The Inside Operators

The book

Don't Lose Your Sh*t at Work

Stay Calm. Be Heard.

If someone replayed your last tough conversation, would you be proud of it?

A practical guide to handling tense conversations at work without blowing up, shutting down, or second-guessing yourself later.

Don't Lose Your Sh*t at Work, by Karen Thrall and Dr. Joseph Shrand
This is the practical guide every professional didn't know they needed. Karen Thrall brings humor, heart, and hard-won wisdom to the universal challenge of keeping your cool under pressure. With insight and empathy, she helps readers turn frustration into focus and emotion into influence, proving that composure, not control, is the real superpower at work.
Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach

What the book is about

When tensions rise at work, how you respond can either escalate the problem or resolve it. Everyone gets annoyed for one reason or another: the meeting that goes sideways, the rude client, or the colleague who doesn't answer your emails.

Some people address conflict right away. Others wait to avoid saying something they'll regret. Which is the best approach?

This book is for anyone who has ever thought, why did I have to say it that way, or why didn't I speak up sooner.

The goal goes beyond better communication. Instead of reacting out of frustration or going quiet to avoid conflict altogether, there is a third option. What if, every time things get heated, you responded clearly and calmly, handling the situation with respect and kindness?

Executive coach Karen Thrall and psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Shrand blend real stories and science to show how your mind can become your most powerful tool.

What you will learn

  • Stay calm when things heat up.
  • Know when to address conflict and when to give it space.
  • Manage your emotions before they take control.
  • Choose the energy you bring into every conversation.
  • Shift from reacting to reflecting before you speak.
  • Speak up because your voice deserves to be heard.

The six steps

Now or later

Learn when to address conflict immediately and when to wait.

Something needs to change

Anger is a message that something needs to change, whether in yourself or your environment.

From frustration to calm

Redirecting your thoughts from reflexive to reflective changes how you approach conflict.

Energy comes first

Anger is an energy that others pick up before you even say a word.

Remain composed

Defusing your frustration before speaking makes you more influential.

Speak up

Your thoughts matter. Your voice is worth hearing.

Praise for the book

Packed with practical tips, Thrall helps you decide when to deal with what makes you angry, now or later, but not never.
Kim Scott, Author of Radical Candor
If you have ever damaged relationships with anger and regretted it, this book is for you.
Stan Sewitch, Former CHRO, WD-40

Who wrote it

Karen Thrall

Executive coach and business consultant, working with senior leaders across the U.S. and Canada. Twenty years helping companies grow without losing their soul. What began as a workshop in 2004 became this book.

Dr. Joseph Shrand

Psychiatrist with more than thirty years of clinical and academic experience, Lecturer of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and author of five books. Triple board certified, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Where to get it

Available as a paperback, on Kindle, and as an audiobook running just under seven hours.

Published by Karen Thrall, Inc.

Buying copies for your team

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