22/11/2025
From Meh to Mighty: The Creative Jujutsu of Negotiation at Phyllis Asia 2025
At Phyllis Asia 2025, we had the rare privilege of learning The Art of Negotiation from Diana Sukopp and it was nothing short of transformative. Diana brought years of creative leadership into the room with warmth, wit, and razor-sharp insight, reframing negotiation not as a high-stakes showdown, but as a deeply human, everyday act of problem-solving. Through her lens as a creative, a leader, and a woman, she helped us see negotiation as a collaborative process rooted in curiosity, clarity, and strategic empathy. Whether we were navigating feedback, pitching ideas, or asking for what we’re worth, Diana reminded us: we’re already negotiating. We might as well do it right.
Across three sessions, Diana blended Harvard logic, FBI tactics, and her own creative jujutsu into a toolkit tailor-made for agency life. We learned to decode objections with the A.E.R. framework, counter anchors with precision, and sidestep the ‘gratitude trap’ that so often holds creatives back. Salary conversations became strategic playbooks, rejection became information, and silence became power. BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) was reframed not as a fallback, but as a confidence booster, helping us negotiate from a place of strength, not scarcity.
Diana’s approach was practical, playful, and profoundly empowering; a masterclass in owning one’s value without losing one’s humanity. And as we wrapped, something clicked: this is what Amplifly (Her company) really signifies - a gentle, powerful shift into knowing your voice matters, and using it with intention!
