Negotiation Expert, Fotini Iconomopoulos shares how adopting a few negotiation strategies can lead to better relationships in business and life.

Negotiation Expert, Fotini Iconomopoulos dives deep into the art of negotiation. Throughout the conversation, Fotini shares insights from her extensive experience running negotiation workshops and reveals the top challenges people experience when learning how to negotiate and how applying these strategies can actually improve relationships. She offers actionable steps for overcoming these barriers like the importance of preparation, cooperative negotiation tactics, emotional regulation, and asking the right questions. Fotini also explores the bias between men and women in the workplace when it comes to negotiation and provides real life examples. She also shares her own story about needing to go to the emergency room and how negotiation literally saved her life.

BIO

For over a decade, Fotini Iconomopoulos has been the person that Fortune 50 companies call to help them through their high stakes negotiations or train them to upgrade their negotiation, communication and persuasion skills. Today she spends most of her time keynote speaking on negotiation, communication, leadership and conflict management, and offering her experience to meaningful non-profit initiatives. She is regularly featured on TV & podcast media and has been quoted in numerous global publications including HBR, Forbes, CNN, CNBC, and Business Insider.

HarperCollins noticed her frequent media appearances and asked to write her first, now best-selling, book “Say Less, Get More: Unconventional Negotiation Techniques to Get What You Want”which launched to critical acclaim and praise as some of “The Best Leadership Advice from Books By Women” (Globe & Mail 2021).

When not with clients, she occasionally returns to the classroom as an instructor of MBA Negotiations at the Schulich School of Business, where she completed her MBA, as well as guest lectures at universities all over the globe.

After a decade of entrepreneurship in retail, Fotini refined her negotiation skills in the corporate world working for giants like L’Oreal before management consulting. She created a successful negotiation advisory practice for another global firm before starting her own, guiding clients through high-stakes scenarios in all industries.

Having overcome significant gender adversity early in her career, Fotini is passionate about helping people develop the confidence to take on challenges, with a particular interest in empowering women & disadvantaged groups through various non-profit initiatives. In 2018, she expanded to educating adolescent girls through an empowerment camp experience, to start building their confidence and resilience early, a passion she continues to pursue.

She’s been honored by NextUp (formerly Network of Executive Women), whom she serves as a regional advisor for their only Canadian chapter, with a National Inclusion award; The Greek America Foundation as one of their Top 40 under 40; and has been nominated for the Women of Influence RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards multiple times.

CHAPTERS

05:12 Challenges surrounding asking for what you want

08:16 Privilege in negotiation, the on-ramp vs. the stairs

12:09 Emotional regulation in negotiation

16:58 Labelling in negotiation

19:40 Using questions to self-advocate in high pressure situations

22:14 Mirroring in corporate environments

25:20 How to know when to leave a negotiation situation

31:13 Rehearsing for negotiations

34:22 Likeability in negotiation and how to better connect with others

40:50 How Fotini turned a hospital visit into a negotiation and succeeded

LINKS

Productivity expert and executive coach, Clare Kumar reveals her new job, outlines the Total Team Work Program, recaps her experience and shares insights from Brené Brown’s keynote at WorkHuman 2024.

Clare Kumar is a productivity expert and executive coach who focuses on the intersection where productivity meets inclusivity in workplaces and organizations. In this episode, she talks about her new job as Regional Director of Hidden Disabilities Canada (hdsunflower.com). In addition, Clare gives an update and outlines her program, Happy Space Total Team Work, where leaders and their teams co-create their future of work and explains how the Happy Space Work Style Profile is an integral part of this program. The episode covers the Workhuman 2024 conference and Clare shares her experience and takeaways from speakers such as Baratunde Rafiq Thurston, Esther Perel, and Brené Brown.

CHAPTERS

04:25 Clare’s late autism diagnosis

07:58 the Sunflower and Clare’s new job

12:00 New book, Ask Already and the Happy Space Work Style Profile

15:25 Sharing MS diagnosis

18:18 Happy Space Total Teamwork Program

20:15 Workhuman 2024 highlights

22:23 Being comfortable with silence and “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer

24:22 Barbie Brewer and Building your asynchronous muscle + Vanice Hayes and ERG’s

28:20 Baratunde Rafiq Thurston - Understanding power and its value

29:15 Hustle and grind, and the importance of weaving in personal priorities

33:10 Speakers: Gloria Goins, Peter Danzig and Kamille Washington

37:50 A thank you from Happy Space Podcast

38:40 Brené Brown highlights and how AI ties into HR

41:50 Brené Brown and the epidemic of loneliness

43:55 “I do like humanity, I’m not crazy about people in general” - Brené Brown

45:00 Brené Brown and shame triggers in the workplace

46:03 Brené Brown and grounded confidence

LINKS

Hidden Disabilities

Hdsunflower.com

WorkHuman 2024

The Message of You by Judy Carter

Ep. 45 - Melanie Deziel - Unmasking - Late Autism Diagnosis in Women

Ep. 46 - Ludmila Praslova - Unlocking the Power of Neurodiversity at Work

The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova

Robbie Samuels’ Website

Ep. 30 - Stephen Shedletsky - Creating a Speak-Up Culture

Speak-Up Culture by Stephen Shedletsky

Pasha Marlowe, neuroinclusion expert speaks about the evolution of language surrounding neurodiversity and clarifies terms like neuroqueer, disorder, gender, and impaired.

In this episode of the Happy Space Podcast, Clare Kumar interviews Pasha Marlowe, a neuroinclusion advocate. The discussion delves into the importance of language in fostering inclusivity in neurodiverse spaces. They explore terms such as 'neurodiverse,' 'neuroqueer' and 'neuro spicy,' and emphasize the significance of personal agency in identity. The conversation also touches on the intersectionality of these terms with disability, gender, and cultural contexts. Pasha highlights the importance of inclusive design and creating spaces where everyone can feel they belong.

Pasha Marlowe, MFT (she/they) received her masters in marriage and family therapy in 1996, way back when "Macarena" was the hit song and now you can't get that song out of your head.

Since then, she has focused on working as a coach with neurodivergent individuals and couples, specifically those who identify as ADHD, Autistic, AuDHD, or Dyslexic. They especially enjoy working with neurodivergent couples who are looking for help with communication, sex/intimacy, betrayal recovery, RSD (rejection sensitivity dysphoria), LGBTQIA+ issues, or PTSD.

She lives in Portland, Maine with her youngest child, her ex-husband, and two doodles.

CHAPTERS

4:40 What is Neurodiversity and Neurodivergency?

8:12 Why Clare is Neurospicy?

12:40 Language surrounding physical and invisible disabilities

18:18 Avoiding body trauma in medical system

21:21 Medical trauma for LGBTQ+ identifying people

25:08 Kassiane Asasumasu’s work and lack of sources for Neurodivergency

27:15 Neurodistinct and new words emerging, neurobelonging and neurological safety

34:27 Inclusive design vs. Universal design

38:44 Interpreters and accessibility

40:52 Gatekeeping in Neurodivergent language

46:34 Neuroqueering

47:57 Sources for further research into Neurodiversity

54:15 Organizations realizing they need to be aware of Neurodiversity

LINKS

Neurobelonging Media Kit

Pasha Marlowe’s Website

My Next Husband Will Be a Lesbian by Pasha Marlowe

Neuroqueering Podcast

Book a Call with Pasha

Brené Brown Quote Source

Ep. 34 - Lisa Whited - Redesigning Work for People and the Planet

Ep. 46 - Ludmila Praslova - Unlocking the Power of Neurodiversity at Work