Conversation Transformation: Recognize and Overcome the 6 Most Destructive Communication Patterns

7Gripe Cycles

Five years after taking over the family business, Sarah and Theresa Banks were feeling totally overwhelmed. Their parents had run a clothing store together for two decades, and when they died—just three months apart—the sisters had been determined to keep the business in the family. Professionally, they’d been successful. While they’d never earned huge profits, they’d made a comfortable living despite tough economic conditions that forced many local stores to close. On a personal level, though, they were suffering.

In addition to being sisters, these women were also best friends. Both in their thirties, they shared a love of travel and the outdoors, and they often took long hiking trips together with a group of mutual friends. Or, ...