In this episode of Gentle Power, we talk with Sam Liu, founder of AI startup Fergana Labs and former Stanford PhD student in decision making.

We originally invited Sam on because we love both PhD dropouts and decision making science. What we didn’t expect was how many of his insights about negotiation had less to do with neat frameworks and more to do with how messy real decisions actually are.

Our conversation spans startup risk, taxi negotiations in Thailand, poker, game theory, and the emotional tension at the center of many negotiations.Sam shares why many big life decisions build quietly over time before becoming obvious all at once, why many career risks are actually social risks, and why the hardest part of negotiating is often simply holding your ground while the other side reacts.

We also discuss when negotiations truly become zero sum, why conviction can shape outcomes more than benchmarks, and what game theory teaches us about long term relationships and cooperation.

Learn more about Sam and his company here:

• Sam's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samzliu

• Fergana Labs website: https://ferganalabs.com

For more:

• Book free consultation call with Alex: ⁠https://calendly.com/alexhapki/call

• Get our free negotiation worksheet: ⁠https://www.yournegotiations.com

• Read our weekly newsletter: https://yournegotiations.kit.com

• Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/yournegotiations

• Gerta's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gertamalaj

• Alex's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhapki

We get this question a lot: “Have you trained an AI on your negotiation framework?” or “Can I just follow a template?”The appeal is obvious. A clean script would be easier for everyone involved and much easier to scale.The problem is that negotiation doesn't really work that way.Every negotiation is different. Different people. Different incentives. Different timing. Different pressure points. Different cultures.In this episode, we talk about why negotiation is both a science and an art, and why the “art” part is exactly what makes it so difficult to automate or turn into a simple template.We also walk through real examples from our work with clients and explain why judgment, context, and timing matter far more than most people realize.We cover:• Why negotiation can’t be reduced to a script or template: Even strong negotiation principles require judgment calls in the moment. The same rule can lead to different decisions depending on the situation.• Why we usually advise candidates not to give a preferred salary number: Every role has a budget ceiling that candidates rarely know. Sharing a number too early can anchor you below that ceiling or signal misalignment with the company.• The rare situations where sharing a number actually makes sense: For example, if you have a higher offer from another company but prefer a different employer that says their current offer is “best and final.”• How company culture changes the tone of negotiation: Some companies communicate very directly. Others use softer, more collaborative language. Adjusting your style to match the culture can make negotiations smoother.• Why compensation data is often overrated: Many candidates rely heavily on salary databases or friends’ compensation numbers. In reality, compensation outcomes are often driven by the company’s urgency at that specific moment.• How timing can dramatically change an offer: If a company urgently needs to fill a role before a major product launch, they may stretch their compensation range for the right candidate.• Small signals that can change your leverage: These include who referred you, how persistent the recruiter is about certain questions, and whether the company hints at other candidates in the pipeline. These details can influence how assertive you should be during negotiations.

For more:

• Book free consultation call with Alex: ⁠https://calendly.com/alexhapki/call

• Get our free negotiation worksheet: ⁠https://www.yournegotiations.com

• Read our weekly newsletter: https://yournegotiations.kit.com

• Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/yournegotiations

• Gerta's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gertamalaj

• Alex's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhapki

In this episode, we welcomed Yehong Zhu, founder and CEO of Zett AI. Yehong is a former Forbes reporter, a Harvard philosophy graduate, and a former product manager at X (formerly Twitter). We explored how her background across media, tech, and startups shapes the way she thinks about negotiation, decision making, and building companies that last.

We covered: 

• The “worst alternative” to a deal and the sushi conveyor belt problem of waiting too long for a better option

• Poker as a decision framework: protecting your energy stack, knowing when to fold, and developing your own risk styleAnnie Duke’s concept of “resulting” and how to separate decision quality from outcomes

• Reversible vs irreversible decisions, infinite games, and building companies that last beyond short term incentives

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: Calendly

Get our free negotiation worksheet: YourNegotiations.com

Read our weekly newsletter: Newsletter

Instagram: @yournegotiations

LinkedIn: Gerta | Alex

This week on Gentle Power, we sat down with Morgan Snyder for a candid conversation about executive content, personal brand, and the quiet factors that contribute to negotiation outcomes before a call even starts. We also get into what’s actually working on LinkedIn right now, why long-form still matters, and how to build relationships in a way that doesn’t feel like performance art, even though Morgan himself will post over-the-top content that mocks the status signalers.

We covered:

• Why Morgan thinks long-form content is where real trust gets built, which is a key pillar in negotiations
• How newsletters and consistent publishing increase your “surface area” and create inbound without constant pitching, which helps close deals
• Morgan’s take on what performs on LinkedIn in 2026, from “basement tier” posts to genuinely expert content
• The “secret sauce” question: what to share publicly, what to keep private, and why implementation is usually the real product
• Two simple habits that help you never run out of content ideas

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: Calendly

Get our free negotiation worksheet: YourNegotiations.com

Read our weekly newsletter: Newsletter

Instagram: @yournegotiations

LinkedIn: Gerta | Alex

This week on Gentle Power, we sat down with Mark Mirra, CEO and co-founder of Aligned Negotiation, for a deep (and very practical) conversation on how to make negotiation feel less like “combat” and more like a normal life skill you can build over time. 

We covered:

• Why Mark thinks negotiation should be treated like a lifestyle activity, not a scary, high-stakes “event”
• Why internal negotiations (inside your company) often feel harder than external ones
• The 4 negotiation types Mark teaches, and what each one demands from you
• The 4 phases of a negotiation, and how your mindset should shift across each phase
• What to do when a negotiation starts going off the rails

And learn more about Mark ⁠on LinkedIn⁠ and his website here: ⁠https://www.alignednegotiation.com/⁠ 

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: Calendly

Get our free negotiation worksheet: YourNegotiations.com

Read our weekly newsletter: Newsletter

Instagram: @yournegotiations
LinkedIn: Gerta | Alex

In this episode of Gentle Power, we sat down with Kenko Ueyama, cofounder of Tsubasa AI, an AI advisory agency that helps enterprise teams define their AI strategy and then actually build it. Kenko is also a senior advisor at Harvard Applied AI Institute, where he helps design AI coursework and leads executive workshops on navigating AI-driven change.

We covered:

• How underpricing yourself lowers not just your margins, but how seriously your work is taken
• A deep dive into your “resentment number,” where if a price makes you resent the work later, it was too low from the start
• The Japanese negotiation concept of “nemawashi”, where the real negotiation happens before the meeting ever begins

To learn more about Kenko and his work, connect with him on LinkedIn here, or visit his website: tsubasa-ai.com.

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: ⁠Calendly⁠

Get our free negotiation worksheet: ⁠YourNegotiations.com⁠

Read our weekly newsletter: ⁠Newsletter⁠

Instagram: ⁠@yournegotiations⁠LinkedIn: ⁠Gerta⁠ | ⁠Alex

In this episode of Gentle Power, we sat down with Kenko Ueyama, cofounder of Tsubasa AI, an AI advisory agency that helps enterprise teams define their AI strategy and then actually build it. Kenko is also a senior advisor at Harvard Applied AI Institute, where he helps design AI coursework and leads executive workshops on navigating AI-driven change.

We covered: 

• How underpricing yourself lowers not just your margins, but how seriously your work is taken

• A deep dive into your “resentment number,” where if a price makes you resent the work later, it was too low from the start

• The Japanese negotiation concept of “nemawashi”, where the real negotiation happens before the meeting ever begins

To learn more about Kenko and his work, connect with him on LinkedIn here, or visit his website: tsubasa-ai.com.

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: ⁠Calendly⁠

Get our free negotiation worksheet: ⁠YourNegotiations.com⁠

Read our weekly newsletter: ⁠Newsletter⁠

Instagram: ⁠@yournegotiations⁠LinkedIn: ⁠Gerta⁠ | ⁠Alex

In this episode of Gentle Power, we talk about “no deal” scenarios. Not as failures, but as real and often necessary outcomes that people tend to misunderstand, resist, or personalize.

Most negotiation advice focuses on how to get to a deal. But a big part of negotiating well is knowing when there isn’t one. We explore why no deal happens, how to think about it strategically, and how zooming out can turn a disappointing outcome into the right one.

We cover:

• Why no deal usually comes down to misaligned priorities
• Why a strong process doesn’t guarantee results
• When the real win isn’t what you asked for, but what you actually needed
• Why folding can be the smartest move

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: Calendly

Get our free negotiation worksheet: YourNegotiations.com

Read our weekly newsletter: Newsletter

Instagram: @yournegotiations
LinkedIn: Gerta | Alex

In this episode of Gentle Power, we unpack a situation that comes up often in our client work: navigating moments where you feel undervalued, dismissed, or treated aggressively by the other side. We talk about how to respond without escalating the situation, how to protect your leverage, and how to distinguish between a one-off bad interaction and a real red flag about the company.

Our conversation covers:

• Why feeling disrespected during a job search is common, and why it hits harder than people expect

• The case for assuming best intent early on (even when the other side is rude or dismissive)

• How staying calm and professional can actually improve your negotiating position

• When disrespect might be a test, and how composure under pressure works in your favor

• Why recruiter behavior doesn’t always reflect what your experience at the company will be like

• Where to draw the line

  
  

If you’ve ever wondered whether a negative interaction is a deal-breaker, or how to respond without hurting your outcome, this episode offers a grounded framework for keeping your side of the street clean while still advocating for yourself.

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: Calendly

Get our free negotiation worksheet: YourNegotiations.com

Read our weekly newsletter: Newsletter

Instagram: @yournegotiations

LinkedIn: Gerta | Alex

We’re back this week with Part 2 of our conversation with Arben Malaj, former Minister of Finance of Albania, and also Gerta’s father.

Quick recap: In his early 30s, Arben was tasked with stabilizing Albania’s economy during its 1997 financial crisis and civil war. His work put him across the table from institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and EU Commission, in negotiations where the power imbalance seemed insurmountable and the consequences of getting it wrong were enormous.

In Part 2, we zoom in on a few concrete moments that show how establishing respect for all stakeholders and creating transparent systems can help land a win-win.

Our conversation covers:

• What to do when the other side seems to hold all the leverage

• Why, if needed, respect must be established before negotiations can move forward

• Why the simplest solutions can create costly downstream effects

• How to design transparency when trust is fragile

  
  

Arben’s experience offers a grounded look at negotiations under immense pressure.

For more:

Book free consultation call with Alex: Calendly

Get our free negotiation worksheet: YourNegotiations.com

Read our weekly newsletter: Newsletter

Instagram: @yournegotiations

LinkedIn: Gerta | Alex