How do we ask for what we want? How do we negotiate? How do we find that fine line between being aggressive and assertive? And who decides where the line goes? How do we open up a healthy dialogue about what’s okay and what’s not okay in the workplace and in life?

This workshop is for tips on how to have difficult conversations. It will be an exploration of the inner voices we all have — those that have been handed down by our culture, our environment, older generations and our closest caregivers. And it will explore how we can understand these voices so that we may work through and eventually overcome them.

Expect some tough questions, insightful conversation and a few breakout sessions to dissect inner dialogue with a small group.

Crystal Fong spent many years at the world’s biggest advertising agencies (DDB, Ogilvy, JWT). She won multiple industry awards and became the first Young Glory winner before realising she could develop a model that existed outside of agency walls — perhaps one with no walls at all. In 2012, Crystal founded Apostrophe.xyz, Melbourne’s first copywriting agency. Currently peppered across four continents and 20 cities, Apostrophe.xyz will soon be a world-first — a brand agency that doesn’t do pictures.

Crystal chooses to work with brands that are creating a future she wants to see. In the past, she’s worked with CARE Australia, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, NASA, LA Philharmonic, Swinburne University, Tim Burton and many a cannabis brand.

Crystal doesn’t like public speaking, but she does love adventure. That’s why Crystal has spoken at Pause Festival, Myriad Festival, Deakin University and Melbourne Writers Festival. She’s featured on Never Not Creative’s podcast Asking for a Friend. And she once ran a panel for Chicago Public Media’s This American Life.

She was born in Australia, educated under the British banner and grew up in the Malaysian jungle. She believes her most significant business achievement is developing a model that allows her to leave it — in search of worldly exploration and personal growth. She believes that real change begins with meaningful communication and enjoys helping others find what’s meaningful for them.