In this episode of Building a Business: Grit & Grace, host Anna Angelova sits down with Sarah Albo, a certified workplace mediator, conflict coach, and psychological health and safety consultant, to explore one of the most overlooked leadership skills in business: how we handle conflict.
Sarah shares her winding career journey from training as a psychotherapist, to working in her family business, to completing an MBA, and ultimately building her own solo practice supporting organizations and leaders through conflict, mediation, and healthier workplace systems.
This conversation goes beyond theory. Sarah opens up about what it’s really like to build a service-based business in a field people often avoid until things escalate. She talks honestly about the challenges of getting traction early on, leaning into networks and volunteering, building credibility over time, and growing confidence through years of showing up, speaking, and doing the work.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
The difference between constructive and destructive conflict and why conflict itself isn’t the problem
Why many leaders are promoted without being taught how to manage people
How psychological health and safety plays a critical role in business performance
What it’s like to run a solo consulting business: the freedom and the isolation
How Sarah uses AI as a practical support system in her business
Why proactive leadership saves far more time, money, and stress than reactive fixes
The importance of giving yourself time when starting a business
What grit and grace really look like when building something on your own
Whether you’re an aspiring founder, a solopreneur, or a small business owner leading a team, this episode will challenge the way you think about leadership, conflict, and responsibility, and offer practical insights you can apply immediately.
Because conflict isn’t going anywhere but how you lead through it makes all the difference.
Connect with Sarah here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahalbo/
