I have spent more than 15 years navigating the world of collaborations and networking in my freelance career as a pianist, vocal coach, and organist. But I’m naturally somewhat introverted and conflict avoidant. I didn’t negotiate well. As a freelancer, this hurt me a lot. Today I am trained in civil and commercial mediation, and am an avid student of human interaction and communication. I’ve negotiated a 2x fee increase with people who previously refused to even discuss a raise. I’ve learned that you are immensely more powerful when you negotiate with—not against—the other. No matter how antagonistic they are, you can almost always find ways to collaborate. My passion is helping others learn to do this too.