation with someone important to you went sideways.
Your chest tightened. Your thinking got foggy. And you either went quiet — or came out swinging.
Neither was what you wanted. But in the moment, you couldn’t help it.
Here’s why: when we enter conflict, our brain can easily get hijacked. The thinking brain goes offline. And most of us are left navigating this complex human experience entirely on instinct.
Because most of us were never taught how to do this well. Sure, we know some rules:
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- Don’t yell
- Don’t call names
- Don’t go to bed angry
And at work, we’ve got policies.
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- Don’t say this.
- You can’t do that..
But that’s not the most useful when our brains are activated.
We need habits, practices and tools to help us show up as the leaders we want to be when it really counts.
My guest, Maryse Postlewaite, has spent decades building those tools. She’s a conflict resolution expert, a certified Montessori educator, and the creator of the Conflict Resolution Fundamentals course — a self-paced program built around five keys that help us navigate the complexities of conflict with more presence and grace.
In our conversation, Maryse shares her Five Keys to Conflict Resolution — a practical framework built around the internal tools leaders need most:
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- Trust & Affirmations — Build rapport consistently, not just when things go sideways. Try starting meetings with: “If you really knew me, you’d know…”
- Cooperation — Practice being open to other people’s ideas so when conflict arises, the muscle is already there.
- Communication — The words we use don’t always mean what we think they mean — and unpacking that gap is powerful.
- Perspective-Taking — Your lived experience shapes how you see every situation; learning to notice your unique perspective and the perspectives of others changes everything.
- Neuroscience — When we’re triggered, our thinking brain goes offline. Knowing this — and asking for a pause — is a skill we can all develop and one that helps you stay calm.
And what I love most about this conversation is that Maryse isn’t handing us a rigid roadmap. She’s giving us something better — a way of being that makes us more prepared, more grounded, and more connected long before things go sideways.
We talk about why a five-minute investment before a conflict escalates is worth more than any script.
Why the words we use rarely mean what we think they mean.
And what it sounds like to lead with authenticity when you’re not sure how a hard conversation is going to go.
Our conversation is practical, warm, and truly helpful.
To go deeper, listen to the full episode, The Five Keys to Conflict Resolution with Maryse Postlewaite, now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Back to Irene…
Do you want to learn more about how to use and teach conflict resolution skills? In collaboration with our Safetypowers Learning Center production team, Maryse created a self-paced on-line Conflict Resolution Fundamentals course that includes live sessions, teaching videos, role-plays, and descriptions for over 30 interactive, fun, engaging activities.
As many of you know, Claire Laughlin is a dynamic and engaging leadership and communication Trainer and Consultant who uses experiential, innovative, and transformative methods to help business leaders, organizations, and teams create high-energy high-trust workplaces.
I know you will enjoy listening to these two remarkable women on Claire’s podcast.
Published: March 25, 2026 | Last Updated: March 25, 2026