Rewiring Workplace Relationships with Vanessa McNeal

Overview

Your "difficult" team members and challenging clients aren't the problem, regulation is. The colleague who's constantly resistant, the customer who escalates every issue, the team member who shuts down in meetings, the client who can't make a decision, they're not trying to make your life harder.

Their nervous systems are dysregulated, and it's showing up as behaviors you can't manage your way out of. In this transformative talk, Vanessa McNeal reveals why conflict resolution training fails when people are dysregulated, and what actually works: creating the psychological safety that transforms relationships. Using neuroscience and real examples, she shows you how to recognize patterns of dysregulation, implement practices that help people regulate, and shift from reactivity to connection.

When people are more regulated, you don't just reduce conflict, you unlock collaboration, deepen trust, strengthen team dynamics, and dramatically improve retention. This isn't about managing difficult people. It's about creating cultures and conditions where difficult behaviors don't have to exist.

**This program is valid for SHRM Credits | Activity 26-2UKS9, PDCs: 2