In this episode of the Podcast on Negotiation On Negotiation Stories on the Path to Peace, we speak with Joshua Weiss about the human stories that shape negotiation, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding. Josh reflects on his own path into the field, what first drew him to negotiation and mediation, and how his work has evolved through scholarship, practice, and teaching.

We also revisit his recent work on failure in negotiation, exploring what failure can teach us and why it remains such an important and often overlooked part of learning. From there, the conversation turns to the power of stories: why they matter so deeply in negotiation, what they reveal that courses and workshops alone sometimes cannot, and how personal experience can open new ways of understanding conflict, connection, and change.

A major focus of the episode is Josh’s new project, a community-based database of negotiation stories. He shares what inspired the initiative, how he hopes people will use it, and what makes it different from more traditional negotiation clearinghouses such as those at PON and DRRC. We also explore the kinds of stories that stay with us and what makes a negotiation story especially meaningful.

In the second part of the episode, we turn to the Abraham Path Initiative. Josh introduces the vision behind this work and reflects on what drew him personally to it. Together, we discuss how encounter across cultures and communities can create new possibilities for understanding and peacebuilding, and how movement, listening, and shared human experience can become part of a larger path toward peace.

Throughout the episode, we explore Josh’s personal journey into negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution, the lessons from his work on failure in negotiation, the role of stories in negotiation and peacebuilding, and the promise of his new database of negotiation stories from the community. We also discuss how this project differs from traditional negotiation case collections, the vision and significance of the Abraham Path Initiative, the way encounter across cultures can open space for peace, and the deeper connection between stories, understanding, and hope.

In this episode, we host Robin Kencel, a leading real estate broker in the U.S. Robin has been recognized on The Wall Street Journal's RealTrends rankings (including The Thousand/America’s Best lists), placing her team among the top performers nationally and in the top 1-1.5% across the U.S., with repeated state-level top-100 distinctions.

Together with Robin, we unpack how real estate negotiations really work, who holds leverage at different stages and how to align agents, principals, lenders, and lawyers. We look at pricing and anchoring in volatile markets, from comps and cap rates to when ignoring the “asking” price is the smartest move. Robin shows how to use structure as a bargaining tool, from contingencies and seller financing to creative concessions that unlock value, and how disciplined diligence, zoning, environmental risk, tenant rolls, can legitimately reopen terms without undermining trust. We talk BATNAs that truly matter, time pressure, managing multiple offers ethically, and the fine line between tactics and relationships: reading signals, countering nibbling, and keeping counterparties on-side to reach closing. You’ll hear where residential and commercial playbooks overlap (and where they don’t), plus two vivid case stories, a bidding war flipped into collaboration, and a near-miss rescued by reframing interests. We wrap with practical takeaways you can use immediately: questions to ask before the first call, a concession matrix for inspection findings, and a closing checklist, lessons that apply well beyond property, from leases for founders to any negotiation requiring speed, diligence, and structured creativity.

This episod is especially interesting to: buyers, sellers, founders negotiating leases, asset managers, and anyone who wants sharper due-diligence and deal-structuring skills.

In this episode, we sit down with Keld Jensen, a world-renowned negotiation expert, to discuss his groundbreaking new book Smart Negotiator. With decades of experience in teaching, researching, and advising negotiators across the globe, Keld brings a fresh perspective to a field that is often thought to be already saturated. So why Smart Negotiator now? Because the negotiation landscape is evolving rapidly, and today’s challenges from AI integration to shifting trust dynamics, demand new tools and mindsets.

Together, we explore how the world of negotiation has changed in recent years and what new pressures negotiators must navigate. Keld introduces us to the concept of NegoEconomics, his framework for uncovering hidden value in deals, and explains why trust remains at the heart of every successful outcome. We dive into the fascinating interplay between human insight and artificial intelligence, including real-world examples where AI surfaced breakthroughs that human intuition alone might have missed.

The conversation also covers practical guidance: how to measure and rebuild trust mid-deal, how to design contracts in the age of AI, and how to avoid the most common mistakes, even those made by seasoned professionals. Keld explains the mindset and signals needed to build a true SMARTnership, a collaborative paradigm that transcends zero-sum tactics, and offers tactics for uncovering the “hidden surplus” present in every negotiation.

We also look at cutting-edge topics such as using AI for real-time negotiation feedback, countering authority bias when dealing with powerful counterparts, and the evolving role of contracts as tools for long-term alignment rather than just legal safeguards.

Finally, Keld reflects on where the journey of Smart Negotiator might lead next and how the integration of AI will continue to reshape the way we negotiate in the years to come.