06-25-2026 Avoiding Conflict with Intention

06-25-2026 Avoiding Conflict with Intention

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? Levelheaded Talk brings that question right into everyday life by focusing on emotional sobriety and how it shapes your relationships, work, and habits. In this episode, the focus stays on a simple but powerful practice: setting your intention so you can avoid unnecessary conflict. Dr Andrea Vitz and co-host Jon Leon Guerrero keep things light and practical as they talk about what they jokingly call “conflict kung fu”.

Instead of gearing up for arguments, they suggest you ask one key question before any interaction: “What do I want this to end like?” Whether it’s a chat with your boss, an evening with your partner, or bedtime with your kids, that end goal becomes your inner map. Andrea compares intention to choosing the right direction to Safeway: if the shop is one mile to the right, you don’t walk 14 steps to the left first.

Every step either matches your destination or takes you away from it. Jon adds his own example about going to the store for sparkling water, peanut butter, bananas and pastrami, showing how a simple list can keep you on track. It’s a gentle reminder that “everything is considered. And everything is your responsibility.” For anyone working on alcohol or addiction recovery, this idea of intention as a “guidance system” can be a game changer.

Instead of reacting in the heat of the moment, you’re encouraged to set your tone—your voice, your body language, even your thoughts—and hold that from beginning to end. Slip up? No drama. You just “start again. Get back on the track.” If you’ve ever wondered how to stay calm, clear, and connected in your day while building emotional sobriety, this conversation offers simple, repeatable tools you can test out today.

So, who do you want to be for the rest of your day?