Over the years, this space has grown into a living body of work — reflections written in real time and in retrospect, across seasons of change, clarity, disruption, and growth. It now also includes links to my SilverDisobedience® Perception Dynamics™ podcast interviews.
Feel free to scroll or use the search bar to choose a topic that reflects where you are right now and explore at your own pace.
There’s no order required. No finish line. Read or watch whatever meets you where you are.
Essays explore how perception — consciously and unconsciously — shapes experience, decision-making, emotional response and self-trust. They also address timing in life, trade-offs, internal alignment, and the often unspoken pressures behind big choices. Many posts look at how to separate fear, urgency, and outside influence from true readiness. Some tackle awareness of our nervous system, maintaining emotional steadiness, and returning to center — especially during periods of uncertainty, conflict, or fatigue. Plenty examine interpersonal perception, unspoken cues, boundaries, loyalty, projection, and the subtle mechanics of influence — both personal and professional. Others tackle leadership as an internal state, not a title. Topics include presence under scrutiny, decision-making in high-stakes environments, and maintaining integrity while operating in complex systems. I explore personal evolution, self-trust, and the quiet courage required to outgrow old identities — without abandoning yourself in the process. You can also expect to find posts about space for grief, patience, waiting, and the uncomfortable middle — when clarity hasn’t arrived yet, but something is clearly shifting. Basically you’ll find thoughts about the entirety of the human experience.
Enjoy! Thank you for visiting. I hope you find the content valuable. If you ever need to go deeper, I offer private consultations.
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Latest post
Before the Storm: Getting In Front of Workplace Conflicts Before They Escalate
Most workplace conflicts don’t erupt out of nowhere. They send clear signals — if you know what to look for. A shift in tone. A clipped response. Someone who suddenly stops asking questions. Break room conversations that end when certain people enter. These aren’t random behaviors — they’re early warning signs that most leaders miss. Not because they’re careless. Because they were never taught how… Keep reading →
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Latest post
The Executive Brief
How Elite Leaders Win When the Stakes Are Highest When decisions shape careers, reputations, and market trust, perception isn’t a side factor — it’s the hidden driver that you’re either harnessing to your benefit…or missing at your detriment. For more than three decades, the 6‑Layer Perception Stack™ and 4P™ Perception Model have quietly empowered leaders through moments that define organizations and careers. From boardroom showdowns… Keep reading →
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Latest post
Training to Be Streetwise
This summary reflects the second interview with Anthony Celano, a former NYC Police Detective and founder of StreetWise Communication Training programs. Celano, described as humble and insightful, offers depth in both people skills and storytelling. Keep reading →
New York's Modern Art Explosion: Insights from John Strausbaugh – Silver Disobedience® Perception Dynamics™ with Dian Griesel: How People Think, Lead & Create Success
- New York's Modern Art Explosion: Insights from John Strausbaugh
- Training to Be StreetWise
- From Philosophy to Psychology: Understanding Society's Fascination with Disturbing Themes with Jordan Conrad, Ph.D., LCSW
- Revolutionizing Auto Insurance: The Roadzen AI Advantage
- Divorce, Mediation Versus Litigation with Joe Dillon
Recent posts
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Before the Storm: Getting In Front of Workplace Conflicts Before They Escalate
Most workplace conflicts don’t erupt out of nowhere. They send clear signals — if you know what to look for. A shift in tone. A clipped response. Someone who suddenly stops asking questions. Break room conversations that end when certain people enter. These aren’t random behaviors — they’re early warning signs that most leaders miss.… Keep reading →
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The Executive Brief
How Elite Leaders Win When the Stakes Are Highest When decisions shape careers, reputations, and market trust, perception isn’t a side factor — it’s the hidden driver that you’re either harnessing to your benefit…or missing at your detriment. For more than three decades, the 6‑Layer Perception Stack™ and 4P™ Perception Model have quietly empowered leaders… Keep reading →
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Paddle Out
“Retirement only means that it is time for a new adventure.” Let’s look at some statistics: 50% of the population in the United States as of 2017, is over age 50. About 10,000 reach retirement age every day, although most of us actually plan to work well past age 65. 45% of the Silver Disobedience… Keep reading →
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The Importance of Positive Self-Perceptions and Aging
Did you know that positive self-perceptions about aging can increase longevity? A study of 660 people age 50+ found that older individuals who perceived aging positively lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions about age. The advantage remained after age, gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness and functional heath were included as predictive variables. … Keep reading →
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If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…
Silver Disobedience™ attitude says: “If you have an opinion about my life, please raise your hand. Now, put that hand over your mouth and be sure to taste your words before you spit them out because if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” PS: Word of mouth is very powerful. It… Keep reading →
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The Garden in Your Head
Your mind is like a garden. Consider a plant for a moment. We admire the green foliage and colorful flowers. Yet, what we don’t see is more important: The roots that go deep into the soil to make the beautiful plant possible. Our thoughts are like seeds. We have to be careful with what we… Keep reading →
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Worrying About the Future
Do you ever find yourself worrying about what the future holds? At any age, worrying about tomorrow steals the joy from today. Whenever I find myself starting to worry I remind myself of two things: 1) When I am thinking, I’m not fully in the present and therefore 2) Whatever I am worrying about, is… Keep reading →
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Who’s Your Personal Authority Figure?
It appears that a big benefit of aging is that it tends to make us our own personal authority figures. A general theme loaded with wisdom that is coming to the forefront from many thousands of comments on the Silver Disobedience™ blog and related social media pages is this: Gone are the days we were… Keep reading →
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Stepping Out to Find New Comfort Zones
So much of our lives are routine-oriented. The “patterns” including all that’s involved in raising children, working and other responsibilities typically have us set in pattern-mode. Psychologists believe that patterns tend to minimize stress. Now, I don’t think anyone is claiming that kids or work are stressless—but rather knowing there’s a routine to the day… Keep reading →
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No Dummies…No “Just” Anything
The most societally undervalued benefits of age are the priceless intangibles that accrue from taking care of others, while managing the ebbs and flow of day-to-day living. Several years ago I wanted to hire a personal assistant. I received over 100+ resumes and almost all had the typical office skills I needed. Yet, one fascinating… Keep reading →
