Mutual Ground Strategies, LLC

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Mutual Ground Strategies, LLC Using transformative and facilitative mediation, I guide parties to understand each other's needs and determine the solutions right for them.

Mutual Ground Strategies helps businesses and individuals navigate conflict with clarity, build communication skills, and create workplaces where people thrive. I started Mutual Ground Mediation, LLC, with a mission to provide mediation, coaching, and consulting for businesses and individuals to manage workplace conflict, avoid litigation, and promote healthy environments where employees thrive and businesses succeed. Whether you own a business or work for one, your workplace is a community that can contribute to or detract from your collective wellbeing. Everyone deserves to learn, grow, build relationships, feel support, and be productive in the workplace. If you are curious about how I can help you, please reach out to schedule a free 30-min consultation to learn more!

I’ve been facilitating Respect, Civility, and Inclusion training over the past couple of weeks.A lot of the training foc...
10/13/2026

I’ve been facilitating Respect, Civility, and Inclusion training over the past couple of weeks.

A lot of the training focuses on the impact of how we communicate rather than the intention behind it. That distinction sometimes raises an objection, and I expect it will come up again: isn’t this just asking people to be fake nice?

It is a fair question. Nobody wants to spend the workday performing. But a workplace with no visible conflict and a workplace with hostile conflict do the same thing: they teach people that speaking up is not worth it.

So if this objection comes up in a room you are leading, here is the question I would pose back. If you don’t mean any disrespect, but everyone around you at work perceives how you communicate to be disrespectful, how might that affect you?

These are behaviors, which means we can change them. We can change them to benefit the people around us and we can change them to benefit ourselves. Those two overlap more than people expect.

09/21/2026

I had another Boat Coffee and Conversations networking event this week. First time doing it below deck as it was pouring rain. I’m glad everyone despite the rain. It certainly didn’t dampen the fun.

I watched two people in a zero-stakes training exercise, no real conflict, no real consequences, still race to smooth th...
09/15/2026

I watched two people in a zero-stakes training exercise, no real conflict, no real consequences, still race to smooth things over rather than sit with the tension for even a minute. It's something I've seen for years, at work and at home: how rarely anyone can stay in discomfort long enough to actually understand what's going on before jumping to fix it.

New post is up on Substack, link in comments.

Excited to share a milestone: Mutual Ground Strategies just added two new SBA certifications.Economically Disadvantaged ...
09/01/2026

Excited to share a milestone: Mutual Ground Strategies just added two new SBA certifications.

Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) and HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone). That's on top of the Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification I've held for a while.

I'm still early in building out the government contracting side of my business, but each of these opens up more contracts I'm eligible to pursue. One more piece of the foundation, and one I'm genuinely proud of.

If you work in government contracting and have advice, or just want to connect, I'd love to hear from you.

Boat Coffee & Conversation is back.I took August off, but these morning meetups on my sailboat have been too good to let...
08/25/2026

Boat Coffee & Conversation is back.

I took August off, but these morning meetups on my sailboat have been too good to let go. Real conversation, fresh air, no agenda, just people showing up to actually talk to each other for once.

We meet at Montrose Harbor on s/v JuJu, or the yacht club if the weather turns on us. Coffee, a quaint little boat, no pitch, no small talk you have to fake your way through.

If that sounds like your kind of morning, come join us. Link in the comments.

What is your why?We’re all told we need to know it for our marketing, but we rarely get the space to actually talk about...
07/20/2026

What is your why?

We’re all told we need to know it for our marketing, but we rarely get the space to actually talk about it.

Huge thank you to Lisa Gavin for asking the question on this topic at last week’s Boat Coffee & Conversation networking event. (If you haven’t met Lisa, she’s always full of sharp questions, no wonder she’s a stellar data compliance attorney.)

And if you’re still trying to define yours, Bob Boord of Never Bored Design is the go-to guy to help you figure it out and turn it into a badass brand!

We also dove into career transitions, moving abroad, and the big things that make life worth living with my old friend Kevin Conway. Kevin is a brilliant attorney and a Chicago Greeter for the International Greeter Association AISBL! (Pro tip: Next time you’re traveling, look up the association for a free tour by a local).

For me, I think true understanding is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other and I like helping people find it. I guess that’s why I enjoy these meetups so much, because we always walk away understanding each other a little better.

Had a fantastic time in Madison speaking with the MABC - Madison Area Business Consultants group at the Goodman Communit...
07/15/2026

Had a fantastic time in Madison speaking with the MABC - Madison Area Business Consultants group at the Goodman Community Center last week! Thank you Jennifer Anderson for hooking me up with them.

We dove deep into strategies for Preparing for High-Stakes Conversations, based on my workbook, The Mutual Method: A Playbook for Navigating Important Conversations. I really appreciated the high engagement and thoughtful questions from the group.

If you are looking for a strong professional network, I highly recommend checking this group out. They offer virtual sessions as well, meaning you don't need to be based in the Madison area to benefit from their community and resources. 💻

Beyond the presentation, I made sure to get the full Madison experience. I crossed paths with Bucky Badger, spent some quality time at the National Mustard Museum, and met my match with a massive pork shank at a traditional Wisconsin supper club—not to mention hauling home a ton of cheese, mustard, and a kringle. 🧀🥨 It was an unforgettable trip.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made the session so dynamic!

Want to see what a change of scenery can do for your networking? ☕️⚓️I have a few slots left for my upcoming Boat Coffee...
07/15/2026

Want to see what a change of scenery can do for your networking? ☕️⚓️

I have a few slots left for my upcoming Boat Coffee and Conversation meetups. If you're ready to skip the stuffy boardroom setups and build genuine connections, I'd love to have you.

No pitches required—just casual, high-value conversation.

These are the only dates available right now:

• 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝟴:𝟯𝟬 𝗔𝗠 (We are meeting at the Yacht Club to beat the heat!)
• 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟯𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝟴:𝟯𝟬 𝗔𝗠

Link to grab your spot is in the comments below! 👇

It is summer camp season. But what does a midnight cabin raid for contraband phones have to do with corporate leadership...
06/19/2026

It is summer camp season. But what does a midnight cabin raid for contraband phones have to do with corporate leadership under stress?

I recently went back to my old youth camp to run a workshop. Right before my session, a surprise staff search for phones and vapes left the teenagers completely on edge. When I stepped up to lead, I made a critical mistake: I stuck to my planned, safe outline instead of using my actual facilitation skills to read the live emotional data in the room.

The campers completely checked out.

Corporate leaders fall into this exact trap during organizational shake-ups. We retreat to rigid scripts when we should be navigating the real friction right in front of us.

I break down the diagnostic context of Phonegate—and how to handle tension when the script breaks down—in the latest edition of Mutual Ground on Substack.

Link to the article in the comments below.

Most high-stakes conflict starts small. But over time, blame-based argument and litigation act like air being pumped int...
05/29/2026

Most high-stakes conflict starts small. But over time, blame-based argument and litigation act like air being pumped into a balloon between two people.

Eventually, that balloon becomes so large that the parties can no longer see each other. They only see the barrier. They become far apart in their demands because they are motivated by self-protection rather than a shared solution.

In traditional litigation, a court judgment is like a pin in that balloon—a sudden, sharp pop where the decision is made for you, and you have very little control over where the pieces land.

Mediation is different. It asks the parties to temporarily set the balloon aside.

We don’t pretend the barrier isn't there, but we move it enough so that you can see each other clearly again. When we address the underlying relationship dynamics and interests, even the same "compromise" that felt impossible before starts to feel like a viable path forward.

By removing the distortion of the balloon, we allow for a decision that is chosen, not forced. That is when a resolution actually holds.

If your team or organization is stuck behind a barrier that keeps growing, let's talk about setting it aside to find a real way forward.

DM me with the word "consult" for a free 25-minute consultation.

Address

4311 N Ravenswood Avenue Suite 100
Chicago, IL
60613

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13123443128

Website

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