Jen Fry Speaking Topics

• Bold Leadership: Harnessing Conflict to Build Stronger Teams

  This high-impact workshop is designed for people who want to master the art of leveraging conflict as a powerful leadership tool. True leadership isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about managing tension, balancing diverse perspectives, and transforming conflict into a source of growth rather than division. Yet, many leaders underestimate the role of conflict in shaping trust, collaboration, and performance. Handled poorly, conflict erodes morale and stalls progress. Handled well, it fuels innovation, strengthens relationships, and drives team success.

  This session will equip leaders with the insights, strategies, and skills to confidently engage in difficult conversations, identify their natural conflict response, and turn disagreements into opportunities for growth. Participants will hear real-world conflict scenarios and learn how to lead with clarity and control in moments of tension.

  Conflict shouldn’t be feared or avoided—it should be understood and harnessed. Bold leadership isn’t about silencing conflict; it’s about using it to build stronger, more resilient teams that thrive under pressure.

• The Leadership Balancing Act: Navigating Conflict in High-Stakes Environments

  Leadership at the senior level isn’t just about vision—it’s about execution in the face of complexity, uncertainty, and pressure. Athletic departments, by their very nature, are a hub of high-stakes decision-making where conflicts are inevitable, whether it’s between coaches, administrators, or external stakeholders. But here’s the truth: conflict doesn’t have to be a stumbling block—it can be your organization’s most powerful catalyst for growth.

  This session will take a deep dive into how leaders at the top can better understand and optimize their approach to conflict. Participants will explore how their personal leadership styles influence how they navigate challenges, from balancing competing departmental priorities to managing the ever-evolving landscape of collegiate athletics. This is not just a session about conflict resolution—it’s about conflict transformation. You’ll gain actionable tools to analyze and address the root causes of tension, foster an environment where innovation thrives, and build a culture of resilience and accountability.

  By the end of this session, you’ll feel equipped to face difficult conversations with confidence, manage power dynamics with clarity, and inspire your teams to rise above challenges. Whether it’s rethinking departmental structures or handling performance issues, you’ll learn how to turn high-pressure situations into opportunities that align with your institutional vision and values.

• Innovation at Odds: How Conflict Fuels Great Ideas

  True innovation requires the grappling of ideas—where differing viewpoints, experiences, and expertise collide to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Conflict catalyzes this process by breaking through groupthink, challenging outdated practices, and pushing teams to find better solutions. Without conflict, organizations risk settling for mediocrity, as unchallenged ideas rarely lead to transformative breakthroughs. This session will explore how leaders can harness conflict to create a culture of innovation, where team members feel empowered to challenge each other respectfully and collaboratively.

  Conflict is not just an obstacle to overcome—it is the lifeblood of innovation. Without conflict, ideas remain unchallenged, teams become complacent, and organizations stagnate. This session is designed to help current and aspiring leaders reframe their understanding of conflict as a critical driver of progress and creativity. Leadership is not about avoiding friction but embracing it as an opportunity to push ideas from good to great. In every industry, innovation thrives in environments where people are encouraged to grapple with diverse perspectives, question assumptions, and engage in constructive debates.

• Fierce Boundaries: Empowering Women to Self-Advocate with Confidence

  In a world that often pressures women to accommodate others at the expense of their own needs, self-advocacy can feel like an uphill battle. This session is designed to help women reclaim their voices, assert their worth, and advocate for their needs with confidence and clarity. Through reflective exercises, interactive discussions, and actionable strategies, participants will learn to challenge societal expectations, set empowering boundaries, and communicate their needs effectively.

  By addressing the internal and external barriers that hinder self-advocacy, this workshop creates a supportive environment where women can redefine what it means to lead authentically. Participants will gain insight into how societal norms and personal experiences shape their approach to conflict and decision-making. They’ll also learn to reframe boundary-setting as a powerful act of self-respect and empowerment, rather than a source of guilt or selfishness. Whether navigating workplace dynamics or personal relationships, attendees will leave with a renewed sense of agency and practical tools to take charge of their own narratives.

  This workshop is not just about building confidence; it’s about equipping women to lead, thrive, and empower themselves in every aspect of their lives.

• The Power of Self-Awareness in Conflict

  In this session, participants will explore the critical role of self-awareness in navigating conflict. By identifying their own emotional triggers and understanding how these responses shape their approach to disputes, leaders will gain insights into their personal conflict styles. The session will also introduce the spectrum of conflict resolution styles, empowering participants to recognize and adapt to the styles of others for more effective communication and problem-solving. With a focus on enhancing emotional intelligence, identifying personal tendencies, and building adaptable conflict management techniques, this session equips leaders with the tools to approach disputes with confidence and clarity.

• The Culture Catalyst: Leveraging Conflict for Growth

  Organizational culture isn’t just built in boardrooms or outlined in mission statements—it’s forged in the everyday interactions, challenges, and yes, conflicts that arise among teams. How we navigate those moments of tension can either fracture relationships or bring out the best in our teams. In this session, leaders will explore the often-overlooked power of conflict as a cultural catalyst, learning how the way disputes are handled can set the tone for innovation, collaboration, and trust. By shifting the focus from avoiding conflict to embracing it as a tool for growth, leaders can cultivate a workplace culture that thrives under pressure.

  Attendees will also delve into practical strategies for uncovering the root causes of organizational friction and reframing those challenges as opportunities to realign values, goals, and relationships. From small disagreements to larger cultural shifts, participants will learn how to foster environments where open communication and mutual respect take center stage. This isn’t just about resolving disagreements—it’s about building a resilient, adaptable organization that doesn’t just survive conflict but uses it to evolve and grow stronger together. Come ready to see conflict not as a roadblock but as a springboard for cultural transformation and success.

  Attendees will:

  1. Identify conflict’s role in shaping organizational culture
  2. Learn to implement conflict resolution strategies that not only resolve issues but also positively contribute to the organizational culture.
  3. Leverage conflict for organizational improvement and innovation

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