What if the biggest threat to your relationship isn’t conflict — it’s the way you communicate during it?

In this thought-provoking conversation, negotiation expert and mediator Alice Shikina joins Kwame Christian to reveal why so many successful professionals excel at communication in the boardroom but struggle to connect with the people they love most. Drawing from years of mediation experience, Alice shares a powerful perspective: every relationship is a negotiation, and learning how to negotiate well can transform the way we handle conflict at home.

Together, they unpack the hidden communication patterns that fuel arguments, including interruptions, defensiveness, emotional escalation, and the common misconception that listening simply means hearing someone speak. You'll discover why acknowledgment is often the missing ingredient in difficult conversations, how unspoken emotions drive seemingly unrelated conflicts, and why de-escalation begins long before an argument starts.

Whether you're navigating challenges with a spouse, partner, child, colleague, or friend, this episode offers practical tools to help you listen more deeply, communicate more effectively, and strengthen your most important relationships.

Key topics include:

* Why every relationship is a negotiation

* The real reason people feel unheard

* How to prevent conversations from escalating

* The role of emotional intelligence in conflict resolution

* Why "I hear you" isn't enough

* Practical techniques for active listening and acknowledgment

* Creating relationship ground rules that actually work

If you've ever walked away from a conversation feeling misunderstood—or struggled to understand someone else—this episode will change the way you think about communication forever.

Connect with Alice: