There is this part in Brene Brown’s book, Rising Strong, in which she shares a phrase that helps her deal with conflict. Whether experiencing tension with her husband, friend, or a co-worker, this one phrase helps her open up a healthy and calm dialogue. The phrase begins like this: “The story I am telling myself is…” In other words, if someone does something that feels hurtful or unexpected—rather than blowing up at the person—she examines her story. You know, the story we all tell ourselves when things like this happen. Stories like “He didn’t call me, he must be mad [...]