Hi friend, With the market uncertainty these days and many recent layoffs, we've received a lot of questions about severance packages, sign-on bonus clawback clauses, what can be negotiated, and more. Here are some things to think about:1️⃣ The new California clawback law(Even if you’re outside California, it’s worth keeping an eye on since other states often follow California’s lead.)California recently passed a new law called Assembly Bill (AB 692) tightening the rules around sign-on...
5 days ago • 2 min read
LinkedIn feels like it’s split into two genres right now: “Thrilled to announce we raised $50M” AI-written posts that somehow say nothing in 900 words. And yet… it still works. This week on Gentle Power (Youtube | Spotify | Apple), we talked to Morgan Snyder, who helps CEOs and exec teams build a real content engine. The part we found most useful was not his tactics. It was the underlying negotiation happening before any “sales call” even starts. Key frameworks or ideas 1) Long-form builds...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Hey friends, Before you get on that call with a recruiter where you just know they’ll ask you for your preferred salary, something physical may show up first: that pit in your stomach anticipating an uncomfortable moment, maybe a faster heartbeat, that quiet urge to just get the conversation done with. Negotiations don’t begin on paper. They start in your body. We were listening to a recent episode of Diary of a CEO with Harvard behavioral scientist Alison Wood Brooks, and she touched on a...
12 days ago • 2 min read
We had Mark Mirra on the podcast this week and within minutes he dropped a hot take. Mark runs a negotiation training firm called Aligned. He works with companies, training teams across functions like sales, procurement, and leadership on how to approach negotiation more strategically. His hot take: Preparation is overrated. Which is a bold thing to say when he literally teaches preparation for a living. But he’s not saying wing it. He’s saying people hide behind preparation because it feels...
15 days ago • 6 min read
Hi friends, One of the best negotiation tactics is right in front of you: Watch how recruiters negotiate with you! Many recruiters are proficient at the art of gentle power: → They frame questions strategically → They use battle-tested responses that protect their leverage → They stay professional under pressure → They follow up consistently → They often make the relationship feel close and positive Do the same with them and all the other interviewers! → When you’re negotiating, be mindful of...
19 days ago • 1 min read
Hi friends, This week on Gentle Power (YouTube | Spotify | Apple), we sat down with Kenko Ueyama, cofounder of Tsubasa AI, an AI advisory agency that helps enterprise companies figure out their AI strategy and then helps them build it. Kenko is also a senior advisor at Harvard’s Applied AI Institute, helping create AI course material and run workshops that trains executives on how to lead companies in the age of AI. Our conversation spanned Kenko’s long career, from his early days working at...
23 days ago • 3 min read
Hi friends, In one of our recent podcast episodes (YouTube | Spotify | Apple), I (Alex) pointed something out that Gerta does frequently. When we were chatting on the podcast about negotiating rent, hotels, or flights, we were recounting Gerta’s call with a hotel’s customer service rep while I was sitting nearby overhearing the conversation. I then noticed a small move that Gerta does almost every time on these calls. At some point during her calls with customer support, Gerta will ask the...
26 days ago • 2 min read
Hi friends, Most negotiation advice focuses on how to get to a deal. But a big part of negotiating well is knowing when you have a “no deal.” In this week’s episode (YouTube | Spotify | Apple), we talk about “no deal” scenarios as a normal and sometimes necessary part of negotiating, one that people often misunderstand or avoid thinking about until it’s too late. Highlighting a few ideas from our conversation. 1. No deal usually comes down to priorities that don’t overlap In any negotiation,...
30 days ago • 3 min read
Hi friends, Below is a collection of screenshots of questions that people actually asked us in our live negotiation Q&As. Sharing our responses below for those who couldn't join our recent ones. But for those who are free tomorrow at 12pm PT... 👇 Kick Off 2026 Strong: Live Q&A (+ free gift for attendees) Tomorrow, January 28th at 12pm PT, we’re hosting our first negotiation Q&A of 2026! This is your chance to get live input and real-time feedback from us on all your negotiation questions as...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read