High-Stakes Conflict. Critical Decisions. Impossible Negotiations.

Resolved with Neuroscience.

Carol Barkes is a former firefighter turned top 1% global mediator and high-stakes negotiator who brings lasting solutions to chaos. Backed by neuroscience and forged in pressure, she helps leaders resolve conflicts before they ignite, and navigate even the toughest situations when they do.

Success Breakthroughs
Download a chapter of Carol's best-selling book and get access to Carol's latest adventures, news and tips.

Trusted by the World’s Most Respected Platforms

Carol’s neuroscience-based conflict resolution strategies have been featured on:

Her work has reached millions across national media, spotlighting her as one of the leading voices in modern communication, conflict strategy, and emotional intelligence. From high-conflict families to Fortune 500 teams, Carol translates neuroscience into real-world solutions that create clarity, restore connection, and deliver lasting results.

Carol - Livingroom Pic

Carol Barkes

Carol Barkes is a TEDx and global speaker, best-selling author, and former firefighter who’s helped organizations like Amazon, FEMA, and the U.S. Air Force solve problems that most can’t touch. Whether she’s defusing lawsuits, restoring trust, or guiding leadership through high-stakes decisions, she brings science-backed strategy and calm under pressure to every room she enters. This isn’t about being heard. It’s about getting resolution that lasts, and leading with clarity when it matters most.

SEE CAROL ON VARIOUS TEDx STAGES

TEDx Huntington Beach
Conflict and Negotation: From Flames to Solutions
TEDx Swansea
Finding the Sweet Spot in Conflict and Negotiation

Press

Times Square

Watch Carol on various platforms and see how Carol turned years of personal conflict into a calling, blending lived experience with deep expertise in neuroscience and communication.

Testimonials

You are quite the beauty both inside and out. Your enthusiasm for what you are now doing is so inspiring. It sends a message loud and clear that hope, happiness and love are still absolutely available.
Mary Elizabeth Bullock

Affiliation Memberships

Know More

Frequently Asked Questions

Most mediators know process. Some negotiators know pressure.
Carol knows both, and something they don’t: how the brain actually works under conflict.
She’s not just a mediator. She’s a former firefighter, trained to stay calm when others break.
She’s not just a negotiator. She’s a neuroscience strategist, who understands how people think, react, and decide, even in the most emotionally charged, high-stakes situations.
While others rely on scripts or power plays, Carol builds real, lasting resolution by blending tactical strategy with behavioral science.
That’s why leaders, institutions, and courts trust her to handle the conversations that can’t afford to go wrong.

Carol works with individuals, families, companies, schools, and government agencies. From Fortune 500 leaders to parents navigating custody, she helps anyone who is ready to stop avoiding conflict and start resolving it with clarity, calm, and skill.

Book a free consultation to talk through your needs or explore Carol’s speaking topics, training programs, and mediation services to find the right fit for you or your organization.

Neuro mediation is Carol’s proprietary method that fuses neuroscience, conflict psychology, and advanced communication strategy. It is mediation that treats the root cause, not just the symptoms, so agreements actually hold and peace lasts.

Yes. Carol is trusted by teams at Amazon, FEMA, and the U.S. Air Force to help resolve breakdowns in communication, rebuild trust, and create systems for collaboration under pressure. From leadership disputes to toxic culture patterns, she gets results fast.

Yes. Carol offers self-paced online courses, group training, and certification programs for professionals who want to master neuroscience-based conflict resolution in both personal and professional settings.

Let’s do it differently.

If You’re Facing Conflict That Feels Impossible

It’s not. But you can’t settle for a checkbox agreement that avoids the real issues. You need a space where resolution feels right, clear, and complete.