Do you find yourself randomly classifying products… when you are not at work?
Does the reason why you jump out of bed every morning have anything to do with validating your supply chain to insure trade compliance?
Did you sit in your favorite chair with a glass of wine, paging through the latest regulations and thought to yourself, ‘what a great way to spend my free time’?
If any of these apply to you, then you are very likely a ‘trade geek’… that is why we created Simply Trade just for you.
Your hosts, Andy and Lalo have a combined 60+ years in the industry. Covering everything from logistics to technology. There is so much to learn with the ever-evolving world of trade.
We’ve invited some friends over to our podcast to simply ’shoot the ship’ on all things trade. So join us every week as we discuss current and important trade topics with experts in their field who are passionate about helping you succeed!
You’ll never run out of things to learn when it comes to trading goods across international borders.
Let’s get to it!
All content for Simply Trade is the property of Global Training Center and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Do you find yourself randomly classifying products… when you are not at work?
Does the reason why you jump out of bed every morning have anything to do with validating your supply chain to insure trade compliance?
Did you sit in your favorite chair with a glass of wine, paging through the latest regulations and thought to yourself, ‘what a great way to spend my free time’?
If any of these apply to you, then you are very likely a ‘trade geek’… that is why we created Simply Trade just for you.
Your hosts, Andy and Lalo have a combined 60+ years in the industry. Covering everything from logistics to technology. There is so much to learn with the ever-evolving world of trade.
We’ve invited some friends over to our podcast to simply ’shoot the ship’ on all things trade. So join us every week as we discuss current and important trade topics with experts in their field who are passionate about helping you succeed!
You’ll never run out of things to learn when it comes to trading goods across international borders.
Let’s get to it!
Episode Summary
In this kickoff to Series 4, Renee Chiuchiarelli and Julie Parks dive into one of the toughest parts of any trade or corporate role: difficult conversations. Whether it’s salary discussions, performance feedback, non-compliance discoveries, or delivering perceived “bad news,” Renee and Julie break down why these conversations feel hard — and more importantly — how to approach them with clarity, preparation, and confidence.
They outline:
What qualifies as a difficult conversation
How to prepare before you engage
How to choose the right words
How to use the Likes, Concerns, Suggestions (LCS) method to keep communication constructive and forward-moving
This is a practical, relatable episode with real-world scenarios from their careers — perfect for trade pros, team leads, new managers, and anyone navigating delicate workplace interactions.
👉 Key Learnings
Difficult conversations come in many forms: salary topics, performance discussions, non-compliance findings, and more.
Preparation matters: scripting, writing things down, framing the discussion, and thinking through tone can make or break the delivery.
Recapping the context is essential — your version of events may not match the receiver’s.
Anticipate their questions: put yourself in the other person’s shoes before you meet.
Use the LCS method: Likes → Concerns → Suggestions to structure discussions in a constructive, repeatable way.
Follow-up is crucial: especially if the first contact was via email — close it with a conversation.
🛠️ Tip of the Week
Use the LCS Framework (Likes, Concerns, Suggestions) to keep hard conversations clear, structured, and less emotionally charged.
📣 FIO – Figure It Out / Call to Action
Practice using LCS this week — at work, at home, with your team, anywhere.Then come tell us in the Trade Geeks Community how it went!Did it make the conversation easier? Did it shift the tone? We want to hear it.
🗣️ Keep the Conversation Going
Join the discussion in the Trade Geeks community and share:
What difficult conversations you’re navigating
Whether you tried the LCS approach
What worked and what still feels challenging
We’re building these series so you don’t have to figure this out alone — come learn with us.
Credits
Hosts
Renee ChiuchiarelliLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-chiuchiarelli-lcb-ccs-8964a19/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Julie ParksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ann-parks/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Producer
Lalo SolorzanoLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lalosolorzano/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Subscribe & Follow
New TIPS episodes every Tuesday
Presented by:Global Training Center — education, consulting, workshops, and compliance resources for trade pros👉 https://www.globaltrainingcenter.com/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Connect with Us
Simply Trade Podcast on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/global-training-center/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Global Training Center on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/global-training-center/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@SimplyTradePod?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/09m199JO6fuNumbcrHTkGq?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simply-trade/id1640329690?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
Trade Geeks Communityhttps://www.globaltrainingcenter.com/portal/?utm_source=SimplyTradePodcast
💬 Want to Be on the Show or Suggest a Topic?
Email us at SimplyTrade@GlobalTrainingCenter.comOr DM us on Twitter/X: @SimplyTradePod
Simply Trade
Do you find yourself randomly classifying products… when you are not at work?
Does the reason why you jump out of bed every morning have anything to do with validating your supply chain to insure trade compliance?
Did you sit in your favorite chair with a glass of wine, paging through the latest regulations and thought to yourself, ‘what a great way to spend my free time’?
If any of these apply to you, then you are very likely a ‘trade geek’… that is why we created Simply Trade just for you.
Your hosts, Andy and Lalo have a combined 60+ years in the industry. Covering everything from logistics to technology. There is so much to learn with the ever-evolving world of trade.
We’ve invited some friends over to our podcast to simply ’shoot the ship’ on all things trade. So join us every week as we discuss current and important trade topics with experts in their field who are passionate about helping you succeed!
You’ll never run out of things to learn when it comes to trading goods across international borders.
Let’s get to it!
