A leadership mini-course by Dr. Kim Richardson
Rising Through Tough Conversations℠
Lead with Clarity. Lead with Courage. Lead with Care.
A seven-module mini-course you can complete in 3-5 hours and apply immediately.
One-time payment · Instant access · Self-paced
What Is Rising Through Tough Conversations℠?
Rising Through Tough Conversations℠ is a seven-module leadership mini-course and self-paced workbook created by Dr. Kim Richardson for leaders who are avoiding a conversation their leadership needs them to have.
Grounded in the research of Stone, Patton, and Heen, Judy Ringer, and the Center for Creative Leadership, this course moves leaders from avoidance to engagement — teaching them to recognize a difficult conversation, clarify their purpose, frame it in a way that reduces defensiveness, listen to lead, stay present when things get messy, co-create real solutions, and build a team culture where fewer conversations have to become tough in the first place.
This is not a script-memorization course. It is a practice of clarity, courage, and care that leaders can return to before any hard conversation, for the rest of their leadership.
Seven modules. One complete arc for hard conversations.
This seven-module mini-course walks leaders through a complete arc for leading difficult conversations:
MODULE 1
Recognize the Moment — name the conversation type before you engage
MODULE 2
Clarify Your Why — get clear on your real purpose before you walk in
MODULE 3
Frame the Conversation — use the third-story approach to reduce defensiveness
MODULE 4
Listen to Lead — use active listening to build trust, not just gather information
MODULE 5
Stay Present in the Messy Middle — hold steady when the conversation gets unpredictable
MODULE 6
Co-Create Solutions — move from tension to action, together
MODULE 7
Build Preventive Culture — create team habits that surface tension early, plus a bonus section for conflict-averse leaders
Each module includes a focused lesson, a self-assessment, paired "look inward / look outward" reflection prompts, a shift table, a leadership move for the week, and both a reflective and a practical tool built for real use. The course closes with a personalized Tough Conversations Profile and action plan.
Why This Mini-Course Works
Most leaders already know they need to have certain conversations. What they lack is not information — it’s a process. This course gives leaders that process, module by module, with tools built to be taken directly into a real conversation, not just discussed in theory.
You will leave with tools including:
Conversation Type Identifier
Name what kind of conversation you’re facing
The Listening Model
Pause-Paraphrase-Validate-Question-Share, for listening that builds trust
The Pause Protocol
Stay grounded when emotions run high
Gentle Entry Stems
A bonus section built for conflict-averse leaders
By completing this mini-course, you will:
- Recognize the Moment Identify the type of difficult conversation you're facing before you engage — reducing anxiety and increasing clarity.
- Clarify Your Why Enter conversations intentionally, not reactively, with a clear sense of your true purpose.
- Frame the Conversation Open using neutral, third-story framing that invites partnership instead of defensiveness.
- Listen to Lead Use the Pause-Paraphrase-Validate-Question-Share model to listen in a way that builds trust.
- Stay Present Remain grounded and regulated through the unpredictable middle of a hard conversation.
- Co-Create Solutions Close conversations with concrete next steps that both people helped create.
- Build Preventive Culture Establish team habits that surface small tensions before they become crises.
One-time payment · Instant access · Self-paced
Where you start. Where you finish.
Before you may:
- Avoid the conversation and hope it resolves itself
- Open from your own position or with blame language
- Shut down, push harder, or rush to resolution when emotions rise
- End hard conversations abruptly with no clear next step
After you will:
- Name the conversation and engage it with intention
- Open with a third-story frame that invites the other person in
- Listen fully before responding, using a repeatable model
- Stay present and grounded through the messy middle
- Close with a summary, next steps, and a reaffirmed relationship
- Build team norms that make honesty safe before things escalate
Meet Dr. Kim Richardson
Dr. Kim Richardson is a leadership strategist, executive coach, speaker, and founder of Dr. Kim Leadership: Keep Rising℠. Her work focuses on people-centered leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, coaching, and leadership identity development.
Known for helping leaders strengthen the human side of leadership, Dr. Richardson equips educators and organizational leaders with practical tools to navigate trust, communication, team dynamics, and their own leadership patterns more effectively. Her leadership development work combines research, emotional intelligence, coaching principles, and real-world application to help leaders move from reactive habits to intentional leadership practice.
Through her speaking, coaching, writing, and leadership programs, Dr. Richardson challenges leaders to stop performing leadership and start practicing it with honesty, self-awareness, and accountability.
Her work on tough conversations reflects what she has seen repeatedly in coaching leaders: the conversation being avoided is almost always the one the team already senses is coming.
Her message is clear: Rise up and lead.
This course is for you if…
- There's a conversation you've been avoiding right now
- You want practical language and tools, not just theory
- You lead people, and difficult conversations are simply part of the job
- You want a team culture where honesty feels safe, not risky
This Course May Not Be the Right Fit If…
- You're looking for a way to avoid the hard conversation altogether
- You want scripts without doing the internal reflection work behind them
- You're not willing to examine your own patterns of avoidance
Stop avoiding. Start rising.
Join Rising Through Tough Conversations℠ and lead the conversation your team is waiting for.
One-time payment · Instant access · Self-paced