Happy Space Podcast with Clare Kumar Clare Kumar

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
Say Yes Get...

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
a...

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
a...

In this episode Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, founding physician and well-being expert takes us through the seven types of rest, how to know which one you need, and the gifts that come from a well-rested life.
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, founding physician and well-being expert tells us why rest is about more than just sleep and how by through the seven types of rest, you can not only reset your battery, but enjoy a more fulfilling life. Dr. Dalton-Smith takes us through her journey of her own story of burnout and how she made adjustments after realizing that living a successful life full of stress and “producing” wasn’t as important as her own well-being. She gets into the relationship between sleep and rest, the science behind sleep, and other factors that impact everyday rest. She explains how scientific research and her unique view on spirituality has informed the seven types of rest in her book, Sacred Rest.
Trigger Warning: We talk briefly about suicide in this show. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for mental health assistance. In Canada, dial 988. If there is immediate risk, dial 911. For resources where you are, here is a list of global mental health resources:
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mental_health_resources
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and award-winning author. She is an international well-being thought-leader featured in numerous media outlets including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, INC, CNN Health, and TED.com. She is the author of numerous books including her bestseller Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, including insight on the seven types of rest needed to optimize your productivity, increase your overall happiness, overcome burnout, and live your best life. Over 250,000 people have discovered their personal rest deficits using her free assessment at RestQuiz.com. Learn more about Dr. Saundra at DrDaltonSmith.com.
4:04  Empathy and compassion in the conversation about rest
5:33  Secrets of the well-rested
8:36  Pushing back on culture to claim what we need
11:38  Saundra’s personal burnout journey
16:34  The relationship between rest and sleep
20:41  How technology is affecting our rest routines
22:47  Regulating breaks for work sessions and workshops
26:50  Mental-exhaustion, and why it’s so common now
30:40  Increased stimulation in the world and how it’s affecting rest for sensitive people
34:16  How do we find quiet in a noisy world?
36:26  Increasing productivity and connection in conferences and workshops
37:53  Saundra's view of spirituality and how it ties into rest
41:22  How atheists view spirituality
42:30  Next steps for experiencing more rest, Sacred Rest and Restquiz.com
LINKS
Dr. Saundra-Dalton Smith’s Website
Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith’s Personal Rest Retreats
RestQuiz.com
Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra-Dalton Smith
National Speakers...

Heather Hansen, accent bias and linguistic inclusion expert discusses how English speakers can address their own accent bias and how non-native speakers can communicate more effectively in work environments.
In this episode, Heather Hansen, Accent Bias and Linguistic Inclusion Expert shares her experiences with accent bias in three different continents and how cultural attitudes vary across the world. She discusses the universal language, English, and gives English speakers advice on how to handle their own accent bias as well as tips for non-native English speakers on how to communicate more effectively in workplaces. Accent bias brings up many questions like does having a certain accent make you sound less or more intelligent? Can you get rid of accent bias completely? And where does humor fit in? As our world becomes more and more diverse, it’s becoming important to think about communication across cultures, especially in a business context. Join Heather in this exciting conversation about language expression and cultural inclusion.
BIO
Heather Hansen is Managing Director of corporate training firm Global Speech Academy where she helps top professionals show up, speak up, and inspire action in a changing world. She fights microinequities related to language and accent in international teams, and helps global companies build UNMUTED communication cultures where every voice belongs.
Heather is an External Expert in Communication for National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School's Executive Education programs and she is pursuing her PhD in Linguistics at Nanyang Technological University where she is studying the effects of accent bias in multinational organizations.
Not only does Heather study accent bias, she has lived it in three languages across three continents, including over 20 years living abroad. She is also one of the only practitioners in the world actively running training interventions on accent bias in global organizations.
This is partly why Heather has been named to the Thinkers50 Radar 2024 Class - an exclusive list of 30 up-and-coming thinkers whose ideas are expected to make an important impact on management thinking in the future.
Heather is author of the multi-award-winning book, Unmuted, published by Bloomsbury Business. This book outlines her framework for successful global communication in multinational companies. She is also the author of Powerful People Skills and has contributed to three other books published by Marshall Cavendish International.
Heather’s next book (coming in 2025) is a comprehensive guide on how to manage accent bias and promote linguistic inclusion at work.
CHAPTERS
4:40 Heather’s connection to empathy
10:30 How language affects how intelligence is perceived
15:50 Canadian study with children and how they perceive teachers
17:30 Film examples of accent bias
21:20 Our human nature to mimic
24:13 When is language mockery?
29:51 Why are we offended by some language?
31:50 Cognitive dissonance of language and facial expression
32.34 Can accent bias be stopped?
34:00 Accent bias and call centres
36:00 Learning language as children
41:50 Where does humor come into accents and language?
44:00 The increase in diversity in cities and how immigrants can be successful in English
51:11 Cat trick time
51:45 Pacing in language and tips to speak English more effectively
54:30 Accent bias in a business environment
55:40 Life and death situations - accent bias and aviation English
LINKS
University of Toronto Missisauga Study - Children have biases toward different accents
a...

Author of the Canary Code, Ludmila Praslova discusses how moral injury can cause autistic burnout, and how dignity plays a part in setting boundaries in neurodiverse workplaces.
Ludmila Praslova, the author of The Canary Code, discusses the common misconceptions about autism, the importance of recognizing female and high-functioning presentations of autism, and the challenges faced by those seeking diagnosis and acceptance. This episode touches on authenticity, moral injury, and the need for accommodations at work. She also shares about her work on the concept of dignity and how it’s imperative to setting boundaries and better understanding social situations involving neurodivergent individuals. Finally, she talks about the implications of the DSM-V's categorizations, and practical advice for organizations to move forward in their DEI evolution. 
Ludmila N. Praslova Ph.D., SHRM-SCP is the author of “The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work” (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, April 2024) and the member of the Thinkers50 Radar 2024 cohort of global management thinkers most likely to impact workplaces. 
She is a Professor of Graduate Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Accreditation Liaison Officer at Vanguard University of Southern California. 
With over 25 years of experience in developing talent-rich organizations, she is a global inclusive talent strategy expert with deep knowledge of global diversity and neurodiversity. 
Her current consulting is focused on creating organizational systems for inclusion and wellbeing and providing neuroinclusion training and support to organizations such as Amazon, Bank of America, and MIT. Dr. Praslova is also the editor of “Evidence-Based Organizational Practices for Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity” (Cambridge Scholars, 2023) and the special issue of the Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, “Disability inclusion in the workplace: From “accommodation” to inclusive organizational design.” 
She regularly writes for Fast Company, Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today, and is the first person to have published in Harvard Business Review from an autistic perspective.
CHAPTERS
7:00 Clare’s self-diagnosis of autism
8:15 Women and the misunderstanding of autism 
10:48 Autistic and neurodiverse traits
12:00 Masking and Ludmila’s journey with autism
17:47 Why there are so many autistic actors
19:50 How moral injury affects autistic burnout
21:58 The consequences of moral injury for neurodivergent individuals
24:11 Autistic burnout vs. regular burnout
28:20 What can leaders do to create a better work culture?
32:30 What is behind a leader’s need to control?
36:45 The need for more conscious social interactions in the workplace
39:10 Socializing and masking with autism
43:02 How to honor your own dignity
44:19 How dignity can help establish boundaries at work
46:12 How do we navigate the growing neurodivergent population?
48:53 Autistic people and how empathy is expressed
57:12 The medical model of diagnosis in autism
01:06:04 The Canary Code and where you can find it
LINKS
The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova
Ep. 45 - Melanie Deziel - Unmasking - Late Autism Diagnosis in Women
Clinical Psychiatrist Jonathan...