Conflict = Opportunity Kick-off!

Hi! Welcome to the first edition of Conflict = Opportunity!, a monthly newsletter about mediating through life, written by me, Karen Pelot. As this is the introductory edition, I decided to reintroduce myself to you, and begin to spark your interest in the ongoing story of how Conflict = Opportunity!

As I already mentioned, and for any of you who may not know me, my name is Karen Pelot, and I am the sole proprietor of Karen Pelot Mediations, LLC. I have an MBA, with a concentration in Alternate Dispute Resolution, and have been mediating full time for 2.5 years. I am recognized as an Advanced Practitioner of Mediation (APM) by the International Association for Dispute Resolution, and I am certified by the Supreme Court of Florida in Circuit/civil and County court disputes. In the past two years, I have mediated more than 200 cases, with 89% of those settling at mediation.

Enough about who I am, let’s get on with the story behind this month’s Conflict = Opportunity!…

2009 has come to a close, and I find myself reflecting on it with gratitude and a good bit of awe – as in “that was awesome!”. You see, because of the conflict we generally refer to as civil litigation, this year I received the opportunity to spend time with the most amazing people. Some have simply been brilliant, and I have listened to them like

an enthusiastic student, eager to soak in everything they so generously shared. Others had personal stories so inspiring; being in their presence was like sitting with angels. Some were angry, frustrated or fearful, and I was presented the opportunity to experience their pain. This is also when I had the opportunity to be a calming presence, and help them move from a place of emotional discomfort to a place of personal power and peace – regardless of the decisions they ultimately made. Some were humble and sincere; others vociferous and even a bit arrogant. Some were savvy, speedy negotiators; others were thoughtful and analytical, taking their time as we navigated through the process of mediation (and, it is a process, but that’s a topic for another day). There were some who were wealthy beyond imagination; others had little more than the clothes they wore to mediation. Although it was often serious conflict that brought us all together, I look back on 2009 and appreciate that most took opportunities to share a little piece of their lives with me. Many shared a hearty laugh or two with me, and many shared their tears.

If you recognize yourself, your clients, or both, in any of these descriptions, I am not surprised. For you see, I have found it to be a very rare occasion when every single one of these descriptions is not present in mediation – often wondrously

Happy New Year!