Thursday, August 27th, 8 am Pacific / 11 am Eastern
Our special guest this week, Dr Samantha Hardy, will present on:
Working with support people in mediation and coaching
This WWFF session looks at how mediators and coaches can work with the people our clients lean on: when to welcome them into the room, how to set expectations without bruising anyone, and how to keep the client's own voice at the center even when someone they trust is talking louder. A practical, honest conversation about the extra chairs at the table and the people who fill them.
When you’re thinking about where to donate, please consider supporting Foodbank Australia
Our presenter:
Dr. Samantha Hardy
Dr. Hardy's mission is a simple one with big implications: to help people think differently about conflict so they can handle it better. Her work centers on giving people — those living through conflict and those who support others through it — the space to reflect, learn, and grow, through coaching and professional development training.
She pursues that mission through The Conflict Management Academy, where she leads a team of practitioners and educators working toward a more peaceful future. Their guiding belief is that peace isn't the absence of conflict; it's the constructive management of the conflict that inevitably arises between people — the kind that deepens connection, learning, and growth rather than eroding it.
Dr. Hardy provides coaching, conflict support, and training to managers and leaders around the world. She is accredited under the Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolver Accreditation Scheme, a Certified Transformative Mediator through the US Institute of Conflict Transformation, a Certified Narrative Coach, an experienced conflict management coach, and the founder of the REAL Conflict Coaching System™.
Her contributions to the field have been widely recognized: she received the Resolution Institute's Award for Service to Dispute Resolution in 2021 for her leadership and innovation, and was named Conflict Coach of the Year at the 2023 Australian Dispute Resolution Awards.
She holds a PhD in Law and Conflict Resolution along with postgraduate qualifications in adult education, and remains a committed lifelong learner. A well-known trainer and university educator, she holds adjunct appointments at universities across Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the USA. She has also published widely in the field, including the books Dispute Resolution in Australia, Mediation for Lawyers, Sex, Gender, Sexuality and the Law, and Conflict Coaching Fundamentals: Working With Conflict Stories.
Offered by Will Work For Food, founded by Natalie Armstrong-Motin, and moderated by Kimberly Best, Felicia Harris Hoss, Jeff Kichaven, Jean Lawler, and David Shraga.
This worldwide conversation will be like nothing else. Join in! Share, learn, have fun, and raise money for food banks.