Excited About Conflict: What an ER Nurse Learned About Hard Conversations with Adrianna Muñoz

August 18, 2026 · 0:00 read

Adrianna Muñoz's conflict story starts on the floor of a supply closet, a few shifts off orientation in an inner city Chicago ER. A patient started yelling the moment she walked in. Adrianna ran, hid, and called her mentor in tears. The mentor sent her back in: "You need to go stick up for yourself.

<p>Adrianna Muñoz's conflict story starts on the floor of a supply closet, a few shifts off orientation in an inner city Chicago ER. A patient started yelling the moment she walked in. Adrianna ran, hid, and called her mentor in tears. The mentor sent her back in: "You need to go stick up for yourself."</p><p></p><p>Ten years of intentional reps later, Adrianna is an ER nurse, keynote speaker, and founder of Ogden Peak, where she coaches leaders and teams on hard conversations. In this episode she and Aaron trace how a born people pleaser built the conflict muscle: internal debriefs after every tough conversation, three distinct types of failure, and the accumulated proof that uncomfortable does not mean unsafe.</p><p></p><p>She closes with the line that frames her whole journey: perfection does not equal excellence.</p><h3>Show outline</h3><ul><li>01:09 Why I'm excited about conflict now</li><li>03:26 Failure builds the confidence muscle</li><li>08:41 Three types of failure and psychological safety</li><li>13:25 The weight healthcare leaders carry</li><li>21:16 ER shifts, keynotes, and 30% days</li><li>33:23 Where hard conversations go wrong</li><li>36:13 Perfection does not equal excellence</li></ul><h3>Takeaways</h3><ol><li><b>Conflict skill is built like strength: reps, safe failure, and a debrief after every hard conversation.</b> Adrianna's confidence came from a decade of deliberately entering uncomfortable conversations and reviewing them afterward, the same way healthcare teams debrief a tough case.</li><li><b>Discomfort is not danger.</b> Enough accumulated experience gives you data that says a hard conversation is uncomfortable but safe, which is what lets you walk in anyway.</li><li><b>You can build safety fast.</b> A short preface, a stated "judgment free zone," and telling people what you will do with the information opens honest dialogue in seconds, in the ER and in any leadership conversation.</li><li><b>The most common failure in hard conversations is never having them.</b> Avoidance starts with the story in your head about how the other person will react. Change the story, calm yourself first, then set the scene.</li><li><b>Perfection does not equal excellence.</b> Continuous learning grows you faster than an unrealistic standard ever will.</li></ol><h3>Resources mentioned</h3><ul><li><i>Storyworthy</i> by Matthew Dicks</li><li>Amy Edmondson's book <i>Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well</i> (Adrianna references 3 types of failure)</li></ul><h3>Connect with Adrianna Muñoz</h3><ul><li>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ogdenpeak.com" target="_blank">https://ogdenpeak.com</a></li><li>LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriannamunozcoach" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriannamunozcoach</a></li><li>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/ogdenpeakcoaching" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/ogdenpeakcoaching</a></li><li>Email: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:adriana@ogdenpeak.com" target="_blank">adriana@ogdenpeak.com</a></li></ul><h3>Connect with the Podcast</h3><ul><li>Aaron Lee on LinkedIn: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronleeco" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronleeco</a></li><li>All episodes: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newgeneration.media/episodes?utm_source=show_notes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ngl-ep85" target="_blank">https://newgeneration.media/episodes?utm_source=show_notes&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ngl-ep85</a></li></ul>