All Things Negotiation

Stan Christensen
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A podcast about negotiation, persuasion, and influence—taught through real stories. Hosted by Stan Christensen, who has taught negotiation at Stanford University for over 20 years, this bi-weekly podcast features founders, executives, investors, and foreign policy experts sharing real-world negotiation experiences. Episodes explore how leaders negotiate with venture capitalists, employees, customers, boards, and governments—and what actually works when the stakes are high.

  1. Negotiating the New Cold War with China

    6D AGO

    Negotiating the New Cold War with China

    China expert Rush Doshi explains how the US should negotiate and compete with China amid deep mutual distrust and differing views of intentions. Rush Doshi is regarded as one of the leading voices on US policy toward China, and he argues that China’s strategy shifts with its perception of American power—ebbing and flowing with the state of US policy decisions. Stan and Rush discuss his insight from being in a key figure in the rooms of prior negotiations and how that shapes his view of the current state of US policies: what works and what doesn't.Rush points out the key weakness the US has when squaring up to China on the international stage, but he also shares what the US can do to win the competition. Check out Rush's book: https://www.rushdoshi.com/thelonggame 01:41 China Reads US Power 03:00 From Biding Time To Boldness 04:16 Why Beijing Feels Confident 05:11 Managing Distrustful Talks 08:14 Biden Era Negotiation Phases 10:06 Trade War And Rare Earth Shock 13:58 Strategic Versus Tactical Bargaining 16:30 Scale Decides Great Powers 21:53 Allied Scale As The Answer 24:08 Using Leverage With Allies 25:24 Tariffs After Court Ruling 25:51 Allied Scale For Minerals 27:33 Sticks Versus Strategy 28:03 Domestic Politics And Blowback 30:45 Distraction And Strategic Opportunity 32:13 Taiwan Policy In Flux 34:22 Chips Deals And Credibility 37:27 Strategic Ambiguity And Stability 41:07 Managed Competition Framework 46:08 Russia Ukraine And China4 8:12 Making The Case At Home 50:27 Congress And Closing Thoughts Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years.

    52 min
  2. Sal Khan on AI, Education, and the Future of Work

    APR 21

    Sal Khan on AI, Education, and the Future of Work

    Sal Khan reflects on growing Khan Academy from tutoring cousins in 2004 into a nonprofit serving nearly 200 million registered users across 50+ languages with 350 staff, driven by a mission of free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Sal shares how he negotiated with himself and his collaborators to keep Khan Academy a non-profit organization that's mission-driven. He dives into the most prominent issues facing education today including systemic problems inherited from the incumbents in the space, as well as new challenges and opportunities being ushered in with the rise of AI technology. Check out schoolhouse.world. http://schoolhouse.world/ Please consider donating to Khan Academy http://khanacademy.org/donate 00:00 Khan Academy Scale 00:27 Why It Became An Institution 02:05 Origin Story Tutoring Cousins 04:15 Money Versus Mission 06:51 Why Stay Nonprofit 09:52 Working With School Systems 12:52 Winning Teacher Trust 15:58 District Negotiations And Privacy 19:09 OpenAI Outreach And GPT-4 Demo 22:10 Building Conmigo AI Tutor 23:39 Beyond Tutoring Writing And Cheating 24:03 AI Writing Coach Workflow 24:50 Assessing Soft Skills 26:27 Next Gen Standardized Tests 26:56 Scaling Durable Skills Training 28:20 Why He Wrote Brave New Words 32:50 Rethinking What Schools Teach 33:26 Who Sets Curriculum Signals 37:13 Job Shock and Automation Fears 39:28 Who Pays for Reskilling 43:20 Screen Time and Healthy Tech 45:18 Can Khan Reduce Inequality 47:28 Global Impact Stories Wrap Up Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years.

    50 min
  3. Robert O'brien: An Insider's View on How Trump Actually Negotiates

    APR 1

    Robert O'brien: An Insider's View on How Trump Actually Negotiates

    Former Trump Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs and National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien discusses behind-the-scenes negotiation lessons from hostage cases and major foreign-policy deals. O’Brien describes his approach as implementing President Trump’s decisions, crediting that alignment for successes including the Abraham Accords. He gives a candid look at what operations inside the Trump administration looks like. Robert and Stan weigh the merits and perils of Trump's personal negotiating style and the effects it might have on the U.S standing in the world. 00:00 Trump Negotiation Style 00:26 Meet Robert OBrien 01:39 ASAP Rocky Case 03:30 Tough Talk With Sweden 05:27 From Hostages To NSA 07:27 Abraham Accords Breakthrough 10:59 Kushner And Internal Pushback 12:07 West Bank Red Line 14:25 Maximalism And Greenland 17:35 Unpredictability And Kissinger 19:48 Taiwan And China Strategy 21:55 Allies And Burden Sharing 24:38 Soleimani And Syria Deal 27:51 Erdogan And Long Term Ties 31:17 Negotiation Skills And Unity Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years.

    36 min
  4. Fareed Zakaria: Navigating a World of Rising Powers and Shifting Alliances

    MAR 12

    Fareed Zakaria: Navigating a World of Rising Powers and Shifting Alliances

    In this conversation with Fareed Zakaria, the discussion centers on negotiation as the core of foreign policy and the danger of confusing tactical success with strategic clarity. Zakaria weighs in on the U.S conflict in Iran and shares a dire warning about how it could affect U.S negotiations for years to come. Stan and Fareed discuss a wide range of bilateral relationships and the potential risk of an “imperial trap” we might be falling into as we erode trust and the post-1945 order. Check out Fareed on his podcast: https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/fareed-zakaria-gps And CNN: https://podcasts.apple.com/iq/podcast/fareed-zakaria-gps/id377785090 00:00 Tactics vs Strategy 01:33 Iran Talks Undermined 03:46 Israel US Goals Diverge 06:00 Iraq Lessons and Aims 08:20 Pressuring Israel 12:25 China Reads the Signals 15:11 Tariffs and Trust 18:01 Allies and Supply Chains 21:55 India and Turkey 23:11 Turkey Drifts Westward 23:59 Pressuring Putin to Talk 25:43 Both Sides and Overreach 28:50 Norms Versus Guardrails 32:00 Why Congress Stays Silent 35:35 Can GOP Reclaim Reagan 38:03 Democrats and Culture Wars 42:10 Great Negotiators and Wrap Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years.

    46 min
  5. Jenna Nicholas: Negotiating For Purpose And Profit

    FEB 24

    Jenna Nicholas: Negotiating For Purpose And Profit

    In this podcast episode, Stan welcomes investor and CEO Jenna Nicholas to discuss the growing inflection point where financial performance aligns with social and environmental impact. They explore Nicholas’s book, "The Enlightened Bottom Line: Exploring the Intersection of Spirituality, Business and Investing," including her motivation to interview investors and business leaders about transformational moments, values, and legacy. Nicholas shares case studies such as Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective structure to perpetuate environmental impact, Panera’s COVID-era partnership to provide school lunches through USDA support, and companies like Devoted Health and Barry-Wehmiller that connect trust and empathy to business performance. Check out Jenna's book at: https://www.jenna-nicholas.com/ 00:00 Impact Investing Inflection 00:57 Negotiation Lessons Revisited 01:48 Why Write The Book 04:26 Patagonia And Panera Stories 07:33 HEAL Framework Explained 08:15 ESG Goes Mainstream 14:46 Convincing The Skeptics 17:00 Trust Purpose And Performance 19:39 Spirituality At Work 23:13 Embedding Values In Culture 25:21 What Is Impact Experience 33:40 Measuring Outcomes And Commitments 35:50 Education Equity Breakthroughs 41:47 Deep Listening As Persuasion 44:36 Closing Thoughts And Book Plug

    46 min
  6. Jeremy Andrus: The Turnaround Entrepreneur behind Traeger Grills

    FEB 10

    Jeremy Andrus: The Turnaround Entrepreneur behind Traeger Grills

    In this revealing episode, Stan sits down with Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger Grills, to delve into his gripping experiences in entrepreneurship and business transformation. Jeremy shares the tumultuous journey of rethinking and reinventing Traeger Grills amidst economic upheavals, tariffs, and a toxic corporate culture. The conversation covers the critical importance of negotiation, managing complex supplier relationships, leveraging partnerships with major retailers like Costco, and the power of transparency in leadership. Alongside anecdotes from his time at Skullcandy and a harrowing poisoning scare in China, Jeremy offers invaluable insights into building a resilient business that's not just about survival, but winning. 00:27 Meet Jeremy Andres: CEO of Traeger Grills 01:12 Navigating Challenges: COVID and Tariffs 02:47 Reinvention and Survival Strategies 05:38 Transparency and Team Communication 10:43 Jeremy's Harvard Business School Journey 13:16 Early Entrepreneurial Struggles 17:17 Joining Skullcandy: The Early Days 21:55 Negotiating Deals and Raising Capital 29:05 Acquiring Traeger Grills: The Surprises 30:04 Acquiring a 27-Year-Old Business 30:35 Cultural Challenges and Realizations 33:01 Negotiating a Buyout 33:34 Revamping the Supply Chain 34:37 Dealing with Toxic Culture 36:59 Retail Negotiations and Battle Scars 37:25 Costco's Tough Negotiation Tactics 48:38 Supplier Negotiations in China 55:54 Building Strong Supplier Relationships 01:03:33 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years. #AllThingsNegotiation #NegotiationStrategy #DealMaking #BusinessLeadership #EntrepreneurMindset #MethodicalThinking #BATNA #Leverage #SalesLeadership #FounderLife #CLevelLeadership #StrategicThinking #BusinessPodcast #StanAndJeremy #Traeger

    1h 4m
  7. David Neeleman: The JetBlue founder who built five successful airlines

    JAN 13

    David Neeleman: The JetBlue founder who built five successful airlines

    In this episode, Stan welcomes David Neeleman, a renowned figure in the airline industry, for an in-depth conversation on the intricacies of building successful airlines. David, who has founded five airlines including JetBlue and Breeze Airways, shares his insights on effective negotiation, leadership, and personal growth. The discussion covers his career journey, significant milestones, key strategies in negotiating with stakeholders, and maintaining a strong company culture. David also opens up about challenges, including his time at Southwest Airlines and the infamous Valentine's Day crisis at JetBlue, and the lessons learned from these experiences. 01:04 David Neeleman's Early Career and Morris Air 02:21 The Sale to Southwest Airlines 04:43 Challenges at Southwest and Moving On 06:33 Founding WestJet and Navitaire 09:40 The Birth of JetBlue 11:17 JetBlue's Success and Differentiation 13:29 Negotiating with Boeing and Airbus 16:03 Customer Engagement and Communication Strategies 22:14 Total Transparency and Accountability 22:39 The Valentine's Day Massacre Crisis 25:43 Lessons from Getting Fired 29:51 Founding Azul Airlines 32:18 Navigating Cross-Cultural Challenges 34:14 The Success of Breeze Airways 42:25 Effective Negotiation Strategies 43:34 Advice for Young Professionals Host Stan Christensen has spent his career working as a professional negotiator in a variety of arenas. He has also taught a popular course on negotiation at Stanford University for over twenty years.

    44 min
  8. Chip Conley: The entrepreneur who reinvented three industries

    12/09/2025

    Chip Conley: The entrepreneur who reinvented three industries

    In this episode, Stan talks with Chip Conley, an iconic entrepreneur and the founder of the Joie De Vivre hotel chain, a key player in Airbnb, and the creator of the Modern Elder Academy. They dive into the principles of karmic capitalism, lessons learned from building and scaling multiple successful businesses, and strategies for maintaining a good reputation. Chip shares his experiences at Airbnb, dealing with regulation challenges, and the importance of inter-generational collaboration. They also discuss the Modern Elder Academy, where Chip helps individuals navigate midlife transitions and find new purpose. This episode is rich with lessons in negotiation, leadership, and holistic thinking. Check out: Chip’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMidlifeChrysalisPodcast Modern Elder Academy: https://www.meawisdom.com/ Chip’s podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMidlifeChrysalisPodcast 00:00 Introduction to Karmic Capitalism 00:20 Meet Chip Conley: Entrepreneurial Journey 02:48 Founding Joie de Vivre Hotel Chain 05:55 Negotiating with Bands and Tour Managers 11:26 Risk and Decision Making in Business 15:21 Hotel Vitale: A Case Study in Negotiation 19:26 Managing Through Economic Downturns 23:34 Transition to Airbnb and Burning Man Involvement 29:20 The Ethos of Burning Man 29:39 Negotiation Strategies and Personal Stories 31:46 Joining Airbnb: A New Challenge 33:08 Building Culture and Facing Challenges at Airbnb 36:33 Navigating Co-Founder Dynamics 40:28 Regulation and Host Relations 45:02 Founding the Modern Elder Academy 48:09 Helping People Navigate Midlife Transitions 52:25 The Value of Wisdom and Experience 54:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    57 min
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About

A podcast about negotiation, persuasion, and influence—taught through real stories. Hosted by Stan Christensen, who has taught negotiation at Stanford University for over 20 years, this bi-weekly podcast features founders, executives, investors, and foreign policy experts sharing real-world negotiation experiences. Episodes explore how leaders negotiate with venture capitalists, employees, customers, boards, and governments—and what actually works when the stakes are high.

Information

  • Creator
    Stan Christensen
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Stan Christensen
  • Show Website
    All Things Negotiation

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