Conflict isn't the problem.
Avoidance is.
You don't need softer people — you need cleaner conversations.
Explore the Advisory
You don't need softer people — you need cleaner conversations.
Explore the Advisory
Michelle Arbid MSc, PCC began her career as a therapist in the Lebanese prison system — where conflict wasn't a workplace problem. It was a matter of survival.
That experience shaped everything that followed: a Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, years as an Advisor at FEMA during federally declared disasters, and a consulting practice that now serves executives and senior leaders at organizations including the Federal Reserve Board, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Boeing, Amazon, and Gilead.
Today Michelle runs Conflict Constructive, a private advisory practice for executives ready to do the deeper work — the kind that examines not just how conflict shows up in their leadership, but why it keeps returning. Her approach is trauma-informed, neuroscience-grounded, and built on the understanding that the patterns playing out in a boardroom rarely started there.
She currently serves on the National Institutes of Health Ombuds team where she helps constituents effectively resolve scientific and workplace disputes. She is also a Professor of Conflict Resolution, Peace, and Justice Studies at Pace University and Columbia University and is completing her first book, Becoming Conflict Constructive.
She has worked in environments most consultants never enter — from active disaster zones to maximum security prisons — which is precisely why the boardroom holds no surprises.
The hidden costs of conflict:
Time leaders lose to friction rather than driving vision.
Startup failure rate driven by partnership tension.
Barriers to growth caused by organizational misalignment.
What clients say
"Michelle doesn't let you off easy — and that's exactly why it works. Three months in, our leadership team communicates differently. The ROI has been significant."
— CEO, Series B Technology Company
"I came in thinking the problem was my team. I left understanding the problem was a system I had built. That reframe was everything."
— Founder, Healthcare Services
"She has a rare ability to hold both parties in a conflict without taking a side — and still move you toward resolution. That is an extraordinary skill."
— SVP, Global Financial Services
The Work
Every engagement begins with the same premise: the conflict you're experiencing is a symptom. What lies underneath it — the patterns, the identity, the history — is where the real work happens. I work with a small number of executives and leadership teams at any given time, which means every engagement receives my full attention and a level of depth that simply isn't possible at scale.
This isn't for everybody. This is for the leaders who are ready to do the work that most people spend their entire careers avoiding.
A dedicated advisory for leaders navigating high-stakes conflict, difficult dynamics, or leadership crossroads. This is the deepest level of work I offer — one-on-one, trauma-informed, and built on the understanding that the patterns playing out in your boardroom rarely started there. The hidden tax of unresolved conflict stops here.
A proprietary framework built for co-founders and leadership pairs misaligned on vision, values, or direction. Sixty-five percent of startups fail because of tension at the top — not market conditions. This work resets communication, rebuilds trust, and ensures your partnership is resilient enough to scale alongside your company.
For urgent or acute team conflict that needs resolution fast. A high-touch, structured four-week process designed to break gridlock, restore decision-making authority, and move a team from paralysis to momentum — without losing what matters most in the process.
High-leverage strategic briefings and intensives for boards, leadership teams, and executive groups. Focused on alignment, negotiation, and the surfacing of unresolved conflict before it becomes a structural problem. Available as keynotes, workshops, and organizational engagements.
Begin the Conversation
This is not a contact form. It is the beginning of a process. Answer with the candor you would bring to the work itself.
Confidentiality
I maintain the highest standards of confidentiality in my advisory. If your matter involves security concerns, extreme sensitivity, or a clearance requirement, please note "High-Stakes" in the context field — I will reach out directly to establish a secure channel for our initial conversation.