PPP 521 | Neuroscience-Based Principles to Resolve Conflicts, with Dr. Jeremy Pollack
Summary In this episode, Andy sits down with Dr. Jeremy Pollack, a social-organizational psychologist and founder of Pollack Peacebuilding Systems, author of Wired for Peace: Using 7 Neuroscience-Based Principles to Resolve Conflicts. Jeremy looks at conflict through the lens of the brain and ner...
Brain States When You Should NOT Try to Resolve a Conflict
We spend a lot of time learning how to resolve conflict. But almost nobody talks about when not to.
Sometimes, the smartest thing you can do in a difficult conversation is wait.
In this episode, I break down seven brain states that can compromise our ability to communicate clearly, regulate our r...
September 4, 2026 – Off the Record Alex Guirguis and Wired for Peace Jeremy Pollack, PhD
Alex Guirguis – Co-Founder & CEO of Off the Road, INC
Not everyone in the country has the same access to the legal system
and just justice in general. And that’s part of the reason we started
Off The Record was to level the playing field.
Alex Guirguis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Off The Re...
The Behavioral Science of Psychological Safety | Jeremy Pollack
This week, Dr. Jeremy Pollack joins us to explore the neuroscience of conflict, trust, mistakes, uncertainty, and psychological safety. We discuss how these obstacles and miscommunications can affect our work environments, what to do when you notice them, and how to build healthier teams by break...
Conflict Isn't a Problem to Avoid—It's an Opportunity Your Brain Is Trained to Misread
“We should look at this as an opportunity.”
You’ve probably heard some version of that about conflict, and it may have sounded like a platitude. Opportunities are things we want. How could conflict possibly be one of them?
In this episode, we explore why we may not want conflict, but we often nee...
Conflict Isn’t a Problem to Avoid—It’s an Opportunity Your Brain Is Trained to Misread
Why does conflict feel threatening even when we know intellectually that disagreement can be productive?
In this episode, we explore how repeated negative experiences with conflict can condition the brain to associate interpersonal friction with stress and danger. Over time, that response can bec...
7 Brain States When You Should NOT Try to Resolve a Conflict
We spend a lot of time learning how to resolve conflict. But knowing when not to try may be just as important.
In this episode, we will explore seven brain states that can compromise our ability to navigate conflict effectively: from being tired, hungry, or chronically stressed to feeling emotion...
When You Can't Predict The Boss's Behavior
We hear all the time that trust takes years to build and seconds to break. But what actually is trust?
One useful way to think about it is as a perception of safety. Not necessarily physical safety, but the sense that the people and environment around us are stable enough to predict.
That has imp...
When an Operational Problem Turns Into Conflict
Two coworkers can’t stand each other. By the time the issue lands on HR’s desk, it looks like a classic personality clash.
But what if that’s not actually how the conflict started?
A surprising amount of what gets labeled “interpersonal conflict” at work begins with something operational: unclear...
How AI Is Causing Coworker Conflict
Could AI be contributing to some of the tension showing up between coworkers?
In this episode, we explore two ways AI may be influencing workplace conflict.
First, uncertainty about jobs and the future of work can leave people more on edge, potentially lowering the threshold for tension and disa...
