Inner Compass NEwsletters
The Inner Compass is a monthly reflection for readers who want to stay steady when conversations become difficult.
These short articles combine neuroscience, emotional insight, and research drawn from Dr. Joan Flora’s developing work on Unhooked: The Surprising Forces That Shape Listening in Conflict.
Staying Calm Isn’t Enough: The Skill Leaders Miss in Hard Conversations part 2 of 3 (April 2026)
Listening Under Threat: The Urge That Makes Listening Harder part 1 of 3 (March 2026)
Why Trying Harder Fails: The Myth of the Willpower Gap (February 2026)
When Our Brains Have No Place to Rest: The 47% Problem (January 2026)
When Stillness Feels Unbearable (December 2025)
The Science of Where We Look: How Focus Shapes Intention (November 2025)
Learn with Inner Sage:
If you want to practice this work in real time, I’m offering two free sessions through Inner Sage Leadership Group:
The Empathy & Attunement Studio, with Dr. Desiree Briel Rodi, PCC
- Thursdays, Noon PST· via Zoom
Join a simple, structured practice to strengthen empathy for yourself and for others. This pilot offering is free through the end of summer.
You’ll learn to:
- Clarify what you’re feeling and why
- Stay calmer and more grounded in hard conversations
- Remain connected to what matters without losing yourself in the moment
Raising the Quality of Conflict
- Tuesdays, ·times vary (click registration link for details) · via Zoom
Participants learn to recognize emotional reactivity, respond without self-silencing or escalation, and use conflict as a pathway to clarity, trust, and forward movement over damage or avoidance.
👉 Registration
Listening Assessment: You don’t learn much about your listening when things are calm. You learn when they’re not. The Inner Sage Listening Assessment shows what happens in that moment when your nervous system speeds up. Take this assessment to learn more about how you listen under stress.
