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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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