Conflicting times:
A Community project making space for the Conversations we often avoid
We all carry conversations we wish we could have with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and even ourselves. This project creates space for sharing, learning, and listening, helping us build the capacity and choice to engage difficult conversations with greater confidence, strengthen relationships, and stay connected through difference.
Welcome to Conflicting Times
This project is not about winning arguments or changing minds. It is about creating the conditions for people to access their own choice and self-determination, engage conflict with greater curiosity and courage, and stay connected through disagreement.
Whether you are preparing for a difficult conversation, carrying an unresolved conflict, wanting to better understand someone with a different perspective, or simply looking for a meaningful conversation, there is a place for you here.
There are two aspects to the project: Community Conversations, a series of weekly conversations in the community, and the Conflicting Times Podcast, launching in Fall 2026.
Because difficult conversations don't have to divide us; they can be where understanding begins.
Conflicting Times Community Conversations
August–October 2026
Join us every Saturday from 9–11 AM at North Glenmore Park (X on the map below) for Conflicting Times Community Conversations — a community project creating space for the conversations we often avoid.
Whether you want to:
- Prepare for a difficult conversation
- Talk through a conflict that's weighing on you
- Learn and practice a new conflict skill
- Better understand someone with a different perspective
Take a seat. Get comfortable. Let's talk.
Facilitated by a trained mediator.
Podcast
Conflicting Times is a podcast exploring conflict from the personal to the systemic. Hosted by Julie Hrdlicka, a mediator, former elected official, and community organizer, the podcast examines how we navigate the tensions between change and connection, courage and compassion, justice and relationship.
Through conversations with leaders, practitioners, and people doing the hard work of change, Conflicting Times examines why conflict feels so difficult, what it reveals about ourselves and our society, and how reclaiming our sense of agency and choice can transform the way we engage with ourselves, each other, and the systems that shape our lives.
Because conflict is not simply something to manage or avoid, it can be a place where learning, transformation, and deeper connection become possible.
Together, we explore how we can strengthen ourselves, deepen our relationships, understand the systems we are part of, and contribute to creating a more just, connected, and compassionate world.
When: Fall 2026 (TBD)
Take the next step with Conflicting Times
Conflicting Times isn't just something to read—it's an invitation to participate. Whether you choose to join a conversation, delve into our podcast, or simply reflect on a difficult conversation in your own life, we hope you'll take one step toward engaging conflict differently. Connect with us to explore how we can navigate complex issues together.