Bob Bordone: Cope Better With Conflict
Mon Feb 02 2026
At work and at home, we tend to avoid difficult conversations for as long as we can. So it’s not surprising that when we are forced to face conflict, it quickly escalates to a fever pitch. Many of us are also guilty of treating relationship conflict as a winner-takes-all debate, rather than an opportunity for connection and change.
Conflict expert, academic and author ROBERT BORDONE has developed an approach to help: conflict resilience. This mindset allows us to sit with and grow from disagreement, and to communicate with authority and confidence while not leaving others feeling unheard.
In the episode, Andrew and Bob cover:
Getting out of your own way as a communicator
The importance of timing
Embracing disagreement as an advantage
Anticipating and coping with defensiveness
Bob Bordone is an internationally recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, and conflict resilience. As the Founder and Principal of The Cambridge Negotiation Institute, Bob consults with C-suite executives, government officials and leaders at universities and across a wide range of industries to help them navigate their toughest conflicts and negotiations. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, and teaches at Harvard and at Georgetown University Law Center. His latest book, co-authored with Joel Salinas, is Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In.
If You’re Looking for More….
You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
This week supporters will hear:
Getting away from ‘I'm right and you're wrong’.
Three Things Bob Bordone knows to be true.
AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.
Follow Up
Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here
Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things
Read Bob Bordone and Joel Salinas’ new book: Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In.
Visit Bob Bordone’s website
Follow Bob Bordone on YouTube
Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools
Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50
Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
More
At work and at home, we tend to avoid difficult conversations for as long as we can. So it’s not surprising that when we are forced to face conflict, it quickly escalates to a fever pitch. Many of us are also guilty of treating relationship conflict as a winner-takes-all debate, rather than an opportunity for connection and change. Conflict expert, academic and author ROBERT BORDONE has developed an approach to help: conflict resilience. This mindset allows us to sit with and grow from disagreement, and to communicate with authority and confidence while not leaving others feeling unheard. In the episode, Andrew and Bob cover: Getting out of your own way as a communicator The importance of timing Embracing disagreement as an advantage Anticipating and coping with defensiveness Bob Bordone is an internationally recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, and conflict resilience. As the Founder and Principal of The Cambridge Negotiation Institute, Bob consults with C-suite executives, government officials and leaders at universities and across a wide range of industries to help them navigate their toughest conflicts and negotiations. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, and teaches at Harvard and at Georgetown University Law Center. His latest book, co-authored with Joel Salinas, is Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In. If You’re Looking for More…. You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 This week supporters will hear: Getting away from ‘I'm right and you're wrong’. Three Things Bob Bordone knows to be true. AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees. Follow Up Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things Read Bob Bordone and Joel Salinas’ new book: Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In. Visit Bob Bordone’s website Follow Bob Bordone on YouTube Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall