Skillful Requests & Feedback

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Struggling to communicate effectively in a challenging situation?

It is possible to ask for what you want, say no to what you don’t, and have hard conversations in ways that actually deepen trust. Most of us just don’t learn how.

Instead, the ways we often deal with conflict—avoidance, confrontation, passive aggression, and abandoning our own needs to placate others—further damage our relationships.

If you want to grow the skills of giving and receiving feedback, asking you what you need, and addressing the hard stuff with clarity and confidence, I invite you to join me for my upcoming course—Skillful Requests & Feedback.

Hi, I’m Katherine, PCC, MBA (she/her).

For over thirteen years, I’ve coached changemakers who come to me burned out and wondering whether they should stay in their current work or leave. Many confide that they’re struggling with their intimate partnerships as well.

Most of my clients have a pattern of over-functioning and over-caretaking for others. To identify their next steps in their work and/or relationship, they need to learn to speak up for what they need. When they learn to do this, many fall back in love with their current work or partner. And when they’re unable to transform these dynamics, they gain the peace of mind of knowing they’ve done their best.

In this course, I’ll teach the principles and practices I’ve come to rely on to help my clients ask for what they want, give (and receive!) feedback, and have the hard conversations with clarity and confidence.

large image of Katherine for the New Years Retreat

I depend on these practices myself to navigate the sometimes drama-filled landscape of city politics and to maintain a collaborative co-parenting relationship with my son’s father, one of my proudest accomplishments.

With practice, the principles and practices I teach in this course can transform your relationships and life, too. If this sounds like something you need, I hope you’ll join me.

Learning to get clear about my needs helped me to listen better to other people’s underlying needs and requests, too. As a result, I am a better facilitator. I now help others articulate what they need and choose a response that supports our long-term vision. When other people’s emotions run high, I’m able to step back, remember what is important, and understand the other person’s underlying need.

I now have a much easier time getting out of the weeds and staying centered around our priorities and my true motivations. I no longer get hijacked by other people’s agendas or judgments, and I no longer ignore my needs to please others. I am fascinated and appreciative that the skills I acquired help me to maintain a compassionate view of others AND take better care of my own needs.

Adrienne, Municipal Policy Advocate

Here’s what you’ll learn in the course:

Module 1: Creating Containers for Trust & Support

Build feedback-rich cultures where genuine connections thrive. Listen to help others feel understood. And transform transactional interactions into genuine connections, even in the challenging moments.

Module 2: Getting Clear About What is Really Needed

Identify your true needs and communicate them effectively. Access empathy, even when you’re irritated. And grow the self-awareness necessary for wise decision-making and communication.

Module 3: Breaking Free from the Blame Trap

Calm your nervous system when you get activated. Identify the core issues underlying the tension. And prevent the poison of blame from destroying your relationships.

Module 4: Making Requests That Get a Yes & Handling Nos with Skill

Set up conversations for success. Ask for help in ways that are more likely to receive a positive response. And say no in ways that don’t harm your relationships.

Module 5: Diffusing Defensiveness & Building Shared Understanding

Give and receive feedback in ways that transform defensiveness into collaboration. Bring people with different perspectives together on the same page. And lay the groundwork to find lasting solutions to conflict.

Module 6: Staying Focused on What Matters Most

Stay focused on your priorities even amid tension.

Plan to continue integrating course insights into your life to support your relationships and work.

Katherine helped me become a more confident leader. I’ve slowed down, connected my intuition, and gained real-life skills in cross-cultural communication, grounded decision-making, and supervision. I am more able to quiet my inner critic and manage a satisfying work-life balance. I have grown not only as a professional, but also as a person, a daughter, a mother, and a friend.

Beth, Child Welfare Consultant

What’s Included:

CLASSES: The class is typically six weeks, two hours per class.

RECORDINGS: Yes! The classes will be recorded and sent out the next business day if you can’t be there live.

WORKSHEETS: In addition to the live teaching and coaching, you’ll receive worksheets that walk you through the practices and exercises you learn. That way, you can keep practicing into the future.

ACCESSIBILITY: This course requires internet access. All classes are in English. Zoom captioning/transcription is automatically available for each class. If you have additional access needs, please reach out to me at katherine@callingsandcourage.com.

COST: $250 USD. 50% BIPOC scholarship available. Payment plan available.

 

I cared deeply about my work and the students I served, but I seemed to lack certain mysterious supervisory skills.

With Katherine’s support, week after week, I noticed positive shifts in my perspective and leadership skills. I got clear about the kind of leader I want to be, connected to my inner wisdom, learned to trust myself to make important decisions, and developed the skills to empower and guide my staff.

I now approach challenging dynamics with clearer direction and confidence. I’m far more grounded in my choices at work and in the rest of my life.

Meghan, Youth Worker

Skillful Requests & Feedback will teach you the skills needed to:

  • Manage Your Reactions: Recognize when you’re triggered, pause, calm your nervous system, and choose more effective responses to address the challenging dynamics with ease.
  • Cultivate Clarity and Confidence: Uncover your unconscious projections to see what’s really happening and focus on what you and others truly need.
  • Nurture Genuine Connection: Cultivate a habit of presence and appreciation, listen in ways that build trust, and shift from blame and judgment to care and curiosity.
  • Say No to What Does Not Serve You: Honor your boundaries in ways that strengthen connection and identify when it’s time to transform relationships.
  • Navigate Conflict with Care: Listen for the root of disagreements, honor positive intent while focusing on impact, and find creative, lasting solutions.

If you want to transform challenging dynamics in any situation—at work, at home, or in your community—the skills you’ll learn in this course can help. I rely on them in all areas of my life, from parenting to policymaking.

People dynamics can be so hard. But they don’t have to be. If you want to transform challenging dynamics in any situation—at work, at home, or in your community—the skills you’ll learn in this course will help. I rely on them in all areas of my life, from parenting to policymaking.

I hope you’ll join us and grow the confidence and clarity you’ve been longing for.

The communication skills Katherine taught me have been life-changing. I came to her after receiving hard-to-hear feedback on a 360 evaluation. I needed to learn how to slow down, listen better, incorporate others’ views and suggestions, and put people before process, especially when facing deadlines and time pressure.

Working with Katherine, I made great strides in self-management. When I experience conflict or angst in a relationship now, I separate facts from stories and identify my and others’ unmet needs. I am much more comfortable with unresolved conflict and far more able to show up with care, curiosity, and compassion first. My team of six stakeholders all reported witnessing these shifts as well!

Jane, Assistant VP at an Academic Medical Center

If you’re ready to…

  • Stop reacting to challenging interactions in ways you regret, and instead, respond in ways that make you proud…
  • Stop stockpiling grievances, and instead, consistently bring the hard stuff up, with clarity and confidence…
  • Let go of blame and judgment, and find a sense of genuine care and curiosity…
  • Deescalate defensiveness, find mutual understanding, and cultivate lasting solutions to conflict and disagreement…
  • Identify, articulate, and receive what you truly want and need…
  • Honor your boundaries in ways that build trust and strengthen connections…

Sign up today to transform your communication skills and relationships!

Have more questions? Email me at mailto:katherine@callingsandcourage.com.