Background

Meredith Holley founded Eris Conflict Resolution in 2017 to help people raised as women keep their careers and stop sexual harassment. 

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Early in her legal career, before #MeToo was popularized, Meredith got her dream job, litigating sexual harassment cases on behalf of employees. The problem was that she was experiencing sexual harassment herself. Wanting to keep her career, she talked to other employment lawyers and asked, "How do we help people who want to keep their jobs, but don't want to get touched every day?" Over and over she heard, "Things are just sexist - you could quit." Like so many people who experience discrimination and harassment, she did not want to quit her job because it would have significantly impacted her career.

After more than a year of experiencing harassment, she finally found tools that work. She encountered the experience so differently that her harasser apologized, stopped touching her, and they worked together safely for years after. Now, she teaches those tools through Empowered Communication Coaching™, helping other professionals keep their careers, while encountering abusive behavior in a safe and healthy way.

Whether or not all people involved in a conflict agree to participate, Meredith's IMPACT Model™ works to identify root systems creating the conflict and help participants shift them to encounter the conflict in a healthy way. 

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In workplaces, especially where claims of discrimination or retaliation are present, employers often make the mistake of relying on investigations to resolve conflict. In reality, most often, investigations cause more distress to employees involved and result in very little actual resolution of the issues, exposing employers to legal liability that can be avoided. While investigations may sometimes be necessary, they almost never create real resolution for employees involved. IMPACT Coaching™ and mediations using the IMPACT Model™ create real resolution. 

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What's the difference between facilitation, mediation, and coaching?

• Facilitation is a process of structured conversation with more than one person to work towards an outcome or goal.

• Mediation is a process of working with more than one person to attempt to come to an agreement over a dispute. (Mediation is regulated by Oregon law, and certain legal protections apply to mediation.)

• Coaching is a process of looking at the root cause of conflict. Unlike traditional facilitation and mediation, coaching can resolve disputes even where only one person involved in the dispute is willing to participate. coaching can also be used for facilitation or mediation, involving multiple people, but because it empowers participants to address the root cause of conflict, it provides structure to create lasting change, whether one person or many participate. 

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Examples of Empowered Communication Coaching™ Results (names are changed to protect confidentiality):

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• Logan, the HR Director for a public entity, was worried he was going to lose two valuable employees because of a dispute. Patricia accused John of threatening her, but John said it was not true and he was the victim of department bullying. Through IMPACT Coaching™ mediation, Patricia and John were able to create safety in their work environments and continue their work. 

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• Peter accused Lucy of sexually harassing him during an otherwise consensual workplace romance. Their supervisors, the co-owners of a small business, wanted to make sure all of their employees were safe and happy, but were also terrified that sexual harassment allegations could severely impact the business. Through IMPACT Coaching™ mediation, Peter and Lucy, on their own terms mutually apologized, created a mutual statement regarding their experiences, and agreed made safety agreements for working together in the future. 

• Melissa kept her position as a professor and the man who was sexually harassing her was forced to leave. After working through IMPACT Coaching™, Melissa was able to keep her career started her own program for her University, doing work she was passionate about.

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• Liz was facing termination because she kept having "outbursts" at her coworkers. Liz's employer hired us to help her. After working through IMPACT Coaching™, she was able to keep her job, started making friends at work, and received a $14,000 raise that year. 

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• Astra quit their job after coming out as non-binary to their employer, a progressive non-profit organization. The non-profit reprimanded Astra for coming out and refused to recognize their identity. After IMPACT Coaching™, they also told us that for the first time, while experiencing street harassment, they were able to protect themself and feel empowered.

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• Natalie was the Director of a government agency, but she was being targeted by staff because she was a woman and a lesbian. Natalie was making $120,000 per year in her position, but she was thinking about taking a $50,000 per year job to get away from the abuse at work. After the work she did through IMPACT Coaching™, she was able to enforce a safe work environment, the discriminatory employees were investigated, and many of them left their jobs. In the meantime, she found a job making $140,000 per year and was able to move on knowing she made an impact and kept other employees safe.

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Licenses, Certifications, Awards:

• Certified Kolbe Consultant, 2024;

• Certified Level 3 Human Design Reader, 2024;

• Oregon Mediation Diversity Project, Certified Mediator, 2022;

• Oregon State Bar, President's Technology & Innovation Award, 2021;

• Master Life Coach, 2020;

• Ordained Minister, 2017;

• Reiki Master, 2017;

• Certified Life Coach, 2015;

• Federal Bar, Member, 2014;

• Oregon State Bar, Member, 2012;

• University of Oregon, juris doctor, 2012 (Oregon Child Advocacy Project Fellow; Executive Editor, Oregon Law Review; Seton Hall Human Trafficking Studies, Zanzibar);

• University of Oregon, mediation and family-court mediation certifications, 2010-2011;

• University of Oregon, bachelor's in English, film studies certificate, medieval studies minor, phi beta kappa, 2003. 

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Community Involvement:

• Oregon Mediation Diversity Project, board member, 2020-present (President, 2023-present);

• Oregon Council on Court Procedures, member, 2017-present (Chair of Bias in Jury Selection Committee, 2019-2023);

• Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, 2014-present (Inaugural Leadership Academy Participant, 2017; Co-chair of New Lawyers Committee, 2017-2018)

• Trauma Healing Project, board member, 2016-2019;

• Peace Corps Ukraine, Volunteer, 2003-2004.

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