Our Story, Mission & Vision
Hi there,
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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?
Take Charge was born.
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.
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.
Sincerely,
Erin Gleason Alvarez
Founder & CEO, Take Charge Negotiations