Executive Coach Michelle Gladieux Leads Communication Workshop at Zingerman’s Roadhouse

At Zingerman’s, we believe in building positive ecosystems—communities of people doing good work to improve others’ lives. Co-founder Ari Weinzweig shared this with a roomful of guests at the Roadhouse on Tuesday evening, June 23, by way of introducing executive coach and author Michelle Gladieux.

A longtime Zingerman’s fan based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Gladieux entered our ecosystem serendipitously. Out to dinner with her husband at the Roadhouse during a recent trip to Ann Arbor, she happened to meet Ari, whose leadership and writing she had greatly admired from afar. She’d also taken ZingTrain’s “Courageous Conversations” virtual workshop back in 2024.

Gladieux told Ari about her consulting practice and her own award-winning 2022 book, Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges—which includes Zingerman’s as an inspiring example!—and a connection was born. (Fortunately, she was able to run out to her car to grab a copy of the book to pass along.) 

Fast forward to this past Tuesday, when Gladieux returned to the Roadhouse as a speaker to present an engaging interactive workshop on “Communication Pro Moves for Your Best Life.” 

“Think about a relationship you have, personal or professional, that you’d like to be just a little bit better—just a little better communication, just a little more trust,” she said at the start. “I think if you keep that person in mind tonight, you’re going to leave with some ideas that might even improve or deepen or add trust to the relationship.”

Gladieux offered these ideas for more effective communication in a lively hour-long talk peppered with punchy humor and personal anecdotes. She led participants through the four “hidden challenges” at the core of her book—hiding from risk, defining to be right, rationalizing the negative, settling for good enough—and laid out clear, practical strategies for surmounting them. A common thread throughout was the importance of facing our fears and moving beyond our comfort zones in order to grow.

“When you end the day and your head hits the pillow, are you satisfied with how you communicated with the people who make your world?” Gladieux asked. And, she added, there are simple things we can do to deepen our daily communication with those around us: Use more eye contact. Ask open-ended questions. Give praise. Offer sincere but constructive criticism. Share information. 

Taking risks to become a stronger communicator is an ongoing process, Gladieux emphasized. The goal is to keep at it in small but meaningful ways, despite the inevitable stumbles. She quoted the wise words of tai chi master Lam Kam Chuen: “Don’t even bother giving up.”

As she demonstrated at the Roadhouse, Gladieux’s coaching work is all about empowering others not to give up—and to remember that “great communication is a ‘full-body, full-mind, and full-heart effort.’” With a mission like that, it’s no wonder she found her way into the Zingerman’s ecosystem. 

Don’t miss the next book event at Zingerman’s Roadhouse—celebrating the launch of Ann Arbor author Shelly Chatterelli’s debut novel, Knowin’ Sugar—on Tuesday, July 14. Delicious Appalachian-inspired appetizers included! Learn more and get tickets here.