What Conversation Are You Avoiding?

There’s a conversation you’re avoiding right now.

You know the one. The one that sits in the back of your mind, quietly draining your energy. The one you keep rehearsing in your head but never say out loud. The one that feels too risky, too uncomfortable, too likely to blow up.

And yet — that’s exactly the conversation that holds the key to your next level of growth.

I had to face one of those conversations not too long ago with a client — a top entertainment executive here in Hollywood.

On paper, he had it all: power, influence, access. But beneath the surface, it was clear he wasn’t truly committed to doing the deeper inner work.

He liked the idea of growth. He liked talking about leadership, emotional intelligence, team culture — but when it came time to look in the mirror and change his own behaviors, he shut down.

Even when there was clear evidence that his actions were negatively impacting his team, his relationships, and his reputation, he wasn’t willing to shift.

And I noticed something else: even in our sessions, he showed up with his walls up. Defensive. Combative. Resistant. He was so used to being the smartest, most powerful person in the room that any form of feedback felt like a threat.

But I wasn’t afraid to confront him. In one session, I called it out directly — told him that the way he was showing up with me was likely a mirror of how he showed up with others.

It didn’t land well. And that was the moment I knew: this partnership was no longer serving either of us.

So I made the call to end the engagement early — not because he wasn’t capable of change, but because he wasn’t willing.

It was uncomfortable. It would’ve been easier to keep taking the paycheck, keep playing nice, keep avoiding the truth.

But that conversation — as hard as it was — was the most honest and aligned thing I could do.

And I’ll be honest: it stretched me, too.

It reminded me that part of my job as a coach isn’t to be liked — it’s to be real.

It reminded me that honoring my integrity sometimes means letting go of clients who aren’t ready.

And it deepened my trust that walking away from misaligned work opens space for the right people to walk in.

We avoid hard conversations because we’re afraid of what might break.

But sometimes what needs to break is the illusion that things are fine when they’re not.

Real leadership — in work, in life, in relationships — means having the conversations others avoid.

The uncomfortable ones.

The honest ones.

The ones that make your stomach knot up but leave your soul lighter once they’re spoken.