Dianna Anderson: Can Better Conversations Transform Change?

21st Century Entrepreneurship

Dianna Anderson is the co-founder and CEO of Cylient, and we spoke about the transformational power of everyday conversations—especially in moments when tensions rise, perspectives clash, or change feels impossible.

What if the greatest skill for leading change isn’t strategy or planning—but the ability to talk with each other? Dianna argues that in today’s complex world, “our old approaches to having conversation are very conflict-based… and as a result, we all lose.” Drawing from decades of coaching experience and her development of the Untying the Knot® method, Dianna shares how teaching people to pause, get curious, and coach in real time unlocks shared insight, trust, and forward motion.

At the heart of her message is a profound simplicity: “A knot’s just something that’s not happening.” And when we learn to recognize and unravel those knots—in thinking, in relationships, in leadership—we create space for learning and progress. With over 55,000 people trained in her “coaching in the moment” approach, Dianna shows how scalable, human-centered tools can shift entire organizational cultures.

We also spoke about why traditional leadership models are failing, how assumptions from the last century hinder progress, and why conversation is the foundational skill of our era. “Our ability to have meaningful conversations with each other is the cartwheel of our moment,” she says. “And the better and the stronger our ability is to talk with each other, the more we can build upon that skill.”

Key takeaways:

• Coaching is not just for coaches: Anyone can learn to use “in-the-moment” coaching tools to build bridges, not walls.
  
• Conversations are how change happens: “If you can't talk about something, you can't change it.”
  
• Modern leadership requires new language: Today’s complexity demands collaboration, not command.
  
• Untying the Knot is scalable: “There’s got to be a way that everyone could learn this… anywhere, at any time, in any conversation.”

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who feels stuck in repetitive conflicts, overwhelmed by change, or curious about how simple shifts in dialogue can spark real transformation. Are you ready to untie your own knots?