The Culture Coach
I’m Wendy Brand, Your Culture Coach, dedicated to supporting people-first leaders. Each week we dive into strategies and insights to help you build a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and inspired. From fostering tribal values and improving core processes to developing inclusive communities and responsive listening strategies, we cover it all.
Join me weekly for practical tips, expert interviews, and real-world examples to help you boost productivity, extinguish burnout and cultivate a vibrant organizational culture that reflects your mission, vision and values.
The Culture Coach
#125 How to Communicate Hard Things with Farrah Mitra
In this week’s episode of The Culture Coach Podcast, Wendy sits down with Farrah Mitra — executive coach, former Bain consultant, Cornell alum, and one of only fifteen Radical Candor™ coaches worldwide. Farrah's career has been built at the intersection of people, performance, and communication, and she brings a rare blend of strategic clarity and deep humanity to the conversations leaders fear most.
Together, Wendy and Farrah break down:
- Why communication is often the true bottleneck inside organizations — and how it silently shapes trust, culture, and retention.
- The thin line between “getting it right” and “getting it wrong” when messaging is high-stakes, emotional, or tied to people’s livelihoods.
- How two companies approached layoffs — one creating confusion and trauma, the other creating advocates even in the midst of hard decisions.
- Farrah’s 3-step Communicating Challenges & Change Framework used by executives across industries:
- Identify the facts
- Check your mindset
- Deliver with care
- Why mindset is the hidden variable — and how unspoken frustration or dread leaks into every message we deliver.
- A practical formula for empathy that leaders can use without diluting clarity, over-apologizing, or losing authority.
- How leaders can shift from fear of difficult conversations to skillful, confident delivery.
This episode is a must-listen for leaders navigating performance conversations, reorganizations, role changes, or any situation where the stakes are high and emotions are real.
Connect With Farra Mitra
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farrah-mitra-executive-coach/
Email: farrah@greenreedgroup.com
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With 25+ years of leadership experience, spanning multiple roles across corporations and non-profits, I have gained a wealth of experience in understanding what makes organizations successful.
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