I spent 20 years as a nurse before I became a mediator. In the ER, I learned to listen fast. You have seconds to hear what a patient is really saying underneath their initial complaint. The person who comes in saying their stomach hurts might actually be having a heart attack. The family member who seems angry might just be terrified. That same skill translates directly to healthcare mediation, but with one critical difference: I listen to understand and ask questions to c

After 20 years in healthcare and a decade in conflict resolution, I've noticed something critical: we're often not speaking the same language at all. Each is speaking a different "language" shaped by their role, training, and what keeps them up at night.