What if conflict is not a sign that something is wrong, but proof that something matters, and we were never taught how to handle it?

In this eye-opening episode of Whinypaluza, host Rebecca Greene sits down with Kimberly Best, RN, MA, a mediator and conflict management expert who spent years in critical care before dedicating her career to helping people navigate the conversations they avoid most.

Kimberly explains why conflict is normal, why silence often causes more damage than honesty, and how emotional regulation and curiosity can completely change outcomes in marriage, parenting, divorce, and the workplace. Drawing from lived experience, mediation practice, and deep compassion, this conversation reframes conflict as a skill set problem rather than a people problem and offers practical tools listeners can use immediately.

5 Key Takeaway

 → Conflict is normal and does not mean a relationship is broken

 → Silence and avoidance often cause more harm than difficult conversations

 → The person is not the problem. The problem is the problem

 → Emotions are information and learning to regulate them changes everything

 → Listening with curiosity creates better outcomes than trying to be right

Quotes from the Guest

“The most important conversations are often the ones we are not having.”

“Conflict is normal. We do not have people problems. We have a skill set problem."

If you want to learn how to have hard conversations without damaging relationships, connect with Kimberly Best at bestconflictsolutions.com to explore her conflict management training, mediation services, and speaking programs.