What to Say When Things Get Tough

Welcome to our 10th episode! This week, Dr. Alan Snyder, a physical therapist in New York City, talks about how he handles difficult communication challenges with his patients. I even manage to solicit a little free medical advice from Dr. Snyder that I think will be helpful to anyone who needs a doctor.

If you need a physical therapist and you live in the NYC area, you can find Dr. Snyder on his website at http://www.breakawayphysicaltherapy.com.

Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for the original music and Rachel Greenberger for the original art.

Please email questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

Some of the most difficult conversations take place between medical professionals and their patients. In this first part of a two-part episode, patient advocate and long-time surgical nurse Antra Kathleen Boyd talks about how we can better manage those conversations and achieve the best possible outcome for everyone involved. And next week, physician Alan Snyder will join us to give us a health care provider's perspective.

To learn more about Antra and her work at Connected Care Patient Advocates, visit her website at www.connectedcarepatientadvocates.com.

Thanks as always to Jim Cirillo at www.jimiumgroup.com for our original music, and to Rachel Greenberger for our original podcast art.

Send questions and comments to [email protected] and follow us at #wtswtgt!

If you’re like me, doctor appointments may fill you with dread – especially if you’re experiencing a serious medical condition. Those conversation are among the most difficult many of us will experience, for both patients and doctors.

But fear not! Our guest today is Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene, a hematologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University. Toyosi explains how doctors approach those difficult conversations with patients and the skills and techniques they use to provide as much comfort and information as possible. She also offers tips on how patients can make the most out of the little time they have to interact with their doctors and ask questions.

You can learn more about Toyosi and her practice here. She also runs a website called Coag Coach devoted to educating patients about hematology and hematologic disorders.

A quick programming note: we’re going on summer hiatus next week, so this will be the last new episode of WTSWTGT until the fall. Please check back because I plan to share some “best of” episodes over the next few months.

Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo of jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art.

Please send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

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Our guest today is Izolda Trakhtenberg, and expert in communicating in difficult situations and a sought-after speaker, educator, and coach for businesses and organizations looking to thrive. And as you'll learn, while we just met last week, we've run in the same circles for many years.

You can learn more about Izolda on her website at www.izoldaspeaks.com. There you can read her blog, access her podcast, The Creative Solutions Podcast, and order one of her books, including the most recent, Speak from Within: How to Engage and Inspire Any Audience Whether You're Talking to One or One Thousand.

As always, thank you to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art.

Please send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

Today we wrap up my conversation with Deborah Driggs, insurance agent, mother, former model and actress, and Playboy’s centerfold in March 1990.

We discuss the role that fear plays when communicating in difficult situations. Deborah also shares how she learned not to take no for an answer as a senior in high school when she convinced her high school government teacher to let her pass a class she had never attended by staying up all night to write a paper summarizing the class’s entire textbook.

She used that experience to develop her “No means maybe” philosophy that has helped drive her success as an actress, model, investor, and insurance agent. Enjoy!

As always, thank you to Jim Cirillo of jimiumgroup.com for our original music and my daughter Rachel Greenberger for our original podcast art.

Please send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

Our guest today is Victoria Broehm, senior director of communications at the American Feed Industry Association. AFIA is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to representing the U.S. animal food industry and its suppliers. That puts AFIA and Victoria right in the middle of a diverse array of ongoing issues and sudden crises.

Victoria shares a ton of practical advice on managing issues and responding to crises, including the role that third parties can play in effective response, the importance of a scenario-based approach to crisis communications planning, and the advantages of engaging your entire organization in crisis preparation and response.

And listen to the end for a fascinating fact about Victoria and her family to wash it all down.

Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art.

Please send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I would bring you an encore presentation of my most popular episode to date. The guest is Jeffrey Dean, actor, speaker and transformational life coach. We'll be back in two weeks with an all-new episode. Enjoy!!

Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art.

As always, send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

You're in for a real treat today because our guest is Tom Logue, my colleague at AKCG - Public Relations Counselors and the firm's director of crisis communications.

Tom spends his days - and sometimes his nights - helping our clients navigate crises of every imaginable flavor. In just 30 minutes, he shares a lot about how organizations can navigate crises successfully with careful planning, preparation and execution.

If you'd like to hear more about AKCG's approach to crisis communications, please email Tom at [email protected].

Thank you to Jim Cirillo of jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art.

Please send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

Welcome to the 60th original episode of What to Say When Things Get Tough! We're joined today by Simon Rinne, an Australian therapist who specializes in helping men work through mental health challenges like burnout, depression and substance abuse. We talk about how Simon decided to help others after struggling with his own mental health issues, and he walks us through the best way to approach someone if you think they may need help.

Simon is the host of a podcast called Mindful Men and can be found online at www.mindful-men.com.au. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

As always, thank you to Jim Cirillo of jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to Rachel Greenberger for our original art.

Send questions to [email protected] and follow us on Twitter at #wtswtgt.

Our guest today is Lorraine Segal, a communication and conflict teacher, coach and consultant. Lorraine works with non-profits and corporations to help them resolve workplace conflicts.

She shares some of the best practices that sh's picked up along the way, including how she has learned to forgive herself and others -- and how that has helped to minimize the conflict she experiences in her own life.

To learn more about Lorraine and the services she provides, please visit her website at www.conflictremedy.com.

Thank you as always to Jim Cirillo at jimiumgroup.com for our original music and to my daughter Rachel Greenberger, for our original art. And Happy Birthday, Boo-Boo!

Until next time, always be positive!