Julie Gurner

How great leaders approach hard conversations

Dr. Julie Gurner

Executive performance coach & Founder of leading newsletter "Ultra Successful"

Having hard conversations is essential to building anything great...and avoiding them will make things worse.

Learn when to have hard conversations

Shift from "Me vs. You" to "Us vs. Problem" positioning to move from being adversaries to being collaborators.

How to position your conversation to avoid defensiveness

Allowing things to drag on takes up headspace and has you carrying unresolved problems for far too long.

Mentally overcome hesitations

You want to present your ideas and opinions with unshakable confidence. You want to feel powerful in every room or zoom, but sometimes, when the moment is at hand, you start second-guessing yourself. You want to be both assertive yet kind. But you also don’t want to come across as pushy or a pushover. Maybe you’ve even spent the night counting the opportunities you missed instead of counting sheep. Or worse, you spent the night spiraling about that thing you regret saying.&nbsp;&nbsp;In this course, you'll learn how to step up without stepping on toes, inspire your employees to take meaningful action and captivate your boss with your words so your ideas are heard and valued. Whether you are delivering a presentation, leading a meeting, or having a difficult 1:1 feedback conversation, I’ll give you frameworks to help you with what to say and how to say it so you’re not just part of the conversation but leading it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Every lesson is live and is packed with opportunities to practice and refine your communication skills. You’ll learn how to take up space in the “right way.” And how to get your employees to be thanking YOU when you ask them to take on another project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You will develop the communication skills that will help you drive your team’s success and earn that next promotion or raise!&nbsp; Next Cohort: February Cohort is Tuesdays at 2pm EST

The Ultimate Leadership Edge

Before you speak it starts with how you think. We are going to train your brain to&nbsp;think like a great leader.

Manager Mindset

Learn how to give feedback that sparks change. We'll learn how to get buy-in and how to give super specific, realistic, and kind feedback. Yes, I'll show you how honesty can be kind and powerful.

Fruitful Feedback & 1:1s

Clarify your strategy and make it so compelling your employees are thanking you for the opportunity to work on it

Spellbinding Strategy

Set the tone and structure of meetings to optimize productivity and collaboration. Learn what to say to help you navigate tricky challenges and how to stay confident and calm throughout.

Confident Collaboration

Course Syllabus

Four 1-hour-long workshopsTuesday Dec 3: Manager MindsetThursday Dec 5: Fruitful FeedbackTuesday Dec 10: Spellbinding Strategy &amp; Defining DecisionsTuesday Dec 12: Confident Collaboration

December Cohort: Tuesday & Thursday 

Compact learning format for busy professionals

No required homework

Every session is recorded, so you can watch it on your own if you can't make the live session.

Can't make a session?

Course schedule

First-time managers (Congrats!) Develop the critical skills that differentiate a follower from a leader

Startup founders &amp; business ownersBuild a culture that will empower your employees to create their best work

Experienced leaders with a new team Quickly ﻿establish trust, improve productivity and amplify your influence

Who is this course for

You'll learn how to ...

Discover the most costly communication mistake most managers make in giving feedback and the seven-step formula to spark change.

Give feedback that actually results in change

Understand the psychology underneath great storytelling. Learn the technique politicians like Barack Obama use to make your message stick with limited time.

Develop spellbinding presentations & pep talks

The 5 key questions that will transform your relationship with your direct reports. Plus, the simple communication checklist that will help you optimize every meeting.

Run effective 1:1s & efficient meetings

Why trying only to control your employees is a waste of time and what you need to say instead that actually increases accountability and improves trust.

Improve employee engagement and productivity

The secret the best conflict negotiators know to surface issues before they become problems.

Breakdown unproductive conflicts and avoid misunderstandings

The simple tip for converting any task or project into a hero’s mission that employees want to take on.

Inspire employees with a clear & compelling mission

The 5-part formula to take your boss from questioning your ideas to following them.

Manage up with grace & power

Many people think charisma is only for extroverts, but I’ll give you two simple tools to increase your likability instantly. In the course you’ll get scripts and formulas to help you get started. And don’t worry, we’ll practice so you can sound natural when you use them.

Level up your confidence and charisma

🚀 Learn the 8 critical skills to make you a confident and compelling leader. 

Jess Goldberg

Teaches communication skills  @ Columbia University, Executive Coach & former VP in AI Robotics 

December 2024

Feb 2025 

We’ve all been in working environments that lack purpose, focus on the wrong issue(s), fail to address ingrained group dynamics, or become hijacked by conflict and difficult personalities. By the end of this two-week, live, online course, you’ll be able to contribute to or lead a working environment that: - Cultivates shared meaning around the content of their work.- Makes productive use of difference and conflict.- Focuses on the actual/real challenge at hand — both internally and externally.- Makes meaningful progress toward achieving their goals.- Offers a sense of belonging to all team members.&nbsp;The Facilitation Leadership Lab is a live, online, cohort-based course for rising and established leaders who want to sharpen their facilitation skills in order to unlock their organization’s potential, accelerate their career path, or grow their consulting practice. You’ll practice these skills and frameworks in a simulated, lab-like environment, and receive personalized feedback, 1:1 coaching, and access to a peer-learning community. Facilitating organizational change isn't magic -- you can learn the skills that will help you turn stuck organizations into thriving ones, and accelerate your career. Enroll today!

🔮 Facilitating organizational change might seem like magic — it’s not.

You’ll learn techniques and frameworks for everything that needs to take place before the gathering: building trusted relationships between the facilitator and participants, identifying the core group challenge, determining the purpose and ideal outcome(s) of the gathering, and setting the agenda.

Session 1: Setting the agenda

You’ll learn the skills — active listening, reframing and reflecting, addressing conflict, generating movement, and closing — to hold the space necessary for a successful gathering.&nbsp;

Session 2: Holding the space

You’ll cultivate the interpersonal practices — building an awareness of one’s intersectional identity and personal conflict orientation — as well as key skills like managing challenging principals to navigate complex facilitations and difficult conversations.&nbsp;

Session 3: Building understanding across difference

This session takes us from facilitating a gathering in the room to solving a problem in the world. You’ll learn skills and frameworks for diagnosing the present problem, building utopias and dystopias, and piloting strategies to help organizations think beyond their current reality and build a collective vision for the future.

Session 4: Visioning & world-building

✏️  Course syllabus

Session 1: Saturday, February 1, 12:00 - 4:00 pm ESTSession 2: Sunday, February 2, 12:00 - 4:00 pm ESTSession 3: Saturday, February 8, 12:00 - 4:00 pm ESTSession 4: Sunday, February 9, 12:00 - 4:00 pm EST

February 1 - 9 

In between the two weekends, participants will be given ‘homework’ that they can use to practice the skills they’re learning with course participants and deepen their understanding of the frameworks.

‘Homework’

📅 Course schedule

Rising or established leaders who want to level up their facilitation skills and transform their organization

Coaches and consultants who want to grow their practice with proven facilitation tools and frameworks.

Sick of bad processes preventing your organization or community from achieving its goals? This is for you!

🤔 Who is this course for? 

What you’ll get out of this course

You’ll learn proven facilitation tools and key concepts like agenda setting, active listening, relational anchoring, reframing and reflecting, conflict de-escalation, managing challenging principals, diagnosing the present adaptive challenge, and identifying ideal outcomes.

Actionable facilitation tools and frameworks.

A successful facilitation requires more than a rubric — it is an embodied craft that requires practice in dynamic contexts. You’ll practice these tools and frameworks in a simulated, lab-like environment, and receive personalized feedback, and 1:1 coaching.

Improve your craft through guided practice, peer learning, and personalized feedback. 

Facilitating change in organizations is hard, often lonely work. Leaders need peers to learn from and with. This course is your passport to a thriving peer-learning community and privileged access and discounts to future offerings from the instructors.&nbsp;

Join the Facilitation Leadership Lab peer-learning community.

You'll have the opportunity to engage 1:1 with the instructors in a free coaching session after the workshop is complete.

1:1 Coaching

Accelerate your career, unlock your organization’s potential, and build better worlds with proven facilitation skills. 

Kate Krontiris

Charley Johnson

Cohort 2

Cohort 4

COURSE CONTENT:8 Hours over one weekend, and 2 bonus hours before and after, combining presentations and case studies, interactive exercises in small groups and self reflection time. OVERVIEW: You are already comfortable managing others, but to get to the next level of leading large teams, you are aware that you need to be able to identify and drive transformative opportunities for the business, assess and lean into the risks associated with them, overcome your own fears of putting your ideas on the line, and inspire followership from others. You also know that this level of leadership can be exhausting - and require resilience in the face of push back or results taking longer to achieve than you hoped. Its tempting to "put off" the time it takes to work on these topics, but if you can invest the time now, it will make your leadership impact, visibility and effectiveness significantly stronger, by not having your own fears, or perceived weaknesses getting in your way. KEY TOPICS INCLUDED: 1. Establish your leadership advantage.- How to stop comparing yourself to others and instead lean into your own unique strengths as a leader- How to overcome imposter syndrome and tap into your courage to be confident leading at a higher level- How to get comfortable admitting what you don't know - and inviting others in to help as your support system to grow your confidence- How to get comfortable leading others on a larger team who's functional skills are outside your own knowledge and/or who have more age/experience than you- How to inspire and influence others to come along with ideas you are championing 2. See the opportunities that others won't. - Finding the gap - how to leverage foresight instead of hindsight in the pursuit of breakthrough strategies- How and when to tap into your instincts, when data isn't available for decision making- How to understand when a breakthrough opportunity is achievable with your team and your resources 3. Overcome your fears.- How to understand what holds you back from making bold moves- How to understand your tolerance for risk in relation to others to get confident to make more transformative moves- How to bounce back and recalibrate when things do not go as you expect 4. Navigating the politics. - How to get the confidence to invite dissent and assess the input and feedback from others who do not support your bold moves- How to go from trying to "convince" others, to "co-creating the future" with others.- How to read the room and ensure peer and team discussion is transparent and constructive- How to react when you know colleagues are not supporting your plans- How to make decisions when your team are disagreeing with each other and need you to break the tie 5. Fuel your endurance. - How to understand your unique energy needs to ensure that you prevent burnout during times of great stress- How to understand the different energy needs of others on your team so that you can work together to meet the collective team's needs 6. Build a culture of high performance fun.- How to leverage your own unique style to inspire others and build authentic followership- How to set your team "house rules" to establish a culture of high expectations and high results- How to build an inclusive team that is comfortable with dissent This is a course that is designed to get you out of your comfort zone. To get to the senior levels, it is not enough to deliver on your own existing KPIs, it requires you signaling that you are the kind of leader that is proactive and has courage, conviction and the ability to influence. This course will get you out of the text book and in to real life examples to "road test" how you would react. Course material and advice is based on real life case studies from Sarah's business experience moving from a manager of a small team of 5 individual contributors at one company, and then moving her way up to leading the complete transformation and turnaround of the $5Bn global Gatorade business less than 10 years later. Sarah is a proven coach and developer of talent, having managed teams as small as 5 and as large as 15,000. She led the reinvention and turnaround of the $5Bn Gatorade business as its global president, before leading the digital transformation of Equinox Fitness Clubs as president. Sarah has also taught workshops to over 500 young professionals, with an average NPS rating in the 60s. TESTIMONIALS FROM STUDENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN SARAH'S IN PERSON WORKSHOPS "It was a really fun two days taking the time to reflect on really important "stuff" that I normally don't make time for. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day grind of work without pausing to take that time to check in with yourself. I'm also rarely surrounded by such an inspirational group of people who have relevant complementary skillsets and experiences to my own. I find that hearing others' goals pushed me to think bigger and take on even more. Thank you!Head of Client Services for an Innovation Agency "Loved this! Will definitely recommend to friends. Loved the interactive exercises - especially the debate one and the compliment one. The discussion about my blind spots (figure out weaknesses and the anti-you) was SO helpful. The group made me think about things I never would have realized. Exercise about pain training was so helpful and almost therapeutic to hear others fears and commiserate."Product Leader "I loved it. Great format with lots of variety. I came away feeling motivated to make change, supported by those around me, and inspired by everyone in the room. I would be most likely to recommend this to someone who has been considering a leap, or who has tangible goals in mind."Director of Strategy "This was a great experience. It flew by, which doesn’t happen with these types of workshops. I really liked the layout of content and the perfect combination of case studies and larger group talk. You created a safe space for everyone to be vulnerable, supportive, encouraging and excited."Director Programming and Operations "Very challenging, ahead of the game and awe-inspiring workshop."IT Strategy Consultant

An interactive weekend immersive, that  uses real situations to teach students.


Provide a brief description for each module as a way to sell the value of what students will be learning throughout the course.

First Module

Second Module

Third Module

Course syllabus

Pre course meet n greet session for students

Friday December 6th


<ul><li>All sessions are recorded</li><li>Students have lifetime access</li></ul>

Saturday December 7th and Sunday December 8th


Post course office hours for students

Friday December 20th


You have 8-10 years of experience and aspire to, or have landed your first leadership role with a large team and want to assert your vision

You are shifting from managing individual contributors to leading through managers and you want to create a culture of high performance fun

You need to step onto a bigger leadership stage and want to know how to establish your vision to make transformative high impact moves

By reviewing insights from personality inventories and peers, you'll establish a clear framework that you can turn back to that articulates your most confident leadership style so that you can cultivate courage to lead others with skills and experiences beyond your own.

Confidence and strength to lead. Identify your competitive advantage as a leader to leverage your strengths and support your weaknesses.


Through an interactive exercise, you will explore the differences in your unique style for thinking and sharing your ideas, so you can develop your plan to create a culture of high performance with others, to help you drive high impact results.

Insights on building a high performing team. Understand how your style best plays, to improve your ability to get results through others.


Through an interactive case study based game, you will learn how to hone your instincts, and when to use them to see opportunities that others can't so that you are able to break through and add value to the business that others may not.

Strategies for identifying opportunities for growth. How to find the gap - and see opportunities for yourself, your team and your company.


Through a framework for group discussion, you will develop an understanding of your tolerance for risk in relation to others, and you will develop a personal strategy for overcoming your fears of making mistakes, which is critical when leading at the senior level.

Methods for facing your fears. Analyze what holds you back and establish strategies for risk taking, that enable you to drive change.


Through real life case studies you will learn how to navigate politics, influence others, turn to team mates for support when your fears kick in, and develop a willingness to admit that you don't have all the answers - a requirement for creating followership of large teams.

Techniques for top down and bottom up communication. How to get buy in, navigate politics and influence stakeholders to support your vision.


You will participate in an interactive case study assignment to teach you how to assess the long range viability of your greatest transformational moves, as it is critical at the senior level to understand how to evolve and sustain your biggest ideas.

Clear understanding of social cues. Apply a framework to know when to play harder, to pivot or to walk away from ideas you have championed.


You will spend time understanding your own needs around health, wellbeing and energy management so that you can prevent burnout. You will develop a framework to create a set of commitments to yourself that ensure you're endurance for the long leadership road ahead.

Strategies for sustaining yourself. How to establish the unique rituals that you will need to prioritize your own health and wellbeing.


Learn to lead boldly, assess risks, and drive change. Gain confidence to inspire large teams and seize breakthrough leadership opportunities


Sarah Robb O'Hagan

Cohort 3

- Transitioning to a New Leadership Role: Sometimes, moving from being a senior manager to a strategic leader can feel like stepping into uncharted territory. This course shows you how to make that transition smoothly and effectively. - Thinking Big Picture: Strategic leaders need to think beyond the day-to-day tasks and see the bigger picture. If you've struggled with this, if you've heard someone say to you: "You need to be more strategic." This masterclass shows you have to be and act strategically! - Setting a Compelling Direction: Crafting an inspiring vision for your team and setting clear goals can be tough. In this course, we'll show you how to create a vision that excites your team and break down those goals into achievable steps. - Mastering Communication: Effective communication is essential, but dealing with tough conversations or getting your message across can be tricky. We'll help you build strong communication skills and handle difficult discussions with confidence. I will share with you the best tips I share with Uber, Cisco, HPE leaders I coach! - Leading Change and Innovation: Leading change and fostering innovation within your organization can be challenging. Our course will equip you with strategies to successfully drive change and create an innovative culture. - Delegation Made Easy: Delegating tasks while maintaining control can be a puzzle. We'll unravel that mystery by teaching you how to identify tasks to delegate, delegate effectively, and empower your team. By addressing these everyday leadership challenges, this masterclass will make your journey from senior manager to strategic leader more manageable and rewarding.

Overcome Strategic Leadership Challenges

<ul><li>Overcome Strategic Leadership Challenges</li><li>Gain clarity on the journey from senior management to strategic leadership.</li><li>Develop self-awareness of your leadership strengths and areas for growth.&nbsp;</li></ul> In this session, we will explore the differences between management and strategic leadership.

Introduction to Strategic Leadership

<ul><li>Develop the ability to think strategically and analyze complex situations.</li><li>&nbsp;Apply strategic thinking skills to practical leadership challenges.</li></ul> In this session, we will explore strategic thinking and its significance and apply techniques for strategic analysis.

Developing a Strategic Mindset

<ul><li>Craft a compelling leadership vision and goals that inspire your team.</li><li>Enhance your ability to align your team with your strategic direction.</li></ul>&nbsp;In this session, we will look at the importance of a clear vision in leadership and develop your leadership vision

Crafting a Compelling Vision

<ul><li>Improve your communication skills for leadership success.</li><li>Gain confidence in addressing challenging situations with your team.</li></ul> In this session, we will explore effective communication strategies for leaders and learn the exponential value moments framework

Effective Communication for Leaders

<ul><li>Become a more effective change agent and innovation catalyst.</li><li>Learn to navigate and lead your organization through periods of change.</li></ul> In this session, we will explore change management strategies and their application and how to fostering a culture of innovation.

Leading Change and Innovation

<ul><li>Strengthen your delegation skills to free up time for strategic thinking.</li><li>Develop a more empowered and capable team.</li></ul> In this session, we will explore how you manage your time, energy, resources and understand the role of delegation in leadership. and how to do it strategically!

Strategic Delegation for Effective Leadership

<ul><li>Enhance your ability to lead and nurture high-performing teams.</li><li>Resolve team challenges effectively to achieve strategic goals.</li></ul> In this session, we will look at the impact of a leader on team dynamics and how to motivating teams and handling conflicts strategically.

Building High-Performance Teams

<ul><li>Gain real-world insights and perspectives from an accomplished leader.</li><li>Apply the lessons learned to your own leadership journey.</li></ul> In this interactive session, we will hear from a successful strategic leader how he/she made the transition to a more strategic leader vs. just operational and we will have an open discussion and Q&amp;A

Strategic Leadership in Action

In this 1/1 session, you will have an opportunity to work with me on your leadership vision and plan, how to activate new learned mindsets and behaviors 'strategically'.

Personalized 1/1 Coaching Session

In this session, you will have an opportunity to explore the value of deeper strategic relationships at work, the value of sponsors vs. mentors vs. an advisory board and how to sustain your strategic leadership brand. Again the best part is how you can adapt learnings I gathered from working and coaching leaders at Fortune 500 companies.

Personalized 1/1 Coaching Session: Relationship Capital

8 sessions are cohort Zoom sessions 90 minutes each to allow you to learn with other leaders, build connections and insights. You'll also have pre- and post session action learning assignments!

Tuesdays

This will be the investment of time you make in action learning and other application opportunities at work.

Weekly projects

Managers who want to learn strategic leadership and how it is different from managing the day-to-day business

Senior Managers who want to understand how to get ready for their next career move and how to lead strategically now!

High potential individual contributors who want to learn strategic leadership skills

Learn the 7 Top Skills of highly effective strategic leaders and how you can use them to anchor your strategic leadership development plan

The 7 Top Skills of Highly Effective Strategic Leaders

You'll meet leaders from several organizations who share the strategic leadership learning journey. You will learn through real life examples and challenges you or your program peers are facing, share insights and develop strategic leadership skills together.

Professional Peer Group and Network

Acquire the skills to think strategically, make informed decisions, and lead with a long-term vision!

Strategic Leadership Skills

Enhance your ability to communicate persuasively, handle tough conversations, and build stronger relationships.

Strategic Communications

Craft a compelling vision and set SMART goals that inspire your team and drive results

Clear Vision and Goals

Learn to lead organizational change and foster innovation, positioning yourself as a change agent!

Change Leadership

Master the art of delegation to free up your time for strategic thinking and develop an empowered team.Look at how to use the strategic leader planner to get ahead of the game and set yourself and your team up for success!

Strategic Delegation

Beat the 'not strategic enough' label. Our masterclass shows you how!

Lightning Lessons

How great leaders approach hard conversations