Episode 44

Maintaining Your Cool During Family Conflict with Kimberly Best

Published on: 12th December, 2022

📝 Episode Overview:

In this episode, Laura welcomes Kimberly Best, a professional family mediator and former trauma nurse, to talk about one of the most stressful parts of caregiving: family conflict. Together, they explore practical ways to stay grounded, communicate effectively, and navigate emotionally charged situations with clarity and compassion.

Whether you’re feeling stuck in a family disagreement or just want to avoid future tension, this episode is packed with tools to help you maintain your cool and preserve peace.

👤 Meet Kimberly Best:

Kimberly Best is a trained family mediator and owner of Best Conflict Solutions. She specializes in conflict resolution within families, elder care, healthcare teams, and small organizations. Drawing from her experience as a trauma and ICU nurse, Kimberly brings both compassion and structure to emotionally complex situations. She is also the author of How to Live Forever: A Guide to Writing the Final Chapter of Your Life Story and is passionate about guiding people through meaningful, values-based conversations.

📌 Topics Discussed:

  • What causes family conflict during caregiving
  • Tips to de-escalate and stay calm in tense moments
  • How to approach emotionally charged conversations
  • The role of mediation in dementia and elder care
  • Understanding grief, guilt, and family dynamics
  • Why boundaries are an act of care—for everyone involved

⏱️ Timestamps (Approximate):

00:00 – Introduction and meeting Kimberly Best

01:38 – From ICU nurse to family mediator

04:44 – Common causes of conflict in caregiving

07:32 – The emotional landscape behind family disagreements

10:15 – Tips for staying grounded during family tension

14:08 – The difference between reacting and responding

16:42 – What transformative mediation really means

20:11 – How to begin difficult conversations with family

24:30 – Why “being right” can get in the way of resolution

28:19 – The role of grief and unspoken pain in conflict

31:47 – Setting boundaries and protecting your peace

35:04 – How to know when mediation might help

38:40 – Final encouragement and how to connect with Kimberly

đź’ˇ Key Takeaways:

  • Family conflict is common in caregiving—but it’s not inevitable
  • You can learn to respond instead of react, even in high-stress moments
  • Mediation creates space for healing, not just problem-solving
  • Clear communication starts with emotional awareness
  • Peace doesn’t mean avoiding conflict—it means navigating it with intention

📚 Resources Mentioned:

  • Best Conflict Solutions – Kimberly’s website
  • Book: How to Live Forever: A Guide to Writing the Final Chapter of Your Life Story by Kimberly Best

🤝 Connect with Kimberly Best:

Website: bestconflictsolutions.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kimberlybestmediator

Instagram: @kimberly_a_best

Facebook: Best Conflict Solutions


🌿 Connect with Laura Vaillancourt & the Life on Repeat Podcast:

Website: https://lifeonrepeatpodcast.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/lifeonrepeatpodcast

Facebook: https://facebook.com/lifeonrepeatpodcast

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LifeonRepeatPodcast


✨ Like this episode? Please like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to hear it. You’re not alone.



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About the Podcast

Life on Repeat: A Dementia Caregiver Podcast
A Podcast for Dementia Caregivers
Life on Repeat is a podcast for those caring for someone with dementia. Join Laura Vaillancourt, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Geriatric Mental Health Specialist and Eldercare Coach as she explores helpful caregiving tips, practical resources and most importantly, how to care for yourself through this journey.

About your host

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Laura Vaillancourt

Laura has a unique perspective of dementia. She grew up spending time in the nursing home wing of the hospital her mother worked at in a rural community in the Pacific Northwest. She learned from a young age the importance and impact that connecting with those that have memory impairment can have. This early exposure shaped her perspective and fostered her passion and love of working with those who experience and live with dementia.

Laura is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Geriatric Mental Health Specialist and Eldercare Coach. She owns a group practice that specializes in serving the aging population and she has extensive experience as a consultant providing counseling, coaching and care management to families that are in the midst of making difficult decisions related to their loved one’s care and health transitions.

Laura's passion and professional experience has been working with individuals and family members that have been affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. She is a passionate speaker and educator on topics related to dementia and caregiving. She is the host of Life on Repeat: a Dementia Caregiver Podcast.