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Our Story, Mission & Vision

 

Hi there,

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I'm Erin Gleason Alvarez, Founder & CEO of Take Charge Negotiations, LLC.  Our mission is to provide unapparelled negotiation educational experiences using mindfulness techniques.  My vision for Take Charge is  to transform negotiation into a dialogue grounded in positivity and mindfulness.

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Erin Gleason Alvarez

As an attorney, mediator, and arbitrator, I have sat around thousands of negotiation tables over my 20-year career.  Off the top of my head, I was the only woman in the room at 70% of those tables.  And while most of the conversations were completely innocuous, the bad ones stuck with me.  For many years, I could not figure out what to do with the feelings anger and frustration that often came up, and lingered, for me.  

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In 2016, I became ill - largely due to stress and exhaustion.  So I started meditating every day and seeking ways to better take charge of my emotions...  I enrolled in university courses to learn about positive psychology... Obtained mindfulness coach credentials...  And embarked on yoga teacher certification. 

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All the while, I also served as a behind the scenes negotiation consultant for many of my female friends and colleagues - accomplished women who are partners in law firms, entrepreneurs, doctors, artists, and scientists.  The refrain was the same for all when it came to negotiation:

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I don't want to push too hard.

They'll tell be I am being too aggressive.  Again. 

I hate negotiating for myself.

I am afraid I'll ruin the relationship / miss the opportunity if I ask for too much.

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And then something clicked for me.  My studies in mindfulness had a direct correlation to many women's experiences in negotiation.  So why not marry the two in order to create better negotiation experiences and outcomes?

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Take Charge was born.

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Providing negotiation educational experiences is not some pet project I fell into, mind you.  My entire legal career has been devoted to promoting fairness, efficiency, and equity in dispute resolution.  I earned a Master's of Law degree from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law.  I've taught negotiation to thousands of people - in small entrepreneurial associations and Fortune 50 companies. And I have personally negotiated deals ranging from five to nine figures.

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Please feel free to drop me a line.  I am honored every day that I get to do this work and would love to hear from you.

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Sincerely,

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Erin Gleason Alvarez

Founder & CEO, Take Charge Negotiations

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